Performance Studies - 5-Year Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Performance Studies

Performance Studies is a scholarly field that emerged from the encounter between cultural anthropologists and theatre scholars interested in studying performance and ritual from a cross-cultural perspective. Performance Studies uses performance to understand and change the world, recognizing that performance is a mode in which we behave most every day of our life. 

The 5-Year Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Performance Studies involves an interdisciplinary, liberal arts approach to the study of performance. As a department soundly positioned between arts and scholarship, humanities and social sciences, theory and practice, students are provided with opportunities to engage with the field of performance studies from multiple angles. In their core performance studies courses, students are immersed in performance theory, create and analyze live performance, and cultivate essential research and writing skills to be successful citizens, scholars, and artists in the 21st century. 

Students in the program will earn a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts in 5 years, taking advantage of everything our department has to offer. The 5-year plan allows students flexibility to explore the field further than they can in the Bachelor of Arts program. They may take more courses, study abroad, engage in research projects, design collaborative performances, and compete for scholarly grants and awards. Those who graduate from the 5-year program will have a strong foundation in critical reflection, analysis, and creative practice which can apply to a variety of careers. For example, students may choose to continue on to a PhD program or explore careers in arts administration, professional performance, museum education, the non-profit sector, or more.