Overview

Our Theatre and Performance Studies faculty at Tufts University specialize in illuminating how social and cultural formations — particularly gender, race, indigeneity, ethnicity, sexuality, colonization, religion, and class — inform performance both on and off stage.

In turn, we support and celebrate interdisciplinary scholarship from our graduate students that centers shared concerns of performance, such as the body, repetition, liveness, and visuality, while at the same time taking up concerns in outside fields of inquiry.

Careers

Faculty believe in a wide variety of possibilities for life after earning a PhD, and offer strategies for navigating the academic job market as well as alternative job markets for students who wish to pursue careers in arts administration, editing, grant writing, higher education administration, library studies, publishing, technical writing, arts entrepreneurship, and the corporate sector.

Programme Structure

Courses include:

Theatre, Pedagogy, Curriculum and Professional Development
Latinx Theatre and Performance
19th Century American Theatre
Confronting Genocide on Stage and Screen
Modern Dramatic Theory and Criticism
Performance Ethnography
Innovative Musicals
Colonial Unknowing
Queer, Trans, and Feminist Performance

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 60 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-09-02 00:00:00
- Apply before 2025-12-01 00:00:00

Language

English

IELTS

6.5

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TOEFL^® IBT

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Duolingo English Test

110

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Delivered

On Campus

Disciplines

Drama View 23 other PhDs in Drama in United States

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

IELTS

6.5

Free IELTS Mock Tests!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

Duolingo English Test

110

Take A Free Practice Test!

Student insurance

Make sure to cover your health, travel, and stay while studying abroad. Even global coverages can miss important items, so make sure your student insurance ticks all the following:

Additional medical costs (i.e. dental)
Repatriation, if something happens to you or your family
Liability
Home contents and baggage
Accidents
Legal aid

We partnered with Aon to provide you with the best affordable student insurance, for a carefree experience away from home.

Get your student insurance now

Starting from €0.53/day, free cancellation any time.

Remember, countries and universities may have specific insurance requirements. To learn more about how student insurance work at Tufts University and/or in United States, please visit Student Insurance Portal.

Other requirements

General requirements

Application fee
Resume/CV
Official TOEFL, IELTS, or Duolingo English Test, if applicable
Transcripts
Three letters of recommendation
A personal statement no more than 1,000 words that addresses questions such as: Why this particular program? What sort of questions has your research turned up so far? How is performance central to your research questions?
A writing sample that reflects a scholarly discussion of a topic in or related to theater (ex. part of a master's thesis, a term paper, or a research article).

Tuition Fee

To always see correct tuition fees

International

Free

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 0 USD per year during 60 months.
National

Free

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 0 USD per year during 60 months.
In-State

Free

Tuition Fee

Based on the tuition of 0 USD per year during 60 months.

The tuition for PhD students in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is fully covered by Tufts tuition scholarships.

Living costs for Medford

1458 - 3019 USD /month

Living costs

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Theatre and Performance Studies.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

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