Ph.D. Program | Introduction

The Department of Drama at UC Irvine and the Department of Theatre and Dance at UCSD offer a Joint Doctoral Program in Drama and Theatre, the only one of its kind in the UC system and indeed in the entire US.

The Joint Program has the largest dedicated doctoral faculty of any Drama program in the nation and one of the lowest teacher-student ratios. The Program is designed to encourage carefully-selected students to develop a unique body of research working closely with a small group of faculty at both UCI and UCSD. This "boutique" approach calls on each student to explore avenues of research and scholarship that will maximize opportunities for entrance into the highest levels of academia.

The program's goal is to prepare students for a successful career at either a research university or a major liberal arts institution, in a variety of possible disciplines ranging from Drama and Theatre, English, Performance Studies, to Cultural, Gender, and Ethnic Studies. The UCI Drama Department places a high value on collegiality and professionalism, and we nurture these qualities through cooperative work within seminars, independent studies, organized events, teaching opportunities and professional trainings.  The newly launched Dramaturgy emphasis offers UCI Drama Ph.D. students a competitive edge at today's job market.

UCI Drama is proud of its diverse faculty and student body and their multicultural scholarly interests. We care deeply about diversity, as well as multicultural and interdisciplinary training. UCI Drama is a program with a true global vision.

Program Learning Outcome information for the Ph.D. program, can be found here.