Funding and assistantships
All our graduate students receive generous funding packages.
Specialize in directing, playwriting, design/technical, theatre studies and our newest program Interdisciplinary Creation and Research. Receive expert instruction and supervision from some of Canada’s most recognized scholars and artists.
Thesis-based programs require that you pursue independent and original research culminating in a thesis. You will work under the supervision of a faculty member whose expertise matches your research area.
Application to each specialization will require the following additional documents, that you can submit through the Student Centre website after application.
All our graduate students receive generous funding packages.
The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) administers a wide variety of internal and external awards for graduate students.
Also check with our Graduate Program Administrator for program-specific awards.
No more than the equivalent of twelve hours of work per week may be required of Graduate Assistants. Regulations governing terms of employment for Graduate Assistantships (Teaching, Non-Teaching) are covered by the below agreement.
The Drama Division boasts:
Students also have full access to:
These spaces and staff support a diverse season of programming, including multiple main stage productions as well as a student-driven festival of experimental work. Students can also participate in formal off-site initiatives such as Wagonstage (currently in collaboration with the Calgary Zoo).
Recent guest artists include Adrienne Wong, Jan Derbyshire, Haysam Kadri, Daniel MacIvor, Eric Rose and Ghost River Theatre, and Eric Moschopedis.
The SCPA is also an active collaborator on multiple training, production and research initiatives with professional Theatre and Performance organizations such as:
This broad range of professional engagement results in strong industry contacts and experiences prior to graduation.
Students in the MFA Drama program regularly come to Calgary from all over the world. In addition to rigorous training in their selected area of specialization, all MFA students acquire practice-based research skills and learn to produce new artistic and scholarly knowledge.
Current MFA research projects are exploring areas such as:
Students inquire about audience engagement in sound performances and about the material conditions of imagination in Canadian theatre for young audiences. In all cases, students enjoy high levels of agency within a carefully structured framework as they determine their individual program designs.
Graduates of the MFA in Drama benefit from a high employment rate. Shortly after graduation, recent students have successfully secured contracts in the theatre industry, teaching positions in universities, and positions in associated fields like science communication, research communication, and educational curriculum development.