Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about Applying to the Program
Questions about the Program
Questions about Completing the Program

 

Questions about Applying to the Program:

When applying to the graduate program, do I need to set up an interview?

Interviews are not a necessary part of the process. While we do not require formal interviews, we are open to meeting you if you desire a visit. Our interviews are informal, brief, and are meant for candidates who are trying to determine whether or not Brown is a fit for their needs. We do not use interviews to determine candidacy – so if you already know that you want to apply, you do not need to interview. We are always quite open to answering questions over email as well. Contact the Director of Graduate Studies at any time with email questions. And if you desire a visit, contact the Director to set up a meeting. Sometimes a prospective student is eager to meet a faculty member who is not the Director of the Graduate Program. That meeting can be arranged by the Director or by the student interviewee him/herself. Though not everyone's schedule allows an interview, we are all willing to at least try and meet you while you are here. But please remember that for many people, interviews involve travel and travel is costly. Therefore, we underscore again: an interview is not necessary.

Would it be possible to sit in on some classes while I am visiting the campus?

On occasion it is possible to visit classes in the Theatre, Speech, and Dance Department, or classes taught by core graduate faculty, with permission of the instructor. If you are visiting campus, and have arranged to meet the Director of Graduate Studies, you can also arrange a class visit. To arrange a class visit, either email the instructor yourself, or discuss possible class visits with the Director of Graduate Studies.

 How important are the GREs to the application?

The GRES are highly recommended, though they are not required. Taking the GREs can enhance your application, but not taking the GREs will not disqualify you from the pool. We do not consider the mathematical portion of the GRE at all. In general, most of our focus when analyzing a candidate’s suitability is placed on the writing sample and the personal statement. Transcripts and letters of recommendation are also important. Other indications of preparedness, such as the GREs, are given consideration, but are not a determining factor.

Should I wait to apply until after I have taken the GREs, or can the scores be forwarded to the school?

You do not have to wait to apply until after you have taken the GREs. Your scores can be forwarded to the school.

 Are foreign students eligible for financial aid?

 Yes.

What is a Statement of Purpose? How long should it be?

Your Statement of Purpose should be a succinct document, generally two to five pages in length, in which you tell us why you want to pursue a doctoral degree. You might answer one or more of the following prompts:  Who are you? What are your interests?  What inspires you? What do you feel passionately about or think fervently about or ruminate deeply upon – or, not to insist upon depth or passion, what is it about the surface of something that intrigues you? What compels you to study? What is your prior experience? What has led you to the choice to pursue an advanced degree? What do you hope to achieve? And, if you have a reason, why Brown?

What should I send as a Writing Sample? How long should it be?

We are interested in seeing a sample of what you consider to be your best scholarly writing. It is best to choose an example of scholarly writing, if possible, as scholarship is central to our purposes. The sample can either be a research paper, or a theoretical essay, literary analysis or analysis of theatrical or art production -- any mode of scholarship is acceptable. In the process of study here you will be writing papers for graduate seminars, you will be writing papers for presentation at conferences, and ultimately you will be writing a dissertation (which is a scholarly text), so we are most interested in your familiarity with conventions of scholarship as well as with any sign of "spark" or creativity or individual insight that might show through those conventions. We do not place any official constraints on the writing sample, but we certainly do have recommended lengths. We recommend sending a sample between 10 and 25 pages, but 8 to 30 would also suffice. Less than eight and we will not really get any idea of your ability to sustain an argument. More than thirty and we simply will not have time to read the sample (and we will not). If you send an entire honors or Master’s thesis, for example, we might read "in" it, but we will not be able to have a sense of your ability to sustain an argument, because we will not be able to read the entire sample. It's best to guide us to your best scholarly writing by sending us a manageable sample -- again, 10-25 pages are preferred.

Can I send samples of playwriting or other non-scholarly writing in addition to a scholarly sample?

 Sometimes an applicant will want us to see a sample of a non-scholarly text, such as a play. While you are free to send us any kind of sample you wish, we must stress that we will not be able to read material that exceeds a manageable number of pages.

What kinds of financial support are available?

 Students who are accepted with financial aid into the A.M./Ph.D. program receive five years of support. Students receive a first year fellowship (tuition and healthcare and a living stipend of roughly $20,000). Students then receive tuition, stipend, and heath support in the form of an assistantship or proctorship for another three years beyond the first year. The assistantship may be a teaching assistantship, or a research assistantship, or a proctorship of some variety. Brown awards a dissertation fellowships for the fifth year, which would again be monetary support in the form of a fellowship. In all, then, a student accepted with financial aid into the PhD program (A.M./Ph.D. or Ph.D.) can rest assured that finances are covered for five years.

 

Questions about the Program:

What teaching opportunities are available to graduate students?

A graduate student who is awarded a fellowship upon entry can expect to have either teaching assistantships, proctorships, or research assistantships as part of the financial award package. Your first year is a fellowship year. After that year, you can expect an assistantship in some capacity for three years. The fifth year is another fellowship year, with no assistantship requirements. We currently have students teaching as part of the Speech program in the Department of Theatre, Speech and Dance. We also have Teaching Assistantships associated with the theatre history sequence of classes (TA123, 124, and 125). Another TAship is assigned to a student capable of teaching a theatre history sequence to MFA students. For qualified students there have been TAships in Dance as well. Other teaching opportunities may arise, and in the past qualified graduate students have taught classes in the practice wing of the department when appropriate. We also have literary management assistantships associated with Brown Summer Theatre and a proctorship associated with the Becker Library. The Sheridan Center at Brown also offers a certificate in teaching preparedness for graduate students. This certificate, awarded after a series of workshops and instructional sessions, is an invaluable asset on the job market. See http://www.brown.edu/Administration/Sheridan_Center/graduate/index.html.

What kinds of intersections are there between the Theatre and Performance Studies MA and PhDs and the MFAs in playwriting, acting and directing?

When you are accepted to the A.M./Ph.D. program you become part of our Consortium with Trinity Repertory and the MFA in Playwriting at Brown. The Consortium starts with a bang every year. For a week before classes start in your first year you will join in what we affectionately call the Consortium “boot camp” – where all of the entering MFAs in Acting, Directing and Playwriting, join with the entering PhD students in Theatre and Performance Studies for a week of introductory explorations in the form of workshops and discussion sessions. This ‘camp” takes place at Trinity Repertory Theatre in the heart of Providence, so it is an excellent introduction to the city as well as to fellow students across disciplinary boundaries. After the first week, opportunities for interaction arise in the form of classes such as “Collaborations” (taught in the past by Paula Vogel and Oskar Eustis or more recently by Bonnie Metzgar and Curt Columbus). Collaboration also takes the form of involvement in production. Several of our PhD students have been involved in either dramaturgy or directing (and occasionally acting) in productions of MFA playwrights. As actors and directors from the MFA are also involved, this is an arena for ongoing exchange. It is also the case that on occasion students from the MFA Directing Program take graduate seminars in Theatre and Performance Studies. There are also venues in Providence such as AS220 and Perishable Theatre which encourage experiment and exchange and collaborations occasionally can occur in these venues (and others) as well.

  
How well have persons with graduate degrees from Brown done on the job market? In publishing? In award-winning?

There is no question that Brown Graduate School alumni do very well indeed. Scholars with graduate degrees from our program teach at New York University, McGill, Emerson, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale to name only a few schools. Recent PhD students, and students still working on their degrees, have won prestigious awards and have had success at publishing in the field. In 2006, two of our graduate students won the “Student Essay Contest” with The Drama Review, winning publication in that journal and $500 each. This competition was judged by The Drama Review Contributing Editors and was judged with names and schools withheld. The winning essays were a “tie,” and instead of breaking the tie, the editor, Richard Schechner decided to award both students the full prize. He wrote us that only after making the decision did he discover the names of the student scholars and was amazed to find that they both came from Brown! Needless to say, we are very proud. Several of our students have had success in publishing before graduating:  in Women and Theatre Journal, Theatre Journal, and  Modern Drama among other publications. Upon completion of the Ph.D., students have turned their dissertations into successful books. We are also proud of graduate students who have won doctoral fellowships for funded study. Two students have recently been awarded fellowships with the Cogut Center for the Humanities here at Brown.

How do I fulfill my language requirements?

See the language requirements listed on the Doctoral Program page. Some applicants are daunted by the language requirements, but this need not be the case. To bring a language to proficiency can be accomplished while a graduate student in the program by taking advantage of the language and learning facilities here at Brown. We will work with all students, no matter what level of language competency at the start of the program, to bring them along to achieve our standards. Language study is a student’s responsibility, but we are indeed here to help, prod, and remind. If you are an applicant with no prior foreign language study, you will have to work very consistently while at Brown, but our goals are achievable. Most applicants, however, do have at least a basic level of familiarity in at least one foreign language when they enter the program.

What is the age-range of students?

Among our graduate students are highly accomplished directors and playwrights or persons with prior careers who have “returned” to study or are choosing to study to enhance their artwork. Other students join us at the start of their careers – occasionally just out of college. Together we make a varied group – which adds to the complexity of discourse.  Students working on their doctorate at Brown have ranged in age from 22 to… shall we say the vicinity of 50? Though there probably is an unspoken minimum age, there is no cap on the other end.

How many PhD students are in residence in any given year?

 The number varies based on completion of the dissertation and defense, time away in field research, etc., as well as on the number of students accepted in any given year. In general there are between ten and fifteen A.M./Ph.D. students in residence in any given year. We accept only two to four students a year from an applicant pool between 80 and 100 in the past five years.

 

 
Questions about Completing the Program:

What is the best schedule for completion of the degree? Or, What are “milestones” for progress?

Click on the “milestones” link for the answer to this question. The milestones are markers to help someone complete in five years. For some, this makes for a very tight schedule. However, we strive to help students finish and earn their degrees in as timely a manner as possible.

What are comprehensive exams?

This question is fairly thoroughly answered on the Doctoral Program home page. If you have further questions, please contact your advisor.

What is expected at a comprehensive exam defense?

A comprehensive exam defense is an oral defense of your exams. The exam generally runs between 1.5 to 2 hours. Chairs of committees design the defense, and thus each defense may vary somewhat. A common defense style is as follows:  Everyone gathers. The student is asked to step outside. The committee discusses format and major issues in the essays while the candidate is not in the room (this often takes only a short period of time). The student then reenters and presents for about 10 minutes. Some students discuss the process of writing; some offer a self-evaluation of the argument or a self-assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of individual essays; some address what questions remain. Each student should discuss the opening presentation in advance with his or her advisor. After this, each of the three essays is addressed. The committee poses questions to the student, who answers. Sometimes, all talk together about the issues raised. At the end of the defense, the student will leave the room and the committee will deliberate for a short period of time on the status of the candidate. If a candidate passes, a brief discussion may ensue regarding the candidate’s plan for a dissertation.

Is a dissertation proposal recommended or required?

After a student completes his or her comprehensive exams, it is time to research and write the dissertation. Students come to this process in different ways, as do the advisors who chair their committees. Some advisors will require a full dissertation proposal with chapter breakdowns and bibliographies, others will ask for a 2-5 page précis and/or outline and preliminary bibliography. Still others may be content with an abstract and a plan for research and writing. Please be sure to work closely with your advisor to determine the best route for you in moving into the dissertation research and writing phase.

What is the role of the committee at the dissertation stage?

A committee is composed of faculty members who will ultimately determine whether or not a dissertation can be passed. As you research and write, you and your advisor should determine the right time to present work in the form of chapters to your committee members for their feedback. Even before chapters are completed, it is a good idea to visit your committee members in office hours or by special appointment to report on your progress and get their advice on question you may have in their area of expertise.  It is not a good idea to leave communication with committee members to the very end of the process when you have a completed draft, as you should gain insight from your committee along the way. However, you do not want to over-burden your full committee with drafts unnecessarily. Again, work with your advisor to determine how much and when to present drafted work to your committee.  A note: please be sure to allow for four-six weeks turn around time. Professors are often extremely busy, and you cannot expect to give a committee member a chapter and have feedback that same week (though of course, that would be ideal!).  You will also want to leave 4-6 weeks for review of an entire dissertation. However, real world deadlines (job awards or post-doctoral fellowships) often cramp the time allotment. Faculty will generally try and be generous about this, but please be courteous in return.  Planning is imperative, as is close communication with your committee throughout the process.

How long is a dissertation?

Dissertation length varies. Generally, dissertations are between 200 and 300 pages in length. 

What is expected at a dissertation defense?

A dissertation defense is generally two to three hours long. Chairs of committees design the defense, so each defense may vary. A common defense style is as follows.  Everyone gathers. The student is asked to step outside. The committee discusses format and major issues while the candidate is not in the room (this often takes only a short period of time). The student then reenters and presents for about 10 minutes. Some students discuss the process of writing; some offer a self-evaluation of the argument or a self-assessment of the dissertation’s strengths and weaknesses; some address what questions remain. Each student should discuss the opening presentation in advance with his or her advisor. After this, the committee poses questions to the student, who answers. At the end of the defense, the student will leave the room and the committee will deliberate. In most cases, the student will hear after this deliberation whether or not he or she has passed and will be awarded with the PhD, or whether the pass is provisional based on required revisions, or whether the student has not passed (though this last is extremely unlikely given that no defense should happen before a dissertation is basically defensible).

What is a reasonable time-line from comps to dissertation proposal to completion?

Of course, student processes vary. A goal should be to produce a proposal (in whatever form is determined with an advisor) as soon as possible after the comps -- ideally within eight weeks. Ideally, as well, research can be completed in one year, and writing in another year. Many students take longer than this, making it difficult to give a simple answer about “reasonable” expectations. Ideal expectations are one thing, but “reasonable” expectations will vary from topic to topic as well as student to student. Every student should try to complete the program within the five years of guaranteed funding, but given the difficulty of this in some cases, it is wise to look for outside funding whenever possible (Brown funding can be deferred if outside funding is secured). There is also the possibility of applying for sixth year funding from Brown.

At what point in the dissertation writing process can or should a student begin applying for jobs?

Applying for jobs can be exceedingly time consuming. In general, it is not advisable to begin a job search until three chapters or at least 2/3 of the dissertation is completed and an advisor has approved your progress toward completion. Remember that your committee will be contacted by potential employers to report on your dissertation progress, so you should confer with your advisor about the timing of job applications.