Master of Arts in Applied Theatre

Format: On Campus
Application Deadlines
  • Fall 2025 Priority Deadline: January 16, 2025
  • Fall 2025 Regular Deadline: May 22, 2025

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The MA in Applied Theatre degree program, the first program of its kind in the United States, uses theatre as a medium for education, community development, and the pursuit of social justice. The goal of the program is to educate scholar practitioners to become future leaders in the field of applied theatre. Applied Theatre involves the use of theatre and drama in a wide variety of nontraditional contexts and venues, such as in teaching, the justice system, health care, the political arena, community development, museums, and social service agencies.

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Career Prospects

Graduates of the program are prepared for careers as teaching artists with theatres, museums, hospitals, and other community-based organizations; education directors for cultural organizations; facilitators of youth programs; creative aging artists; health and wellness theatre program specialists; conflict resolution; and activities specialists with development programs, aid agencies, and refugee support programs.

Students in the Program:

  • Practice actor-centered, collaborative approaches to leading creative teams and playbuilding original theatre
  • Study a range of artistic, educational, and social theories that inform progressive practice
  • Collaborate as a member of a student ensemble to support creative risk-taking
  • Progress through carefully sequenced courses with an emphasis on the unity of theory and practice
  • Devise and perform theatre-in-education interventions in New York City schools and community settings 
  • Develop work alongside the renowned CUNY Creative Arts Team
  • Research, implement, document, and evaluate an original applied theatre thesis project.

Curriculum

  • 10 Core Courses (30 Credits)
  • 2 Elective Courses (6 Credits)

Sample Courses

  • Community, Culture, and Diversity
  • Playbuilding
  • Teaching through Theatre
  • Theatre of the Oppressed
  • The Co-intentional Director
  • Creating Meaning Through Community Drama
  • Study abroad: Project Rwanda

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Meet our Faculty


Admissions Criteria

Applicants must possess a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, with a GPA of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale. Applicants are required to write a personal statement, upload a resume, and provide two letters of recommendation. Letters of recommendation may be submitted before or after submitting an application. Please note that an individual interview may be necessary.

We encourage applications from people with a variety of undergraduate majors and professional backgrounds. Theatre experience, formal or informal, is expected. Applicants who meet the basic eligibility criteria may be asked to take part in an artistic review.

Students are admitted to the program each fall and can enroll in either a full- or part-time course of study.

Funding Opportunities

In collaboration with the CUNY Creative Arts Team, CUNY SPS and the MA in Applied theatre are proud to offer the Graduate Apprenticeship for Diversity in Applied Theatre. Follow the link for details.

Application Deadlines

  • Fall 2025 Priority Deadline: January 16, 2025
  • Fall 2025 Regular Deadline: May 22, 2025
Apply Now

Recent news about Master of Arts in Applied Theatre

CUNY SPS MAAT alum Caityln McCain

AATE Award Winners

January 13, 2025

American Alliance for Theatre and Education

CUNY SPS alum Caitlyn McCain (MA Applied Theatre '23) was awarded the 2024 American Alliance for Theatre & Education (AATE) Distinguished Thesis Award for her master's thesis "Getting Free: Exploring Freedom Dreaming and Abolition Through Applied Theatre." The thesis explored how Applied Theatre, particularly participatory style drama, might create an environment where public school students and educators could dream, imagine, and rehearse new realities, making space for a more just and compassionate world.
CUNY SPS MA in Applied Theatre alum Lilian Ribeiro

Drama Therapist — and Grassroots Activist for the Arts

October 11, 2024

CUNY SPS Blog

In June 2024, the CUNY SPS MA in Applied Theatre (MAAT) program hosted its first-ever Eastern Region Drama Therapy Symposium in collaboration with the North American Drama Therapy Association (NADTA). This exciting event was organized by registered drama therapist and MAAT alum Lillian Ribeiro, who has devoted her career since she graduated in 2013 to the healing power of drama. This post in the award-winning CUNY SPS blog explores how Ribeiro built a career as a drama therapist, what inspired her along this path, and how CUNY SPS helped her along the way.

First-Ever Drama Therapy Symposium at CUNY SPS Brings Community Together

October 09, 2024

Co-hosted by the MA in Applied Theatre program, the event featured over 20 workshops and drew nearly 100 attendees.

Leadership Retreat Inspires New Generation of Student Leaders

September 06, 2024

Held in August, the second annual leadership retreat helped students develop the essential communication skills needed for their leadership roles throughout the semester. 

High Turnout and Quality Mark 2024 Theatre in Education Festival

August 16, 2024

This year's event featured projects by four separate teams of MA in Applied Theatre students.