M.A. in PPP: Guide

The degree program requires successful completion of at least 30 hours of course work and thesis preparation:

• Two courses (6 credits) are required: Proseminar in Performance as Public Practice (beginning fall 2004) and Research and Methods.
• Six credits hours are dedicated to thesis project research and writing (DRM698A and DRM698B).
• At least two courses (6 credits) must be taken "outside the major area," according to the Graduate School Catalogue, from courses elsewhere in Theatre and Dance or from offerings in other departments at UT.
• The other 12 credits consist of coursework selected from PPP area offerings: either "core" courses, which tend to be methodologically inflected, or "content" courses. Students should discuss with their advisor/mentor the most appropriate menu of courses to meet their goals.

Candidates for the M.A. degree must complete a thesis project as the major requirement for the degree. The process for designing the project consists of several steps.

1. At the end of the student's first year of coursework, he/she proposes three faculty who would be appropriate to supervise their thesis project. The PPP area faculty consult and select one of these three faculty members as supervisor. Faculty supervisors must be members of the Graduate Studies Committee.
2. Prior to the end of the spring semester, the student and supervisor meet to discuss a research agenda for the summer, which will allow the student to spend time delimiting their topic and the contours of their project.
3. At the beginning of the fall semester, the student and faculty supervisor meet to finalize the topic and to begin developing the thesis project proposal.

The thesis proposal is a concise, descriptive document that includes the following:

1. A short narrative description of the project (3-5 pages, double-spaced).
2. The overarching research question that will drive the research, with several subsidiary questions that indicate potential directions (1-2 pages).
3. An annotated bibliography of selected key resources in the field, either primary (ie., archival materials) or secondary (periodicals and books). Each annotation should clearly situate the material in the context of the project, succinctly describing its relevance and the student's critical perspective on the work.
4. Depending on the thesis project format, the following should accompany the proposal:
   1. A narrative description of the three chapters of the research thesis that indicates how the paper will be structured
   2. A description of the performance project, workshop, web site, grant proposal or outreach program in which the project will culminate
   3. A statement of the student's goals in conducting this research.

Culminating M.A. thesis projects in Performance as Public Practice can defined in several ways:

1. A conventional thesis paper, which consists of three 25-page chapters, the first of which includes an introduction to the project, and the last of which includes a conclusion, on a clearly focused research question of appropriate scope and scale.
2. A performance project, supported by a short written analysis of the process and a report on the outcomes, including an annotated bibliography.
3. A performance or composition or skills-based workshop for students and/or people in various Austin communities, supported by a short written analysis of the development process and a report on the outcomes, including an annotated bibliography.
4. A grant proposal for a specifically identified funding agency, supported by a short written analysis of the development process and a report on the outcomes, including an annotated bibliography.
5. A web site, supported by a short written analysis of the development process and a report on outcomes, including an annotated bibliography.
6. An extensive annotated bibliography of source materials in a clearly identified subfield, supported by a short narrative description of the bibliography's usefulness to a specific readership.
7. Another semester-long final project determined with and approved by the faculty supervisor and the PPP area faculty.

Regardless of the format, the intent of the culminating project is to demonstrate the student's depth of analysis and their ability to integrate theory and practice, conduct rigorous research, and to engage critically with the selected field.

The thesis proposal will be reviewed and approved by a subcommittee of the PPP program faculty. Once it's approved, in consultation with the faculty supervisor, the student will select two other members of the Graduate Studies Committee to serve on the thesis project committee.

During the writing and research process, the faculty supervisor will work most closely with the student, although other committee members might be approached for additional guidance. The final draft of the thesis will be presented to the committee by the specified deadline each spring, and an oral defense of the project will be scheduled.

After approval of the project by the committee, and after successfully passing the oral defense, the student will make any necessary corrections requested by the committee, make three clean copies of the thesis report or project (or other documentation), properly bind two of them for the Graduate School, turn in the bound copies to MAI 133, and give the unbound copy to the Theatre and Dance Graduate Coordinator.

Each semester of their M.A. program, students are evaluated by the faculty to affirm their satisfactory progress toward the degree. Unsatisfactory process could result in rescinded financial aid awards and cancelled teaching opportunities, as well as a letter from the Director of Graduate Studies detailing a period of required probation.

Students passing successfully through the M.A. program apply to continue in the Ph.D. program, should they wish to do so, by the application deadline set each year. Successful admission to the Ph.D. program requires the completion of all M.A. coursework and the thesis project, and approval by the PPP area faculty and the Graduate School.