Master’s degree · Initial professional preparation
M.F.A. in Drama: Acting
UC Irvine Department of Drama · Irvine, California, United States
- Award
- M.F.A. in Drama (Acting emphasis)
- Audience & level
- Adults
- Format
- In personthree years (Year One, Year Two, Year Three)
- Price
- Not published
About this program
A three-year graduate acting emphasis with yearly foci on personalization, style and process, and professionalism, including voice, movement, camera work and a showcase in the third year.
- Offering
- Degree program
- Fields
- Theatre acting, Screen acting, Voice & speech, Movement
- Purpose
- Initial professional preparation
- Teaching language
- English
Qualification and recognition
- Qualification
- Master’s degree
- Exact award
- M.F.A. in Drama (Acting emphasis)
- Award status
- Academic awardAwarded by a degree-granting institution.
- Awarding body
- University of California, Irvine
Structure and schedule
- Duration
- three years (Year One, Year Two, Year Three)
- Delivery
- In personTaught at the listed teaching location.
- Physical attendance
- Regular physical attendance
- Schedule
- Full-timeQuarter system; three published training years.
- Teaching location
- UC Irvine Claire Trevor School of the Arts4000 Mesa Road, Irvine, CA 92697-2775
Admissions and auditions
Audition required
- In-person audition
- Yes
- Callback
- Yes
- Audition detail
- Apply first, then a personal audition is scheduled; callbacks in Irvine for the 2026 cycle were February 14 and 15, 2026. U/RTA auditions are also attended. The department states that for Fall 2027 it is reviewing applications in other areas (PhD, Stage Management, Music Direction and design areas), not Acting.
- Deadlines
- Our deadline for application is January 9, 2026. · this date has passed; check the current cycle
- Official instructions
- Application and audition instructions
Fees
Original currency is authoritative. Each price keeps its basis (per class, per term, per year, whole program) and is never converted or added up for you.
Performance opportunities
As published by the provider. Showcases and productions are opportunities to perform; they do not guarantee agents, auditions, casting, union eligibility or work.
- Showcase
- Yes
- Who takes part
- Year Three Winter: Showcase – Professional Prep & Development
- Productions
- Department-wide productions presented each quarter in one of the department's performance venues.
Sources and verification
Not published on the program’s source pages: price, experience level.
Sources and how this was checked
Last checked 16 October 2026. Each fact carries a verbatim quote that is re-checked against the live page. Research methodology.
Sources (checked 16 October 2026)