Master’s degree · Initial professional preparation
MFA in Acting
UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance · La Jolla, San Diego, California, United States
- Award
- MFA in Acting
- Audience & level
- Adults
- Format
- In person
- Price
- Not published
About this program
A graduate acting program with studio work in movement, voice, speech and singing, classical text in year two, and a professional residency with La Jolla Playhouse.
- Offering
- Degree program
- Fields
- Theatre acting, Voice & speech, Movement
- Purpose
- Initial professional preparation
- Teaching language
- English
Qualification and recognition
- Qualification
- Master’s degree
- Exact award
- MFA in Acting
- Award status
- Academic awardAwarded by a degree-granting institution.
- Awarding body
- University of California, San Diego
Structure and schedule
- Duration
- Not published
- Delivery
- In personTaught at the listed teaching location.
- Physical attendance
- Regular physical attendance
- Schedule
- Full-timeStudents may enter only in the fall quarter.
- Teaching location
- UC San Diego campus9500 Gilman Dr. La Jolla, CA 92093
Admissions and auditions
Audition required
- In-person audition
- Yes
- Audition detail
- A final selection process in San Diego follows the audition tour.
- Prior education
- Applicants must have or must be about to receive a Bachelor's Degree (not necessarily in theatre); a 3.0 or better GPA in the last two years is required.
- Language requirements
- TOEFL iBT 85 (speaking 26), IELTS Academic 7 (speaking 8), PTE Academic 65, or Duolingo 120, unless exempt.
- Intakes
- Fall 2027
- Deadlines
- accepting applications for Fall 2027 from Wednesday, September 2nd 2026 through Wednesday, January 6th 2027
- 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.
The provider does not publish a price for this offering on the pages we checked. Ask for current fees, what they include and any deposit or refund terms.
Funding
MFA Graduate Funding Policy Funding
Basis not stated
MFA students
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
- In the third year, the entire acting class receives a showcase presentation in both Los Angeles and New York
- Industry invitations
- attended by specially invited groups of film, television, and theatre professionals
- Productions
- Each year the department schedules from 10-15 productions of varying budget levels.
- Career support
- All graduate actors serve at least one professional residency with La Jolla Playhouse
Sources and verification
Not published on the program’s source pages: price, duration, 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)