UC Santa Cruz offers a one-year Master of Arts in Theater Arts that prepares students for professional achievements in interactive media and performance, stage design, directing, dramaturgy, performance, and performance scholarship, arts management, choreography, technical theater and stage management. Our M.A. program also places students in an excellent position to pursue further graduate academic work, such as an M.F.A. or Ph.D., and our graduates have a strong track record of being placed into prestigious terminal degree programs.<br><br>The degree does not require students to focus exclusively on one aspect of theater-making. Instead, we encourage students to explore performance from a broad perspective, and then to hone in on a capstone project that will test them to the best of their abilities. These projects have included practice-focused and scholarly-based research. The degree combines intellectually rigorous coursework with challenging artistic practice. The program integrates diverse approaches to performance, encouraging collaboration and cross-disciplinary thinking.