Students in this department receive intensive training to prepare for careers in three areas: to work in theaters as dramaturgs, artistic producers, literary managers, and in related positions; to work in theater publishing as critics and editors as well as in other capacities; to teach theater as practitioners, critics, and scholars. At the core of the training are seminars in literature, theory and criticism, and history to impart a comprehensive knowledge of theater and dramatic literature. Students are trained in topics in institutional dramaturgy, including the formulation of artistic policy and its communication and implementation, and as production dramaturgs, operating within the rehearsal process.

Upon completion of the M.F.A. program, students are eligible to register to remain in residence for one year in which they may formulate a dissertation proposal and apply to the Doctor of Fine Arts program. Upon acceptance, the student is expected to complete the dissertation within three years.