As a graduate student at Emerson College, you will have access to a variety of exclusive benefits and opportunities that will help prepare you to take your career to the next level.
Benefits of Our Program
Our graduate program offers students one-on-one mentorship with graduate faculty. During this time, mentors advise students on interests like theatre for young audiences, community-based practice, and theatre for social change. Mentors provide academic advising, career guidance, and network connections.
Students enjoy opportunities to learn from the production, education, and engagement teams at ArtsEmerson, Boston’s leading presenter of world theatre, and HowlRound, a world-renowned online platform for cutting edge ideas and practices in the field. Interested students may be able to work with ArtsEmerson through either part-time employment or internships. Students also have the opportunity to work on Emerson Stage productions as dramaturgs, assistant directors, and education team members.
Benefits of the Master of Arts in Theatre Education & Applied Theatre
- Students in the MA in Theatre Education & Applied Theatre program can choose their electives based on their professional interests. With a wide range of electives, including social justice, theatre production, and direct community engagement, you’ll be exposed to different aspects of theatre and focus on what you enjoy best.
- Students in this program hone their practice by building experience through projects involving community partnerships. Recent examples of student projects include:
- Partnering with Boston Public School teachers in their classroom to use theater as a climate justice education tool
- Collaborating with elders at a senior center to devise and perform an original show featuring elders’ stories
- Devising, producing and directing an original show with women-identified writer/performers about gender, feminism, body image, faith and sexuality with undergraduate students as a local college
- Collaborating with local survivors of gun violence, community organizers and activists to devise an original performance related to the impact of gun violence in Boston-area neighborhoods
- Partnering with an adult ESL class to offer storytelling workshops and create a podcast amplifying and sharing immigrant stories
Assistant directing/co-devising an immersive political performance adaptation of Ancient Greek theater in galleries at the Museum of Fine Arts - Designing and teaching a series of queer-informed, gender-expansive Linklater voice workshops with transgender and nonbinary undergraduate students
- Designing and facilitating a series of theater games workshops with adults with cognitive disabilities at a local community center
- Creating and recording an audio play from interviews with multigenerational queer women and choreographing and performing a dance piece that erupted in a celebration and community event at a local bar
- Designing and facilitating an afterschool theater project at a local public school with middle school girls addressing social media and body image
Career Outlook for Theatre Education & Applied Theatre Graduates
Employees with a master's degree earn $229 more a week than those with a bachelor’s, and from 2020 to 2021, arts and cultural goods in the U.S. added $1 trillion to the U.S. economy alone. Graduates of our programs can expect careers like:
MA Theatre Education & Applied Theatre
- Pre-K–12 private school teacher
- Teaching artist in after-school or out-of-school programs
- Education or community engagement staff at professional theatres, arts organizations, or nonprofits
An Alum's Perspective
Get the Emerson Edge with our Graduate Student Benefits
Once you commit to graduate school at Emerson, you’re automatically enrolled in our Emerson Edge program. Emerson Edge is designed to help you network with peers, alumni, faculty, and staff to ensure you’re getting what you need out of your graduate program including career exploration, resume building, financial planning, and access to exclusive events for students and alumni.
Emerson Edge benefits:
- Career exploration and preparedness: Work with Career Development to discuss your interests and skills to investigate different career paths. Our Career Development team reviews industry trends and updates you on emerging career paths and industries. Start with the Graduate Career Action Plan to learn about your skills, the Emerson community, industry, and network. Work with our team to craft your resume, cover letter, and portfolio and receive access to exclusive job listings.
- Attend Graduate Student Events: Meet new friends and network with your colleagues in the graduate community at in-person and online events hosted by the Graduate Student Association.
- Work with your Graduate Program Director: Your Graduate Program Director serves as a mentor to you and your classmates. They’ll help you connect with alumni, identify internship and career opportunities, and build a class schedule that excites you.
- Network with Emerson Alumni: Our alumni network consists of 51,000+ proud lions. Meet alumni from around the globe through Emerson’s exclusive Emerge platform, and in-person and virtual events hosted by our Alumni Relations team. Our alumni are known for helping each other out, from mentoring opportunities to career guidance, and you’ll join one of the best alumni networks in the country.
- Consult with our resource center to create a work-life balance plan and receive feedback on writing projects and coursework for native and non-native English speakers.
- Find graduate housing: Work with our Off-Campus Student Services to find off-campus graduate housing, roommates, neighborhood and budgeting advice, and even learn how to sign a lease.
- Explore our accessible resources: Coordinate with our Student Accessibility Services to receive access and support to our graduate programs and courses, activities, and services to ensure your needs are met while studying at Emerson.