The one-year Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Performance provides students with an advanced introduction to the challenges and possibilities of organizing and presenting a public professional performance.

Based on the development of a substantial live performance, the program also offers supervision on an agreed dissertation topic and two modules in management and marketing from our MBA program.

The core of the program is the performance project. Under faculty supervision, students are required to devise or identify a suitable recital, concert performance, or other approved live performance work, oversee the development of the project (original or adapted), arrange for rehearsal, directing and performance of the piece, and manage, market and produce a recorded public performance of the work. The student may be involved in all areas of the performance as a musician, singer, dancer, writer, director, actor, or technician, or engage others to assist in some or all of them.

All aspects of the production, including the decision-making that went into choosing the piece, a literary critical analysis of the program content and a critical review of the performance, are documented in a substantial (10,000 words) dissertation. The dissertation module (9 credits) and the faculty panel’s evaluation of one of the recorded live performances (21 credits) provide the basis for the assessment of the project.

Students prepare the performance project and dissertation over the fall and spring semesters, with delivery of them taking place at an agreed point over the summer, but before the completion of the academic year at the latest. The two taught modules are taken in the fall and spring semesters, with one completed in each of the semesters.

Performance project (21 credits)
Performance project dissertation (9 credits)
Leadership and management*
Marketing management**

*Or an approved elective from the MBA program offerings, or an approved independent study topic on leadership and management in the performing arts – 3 credits (with a supplementary fee).
**Or an approved elective from the MBA program offerings, or an approved independent study topic on marketing in the performing arts – 3 credits (with a supplementary fee).

An honours bachelor's degree in a cognate discipline may be an advantage but is not necessary for admission to the Master of Fine Arts in Performance.

In addition to completing an application online, applicants are asked to upload a portfolio of work demonstrating their experience and skills in the field in which they propose to work. Applicants will be invited to an interview.

A graduate of the program will have demonstrated a superior ability to create, manage and deliver a substantial professional public performance.

Along with the academic modules, the skills developed in the making of the performance project and the dissertation portfolio will provide the graduate with an enhanced understanding of the practical and artistic requirements of producing a substantial live performance.

These skills, combined with the rigorous demands of the dissertation, equip graduates with a strong foundation for successful careers in the performing arts industry and education.