Graduate
Develop your artistic voice. Our MFA program pairs a competitive audition process with close faculty mentorship – a rigorous, focused path to the professional stage.
Where Performance Meets Profession
Why our Graduate Program
Since 1914, the University of Louisville Department of Theatre Arts has been training artists to think as deeply as they perform. That century-long foundation gives graduate students a rare intersection of history, rigor and cultural specificity to build their work upon. Whether through our MFA in Performance or our nationally first-of-its-kind Graduate Certificate in African American Theatre, you’ll join a program built to push you past convention and into your own voice.
Faculty Mentorship
You won’t just study under instructors – you’ll work alongside active practitioners who direct your productions and shape your training in acting, movement and voice. Our faculty and guest artists direct the Mainstage productions you perform in, meaning your mentorship happens in rehearsal rooms and on stage, not just in seminar.
What Sets Us Apart
Beyond the classroom, you’ll perform in our Repertory Company’s touring productions and mount original performance projects – graduating ready for careers on regional stages, in Hollywood or in academia. Our alumni shape the industry from the inside: proof that an MFA from Louisville is built for the long career, not just the degree.
Academic experience & support
Ready to take the next step?
Connect with our Director of Graduate Studies to learn more about the program, discuss your audition or schedule a campus visit.