Theatre is Best When it Incites and Excites

The Department of Theatre fosters a courageous, self-driven creative process working both within and outside of existing structures with a goal of using your art to create a pathway to success.

undergraduate experience

The MSU Department of Theatre offers you a personalized experience. We empower our students to think about a character from various vantage points, use technology to design and create new worlds, and examine the past in order to understand the present and influence the future.

graduate experience

Graduate Degree programs in the Department of Theatre are designed to prepare you for a career as a professor or administrator at major colleges and universities throughout the United States or for a career in professional theatre.

Degree Areas

BACHELOR in Theatre

The Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre is designed for students wishing to gain experience in all areas of theatre and the broader cultural sector.

Bachelor of Fine Arts

The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre is designed for students wishing to prepare for a professional career in theatre and other media.

Master of Fine Arts

Masters of Fine Arts provided for in both Acting and Design. The programs aim to prepare students to be a professional design, artists and educators.

Minor In Theatre

In addition to preparing students for careers that are directly related to theatre, the minor will afford opportunities to expand creative, presentation, and interpersonal communication skills.

Minor In Musical Theatre

Students study musical theatre and its practical foundations; consisting of individually prescribed blocks of courses designed to provide a guided performance and academic experience tailored to each student’s career goals.

Minor in Dance

Students study dance and its practical applications. The minor consists of technique-based courses designed to provide a wide variety of skills in conjunction with practical leadership within the discipline.

Featured News

MSU Department of Theatre’s 2026-27 Season Explores the Art of ‘Becoming’

The Michigan State University Department of Theatre’s 2026-27 Season, with the theme “Becoming,” features nine productions that examine moments of change and the question of who we are, who we are told to be, and who we choose to become. The 2026-27 productions explore characters who discover who they are, challenge expectations, confront impossible choices, resist pressure to conform, and imagine new futures for themselves and others.

Two performers stand on a stage amid dramatic lighting while a large projection behind them displays text comparing artificial intelligence and human learning. The digital backdrop reads, "AI learns through mathematical pattern recognition and optimization of large datasets, while human learning is a biological process shaped by emotions and consciousness."

Michigan Impact

Arts and Humanities in Action: How MSU’s College of Arts and Letters Is Shaping Michigan’s Future

The impact of Michigan State University’s College of Arts and Letters extends far beyond campus. Across Michigan, students, faculty, and alumni are putting the arts

A performer sits cross-legged at center stage with palms raised upward, illuminated by cool blue lighting and circular projections. Two dancers stand behind holding flowing blue fabric.

Faculty

Ask the Expert: How Arts and Humanities Drive Michigan’s Economic Future

Higher education plays a key role in educating Michigan residents as well as supporting the state’s economy, workforce, and culture. Michigan’s 15 public universities generate

Theatre Prof Serves as Assistant Fight Director for Broadway Production

Alexis Black is always up for a good fight. And since February 2022 she has been choreographing stage combat for the Tony Award-nominated production of Macbeth…

MFA Candidate Receives National Kennedy Center Award for Theatre Design

Kasee Arnett, an MFA Design Candidate from Michigan State University, earned a spot to compete in the national competition in which she received the Distinguished Achievement Award…

MSU Researches a Neurodiverse Approach to Theatre Education

One of the first of its kind in the world, the Department of Theatre has produced a play that is written specifically for a neurodiverse audience …

Stage Management Student Works with Broadway Stars in NYC

From running rehearsals to communicating technical needs, stage managers, like Katie McArthur, work out the kinks of a production before and during its big debut….