Ph.D. and M.A. in Culture and Performance

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

For the Ph.D. and M.A. program in Culture and Performance, all applicants are required to have a bachelor's degree or its equivalent from a recognized college or university. Applicants to the Ph.D. program also are normally expected to hold a master's degree or its equivalent from a recognized college or university. The Graduate Division of the University sets a minimum grade-point requirement of 3.0 or its equivalent for the last two years of undergraduate and any postbaccalaureate study. Applicants for the Ph.D. whose qualifications without M.A. degrees in a related field, or who do not meet the requirements for the M.A. degree in Culture and Performance are required to complete the requirements for a M.A. in our department.

In addition to the Application for Graduate Admission, the Department has its own screening procedure: biographical/purpose statement, three letters of recommendation, official transcript from each college or university at which work has been completed, and a research or term paper (for the M.A. program) or Master's thesis or substantial research paper (for the Ph.D. program), as well as evidence of other creative work relevant to the degree program. Scores of the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), sent directly by the testing agency to our Department (select Dept Code 2499), are also required.

Since M.A. and Ph.D. applications are reviewed separately, students must clearly designate to which degree program they are seeking admittance. Please keep in mind here your ultimate degree objective. Feel free to apply for admittance into our Ph.D. program and describe in your statement of purpose your intention of moving through our M.A. curriculum en route to your final degree goal. For any questions on this matter, please E-mail the Vice Chair of Graduate Affairs before applying.

DEADLINE: Dec. 1st of the year prior to entry is the official deadline for filing an application for Fall Quarter enrollment. This applies to all Ph.D. and M.A. applicants to the Department of World Arts and Cultures. Applicants are encouraged to apply online using the application on the Graduate Division Web Site. All applicants must submit the Application for Graduate Admission to the UCLA Graduate Admissions Office. The required additional supporting materials (biographical/purpose statement, letters of recommendation, transcript, writing sample, etc.) are to be sent directly to the Department of World Arts and Cultures. International students must also submit the Confidential Financial Statement to the Department. Incomplete applications cannot be reviewed, and review of applications that are not complete by the December 1st deadline cannot be guaranteed. Admission to the program is for Fall Quarter only. Students who are admitted but do not enroll may reapply, but they are not guaranteed admission at a later date.

International Applicants: Students whose native language is not English are required to submit scores received on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) as part of their application.A TOEFL score of at least 560 on the paper and pencil test or 220 on the computer based test is the minimum required for applicants to graduate programs at UCLA. For the internet-based TOEFL (TOEFL iBT), the following are minimum passing scores for each section and the minimum total passing score:

• Writing: 25
  
• Speaking: 24
  
• Reading: 21
  
• Listening: 17
  
• Total minimum passing score: 87

An IELTS overall band score of at least 7.0 is the minimum required.

Applications are not considered complete without the test scores. Because processing, sending, and receiving TOEFL and IELTS test scores often takes several weeks, international students must schedule their examination no later than October in order to meet the Departmental deadlines. TOEFL scores should be sent directly to the Department Admissions Office. IELTS scores should be sent to the Department Admissions Office and the Graduate Division. For further information about TOEFL requirements, please see: UCLA Graduate Division English Requirements

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