Graduate Studies - Non-Degree Seeking

If you completed a bachelor’s degree with a demonstrated academic competence in theatre studies, scenography or a related discipline and wish to take an upcoming graduate-level course in the Department of Theatre and Dance, you may apply as a non-degree seeking (NDS) student. Please note undergraduate prerequisite course completion is typically necessary to succeed in graduate-level coursework. 

If you intend to use this coursework to strengthen an application to the Department of Theatre and Dance M.A., Ph.D., or M.F.A., please contact the Director of Graduate Studies first because enrollment as a non-degree seeking student does not guarantee acceptance into the graduate program and not all courses are open to non-degree seeking students.

If a non-degree-seeking student later applies for admission as a regular degree-seeking student and is accepted by a department, the total of transfer credit may not exceed nine (9) hours.

Admission

Any applicant seeking to be admitted as a non-degree seeking student in Department of Theatre and Dance must submit an application. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.

• All applicants to graduate study at the University of Kansas must provide proof of English proficiency. Please visit our English Proficiency Requirements for more information about verification of proficiency for non-native English speakers.
• Evidence of a completed bachelor's degree: A qualifying bachelor's degree must be conferred by a regionally-accredited university or a foreign university with substantially equivalent degree requirements. A bachelor's degree may or may not be accepted by a department if it contains credit awarded for work experience that was not directly supervised by faculty members (e.g., life experience) or which was not evaluated in units that identify the academic content (e.g., if the work was graded on a P/F or S/U basis). Applicants must provide a copy of an official transcript from all post-secondary institutions they’ve attended. Copies of official transcript(s) can be uploaded directly into the online application.
• Personal Statement of Academic Intent: A professional narrative explaining your background, academic interests, and reason for applying for graduate non-degree seeking student status.