NYU Steinhardt is committed to innovative and accessible teacher education. Beginning Fall 2026, every newly admitted full-time student in the MA in Educational Theatre, All Grades: Initial Certification program will receive a $15,000 per year scholarship. Apply now and start shaping the future of education.
Work as a theatre artist and educator in schools, cultural institutions, or community settings. In this master of arts program, you’ll develop your artistic practice in traditional and non-traditional performance spaces, apply your craft in educational and outreach sites, and study closely with leading theatre educators from around the world.
This program leads to eligibility for New York State initial certification as a teacher of theatre, all grades (K–12). During your course of study, you must complete fieldwork and student teaching placements at New York City schools, at both the elementary and secondary levels.
A non-certification degree and degrees offering dual certification with Social Studies Education and dual certification with English Education are also available.
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You must have completed the following content core requirements for your intended teaching certification area, as regulated by the New York State Education Department, prior to enrollment:
See more on content core requirements.
The Admissions Committee performs a full transcript review to evaluate courses appearing on all college transcripts. Advanced Placement (AP) and CLEP credits are included in the review. Therefore, it is important to provide official transcripts from all institutions attended. Failure to provide an official transcript from institutions listed on your current transcript as transfer credits will significantly delay the application process.
Any deficiencies in the teacher certification core content requirements may be fulfilled by enrolling in college-level courses at any accredited college or by completing approved CLEP exams. Courses must bear academic credit and show a grade, equivalent to "C" or better for consideration. Pass/Fail courses are not considered. See more information about CLEP exams.
Unfortunately, NYU Steinhardt cannot perform a transcript review prior to you applying to our program. Transcripts will be reviewed in detail, as part of the application process, by the Admissions Committee.
We review all applications individually and holistically, but our expectation is that successful candidates for admission to any NYU Steinhardt MA program in teacher education will have a minimum 3.0 undergraduate grade point average. Special consideration may be granted to strong candidates with a GPA below 3.0.
These instructions and requirements are for all applicants. If you are not a citizen or a permanent resident of the United States, please read the special instructions for international applicants.
Your application will require the following items. The following are acceptable document types for uploads: .pdf, .jpeg, .jpg, .gif, .tiff, .png, .doc, .docx, and bitmap.
You are required to upload a copy of your most recent résumé or curriculum vitae as part of your application.
You are required to upload a typed, double-spaced, two- to three-page statement explaining your purpose in undertaking graduate study in this particular program as part of your application. This is your opportunity to introduce yourself and to inform the admissions committee about your goals, interests, and career plans as they relate to your intended academic pursuits.
Submit two letters of recommendation. Be sure to request them well in advance of the deadline. Read detailed instructions on submitting letters of recommendation.
List and upload a copy of an official transcript from every postsecondary institution (college/university) you have attended or are attending. Please note: This includes transcripts from institutions where you received transfer credits or did not complete a degree. Make sure to request an official transcript(s) in advance of the deadline.
Institutions Outside the US or Canada
If you completed or are completing a degree at an institution outside of the US or Canada, you are required to provide a WES, ECE or TEC/SpanTran international credentials evaluation. Please review our requirements for translation and a course-by-course evaluation of your transcripts.
The GRE or MAT is NOT Required.
See testing requirements.
After you fill in and upload the required information, you can submit your completed application. Your application must be completed, dated, electronically signed, and submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST of the stated deadline.
You will be prompted to pay a $75 application fee, payable by major credit card only. After submitting your payment, you will see your application status change from “saved” to “submitted.” Please print this screen for your records, as it confirms that your application has been successfully sent to our school. If you have problems submitting your payment, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions. Learn more about our fee waiver policy.
Most application materials can be successfully submitted via the online application.
If you plan to send application materials, transcript(s) or international credentials evaluation(s) to NYU Steinhardt Office of Graduate Admissions, please review these instructions. Materials sent to other divisions of NYU may not be obtainable by our office and will significantly delay processing.
Application deadlines are "in-office" deadlines, not postmark deadlines. It is your responsibility to ensure that all materials are in the Office of Graduate Admissions by the appropriate deadline, and we reserve the right to return any application that arrives after the deadline. Only completed applications will be considered. Should a deadline fall on a weekend, the in-office deadline will be the next business day. We advise you to apply early.
Please check the online system to confirm that you have successfully submitted your application. Due to the volume of applications and related materials received, the Office of Graduate Admissions will only contact you if your application was successfully submitted and is deemed incomplete because of missing required materials. Otherwise, you will hear from us when the admissions committee has made its decision.
Deferral policy: NYU Steinhardt does not allow deferrals. Applicants who wish to be considered for a future semester must reapply by submitting a new application with all supporting materials, including letters of recommendation, by the application deadline.
You will be notified about your decision by email. Typically, decisions will start going out in late November for Spring semester enrollment and in late March or early April for Summer or Fall enrollment. You may learn of your decision before or after this timeline.
