The Theatre School's Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) degree in dramaturgy/criticism helps students explore their critical thinking and writing skills for a variety of applications in theatre, museums, archives, film, journalism, agenting, startups, oral history, and other realms, including graduate school.  The four-year curriculum provides students with tools—script analysis, dramatic theory, and new play development – and practical application of those tools in our production process.

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Dramaturgs who have completed our program continue their studies in graduate programs such as the School of Drama at Yale University, the University of Texas at Austin, Georgetown University (history), New York University (performance studies, film studies, drama therapy), the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,  University of California-Santa Barbara, and the University of Amsterdam (masters in International Dramaturgy).  Students have published in American Theatre, Howlround Theatre Commons, Chicago Reader, and The Chicago Tribune and have worked at the following places:

• Goodman Theatre
• Court Theatre
• Timeline Theatre Company
• Gwydion Theatre Company
• Trap Door Theatre
• Steppenwolf Lookout
• The Public Theater (NY)
• Primary Stages (NY)
• Jack (NY)
• Pan Asian Rep (NY)
• Oklahoma City Repertory Theater
• Cleveland Play House
• Theatre Resources Unlimited
• Jackalope Theatre
• Great Plains Theatre Commons
• Cratère Surfaces International Outdoor Festival (France)
• The Kennedy Center
• The Rhinoceros Theater Festival
• Strawdog Theatre Company
• Griffin Museum of Science and Industry 

BFA Dramaturgy/Criticism Curriculum

Featured Faculty

Students learn from a distinguished and award-winning faculty of professional dramaturgs, directors, and arts writers both in the classroom and through individual guidance and advising. They receive formal and informal feedback from faculty through continual evaluation of their work and portfolio presentations.

Rachel Shteir, Head of Dramaturgy at The Theatre School, brings extensive experience and insight to the program, guiding the next generation of theatre artists and critics. She was awarded a 2025 Guggenheim Fellowship: an honor recognizing her outstanding contributions as a scholar, writer, and advocate for the arts. A celebrated author and cultural critic, Shteir joins a cohort of visionary thinkers selected for their impact across the arts and humanities. The fellowship will support the completion of her forthcoming book, Why Theater Matters, under contract with Yale University Press. 

Read more about Shteir's recognition from the Guggenheim Foundation here.

Alumni Snapshot

Theatre School alumni and faculty member Yasmin Zacaria Mikhaiel (BFA Dramaturgy/Criticism '17) made their Broadway debut in 2025 as Cultural Competency Trainer and Education Consultant on the Tony-nominated premiere of English at Roundabout Theater.

Read more about Yasmin's experience working on Broadway's English.

Liberal Studies

In addition to the major's requirements, students complete 52 quarterly credit hours (13 courses) in the university's Liberal Studies Program. Courses are taken in theatre history, writing, quantitative reasoning and technological literacy, philosophical inquiry, religious dimensions, scientific inquiry, understanding the past, multiculturalism in the United States, and electives. These liberal studies courses are scheduled during the first three years of the program.

Learn more about...

• Dramaturgy/Criticism Major Requirements
• Liberal Studies Requirements
• How to Apply
• What it's like to be a student: Dramaturgy/Criticism FAQ!

"Our student dramaturgs infuse the creative process with a wide variety of research and critical perspectives to help define the world of a play. They use multimedia tools as well as old-school ones to act as ambassadors to the audience. They collaborate with students from all disciplines, and they are involved at many different levels of production."

Rachel Shteir
Head of Dramaturgy and Criticism