Graduate Programs

Advanced Study in the Arts

The schools of Art, Music, and Theatre and Dance in the College of the Arts offer nationally respected programs geared to advanced professional preparation. Graduate degree programs include the Master of Arts, Master of Fine Arts, Master of Music and Doctor of Philosophy. Related workshops and other special programs add focused opportunities for advanced study directed to specific career goals.

The School of Art (http://dept.kent.edu/art/) maintains a high creative and scholarly profile. Student exhibition opportunities in the fine arts and crafts include the School of Art Gallery, as well as guidance in external competition and exhibition experiences. International study offerings include art history experiences in Florence, Paris and London, fine arts and crafts programs in New York and Chicago, and art education study in Mexico City and Finland, as well as field-based experiences in specialized institutional settings surrounding the campus. See also Kent/Blossom Art below.

The active performance environment of the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music (http://www.kent.edu/music) regularly features graduate students in solo and chamber recitals, in major ensemble concerts and opera productions, as soloists and conductors with major university ensembles, And through presentations of the works of student composers.The graduate string quartet program offers established young quartets a two-year mentorship with the Miami String Quartet, professional artists in residence. Musicology and ethnomusicology students study with faculty members in the Center of World Musics. They explore research experiences in music education; and they explore contemporary issues in secondary and higher education. See also Kent/Blossom Music below.

Graduate students in the School of Theatre and Dance (www.theatre.kent.edu) participate in mainstage productions offered in the 500-seat E. Turner Stump Theatre and the 200-seat Wright-Curtis Theatre. Performance and design/technical internships are completed in working in professional theatres and related settings throughout the region. Graduate workshops explore such topics as stage movement and dance, vocal technique for actors and acting for the camera. See also Porthouse Theatre below.

Kent/Blossom Festivals

Since 1968 the university has mounted nationally recognized summer professional study opportunities in cooperation with Blossom Music Center, summer home of The Cleveland Orchestra. The university also owns and operates Eells Art Gallery and Porthouse Theatre on the scenic Blossom grounds in the midst of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. Exhibition and performance activities showcase the work of nationally selected students and the professional mentors with whom they study. Graduate students experience central roles in these dynamic components of the cultural life of a major arts market.

Kent/Blossom Art

The two- and three- week intensive workshops of Kent/Blossom Art emphasize the exchange of creative concepts and techniques drawn from diverse visual media. Interactions among students and faculty - both resident and visiting - along with public presentations provide the means of exploring ideas and values within and beyond the student’s primary medium. Some workshops may involve off-site activities or travel. Kent/Blossom Art also produces a summer exhibition series at the Eells Art Gallery located on the main ground of Blossom Music Center. For additional information contact the School of Art, 330-672-2192 (http://dept.kent.edu/art).

Kent/Blossom Music

Kent/Blossom Music enables string, woodwind, horn and piano students to develop professional skills through intensive study with visiting master artists, members of The Cleveland Orchestra, the Miami String Quartet and other university faculty. Experiences focus on major works of the chamber music repertoire and orchestral technique and solo master classes. Rigorous daily coaching and rehearsal schedules culminate in performances on the campus and at Blossom Music Center, where participants also attend open rehearsals and concerts of The Cleveland Orchestra. See also: http://dept.kent.edu/blossom.

Porthouse Theatre

The Porthouse Theatre season offers three productions each summer under industry affiliations including Actors Equity Association and the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. College students from across the country and a small number of high school interns are selected by audition and technical credentials to work alongside professional actors, designers and directors fulfilling the artistic, technical and management needs of the theatre. In addition to these assignments, students attend master classes led by visiting professionals in various aspects of performance technique and professional development. Porthouse Theatre, a comfortable, 400-seat, outdoor, covered pavilion, attracts more than 18,000 patrons to its scenic setting each season. More information regarding Porthouse Theatre can be found online at http://dept.kent.edu/theatre/porthouse.