The Theatre Arts program focuses on theatre scholarship and pedagogy, with the goal of preparing students for careers as teachers and scholars. Course work integrates theoretical, textual, and performance considerations from a scholarly perspective. The program is not designed to train theatre practitioners, or to train artists/scholars, but students do have opportunities to work and teach in production areas. The field's faculty members are drawn from the Department of Theatre, Film, and Dance and from other departments, such as Anthropology, Asian Studies, Classics, Comparative Literature, German Studies, English, and Africana Studies.

The Special Committee is made up of a faculty member in the student's major area (drama and the theatre; theatre history; theatre theory and aesthetics;) and a faculty member in the student's first minor area, both of whom are in the Field of Theatre Arts; plus a faculty member from outside the field to represent the student's second minor area. Students whose interdisciplinary interests encompass more areas of study may add a fourth committee member.

All students are required to demonstrate proficiency in two languages other than English that the Special Committee deems relevant to their research work. Language work must be completed prior to taking the Admission to Candidacy examination.