Artistic Evaluation

All students are expected to meet a professional standard of work, skill, and discipline.  Punctuality and class attendance are mandatory. The faculty, and where appropriate supervisory staff, is responsible for setting standards and for guiding and evaluating each student's development. The faculty will continue to assess professional growth and consistency of application to work through the third and fourth years.

The theater program faculties and, where appropriate supervisory staff, formally meet twice a semester to evaluate the progress of each student in the program. Decisions to continue students in the program are not dependent solely on completion of course requirements or grades. The faculty assesses matters of artistic vision, leadership, initiative, work ethic and discipline, ability to collaborate, ability to accept criticism, a satisfactory rate of development, and overall suitability for a professional career. This assessment is conducted according to the standards of the profession and can serve as the basis for Artistic Probation or Dismissal.

Definitions of Artistic Warning, Probation, and Dismissal

In the theater program there are training core courses and curricular core courses.

• Training core courses are an essential component of the student's professional training.
• Curricular core courses are those which all or most students in a discipline or the department take to enhance the understanding of theater's place in history or society.

Artistic Warning is a preliminary step to Artistic Probation. It will be issued at any time when a student's work in a class (or classes) does not meet expected results. The student will be advised what steps to take to clear this warning by the end of the semester. 

Artistic Probation is a preliminary step to Artistic Dismissal. If, in accordance with the grading policies of the department, a student earns an unacceptable grade or if his or her artistic development still fails to meet expected results after the Artistic Warning, Artistic Probation will be recommended. 

Artistic Dismissal will be recommended if a student earns unacceptable grades that warrant dismissal according to the grading policies of the department or if his or her artistic development still fails to meet expected results after Artistic Probation. 

Because advanced concepts are often introduced in the second semester in most studio courses, it is necessary to allow for late faculty assessment. On occasion, a student may do well in early exercise work but struggle late in the training. In these cases a student may be placed directly on Artistic Probation.

Each discipline identifies what are to be considered training core and curricular core courses. For theater majors, a grade of F in a training core course is grounds for dismissal. The first C in a training core course may result in Artistic Probation or Artistic Dismissal; the second C in a training core course is grounds for Artistic Dismissal. There are no grades of D in the training core courses.

In the curricular core theater requirements, including a thesis project, any F may result in immediate dismissal. A curricular core theater requirement in which a D or F is received must be retaken and a grade of C or better must be achieved. A course may only be retaken once. 

Evaluation meetings are normally scheduled during the seventh week of classes and during the exam week. Each student receives written notification of the result of the evaluation:

• the student is in good standing
  
• the student is being placed on Artistic Warning
• a student currently on Artistic Warning or Probation is advised whether the Artistic Warning or Probation will be continued or rescinded
• a student on Artistic Probation is dismissed from the program

The faculty is not required to use each step of this process in every case. If a student's work shows a sudden, significant decline outside the normal review parameters, the faculty may put a student on probation without having issued a warning. In such cases, the faculty will advise the student of concerns and ways to address those concerns. In particularly severe cases, the faculty may recommend Artistic Dismissal. In such cases, the faculty will meet with the student and provide written notification of the concerns behind the recommendation. Artistic Dismissal is subject to review by the dean of the school.  

Face-to-Face Evaluations

• At midsemester, students whose work warrants Artistic Warning will have a face-to-face evaluation with at least one faculty member to identify the program faculty's concerns and advise the student on ways to improve their performance.
• At midsemester students whose work warrants Artistic Probation will have a face-to-face evaluation with the head of program and at least one other faculty representative.
• At the end of the semester all students have a face-to-face evaluation.

• A student being continued or placed on Artistic Warning or Probation will meet with the head of program and at least one representative of the faculty. 
• A student whose work warrants Artistic Dismissal will meet with their head of program and at least one representative of the faculty. They will advise the student of the faculty's recommendation to dismiss.
• A student whose progress warrants being removed from Artistic Warning or Artistic Probation will be notified.

Advising the Student of Artistic Probation or Dismissal

If a student is being placed on Artistic Probation or is recommended for Artistic Dismissal, the student will be so advised by the Mason Gross School of the Arts dean of students based on a letter received from the chair of the Department of Theater Arts. The department chair's recommendation is based on the recommendation of the faculty and head of program. Artistic Dismissal is subject to review by the dean of the school.