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What can I do with a degree in Theatre & Performance Studies?

Illustration of a theatre stage with spotlights and curtains

Why Warwick?

  • Our graduates are some of the most targeted by the UK’s top graduate employers (annual Graduate Market report produced by High Fliers Research) 
  • Warwick is consistently ranked in the top 10 of major university league tables (Times and Sunday Times; Guardian) 
  • Employment destinations of recent graduates*: discoveruni.gov.uk/ 

What do graduate recruiters look for?

  • A good degree from a good university
  • Work experience
  • Involvement in extra-curricular activities
  • The ability to describe and articulate your unique achievements and skills

How does Theatre & Performance Studies prepare students for the world of work? 

Here are some of the skills gained by students studying Theatre & Performance Studies and sought by graduate recruiters:

  • Ability to work independently and take initiative
  • Creative problem solving
  • Engage thoughtfully and critically with world beyond theatre
  • An open mind and the ability to move beyond disciplinary boundaries and experiment with different ideas
  • Communication skills
  • Teamwork skills
  • Confidence
  • Critical thinking and research skills
  • Ability to reflect and learn from feedback
  • Adaptability and flexibility
  • Ability to improvise
  • Project management

What do Theatre & Performance Studies graduates do?

Sectors where graduates were working included:

  • Administration
  • Management and consultancy
  • Advertising
  • Marketing and PR
  • Creative and media
  • Education
  • Human health

Job titles included:

  • Technology Brand Executive
  • Business Development and Marketing Executive
  • Communications Executive; Copywriter
  • Corporate and Community Relations Officer
  • Dance Content Creator; Drama Teacher
  • Editor
  • English Teacher
  • Event Planning Assistant
  • Hotel Manager
  • Investigative Journalist
  • Marketing and Sales Manager
  • Media Channel Staff
  • New Media Specialist
  • Photo Editor
  • Theatre Consultant
  • Freelance Writer and Performer
  • Project Coordinator
  • Producer
  • Youth Theatre Leader
  • Digital Producer
  • Education Programmes Coordinator
  • Radio Presenter and DJ
  • CRM and Data Insight Manager.

Sample employers include:

  • Theatre and Performance Education
  • Media, Arts and Culture
  • Event Management
  • Advertising
  • PR and Marketing and Law
  • The BBC
  • BT
  • The Ambassadors Theatre
  • The University of Warwick.

Further study undertaken by graduates includes:

  • MA Theatre Studies
  • Diploma in Broadcast Journalism
  • MA International Performance Studies
  • MA Cultural Policy Studies

PGCE Drama PhD scholarships have been awarded to graduates to study at:

  • Yale University
  • University of California
  • City University of New York (CUNY)
  • Royal Holloway (University of London)
  • University of Amsterdam.

Opportunities available at Warwick include:

Careers support from our professionally trained staff, opportunities to meet recruiters and attend events, help finding work experience and free careers support after graduation.

Derived from the HESA Graduate Outcomes survey, carried out approximately 15 months after successful completion. Contains HESA Data: Copyright Jisc 2024. Jisc cannot accept responsibility for any inferences or conclusions derived by third parties from its data.

*discoveruni.gov.uk/ includes information from the national Graduate Outcomes survey, carried out approximately 15 months after graduates complete their course. For some career paths, graduates need to gain relevant experience, often at non-graduate level. It may therefore take some graduates longer than others to secure a graduate-level job.