Explore our Drama and Theatre Education taught Master's degree.

P-X30C

MA

1 year full-time; 2-5 years part-time

30 September 2024

Education Studies

University of Warwick

Do you want to deepen your theoretical understanding and practical skills in drama, theatre and performance for a range of different educational and community settings? Do you want to consider what it means to be a practitioner of drama, theatre education or applied performance whilst connecting with a vibrant international community. This course connects you to an international network of teachers, practitioners and actor-teachers in the field of drama and theatre education and applied performance.

This MA programme offers students an in-depth insight into the ways drama and theatre education can enhance teaching and learning in primary, secondary and tertiary education as well as in applied and community settings. We introduce you to a range of hybrid pedagogic strategies that are underpinned by rigour and that aspire to make learning accessible, playful, creative and engaging.

We celebrate drama and theatre as subjects in their own right whilst also recognising the substantive body of evidence-based research into the ways drama and theatre can be used as pedagogical tools across the curriculum and for community purposes. This MA is aimed at practitioners, or aspiring practitioners, working in schools and colleges, and community and educational theatre settings.

The course of study provides a planned and structured programme, which is sufficiently flexible to respond to the needs of a wide range of pedagogic and cultural contexts. Practical activities are at the heart of our course structure, so there will be a number of opportunities to work with your peers, collaborating, debating, and researching practical solutions. Your interdisciplinary skill set will be developed throughout the MA, enabling you to pursue a diverse array of career pathways.

Skills from this degree

• Pedagogic, management and artistic skills you need to be an effective teacher and practitioner in drama  
• Opportunity to complete a small scale research project into an aspect of professional work  

• Developing understanding about the place of drama in education within a variety of formal and informal settings including the ability to devise policies and strategies for the implementation of drama  
• Ability to draw on contemporary theory, practice and criticism in the field of theatre and evaluate its relevance to drama education  
• Understanding the theoretical and practical relationships between drama in education and other genres of theatre; particularly community theatre and Theatre in Education  

For full-time students, all of our modules are delivered in-person at our well-equipped university campus. Please note that if you wish to study on a part time basis you should be aware that most modules are taught during the normal working day and there is no out of hours provision. If this is a consideration for you please contact us prior to applying so that we can advise you further. Part-time students are able to complete some of their modules as asynchronous distance-learning modules.

Most modules include weekly teaching sessions, giving you the opportunity to join with your colleagues to discuss and debate the topics being explored. These sessions are delivered in a range of formats that suit the module (these may include lectures, seminars, group work and practical workshops, for example). In particular, this provides practical experience of a wide range of drama and theatre practices. These workshops give you hands-on experience of drama as well as methods and ideas for using drama and theatre in your workplace. In addition, you will be given various pre- and post- session tasks and readings to support your learning. 

Class Size

You will have core teaching contact time in each term, plus rehearsal time and regular trips to local schools and theatres and guest lectures and performances throughout the year.  

Assessment types vary depending on modules selected but may be a mixture of assignments and presentations. You will also complete a dissertation based on an individual research project, with support from a research supervisor. 

Additional course costs

You may wish to undertake some research with children or young people that may require a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check or a Certificate of Good Conduct for students from outside of the UK. A Certificate of Good Conduct can vary in price.

Please contact your academic department for information about department specific costs, which should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below, such as:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Find out more about our additional course costs.

Your timetable

Your personalised timetable will be complete when you are registered for all modules, compulsory and optional, and you have been allocated to your lectures, seminars and other small group classes. Your compulsory modules will be registered for you and you will be able to choose your optional modules when you join us. 

2:2 undergraduate degree (or equivalent).

• Band B
• IELTS score to 7 overall, no more than two components at 6.0/6.5 & rest 7.0+

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Drama, Theatre and Performance in Education 

Drama, Theatre and Performance in Education is a foundational module focussing on the different definitions of these fields of study. We investigate the distinctions between these fields in order to gain insight into how they have been studied in schools and other education systems. This module examines drama and theatre as artistic subjects with histories, conventions and codes, asking: how does drama/theatre communicate its meanings? How do we read and decode a wide range of performance genres? What are the alternative historical and avant-garde connections between theatre and in drama education? The second part of the module focusses on the development of drama and theatre as pedagogical tools to activate learning and social development. The module also offers students insight into the broader field of educational theory by engaging with relevant literature on ‘play’, ‘participatory pedagogy’ and ‘creative learning’.  

Storytelling Drama for Education  

The storytelling drama for education module offers an opportunity to explore the potential for learning through practical drama exploration. The module explores a range of theoretical lenses through which narrative and culture can be critically examined making links between practical drama exploration and theoretical positioning. Due to its emphasis on practical drama exploration, it encourages students to consider how storytelling exploration can offer learning opportunities, and to consider how meanings are made, communicated and / or constructed through stories arising from the oral tradition. It is a module that offers opportunities to develop systematic understanding whilst applying practical techniques for real-world situations.  

Drama and Literacy  

The Drama and Literacy module is responsive to the stress placed internationally on the development of literacy in education establishments in recent years. The module looks specifically at theories of literacy that emphasise the importance of cultural semiotics and social context. It considers the close historical relationship between drama and English in schools and explores the specific contribution drama can make to children’s language development in general and the development of reading, writing and speaking and listening in particular whilst also embracing new notions of multi-literacies.  

Research Methods in Education (alternative online module available for part-time students if required) 

This module encourages students in understanding, designing and implementing research in the field of education. It will introduce you to a range of established research strategies and techniques, including data collection and analysis. These skills will enable you to design and carry out a dissertation research project, as well as to disseminate its findings. As part of this module, you will present your research design and have the opportunity to receive feedback ahead of completing your dissertation. 

Dissertation 

The dissertation is an opportunity to explore, in depth, an area of academic and/or professional interest related to your degree. Building on the knowledge and skills developed during the Research Methods module, and your other modules, you will conduct an independent research project, developing a deeper understanding of your chosen topic. From your research project you will produce a dissertation, with guidance from a supervisor who will be allocated to you. Through the dissertation you will demonstrate the ability to analyse and synthesise relevant literature, produce coherent arguments supported by relevant evidence and logical discussion, and acknowledge sources of ideas and information. 

Youth, Performance and Creative Learning (optional module)

This interdisciplinary module offers postgraduate students an opportunity to critically examine the ways young people/youth – aged 11-25 – have been/are represented in differing contemporary societies/cultures. Students will investigate the ways young people’s lived experiences and identities are expressed and performed in a range of different cultural contexts (educational, political, sub-cultural, media and so on). The module will also invite critical questions about young people’s access to cultural and creative education, highlighting issues of social justice and equality, asking, 'where do young people feel welcome?' The module examines different expressions of youth identity in public life, focussing primarily on theatre-making/performance as potential creative sites for learning, engagement and activism. 

Students will explore the values, practices, methods and impacts of theatre-making and performance. Working with real-world case studies drawn from regional, national and international sites, students will investigate the social, geographical, cultural and economic contexts that inspired and impacted on the development of many creative projects as well as cultural and educational policy. Students will review and evaluate the ways theatre-makers, practitioners and young people have responded to a range of complex and contentious issues relating to social class, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability and sexual identity.  

Optional modules

This programme has a number of optional modules to choose from. Our optional module lists are subject to change each year to keep the student learning experience current and up-to-date. 

Find the most up-to-date optional module list on the Education Studies website. 

Theatre-making with/for/by young people is strongly recommended. 

This programme has a number of optional modules to choose from. Our optional module lists are subject to change each year to keep the student learning experience current and up-to-date.  

Find the most up-to-date optional module list on the Education Studies website.

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