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Overview
Use theatre and performance as powerful tools for social change, whether it's bringing historic events to life in museums or working with local councils or the NHS to highlight new health initiatives.
If you're looking to build on your undergraduate degree, and want to use the tools of drama to make a positive difference to the world, then this Master's degree in Theatre, which focuses on Socially Engaged Practice, is the ideal choice for you.
You'll explore methods and techniques for using drama in the community, such as in youth groups, mental health support settings, schools, museums, and centres for older people and those with illnesses.
You'll get practical experience in the community, building a portfolio of work you can showcase to employers when you graduate.
By focusing on using drama as a community-building tool, you'll learn how to use your dramatic skillset in a new context, opening doors in your career, and helping you to make positive changes in society.
Number 6 in the UK for student satisfaction
We're ranked sixth in the UK for student satisfaction in creative arts and design in the 2024 Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES)
Eligibility
This course accepts UK, EU, and International students.
Course highlights
- Implement techniques from applied theatre, forum theatre, theatre for social change, and theatre for development within your own community
- Learn the ethics of applied theatre and work with different demographics
- Gain practical experience developing, leading and facilitating drama activities across different communities and groups
- Use the professional-grade equipment and facilities at White Swan Studios, including lighting equipment, costume and prop facilities, music practice rooms and musical instruments
- Engage with staff that have established connections to local community and heritage sites – you'll have a wide range of performance venues and audiences to choose from
- Attend monthly postgraduate seminars in theatre and performance, with invited guests from around the world
- Utilise digital storytelling equipment such as GoPro cameras and iPads
- Develop transferable skills and experience that will be invaluable in careers beyond theatre practice and teaching, such as science communication and cultural diplomacy
Contact information
Contact AdmissionsEntry requirements (indicative)
Eligibility
This course accepts UK, EU, and International students.
September 2026 start
Qualifications or experience
- A minimum of a second-class honours degree in a related subject, or equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications. Applicants may be invited to attend an interview.
Please get in touch if you're not sure if your undergraduate subject is relevant to this degree.
Equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications will also be considered, such as previous study, employment, voluntary work and training courses, including courses and qualifications you didn't complete. Learn more about our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).
If you're applying as an international student with a non-UK degree, you’ll need to show you meet the UK entry requirements listed above.
To find out if your non-UK degree or other qualification is accepted, please visit our page for your country and view the UK equivalent of your qualification.
- English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.
You do not need an IELTS or equivalent certification if:
- you have a UK degree
- you have a degree from a majority English speaking country (not taught by Distance Learning)
- you are a national of a majority English speaking country
Degrees taught solely in English from non-majority English speaking countries will be considered on a case by case basis. Find out more about our English language requirements.
If you do not meet the English language requirements yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
An interview may be required as part of the selection process.
Course costs and funding
Tuition fees
Note these fees are based on courses starting in 2025. We'll confirm 2026 fees here soon.
- Full-time: £9,400
- Part-time: £4,700 per year
(including Transition Scholarship)
- Full-time: £9,400
- Part-time: £4,700 per year
- Full-time: £17,200
- Part-time: £8,600 per year
University of Portsmouth graduates may receive a 20% alumni tuition fee discount.
Fees are subject to annual increase. Read our tuition fees terms and conditions.
You'll be able to pay your fees in instalments. Find out how to pay your tuition fees.
Funding your studies
Explore how to fund your studies, including available scholarships and bursaries.
If you're a UK student, you may be eligible for a Government Postgraduate Master's Loan, which you can use to help with course fees and living costs.
Loans, scholarships and bursaries
Browse funding such as the Government Postgraduate Loan, our scholarships for new and returning students, and subject specific loans.
Funding for international students
Learn more about sponsorships, scholarships and loans for students applying from outside of the UK.
Fees and funding for Master's courses
Explore Master's funding options, including loans, scholarships, bursaries and more.
Additional costs
These course-related costs aren't included in the tuition fees, so you'll need to budget for them when you plan your spending. Additional costs could include:
- Accommodation: Accommodation options and costs can be found on our accommodation pages.
- Recommended reading: You can borrow key texts from the library and if you choose to purchase these texts they may cost up to £60 each.
- General costs: Such as photocopying, memory sticks, printing charges, binding and specialist printing. We suggest budgeting £75 per year.
- Final project transport or accommodation: where necessary, which related to your research activities. The amount will depend on the project you choose.
Read more about tuition fees and living costs, including what your tuition fees cover.
Modules (indicative)
Each module on this course is worth 30 or 60 credits. You'll need to study modules worth a total of 180 credits to achieve your Master's degree.
What you'll study (full-time) (indicative)
Core modules
All modules in the year are core.
We'll help you navigate discussions on different research methods and selecting the right one, be it qualitative or quantitative. Dive into a topic that matters to you, following ethical rules. You’ll get to share what you find using presentations and reflective writing, which will help you figure out who you are as a researcher. By the end, you’ll be familiar with the best research strategies—from practical projects to working with other fields—to support your Master’s study.
Become an agile and thoughtful researcher, prepared to explore exciting questions.
You'll learn techniques like digital storytelling, improv, and forum theatre, tailoring materials for diverse groups. Leading workshops, you'll find your facilitation voice while ensuring safe, ethical practice. Observing different contexts, you'll employ critical reflection to grow as an engaged artist. This immersive experience provides invaluable preparation to lead collective theatre-making empowering communities.
In this module, you’ll converge your ideas, skills, and knowledge into an ambitious self-initiated brief.
Grounded in contemporary contexts, you'll make critical decisions, selecting and testing appropriate materials and processes.
This module empowers your autonomous development, helping you to manage feedback to refine and resolve your vision.
Through fieldwork, you'll embed yourself in organisations to co-devise productions employing storytelling, drama, and other techniques. Facilitating workshops, you'll synthesise knowledge into original socially engaged programming. Evaluating processes and ethics, you'll problem-solve through complex contexts. This module allows you to meaningfully engage through theatre while honing adaptability and creativity.
Articulate an ethical approach rooted in your own perspective. Synthesise diverse intercultural views on ethical arts practice. Build skills in clearly conveying considerations to experts and non-experts alike.
What you'll study (part-time) (indicative)
Core modules
All modules in the year are core.
You'll learn techniques like digital storytelling, improv, and forum theatre, tailoring materials for diverse groups. Leading workshops, you'll find your facilitation voice while ensuring safe, ethical practice. Observing different contexts, you'll employ critical reflection to grow as an engaged artist. This immersive experience provides invaluable preparation to lead collective theatre-making empowering communities.
Articulate an ethical approach rooted in your own perspective. Synthesise diverse intercultural views on ethical arts practice. Build skills in clearly conveying considerations to experts and non-experts alike.
Core modules
All modules in the year are core.
You’ll explore different strategies and methods for impactful arts, design, and media research. Our lecturers will help you form an engaging research question. You’ll then choose and use the right critical methods to answer it. By doing hands-on projects, you'll get better at analysing, taking notes, gathering information from different sources, and sharing your findings.
By the end, you’ll know how to research on your own and have the critical thinking skills and confidence to do it well.
Follow your curiosity to new discoveries that will change the creative world.
In this module, you’ll converge your ideas, skills, and knowledge into an ambitious self-initiated brief.
Grounded in contemporary contexts, you'll make critical decisions, selecting and testing appropriate materials and processes.
This module empowers your autonomous development, helping you to manage feedback to refine and resolve your vision.
Through fieldwork, you'll embed yourself in organisations to co-devise productions employing storytelling, drama, and other techniques. Facilitating workshops, you'll synthesise knowledge into original socially engaged programming. Evaluating processes and ethics, you'll problem-solve through complex contexts. This module allows you to meaningfully engage through theatre while honing adaptability and creativity.
Changes to course content
We use the best and most current research and professional practice alongside feedback from our students to make sure course content is relevant to your future career or further studies.
Therefore, some course content may change over time to reflect changes in the discipline or industry. If a module doesn't run, we'll let you know as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative module.
Facilities
White Swan Building
Our drama and theatre hub was developed with Portsmouth’s esteemed New Theatre Royal, with all you need for stage and performance productions: from rehearsal to final act.
New Theatre Royal
With integrated facilities bridging it and White Swan Building, New Theatre Royal is the space for drama, music, and theatre students to grow their talents in a professional environment.
How you'll spend your time
We recognise that you'll probably be juggling more demands when you do your Master's degree, as you may be working or you may have family responsibilities.
We'll give you as much indication here as we can of how much time you'll need to be on campus and how many hours you can expect to spend in self-directed study, but please note that these indications are always subject to change. You should receive your full timetable several weeks before you start with us.
Course structure
This Master's degree will take:
- 1 year (full-time study)
- 2 years (part-time study)
Full-time study
Most timetabled teaching takes place during the day, Monday to Friday. You may occasionally need to go to University and course events in the evenings. There is usually no teaching on Wednesday afternoons.
You can expect:
- 25-35 hours of recommended independent study each week
Part-time study
Most timetabled teaching takes place during the day, Monday to Friday. You may occasionally need to go to University and course events in the evenings. There is usually no teaching on Wednesday afternoons.
You can expect:
- 15-20 hours of recommended independent study each week.
Teaching
Master's study is deeper and more specialised than an undergraduate degree. This means you'll focus on something that really matters to you and your career as you work closely with academics committed to the subject.
You'll spend more time in independent study and research than you did for your undergraduate degree, but the majority of your teaching time will be in-person and face-to-face.
Teaching methods
Teaching methods on this course include:
- applied theatre planning and development, with support from your supervisor
- applied theatre and community performance—this can be applied theatre, an investigation into musical forms for performance, excerpts from a play script, or something similar, performed to an audience at community sites
- reflection and feedback, both verbally and as written work
Assessment
You'll be assessed through:
- essays
- drama and applied theatre workshops
- continuous assessment
- presentations
- viva
You’ll be able to test your skills and knowledge informally before you do assessments that count towards your final mark.
You can get feedback on all practice and formal assessments so you can improve in the future.
Teaching staff
These are some of the expert staff who'll teach you on this course:
Term dates
September start
The Master's academic year runs from September to the following September. There are breaks at Christmas and Easter. Over the summer you'll be writing your project/dissertation.
Joining us as an international student
You'll feel at home in our international community and our diverse city. You'll be joining over 5,000 international students from more than 150 countries who are studying with us.
Learn more about international student life and how we can help you with visas, applications, arrival and settling in.
Career development
Careers this Master's prepares you for
As a successful graduate of this course, you'll have learnt to implement techniques from applied theatre, forum theatre, theatre for social change, and theatre for development within your own community.
You'll also have insight into the ethics of applied theatre and its implications as a community-building tool, as well as practical experience of working with different populations within the community.
Graduates of this course have worked in areas and roles such as:
- theatre
- education
- youth work
- project management
- science communication
- museums and the cultural sector
- civic engagement
- applied theatre artist
- teaching artist
- creative aging
- event planning
- fundraising
- community organising
Work experience and career planning
We'll help you to identify internships, voluntary roles and opportunities that will complement your studies.
Potential destinations for work experience include local venues and events, such as:
- history museums
- preservation sites
- local civic government
- charities
- schools
- youth groups and centres
- science museums
Roles you can work in include:
- applied theatre facilitator
- education officer
- dramaturge
- arts practitioner
- consultant
- director
- deviser
During your course, you'll have expert career support from your tutors and from our Careers and Employability Centre, which you can access for 5 years after you graduate.
Career support
You'll benefit from:
- Networking events
- 1-to-1 appointments
- CV and cover letter advice
- Interview preparation and practice
- Workshops to enhance your employability skills
- Recruitment events, including the Student and Graduate Opportunities Fair
- Support starting your own business
Supporting you
Master's study is more focused on independent learning than undergraduate study, but you'll get lots of support via video, phone and face-to-face from teaching and support staff to enhance your learning experience and help you succeed. You can build your personalised network of support from the following people and services:
Types of support
Your personal tutor helps you make the transition to independent study and gives you academic and personal support throughout your time at university.
You'll have regular contact with your personal tutor in learning activities or scheduled meetings. You can also make an appointment with them if you need extra support.
In addition to the support you get from your personal tutor, you’ll also have access to a Faculty student support advisor. They can give you confidential, impartial advice on anything to do with your studies and personal wellbeing and refer you to specialist support services.
If you need support with software and equipment or you want to learn additional skills (including skills not covered on your course), our creative skills tutors provide free workshops, activities and one-on-one tutorials. Skills you can learn include life drawing, film camera operation and video production.
Computing support staff are always available to give technical support in the Faculty's computer suites during normal working hours. There's also some support available from 5.00pm to midnight at busy times of the year.
If you require extra support because of a disability or additional learning need our specialist team can help you.
They'll help you to
- discuss and agree on reasonable adjustments
- liaise with other University services and facilities, such as the library
- access specialist study skills and strategies tutors, and assistive technology tutors, on a 1-to-1 basis or in groups
- liaise with external services
Our online Learning Well mini-course will help you plan for managing the challenges of learning and student life, so you can fulfil your potential and have a great student experience.
You can get personal, emotional and mental health support from our Student Wellbeing Service, in person and online. This includes 1–2–1 support as well as courses and workshops that help you better manage stress, anxiety or depression.
Library staff are available in person or by email, phone, or online chat to help you make the most of the University’s library resources. You can also request one-to-one appointments and get support from a librarian who specialises in your subject area.
The library is open 24 hours a day, every day, in term time.
If English isn't your first language, you can do one of our English language courses to improve your written and spoken English language skills before starting your degree. Once you're here, you can take part in our free In-Sessional English (ISE) programme to improve your English further.
How to apply
Unlike undergraduate applications, which go through UCAS, applications for this Master's course are made directly to us.
There's no deadline for applications to this course. We accept applications right up until the start date in September, as long as there are places available. If you wait until September to apply, you may find that the course is full.
If you're applying as an international student, remember that you'll need to leave plenty of time to get your visa organised.
You can find more advice about applying in our Master's application checklist. International students and current students and recent graduates of the University of Portsmouth also have some different application options, which are detailed below.
Extra information for international students
If you're an international student, you can apply directly to us using the same application form as UK students.
You could also get an agent to help with your application. Check your country page for details of agents in your region. To find out what to include in your application, head to the how to apply page of our international students section.
If you don’t meet the English language requirements for this course yet, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.
Ready to apply?
Start this course in September 2026
You can apply for this course in 2026. In the meantime, you can sign up to an Open Day to:
- tour our campus and facilities
- speak with lecturers and chat with our students
- get information about where to live and how to fund your studies
After you apply
Once we receive your application, we may ask you for further information. We will then either make you an offer or suggest alternatives if your application is unsuccessful.
You'll usually get a decision within 10 working days, so you shouldn't have to wait too long. Some courses have an interview stage – we'll let you know if you need to prepare for one.
Learn more about how we assess your application.
Admissions terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the University of Portsmouth, you also agree to abide by our Student Contract (which includes the University's relevant policies, rules and regulations). You should read and consider these before you apply.