MA Drama and Theatre Education

2:2 undergraduate degree (or equivalent)

For fees and funding options, please visit website to find out more

We offer a variety of postgraduate funding options for study at the University of Warwick, from postgraduate loans, university scholarships, fee awards, to academic department bursaries.

Many of our alumni have gone go on to:

• Study teacher training courses to become teachers of drama/theatre
• Enhance their profile as classroom drama/theatre and English teachers, many securing promotion
• Successfully complete Doctoral study, becoming academics in the field of drama and theatre education
• Work as theatre education and outreach officers for leading arts organisations
• Develop their portfolio as freelance practitioners/facilitators in the field of drama and theatre in education

Our department has a dedicated professionally qualified Careers Consultant offering impartial advice and guidance together with workshops and events throughout the year. Previous examples of workshops and events include:

• Careers in Education
• Careers with Children and Young People
• Warwick careers fairs throughout the year

Core modules

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.