Developing the next generation of theatre artists
Year of entry: 2025 (September)
Join us online or in person to find out more about postgraduate study at York.
Upcoming eventsWork with creativity and flair as a theatre-maker in a rich creative environment. Experience first-hand the intricate collaborative interplay between performers, directors and dramaturgs which underpins successful theatre-making in the UK.
Combining practical workshops with seminar explorations and discussions, you'll focus on your work as an active theatre-maker, and will learn the critical and interpretative skills needed to map and analyse the processes of theatre-making at an ambitious level. You'll have full use of our industry-standard rehearsal and production facilities for creative investigation of plays and performance texts, and to develop your own work. You'll benefit from contact with leading theatre-makers through theatre projects, masterclasses, lectures and workshops.
You'll acquire the necessary skills for a future in professional theatre or in related areas such as film and television, arts administration, journalism, publishing, education or further study. Our students and graduates have an enviable range of achievements and we're also proud of our links to industry.
We have two fully equipped theatre spaces for use as well as support from dedicated technicians for your projects
Our modules, with our focus on hands-on, collaborative working, and contact with leading theatre-makers, will ensure that you have a wide range of practical, creative and analytical skills for the production and performance of theatre texts.
Throughout the course we'll interweave the ethics, politics and aesthetics of theatre-making and critical analysis. You'll gain an in-depth understanding of narrative structures and their visual, technical, performative and political dimensions. We'll consider contemporary practice along with active research into some of the longer histories that continue to influence how we make theatre now. You'll be able to demonstrate your skills with an extended practical or written independent project.
You'll learn to work collaboratively with people in a wide range of roles and across disciplines. You may also choose to work with our undergraduate students, and theatre practitioners from outside the School.
You'll study six taught modules and an extended practical or dissertation project.
You'll engage with processes of and approaches to theatre-making, from how to analyse a text and creatively respond to it, to ensemble practice and performance skills, to rehearsal room organisation and directing methods, to creating your very own performance work. We'll explore a range of contemporary theatre and performance texts, explore and analyse established theatre-makers’ approaches and methods, and undertake research to develop your own practice.
In addition to the three core modules and an Extended Project, you'll study three option modules drawn from programmes across the School of Arts and Creative Technologies, and electives offered from within the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.
You'll also have the opportunity to choose options from our full module catalogue. Some option module combinations may not be possible. The options available will confirmed after you begin your course.
Our modules may change to reflect the latest academic thinking and expertise of our staff, and in line with Department/School academic planning.
The programme culminates in a significant piece of independent work, which you will design and develop through the Final Project module. You'll choose to be assessed in one of three ways.
When you make your choice you'll submit a proposal including a rationale and timetable for the work.
Every course at York is built on a distinctive set of learning outcomes. These will give you a clear understanding of what you will be able to accomplish at the end of the course and help you explain what you can offer employers. Our academics identify the knowledge, skills, and experiences you'll need upon graduation and then design the course to get you there.
| Study mode | UK (home) | International and EU |
|---|---|---|
| Full-time (1 year) | £11,200 | £25,900 |
| Part-time (2 years) | £5,600 | £12,950 |
Students on a Student Visa are not currently permitted to study part-time at York.
For courses which are longer than one year, the tuition fees quoted are for the first year of study.
UK (home) or international fees? The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you're classed as a UK (home) or international student. Check your fee status.
Find out more information about tuition fees and how to pay them.
We are ideally placed to take advantage of some of the country's best theatres, in York, Manchester, Sheffield, Scarborough, Hull, Leeds and beyond. As a student of theatre, we want you to have access to a wide range of theatre and performance productions. We run regular trips to local and regional theatres, some of which are directly connected to a module, and others which may be of wider interest. Either way, we encourage you to attend as many performances as you can during your time with us. The majority of organised trips are optional, but you should budget for at least one theatre trip a term.
Discover your funding options to help with tuition fees and living costs.
We'll confirm more funding opportunities for students joining us in 2025/26 throughout the year.
If you've successfully completed an undergraduate degree at York you could be eligible for a 10% Masters fee discount.
We are pleased to work with Chevening Scholars to offer funding for our Masters programmes. Chevening Scholarships provide one year of fully-funded postgraduate study in the UK for international (including EU) students. The scholarships are open to early and mid-career professionals who have the potential to become future leaders.
Further details of subject-specific funding.
You can use our living costs guide to help plan your budget. It covers additional costs that are not included in your tuition fee such as expenses for accommodation and study materials.
An excellent education for theatre-makers who aspire to make new friends and colleagues worldwide, broaden their creative horizons and generate original pieces of theatre supervised by some of the best lecturers in the world. This MA pushes you to work independently as a professional performer and creator, and guides their students to find their own voice. One of the best years of my life.Maren Eikli Hiorth, 2019-20 graduate
We have a wide range of industry connections and regularly have visiting speakers and masterclasses.
Consider a range of theatre and performance texts, from the early modern period to the present day. Interrogate the work of the writer, and bring the role of the dramaturg, actor and director to bear on the text's journey towards each new production.
Join us for optional local and regional theatre trips. As a student of theatre, we want you to have access to a wide range of theatre and performance productions.
You’ll work with world‐leading academics who’ll challenge you to think independently and excel in all that you do. Our approach to teaching will provide you with the knowledge, opportunities, and support you need to grow and succeed in a global workplace.
You'll principally be taught in an invigorating seminar-workshop context, embracing the inextricable relationship between theatre-making theory and practice. Our seminar-workshops allow us to work flexibly together depending on the needs of a particular topic, and to blend seminar-style discussion with practical experimentation.
This course incorporates masterclasses from industry professionals in theatre. You'll have the opportunity to attend talks, productions and festivals, and you'll also be able to attend screenings that relate to performances being discussed in your course.
You'll be assigned a member of our teaching staff who will act as your personal supervisor. They are there to give advice on academic matters as well as other areas of University life. For your project or dissertation you'll also be assigned a supervisor who may be a different member of staff.
We have excellent purpose-built facilities available to you.
You will be based in the School of Arts & Creative Technologies on Campus East.
Our beautiful green campus offers a student-friendly setting in which to live and study, within easy reach of the action in the city centre. It's easy to get around campus - everything is within walking or pedalling distance, or you can always use the fast and frequent bus service.
You'll be assessed throughout your course. Types of summative and formative assessment vary depending on the module and may include the following:
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This course develops a range of analytical and practical skills in the performance and production of theatre, making our graduates highly employable. Because MA Theatre-Making is flexible enough to offer both practice-based and research-based paths, you'll find there’s a wide variety of career paths open to you across theatre and academia.
Graduates have also gone on to further research, at PhD, or practical training with conservatoires.
While you train to be a professional in theatre you'll also develop skills that are useful in any industry.
| Typical offer | |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate degree | 2:2 or equivalent. As part of the selection process you will be offered an online interview. The interview is aimed at learning more about you as a candidate and to assess your suitability for the programme. |
| Other international qualifications | Equivalent qualifications from your country |
If English isn't your first language you may need to provide evidence of your English language ability. We accept the following qualifications:
| Minimum requirement | |
|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic and Indicator) | 6.5, minimum 6.0 in each component |
| Cambridge CEFR | B2 First: 176, with 169 in each component |
| Oxford ELLT | 7, minimum of 6 in each component |
| Duolingo | 120, minimum 105 in all other components |
| LanguageCert SELT | B2 with 33/50 in each component |
| LanguageCert Academic | 70 with a minimum of 65 in each component |
| Kaplan Test of English Language | 459-494, with 426-458 in all other components |
| Skills for English | B2: Merit overall, with Pass with Merit in each component |
| PTE Academic | 61, minimum 55 in each component |
| TOEFL | 87, minimum of 21 in each component |
| Trinity ISE III | Merit in all requirements |
For more information see our postgraduate English language requirements.
You may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language courses. These courses will provide you with the level of English needed to meet the conditions of your offer.
The length of course you need to take depends on your current English language test scores and how much you need to improve to reach our English language requirements.
After you've accepted your offer to study at York, we'll confirm which pre-sessional course you should apply to via You@York.
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