Contemporary Performance Practices MA

This course is in clearing

Overview

Course options

Select year

MA

  • MA Contemporary Performance Practices, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 1 year
    • Pound 10200 per year
  • MA Contemporary Performance Practices, home applicant, part time

    • Home Applicant
    • Part time, 2 years
    • Pound 1700 per 30 credit module
  • MA Contemporary Performance Practices, international applicant, full time

    • International Applicant
    • Full time, 1 year
    • Pound 15420 per year
    International applications are closed for 2024

MFA

  • MA Contemporary Performance Practices, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 2 years
    • Pound 10200 year 1 fees: £10,200 (180 credits). Year 2 fees: £6,800 (120 credits)
  • MA Contemporary Performance Practices, home applicant, part time

    • Home Applicant
    • Part time, 4 years
    • Pound 1700 per 30 credit module
  • MA Contemporary Performance Practices, international applicant, full time

    • International Applicant
    • Full time, 2 years
    • Pound 15420 year 1 fees: £15,420 (180 credits). Year 2 fees: £10,280 (120 credits)
    International applications are closed for 2024

What makes this course different

Combine a wide range of practices

Use a practice-based interdisciplinary approach, across spoken word, performance, drama, sound/music and urban dance, along with game design, technology and applied/community-based practices.

Immerse yourself in the vibrant performance scene in East London

Our programme is located in Stratford's thriving cultural quarter, home to a diverse range of cultural and performance venues.

Superb facilities

Professional rehearsal studios and technical facilities including music technology and editing suites to support your production values.

Course modules

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Your future career

Your future career

Graduates from MA Contemporary Performance Practices have gone on to secure funding for their projects, create new artist networks, produce international projects, create new festivals, curate interdisciplinary events and have their projects programmed in a variety of festivals, venues and conferences since 2016. UEL  offers an MFA route to this programme, as well as options to progress to a PhD.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. Our courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting edge technologies and facilities.

Career Zone

Our dedicated and award-winning team provide you with careers and employability resources, including:

  • Online jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work.
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services 
  • Careers workshops and employer events 
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme which issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you’ve mastered. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top

  • Enterprise and entrepreneurship support 
  • We are ranked 6th for graduate start-ups 
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations 
  • Support in starting a new business, freelancing and self-employment 
  • London on our doorstep

What you'll learn

Our course responds to the creative industry demands of today by developing multi-skilled artists that are simultaneously practitioners, scholars and creative producers.

This course will enable students to articulate and 'own' the value of the practice within and outside the arts industries. 

You will work individually with course leaders to find appropriate links with existing organisations for professional placements.  You will have the opportunity to present your final work in a professional venue which hosts internationally acclaimed artists. 

How you'll learn

You'll be taught by a range of staff, many of whom are practitioners in the area they teach. The assessments focus on practical and critical skills. This ensures that practice-led teaching is relevant to industry and practice. Our staff are well placed to take advantage of a range of professional networks and industry contacts. Each module is designed with practical components and a reflective component, with the intention that students develop an ability to critically reflect on their creative process.

When not attending timetabled lectures or workshops, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study and rehearsals. This will typically involve skills development through online study, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects and preparing coursework assignments and presentations. Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, and specialist facilities, such as edit suites, the library, the full Microsoft Office software, including MS Teams, and Moodle: our Virtual Learning Environment.

Our academic support team provides help in a range of areas – including learning and disability support.

When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of the academic course team who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.

Each year you will spend around 300 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module.

The approximate percentages for this course are:

  • scheduled teaching - 300 hours
  • guided independent study - 900 hours

Your individualised timetable is normally available within 48 hours of enrolment. Whilst we make every effort to ensure timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place in the evenings. Timetables for part-time students will depend on the modules selected.

To give you an indication of class sizes, this course normally attracts 10 students a year. However, this can vary by academic year.

Core modules will be taught in a cohort of ten while some modules shared across the three MAs in Performing Arts will be taught in groups of 25 - 30 students.

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

How you will be assessed

Coursework will include practical outcomes (e.g. individual or group-based performances; performative presentations, documentations, or artefacts; films/video-art; installations; and other performance based work)  and written assignments (e.g. reflective portfolios; funding applications; abstracts of your work; website/digital profile).

Assessment breakdown: 

  • 60% practical
  • 40% written coursework

You’ll always receive written or audio feedback outlining strengths and points for further development. We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 15 working days.

Campus and facilities

University Square Stratford