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Students
Tuition Fee
GBP 16,140
Per year
Start Date
2025-09-01
Medium of studying
On campus
Duration
1 years
Program Facts
Program Details
Degree
Masters
Major
Acting | Animation | Apparel Design | Art Conservation | Art History | Art Studies | Art Theory | Handicrafts | Arts Administration | Arts Education | Arts Management | Audio Engineering | Audio Production | Audio-Visual Techniques | Bookbinding | Ceramics | Choreography | Cinematography | Color Theory | Comedy | Costume Design | Craft and Artisan Skills | Craftsmanship | Creative Writing | Dance | Dance Education | Darkroom Techniques | Decorative Arts | Design | Digital Arts | Digital Media | Directing | Documentary Studies | Editing | Entertainment Management | Exhibition Design | Fashion Design | Fashion Merchandising | Film Production | Film Studies | Fine Arts | Floral Design | Furniture Design | Gallery Studies | Graphic Arts | Graphic Communications | Graphic Design | Illustration | Intaglio | Interior Design | Jewellery Design | Leatherwork | Lithography | Media Management | Media Production | Mime | Modeling | Multimedia | Museum Studies | Music | Music Composition | Music Conducting | Music Education | Music Instrument Technology | Music Performance | Music Production | Music Technology | Music Theory | Outdoor Recreation | Packaging Design | Painting and Decorating | Painting and Finishing | Patternmaking | Performing Arts | Photography | Platemaking | Printmaking | Radio and Tv Production | Recording Arts | Reprographics | Screen Printing | Screenwriting | Sculpture | Sewing Techniques | Shoe Design | Stage Management | Stagecraft | Street Dance | Street Performance | Tailoring | Technical Direction | Technical Drawing | Textile Arts | Textile Design | Textiles | Theater Arts | Upholstery | Video Production | Visual Communications | Visual Effects | Visual Merchandising | Vocal Performance | Voice Acting | Weaving
Area of study
Arts
Education type
On campus
Timing
Full time
Course Language
English
Tuition Fee
Average International Tuition Fee
GBP 16,140
Intakes
Program start dateApplication deadline
2025-09-01-
About Program

Program Overview


About our foundation years

Our Foundation Year courses are perfect for you if you...


  • are returning to education after a long time, or you don't have the qualifications for direct entry into our degree programmes
  • are thinking of re-training and would like an introduction to the area
  • are an international student wanting an additional year to adapt to the UK academic system
  • are still evaluating which degree pathway at UEL is the right one for you

Please note: Foundation years can only be studied full-time. However, you can transfer to part-time delivery once you have completed your foundation year. Please apply to the full-time option if you wish to study in this way.


Directing for Stage and Screen MA

Overview

Directing for Stage and Screen is for those who have a passion for directing for both the live theatre and for onscreen film and television as well those wishing to develop audio-visual elements for the live performance context. This course is unique in that each student chooses their own pathway; after taking two core modules (one focused on stage and one focused on screen), you then build your own pathway through our suite of optional modules. This allows you to focus on various elements of theatre making and filmmaking, culminating in the development of a final film or final theatre project, in a way that is tailored to the specifics of your individual career goals.


The focus of the practice-based training offered in the programme is intended to prepare you for work in the exciting and innovative moving image and theatre sectors through high-end technical instruction, development of professional performance and production methodologies, creative writing, performance praxis and stage craft, and an insight into the industry's structures and business models.


The programme will prepare you for entry into the moving image and theatre industries through the production of work which could be distributed via film festivals and / or theatrical performance. The programme can also act as a base for doctorial study, an academic career or professional work in theatre and film practice.


The diversity of our student intake is our course's strength. It's open to those with professional as well as academic experience.


You will also benefit from the programme's wide networks in the theatre and moving image industry; you may also gain wider industrial film experience via Schema, UEL's Student Production Unit. Schema coordinates a variety of film projects with external organisation and is a conduit for internships and work placements.


You will leave the programme with a substantial portfolio of work for both immediate production / screenings and as basis for fundraising for future productions. You will also have learnt a wide range of technical skills, in both production and post-production. You will leave having developed an innovative practice and an understanding of industry.


We offer this course at both MA and MFA; the MA is one year and the MFA requires a second year of further study. Please choose which qualification you would like to apply for by selecting your choice at the apply button.


Course options

MA

  • Start date: September 2025
  • Duration: 1 year (full-time), 2 years (part-time)
  • Fees:
    • Home applicant (full-time): £10,680 per year
    • Home applicant (part-time): £1,780 per 30 credit module
    • International applicant (full-time): £16,140 per year

MFA

  • Start date: September 2025
  • Duration: 2 years (full-time), 4 years (part-time)
  • Fees:
    • Home applicant (full-time): Year 1: £10,680 (180 credits), Year 2: £7,120 (120 credits)
    • Home applicant (part-time): £1,780 per 30 credit module
    • International applicant (full-time): Year 1: £16,140 (180 credits), Year 2: £10,760 (120 credits)

Entry Requirements

  • Academic requirements:
    • Bachelor's degree with minimum Second Class (2:1) or equivalent in Theatre/Performance studies or related subject.
    • International Qualifications: We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications.
  • English Language requirements:
    • Overall IELTS 6.0 with minimum 6.0 in writing and speaking, and 5.5 in listening and reading (or recognised equivalent).
  • Mature applicants and those without formal qualifications:
    • We welcome applications from those who can demonstrate their enthusiasm and commitment to study and have the relevant life/work experience that equips them to succeed on the course.
  • Interview:
    • An interview is required with a member of the academic teaching team.

Fees, funding and additional costs

  • Fees:
    • EU, EEA and Swiss Nationals starting a course from September 2021, will no longer be eligible for Home fees.
    • Tuition fees are subject to annual change.
  • Funding:
    • Postgraduate Loans Scheme: £10,280 to fund your Masters Programme under the Postgraduate Loans (PGL) scheme.
    • Postgraduate Scholarship: Apply for a 50 per cent discount on your tuition fees!
    • Alumni Discount: up to 15% fee waiver (exclusions apply).
    • Early Payment Discount: 5% fee waiver.
    • Asylum Seekers scholarship: 100% fee waiver.
    • Civic Engagement: £1,000.
    • Hardship Bursary: up to £2,000.
    • Sport Scholarships: Up to £6,000.
  • Additional costs:
    • Textbooks.
    • Computer equipment.
    • Printing.
    • Travel.
    • Personal laptops and other personal devices.
    • Personal copies of books.
    • Optional study visits and field trips (and any associated visa costs).
    • Costs of participating in external events, exhibitions, performances etc.

Course modules

  • Director and the Text Core Module
  • Narrative Cinema Core Module
  • Performance Platform Core Module
  • Scriptwriting Optional Module
  • Devised Project- Stage Optional Module
  • Screenwriting Optional Module
  • The Moving Image Optional Module
  • Professional Practice and Research Methods (Mental Wealth) Optional Module
  • Final Project - Screen Optional Module
  • Research Methods in Creative Practice Optional Module
  • Project Platform - Stage Optional Module
  • Mental Wealth: Practitioners and Praxis Optional Module
  • Professional Platform Core Module (MFA only)
  • Creative Practice Core Module (MFA only)

What we're researching

  • The results of the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF), a six-yearly national review of higher education research, underlined the quality and impact of our work.
  • An impressive 92 per cent of UEL's overall research was recognised as world-leading, internationally excellent or internationally recognised (REF 2021).
  • Course Leader Dr Tom Drayton’s research into metamodern theatre, for instance, is world leading and he is the author of the first book about metamodern theatre.
  • Dr Evi Stamatiou’s influential work on actor-training and inclusive pedagogies is built on two decades of international experience as an actor and creative.
  • Carrie Mueller’s research focuses on participatory performance practice with a focus on dissensus and transgression.
  • Dr Claudia Brazalle’s scholarship and ongoing bodily/movement practice are deeply influenced by her cross-cultural dance and performance training.
  • Julian Alexander’s practical film-based research focuses on the intersections between Shakespeare and hip hop.
  • Dr David Chapman’s research investigates the sonic mediation of the natural world, the durational dimensions of place, and historical and cultural issues through audio-visual installations.
  • Dr Alexander Thomas’ research questions what it means to be human in a time of cultural, cybernetic and biotechnological upheaval.

Your future career

  • We offer dedicated career support, and 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 state-of-the-art facilities.
  • Industry links:
    • Our Academic Staff are professionals in the field.
    • The course is built upon current industry experience through the network of industry links within the London Theatre and Film scene and beyond.
    • Previous collaborations over the past few years have included work with Camden People’s Theatre, The V&A, The Space, Applecart Arts, Ardent Theatre Company, The Old Church, The Bread & Roses Theatre and more.
  • Graduate employers:
    • London’s theatre scene is like nowhere else in the world, and our acting postgraduate course sets you up to take your own place in the contemporary creative industries.
    • Graduates of this course have joined theatre companies and collectives, worked in London theatres, taught drama at various levels and gone on to further postgraduate study.
  • Job roles:
    • Graduates of this course have gone on to run their own theatre companies, screen their work at international festivals, work in London theatres, teach at various levels, further postgraduate study and more.
  • Further study:
    • After studying your MA or MFA in Directing for Stage and Screen, you could go on to further study with our postgraduate research courses:
      • Prof Doc Performing Arts
      • MPhil PhD School of Arts and Creative Industries

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.

How you'll learn

  • You'll be taught by a range of staff, most of whom are active practitioners in the field, which ensures that the practice-led research which is disseminated in the performance or film studio, or actually takes place there, is relevant to industry and practice.
  • It also means that the course is well placed to take advantage of the myriad of professional networks which staff bring with them.
  • Within each module there is a practical component and support/contextual component with the intention that knowledge and skills are always introduced and developed in relation to studio projects.
  • By learning from our expert staff, as well as collaborating with relevant cohorts – such as with our MA Filmmaking, MA Theatre Directing and MA Acting for Stage & Screen students – you will gain the skills needed to create innovative and exciting performance work and to be able to operate as a professional theatre director and independent creative producer.

How you'll be assessed

  • This is a practice-based and industry focused programme with a weighting of roughly:
    • 70% process, performance, production and
    • 30% critical reflective writing
  • Depending on your course modules, your assessments may include coursework essays, collaborative and individual presentations, professional placements, reports, portfolios, other creative work and, of course – most importantly – theatre performances and film projects!

Campus and facilities

  • University Square Stratford is one of London's most modern and well-equipped campuses.
  • It serves 3,400 students and is the base for our courses in law and criminology, dance and performing arts, and the Master of Business Administration (MBA).
  • Modern facilities include: performing arts spaces; three performance studios; the Harvard lecture theatre, with live lecture capture technology; the multimedia Weston Learning Centre; a dedicated MBA suite and teaching space; a 300-seat specialised tiered lecture; and a simulated courtroom for mooting experience.
  • The campus is close to Stratford developments such as Westfield Stratford City and the Theatre Royal.
  • You can be in Canary Wharf in 20 minutes, the English National Ballet in 15 minutes and Sadler's Wells East in 8 minutes.

Who teaches this course

  • This course is delivered by the School of Arts and Creative Industries
  • 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.

What our students and staff say

  • "I can't think of a more exciting place to start your career, build your networks and access world-class professional theatre than in East London." - Professor Dominic Hingorani

Related courses

  • MA Theatre Directing
  • MA Acting for Stage and Screen
  • MA/MFA Filmmaking
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