COURSE CURRICULUM

The MSc Dramatherapy programme is a two-year professional training course that combines practical therapeutic experience, academic study, and independent research to prepare students for registration as a dramatherapist. In Year One, students develop fundamental dramatherapy skills through the Dramatherapy Practice and Resources module, where learning takes place through experiential workshops and creative activities such as storytelling, role play, improvisation, embodiment, ritual, and therapeutic theatre. The Arts Therapies Studies 1 module introduces key developmental, psychological, and person-centred theories, alongside research methods relevant to arts therapies, through lectures, seminars, and collaborative learning with art and music therapy students. Students also undertake Practice-based Learning (Placement) 1, spending one day each week in educational, healthcare, or voluntary settings, facilitating creative therapeutic sessions under professional supervision while receiving support from tutors and peers. In Year Two, students progress to more advanced professional practice through Practice-based Learning (Placement) 2, attending placements for two days each week and taking on greater responsibility through independent practice, multidisciplinary collaboration, assessment, and evaluation activities. The Arts Therapies Studies 2 module encourages critical reflection on how social, political, environmental, and relational factors influence health and wellbeing, helping students understand the role of arts therapies in diverse professional settings and develop as reflective practitioners. The programme concludes with the Independent Academic Project, where students undertake an in-depth research study on a self-selected topic in dramatherapy using methods such as literature reviews, practice-based research, or arts-based inquiry. Throughout the course, students build professional competencies, research skills, leadership qualities, and creative therapeutic abilities, combining academic knowledge with extensive supervised placement experience to prepare for successful careers as registered dramatherapists in a wide range of health, education, and community settings.