Course summary

Get professional training in dramatherapy on this accredited Masters degree. Gain experience on clinical placements and qualify to work in the arts therapies in the UK and overseas. Study at our world-class centre for music and dramatherapy in Cambridge and benefit from our international network of professional arts therapists. You’ll be supported by our team of practising and research-active dramatherapists. We’ll give you access to the latest and most effective dramatherapy approaches with both adults and children. Our MA Dramatherapy is accredited by the Health & Care Professions Council, so when you graduate you’ll be eligible to register with the HCPC – a legal requirement for your future career as a practising dramatherapist in the UK. ARU has been ranked in the top 20% of universities in the world for Good Health and Wellbeing in the 2023 Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings. This full-time two-year Masters degree will introduce you to a range of approaches in dramatherapy through lectures, workshops, case discussions, theoretical studies and clinical placements. You will be trained in a variety of dramatherapy techniques with a focus on therapeutic theatre, the use of story in dramatherapy, projective tools, improvisational and developmental approaches. The therapeutic relationship and the psychodynamic understanding of that relationship is a core aspect of the training as is the intercultural dimension of the client/therapist relationship. Our experiential teaching will focus on on the intentional use of drama, creativity and the imagination for therapeutic aims as well as linking theory to practice. Regular experiential dramatherapy groups and supervisory spaces will provide opportunities to reflect on your clinical experiences and the process of becoming a dramatherapist. You’ll have the opportunity to enrich your learning by working alongside our MA Music Therapy students on some shared modules. Your clinical placements could be in community settings, schools, hospitals or care homes and will give you valuable experience of working in a variety of staff teams including multidisciplinary teams and is great preparation for employment. There are just 15 places available on our Masters in Dramatherapy, so you’ll learn as part of a small group and benefit from valuable placement opportunities. Places are filled in order of acceptance after which, if your application is successful, you will be offered a place on a waiting list. The impact of our Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies research was judged as "world-leading" in the Research Excellence Framework 2021 (REF2021). Teaching times 2023-24 (subject to change for 2024-5): Year 1 - Mondays 9am-4pm; Tuesdays 9am-6.30pm; Wednesdays 9am-4pm (some weeks only); Placement two days a week (some weeks only). Year 2 - Mondays 9am-6.30pm; Placement one to two days a week. Careers As a qualified dramatherapist you will be able to work in many different areas, such as the NHS, social services, education or community projects. You may also choose to work privately or on a freelance basis, with a client base from prisoners to children with learning difficulties. Successful completion of this Masters degree will allow you to register with the Health and Care Professions Council. This is a legal requirement for practising dramatherapists in the UK. You will also benefit from our links with the British Association of Dramatherapists and other allied health professions and practitioners, such as psychotherapists, arts therapists and psychiatrists. Graduation doesn’t have to be the end of your time with us. You could choose to continue your academic career with a research programme at ARU, such as our PhD Dramatherapy or PhD Music Therapy. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and save £400 on your fees.