Primary instrument/specialism
- Creative Practice: Collaborative Arts
Course summary
This practice-led, modular programme for creative graduates will evolve your practice and enhance employability in a world-leading performing and production arts education environment. As contemporary creative artists often work across and beyond the traditional boundaries of artistic disciplines, the focus will be on bespoke, individual learning. You will engage in critical inquiry to identify meaningful goals and develop essential knowledge, skills and attitudes for success in your artistic journey. Throughout the programme, you will have the opportunity to build a professional network and receive support to critically engage with your practice in order to transform your creative identity. It will also help you enhance your skills for freelance work, employment with creative agencies or further academic study, while expanding your professional network. This is a flexible programme, where you’ll work alongside RCS lecturers and industry experts, as well as our network of national and international partners. The MA is designed to integrate with your existing arts practice and includes a significant amount of student-led learning. It will be complemented by intensive residencies (either in-person or online) at the beginning and end of the programme, as well as online delivery, one-to-one support, and peer group learning. This programme is subject to validation for Academic Year 2026-2027
Course details
Principal study options
During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:
Main specialism
Only one specialism is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.
Instrument/specialisms
For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.
Modules
More information about what the course entails can be found on our website.
Assessment method
More information about what the course entails can be found on our website.
How to apply
This course is not open to application until the 10th July 2025.
*If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.
14Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
International applicants
Currently around 20% of our students come from outside the UK. Between them, they represent over 55 different nationalities and add a rich diversity to the Conservatoire. International applications are welcome to this programme and online interviews can be arranged.
Entry requirements
As the second cycle of higher education, postgraduate study represents a continuation of learning, training and/or experience rather than a beginning. As such, many of our applicants will have a degree qualification either in an arts subject, or in business or management. However, we recognise that traditional application processes, which show a bias towards prior learning and achievement, can perpetuate existing societal inequities, favouring those who already benefit. For this reason, we embrace the principles of widening access and participation and, whilst prior qualifications and experience may be taken into account, our application process places emphasis on students’ values, potential and readiness for Master’s level study. This is in accordance with the RCS Admissions Policy (including the Contextualised Admissions Policy). Accreditation of Prior and Experiential Learning (APEL): In some cases, applicants to the programme may already have achieved academic credit on another programme of study and are seeking to reduce the number of modules they will need to study on the programme. Applications for APEL will normally be decided prior to the applicant’s admission to the Royal Conservatoire.
Additional entry requirements
Interview
Following your presentation, there will be a 20-minute discussion about your presentation and application with the Head of Programme and a member of the delivery team. This will be used to explore your educational background, experience, opportunities and aspirations and you will be invited to address the following questions: * What has led you to apply for this programme? * How do you see this programme contributing to your professional development? * What opportunities, if any, will you have to apply your learning in a professional context whilst on the programme? * The panel will take account of all aspects of the applicants’ profiles. This will include: * Performance at interview * Commitment to the programme * Potential to benefit from the programme * Readiness for masters level study * Academic qualifications * Personal statement * References (2 references from appropriately qualified persons) * Contextualised data
Other
Your programme will culminate in a module which enables you to design and undertake a substantial project, synthesising your arts leadership and/or fundraising enquiry into one cohesive piece of work. You are invited to share some initial ideas for how you might use this project to deepen your chosen field of enquiry. For example, you may choose to focus on investigating: * Opportunities within your specialist area that you would benefit from a deeper understanding * The practical application of arts leadership and/or fundraising in a professional context * Defined areas of arts leadership and/or fundraising/policy that you believe would benefit from further research or exploration * Ways in which you might use this final module to address gaps in your own development You will be requested to provide some evidence to support your initial proposals, drawing on published journal articles, books or other key sources and to be prepared to provide some critical analysis of these in light of your project ideas. We will explore this with you and support your ideas development as part of the interview process.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 7 | 7.0 with a minimum score of 7.0 in speaking and no component below 6.5 |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 94 | Overall score of 94, with minimum component scores of: Reading – 19, Listening – 20, Speaking – 23, Writing – 24 |
| PTE Academic | 66 | Overall score of 66 with a minimum of 66 in speaking and no component below 62 |
More information about our language requirements can be found at the weblink.
https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/international-students/english-requirements/
Assessment locations
In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.
Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.
Single specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee | Late Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Online | £55 | £55 |
Joint principal specialism assessment
| Location | On-time Fee | Late Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Online | Not available at this location | |
Additional information
All applicants need to complete an Acceptd account profile and application regardless of which location you choose, this is part of the audition process (https://app.getacceptd.com/rcs) and needs to be completed once your UCAS application has been submitted. You can view the audition requirements and what to prepare for this course on the relevant programme page on our website. If you have any questions, please contact: [email protected]
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| EU | £7350* | Year 1 |
| International | £7350* | Year 1 |
| England | £7350* | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £7350* | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £7350* | Year 1 |
| Wales | £7350* | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £7350* | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £7350* | Year 1 |
*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
All new students are required to pay associated programme cost related fees at the start of their studies.
For more information on fees, funding and Scholarship, please see our website: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/
Please note all tuition fees per year are subject to an annual review.
Sponsorship information
There are currently no internal scholarships available for this programme. Please visit our website for more information about funding options: https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/
Provider information
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
100 Renfrew Street
Glasgow
G2 3DB