Drama - Postgraduate Research Opportunities

Whether you’re driven by creative and practical research, or you want to specialise in a theatrical approach to theatre and performance, you'll research with renowned academics and practitioners at one of the UK's leading Drama and Theatre Arts departments.

We offer two PhD/MA by Research programmes: Drama and Theatre Studies PhD/MA by Research and our Practice-Based PhD/MA by Research. 

Pursue your curiosity and passion to become an expert in your chosen area of drama and theatre studies. At Birmingham, our research interests span contemporary performance, theatre history and historiography, and practice research. Receive expert supervision and develop your specialist knowledge. 

Our programmes take advantage of Birmingham's exceptional resources for theatre research as well as the University and Department links with world-class theatre in Birmingham, Stratford-upon-Avon, London and beyond.

Our Drama and Theatre Studies PhD/MA by Research programme can be studied on campus or by distance learning. Please note that if you are studying with us by distance learning, there is a required visit to campus in your first year of study.

How to apply?

To apply for a postgraduate research programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online.

When proposing your own research topic you’ll need to make sure the department offers the necessary expertise. We ask that you identify an appropriate supervisor before you submit your application and contact them in the first instance to discuss your research proposal.

If there is a good fit between your proposed research and our research strengths, we’ll be able to give you advice on a draft of your research proposal before you make a formal application.

When contacting a member of our staff, it would be helpful to include the following:

• A draft research proposal or a summary of your research ideas
• Details of university-level qualifications and any relevant professional experience
• Details on how you propose to fund your research

Please contact only one member of staff in the first instance. 

Find a supervisor

A summary of our key research areas, and staff working within those, can be found below.

• Contemporary theatre and performance
• Research-led professional practice
• Theatre history and histography

Funding Notes

Please visit the College of Arts and Law funding page for information on possible funding opportunities: View Website. Please visit the College of Arts and Law funding page for information on possible funding opportunities: View Website. You can find out about all the scholarships that are available on our Postgraduate Funding Database. If you find a scholarship that you are interested in, we would recommend you check the application guidelines as these can differ between funding schemes. For some of them, you can apply for funding as soon as you have submitted an application for the course.