Careers

The past three years have been the most incredible three years of my life. I’ve had so many opportunities.

Lara Dailey, BA (Hons) Musical Theatre graduate, shortlisted for the 2024 Spotlight Prize

You'll learn advanced audition techniques, produce your own showreel, and receive detailed feedback from your industry tutors, as well as having the chance to take part in our musical theatre choir and a professional singing competition judged by industry pros.

Our range of optional modules allow you to follow your particular ambitions and interests.

What can you do with a Musical Theatre degree?

Where have other Musical Theatre graduates worked?

How can ARU help with my employability and career development?

Teaching and modules

Pippa O'Brien playing Maleficent on stage

I teach Acting Through Song, where students put together a repertoire of their best songs and learn in depth acting techniques to use these songs for professional audition… it’s an essential industry tool for once they leave university.

Pippa Duffy (O'Brien), Course Director and Lecturer Practitioner, actress and singer

In your first year you'll build a solid foundation of musical theatre skills in preparation for your first musical production.

These include ensemble singing, acting technique, physical theatre, modern ballet and jazz dance.

In Year 2 you'll perform in, design and produce a large-scale public performance, and continue developing your technical skills and theory, applying them to your theatre practice. You’ll also develop your professional discipline in work-based learning with industry professionals.

In Year 3 you’ll complete a major individual research/creative project, and prepare for professional practice.

Carrie: The Musical - watch the trailer for our 3rd year production
Alice By Heart, performed by graduating Musical Theatre students from 2-4 May 2024.
Alice By Heart
Alice By Heart
Alice By Heart
Alice By Heart
Alice By Heart
Alice By Heart
Alice By Heart
Cinderella: The Musical, performed by second-year Musical Theatre students in December 2022.
Cinderella
Jekyll and Hyde, performed by second-year Musical Theatre students in December 2022.
Jekyll and Hyde

What will I study?

Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.

Year 1

Technical Skills 1 and Showcase
Technical Skills 2
The Small-Scale Musical
Into ARU

Year 2

The Book Musical
Ruskin Module (15 credits)
Theatre Theory and Specialist Skills
Technical Skills 3

Year 3

Undergraduate Major Project
Professional Preparation
Professional Practice
Directing *
Stage Choreography *
Acting Through Song *
Vocal Reel *
Dance Collaboration *
Workshop Facilitation *

Module details

To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.

Year 1

Foundation in Humanities, English, Media, Social Sciences and Education

Module details

You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.

Placement year

Work Placement - Cambridge School of Creative Industries

Module details

What happens on a foundation year?

What happens on a placement year?

How is Musical Theatre assessed?

What equipment will I need?

Who teaches Musical Theatre at ARU?

Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.

Pippa Duffy
Lecturer Practitioner
Keziah (Kizzy) Green
Lecturer Practitioner
Katy Graham-Clare
Associate Lecturer
Dr David Jackson
Senior Lecturer
Dr Eva Aymamí Reñé
Senior Lecturer

Facilities

You'll have full access to all our creative industries facilities including:

the Mumford Theatre, a 260-seater on-campus professional theatre
dedicated drama studio, with highly flexible black-box performance space
large rehearsal space with audio playback facilities, piano, LED lighting rig, portable dance mirrors, gym mats and rostra/modular staging
Students’ Union-run dance studio
radio mics
podcast and video capture system.

Mumford Theatre
Mumford Theatre
Mumford Theatre
Green screen studio
Covent Garden drama studio
Covent Garden drama studio
Dance studio

Entry requirements

Standard entry requirements

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email [email protected] for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

International students

English language requirements

Audition

Contextual offers

Fees and funding

UK students

£9,535 UK students starting 2026/27 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

If you start a course on or after 1 August 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £25,000. This is called repayment Plan 5. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £25,000. After 40 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

If you started a course on or before 31 July 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £27,295. This is called repayment Plan 2. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £27,295. After 30 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2026/27 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2026/27 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

International students

£17,500 International students starting 2026/27 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£17,500 International students starting 2026/27 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£17,500 International students starting 2026/27 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

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With foundation year

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