Course information

Length

15 months full-time, 27 months part-time

Course overview

This programme develops the business and entrepreneurial skills and attributes you’ll need to commercialise on your creative and cultural practices and/or knowledge.

Why study MA Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship: Theatre and Performance pathway at Goldsmiths

• You’ll build on a historical and theoretical understanding of cultural and creative industries to create your own creative initiatives, whether they’re research-based, policy-based, practice-based, or any combination of the three.

• You will have the opportunity to undertake a work placement in a small or medium-sized enterprise (SME), or research organisation in the cultural and creative industries. You may have the opportunity to augment your learning by taking classes in specific skill areas (such as marketing), as you are likely to be working in skill-specific departments of these organisations.

• The programme aims to integrate entrepreneurship within the development of creative practices. It takes a creative approach to the development of new businesses, and the infrastructure that supports them.

• You'll have a range of choices throughout the degree enabling you to design a pathway that is most relevant to your academic, business and career ambitions.

• You will have the opportunity to learn in partnership with a number of Goldsmiths departments, and with key individuals and organisations in the creative and cultural industries sector.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact the Admissions Tutor.

What you'll study

Compulsory Modules

The programme contains four taught modules and a further dissertation/portfolio component.

You'll have a range of choices throughout the degree enabling you to design a pathway that is most relevant to your academic, business and career ambitions.

Attendance is mandatory for all taught sections of the programme. To encourage collaborative learning we try to teach all students together wherever possible, irrespective of their particular pathway.

Module title Credits
Theories of Capital 30 Credits
Entrepreneurial Modelling 30 credits
Dissertation 90 credits
or
Project/Portfolio 90 credits

You will also take one of the following modules.

Module title Credits
Industry Placement 30 credits
or
Sector Overview Performing Arts and Audience Development and Fundraising 30 credits
or
Business of Creative Industries 30 Credits

Options

You will also choose 30 credits of optional modules from a list provided by the Department of Theatre and Performance. Examples of past modules include:

Module title Credits
Radical Performance 30 credits
Disability Theatre 30 credits
Contemporary African Theatre and Drama 30 credits
Cultural Theory, Performance, Interdisciplinary Perspectives 30 credits
Performance and Medicine 30 credits
Asian Theatre 30 credits
Eastern European Theatre 30 credits
Corporeality, Embodiment, Alternative Spaces 30 credits
World Shakespeares 30 credits

Download the programme specification.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Entry requirements

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in a relevant/related subject.

Experience in drama, dance, performance and theatre studies, and/or performing arts management at undergraduate level is desirable; if you don't have this experience, you may need to demonstrate your potential ability in – and sensitivity to – these areas. We also welcome applications from practicing artists or those who have been involved in an area of production and wish to develop a performing arts company or business. 

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

  • Home - full-time: £12520
  • Home - part-time: £6260
  • International - full-time: £23660

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system. 

Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:

  • Details of your academic qualifications
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
  • Copies of your educational transcripts or certificates
  • personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online. Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
  • A one-paragraph elevator pitch for an entrepreneurial business idea that you plan to develop through the course. This is not a business plan, but a brief paragraph that clearly and concisely expresses your core entrepreneurial idea. You can submit your elevator pitch as a document or as audio/video. Please note that there is a file size limit of 20MB on our website but we can accept your audio/video hosted online if you provide a link to this in your application.

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

When to apply

We accept applications from 1 October to 30 June for students wanting to start the following September. When applying, please specify your preferred pathway (in this case, Theatre and Performance).

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place that is conditional on you achieving a particular qualification. 

Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.

If you're applying for funding you may be subject to an application deadline.

Selection process

Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally, we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.

Find out more about applying.

Careers

Skills

You can expect to develop an independence and integrity in developing creative ideas. You will be able to apply entrepreneurial approaches to creative projects and demonstrate an understanding of different business models to establish a creative enterprise. You will also develop team-working and leadership skills, and effective business and communication skills.

Careers

The programme will enable those who have previously studied an area of creative study/practice, to start a career developing a business arising from an existing or new creative practice. This may relate directly to a 'product' or 'process' arising from you own practice or to a form of 'expertise', 'consultancy' or 'knowledge'. The programme will also equip those who wish to work within organisations that develop the infrastructure and environment for new creative businesses with the capacity to flourish in a variety of contexts.

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths

Similar programmes

MA Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship

The MA Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship should be attractive if you either wish to develop a business arising from an existing creative practice or to understand how to create the infrastructure and environment for new creative businesses.

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