Postgraduate
MA Playwriting and Dramaturgy
NUI Galway
Course Overview
The MA in Playwriting and Dramaturgy cultivates the growth of the individual writer through an intensive one-year immersion in an ensemble-based learning environment.
Based at the O’Donoghue Center for Drama, Theater and Performance, you will be immersed in a natural environment for creating and thinking about theater practice. As a student, you will take modules on playwriting and other forms of theater practice through which you will have the opportunity to specialize further, based on your own skills and interests. You will cultivate your skills as writers of dramatic texts (playwriting) but also increase your knowledge of a wide range of theatrical structures and forms (dramaturgy) to expand your range as artists. As a writer on this programme, you will hone your craft through intensive mentorship and a rigorous programme of modules, workshops and theater trips that places your individual work in the context of the contemporary theater industry and the history of theater craft. The programme concludes with a playwriting dissertation advised by a professional writer and features a public reading of the your new work at the O’Donoghue Center.
What you need to know
Where is the course located?
Galway
What is the length of the course?
12 Months (1 Year) Full-time
When can I apply?
You can apply today
When does the course start?
September
Placement options
Application Closing Date
Open for an application
Number of Places
15
Fees and Funding
Non-EU Tuition Fees
€ 15,550
Living Costs per year
€ 10,000
Application Fee
€ 60
Features and Benefits
- Graduates of NUI Galway writing programmes have gone on to doctoral programmes in the humanities, to teaching, to employment in journalism, magazine editing, travel writing, technical writing, and public relations as well as publishing anthologies and books of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction.
- In the field of theatre, our graduates have gone on to write for such theatres as the Abbey (Ireland) and the Traverse (Scotland), while many have also staged their own works at Festivals in Dublin, Galway, Edinburgh and elsewhere.
Entry requirements
How to Apply
Once you are ready to start your application, please click on APPLY NOW
As part of your application, you will be required to submit:
- Your academic history and transcripts (Actual and/or Predicted Grades)
- Proof of English proficiency (typically IELTS or TOEFL scores)
- 2 letters of recommendation
- A copy of your passport
- Personal Statement
- CV/Resume
- Extra requests for certain courses
Minimum entry requirements
At least a Second Class Honors, Grade 2 (H2.2 or GPA 3.0) undergraduate degree, a personal statement addressing their theater experiences and aims, two letters of reference, and a writing sample (5–6 pages) this can be an academic essay, creative writing or theater reviews. Entry for candidates with significant relevant experience may be possible. Applicants who do not meet the minimum entry requirements may be admitted via a qualifying exam if they have relevant professional experience, or be admitted to the PDip.
Students who do not meet the Honors degree requirement but have a Level 7 (Merit 2) degree may be admitted to the PDip course, with the possibility of progressing to the MA if they receive a minimum of 60% in their course work during the year.
English Requirements
Arts/Business/Law (No less than 5.5 in any Component)
IELTS: 6.5 Overall
TOEFL: 88
Pearson (PTE): 61
Duolingo English Test (DET)**: 110
• Temporary measure for 2020 only in response to COVID-19
Special Entry Requirements
n/a
Career Prospects
Graduates of NUI Galway writing programmes have gone on to doctoral programmes in the humanities, to teaching, to employment in journalism, magazine editing, travel writing, technical writing, and public relations as well as publishing anthologies and books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. In the field of theater, our graduates have gone on to write for such theaters as the Abbey (Ireland) and the Traverse (Scotland), while many have also staged their own works at Festivals in Dublin, Galway, Edinburgh and elsewhere.
Notes
n/a