Type: Undergraduate
Qualification: Certificate of Higher Education in Dance
Duration: 1 year (full-time) September - July
The Certificate of Higher Education in Dance is a course of study designed as the first step in a student’s education and training towards becoming a professional dance artist, performer, or choreographer. As a programme of study, it encompasses the physical, technical, expressive, creative, and artistic nature of dance performance informed by contextual and theoretical aspects of the discipline, including cultural perspectives.
The uniqueness of this course is the ability to choose from one of two distinct pathways, allowing students to develop and specialise in either Contemporary or Street Dance Styles.
Students are enriched by a range of technical, creative and performance experiences in various contexts, all of which support them at the start of their journey towards a career in dance.
98% of students who completed this level of training at NSCD in 2023 progressed to further training on our BA course, another conservatoire or another university.
This programme is also suitable for 16/17-year-olds as a full-time alternative access route to Higher Education.
APPLICATIONS FOR 2025 ENTRY ARE NOW CLOSED
Through the programme, students embrace a range of industry-relevant modes of working, such as Dance Practices, Diverse Movement Forms, Cultural Perspectives on Dance, Choreography, Movement Composition, Contextual studies, Performance and Dance repertoire, to give them a thorough grounding in traditional theatre practice.
The dance practice modules undertaken during this course are designed to create a clear foundation for the body across 2 distinct pathways:
The Contemporary pathway will involve the study of Western dance forms including contemporary and ballet with other diverse styles being studied as complementary practices, along with somatic-based approaches, improvisation and body conditioning such as Yoga/Pilates.
Within the Street Dance Styles pathway, students will be trained in a broad range of styles, for example; Breaking, Afro-fusion, Hip-Hop, House, Voguing, and Popping & Locking, along with Contemporary, Ballet and other complementary practices such as improvisation, Yoga/Pilates.
Please note: this course is suited to individuals who need more time to develop their technical, creative and critical thinking skills to meet the criteria for entry onto our degree programme. It is also a recommended route of study for applicants who are looking for a one-year intensive programme of study or are undecided whether they are ready to commit to three years full-time training. This programme is also suitable for 16-17 year olds as a full-time alternative access route to Higher Education.
The course operates on a modular basis. All modules count for either 15 or 30 academic credits. Each credit taken equates to a total study time of around 10-20 hours. Total study time includes scheduled teaching, independent study, directed study and assessment activity. All students take a total of 120 credits for the CertHE as a whole.
NSCD programmes of study are validated by the University of Kent. The Programme Specification is available here: CERTHE Dance – Programme Specification
NSCD aims to have full degree awarding powers from September 2025 (subject to Office for Students approval). This is an exciting step, in the school’s history enabling us to take that next step in control of our curriculum and course portfolio. In the unlikely event NSCD does not achieve degree awarding powers in this academic cycle, our degrees will continue to be validated by the University of Kent.
For CertHE-level courses, we welcome applicants aged 16+ (including mature applicants).
Entry to this course is through a successful audition and interview.
Additionally, candidates will usually have gained:
(Equivalent qualifications may also be accepted depending on the strength of the grades achieved. Equivalent overseas qualifications are also accepted.)
Applicants who don’t meet the usual entry requirements will need to complete a Matriculation Task as part of their entry.
If you have any questions about entry requirements or require further information, contact admissions@nscd.ac.uk
You are taught through a combination of practical classes and workshops, lectures and seminars. Seminars and small group tutorials enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups. In addition, you have timetabled meetings with your academic tutors. You use industry-standard facilities throughout your course.
At level 4 (as a guide) you typically have around 21 contact hours per week, typically consisting of:
NSCD employs a wide variety of assessment methods including formative, continuous and summative assessment.
Assessment evidence is collected through:
Students receive ongoing feedback in practical classes and through the tutorial system in which professional and academic development are considered and evaluated.
Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, around 21 hours per week, on top of this independent learning which is expected to be at least 1.5 hours per module, rehearsals (varies) and assessment activity with each credit taken equating to a total study time of around 28 hours. While your actual contact hours may depend on the modules being delivered each term e.g. intensive rehearsal periods.
We are devoted to the experience we give our students. Based on a comparison with other HE Dance degrees of the same price, we offer the following as ‘value added’:
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