FAQS: Postgraduate

The application fee is a one-off fee of £20 and covers the cost of processing applications and auditions. Application fee waivers are also available to applicants from low-income households (under £25,000 annual household income). Applicants who meet the criteria for a fee waiver will be contacted by Admissions with a fee waiver code once their application has been submitted to use when booking their audition. The £20 application fee is only paid once each year of entry, even if you apply for multiple courses.

Entry to our postgraduate courses is through successful audition or interview. Additionally, candidates across all of our MA courses should normally have gained a Level 6 (UK First Degree or equivalent) or have two-three years of relevant professional experience. 

Candidates are advised to review the course page to understand which courses are suitable for them.

You apply directly through our website. On each course page you will find a How To Apply section. This will include the application form (required for all courses) with relevant details about auditioning and applying.

Yes, you are welcome to apply for more than one course at NSCD and you only have to pay the £20 application fee once (you can receive a fee waiver code from Admissions where applicable). To note, if you accept an offer for one course, your placement on any shortlists and/or any separate applications will be withdrawn as is NSCD policy.

We aim to let in-person and by-video candidates know the outcome of their audition within 3 weeks. It will depend on which course you are applying for as to what the application and audition timeline is. You will be able to find this information on the How To Apply page for each course.

Applications should be submitted by the relevant course deadline. Applications received after this date may be considered dependent on the course applied for however this is not guaranteed. Candidates should ensure we receive their application before the deadline. 

Details of financial support options for Postgraduate students, both Home and Overseas, can be found here: https://www.nscd.ac.uk/bursaries-scholarships/.

The application form for financial assistance can be found on the above webpage, along with details regarding the deadline. Ensure you apply for the correct academic year.

Eligible Home and EU Settled or Pre-Settled students can apply for funding through Student Finance England (or Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland): Master’s Loan: Overview – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Student Finance applications usually open in summer. For further information on Fees, Student Finance and Costs please see here: Fees & Finance – Northern School of Contemporary Dance (nscd.ac.uk)

Places on all our courses are offered after successful application and audition or interview.  All our offers are conditional upon receipt of the relevant Academic and English Language entry requirements for the specific course. For those which require a UK Student Visa, NSCD would issue a CAS once we have received all entry requirements.

If your first language is not English you will need meet the minimum English language entry requirements in order to enrol on any of our courses. This is set at CEFR level B2 for undergraduate courses and high B2 or C1 for postgraduate courses.

This usually means passing a Secure English Language Test (SELT) from an approved provider; IELTS for UKVI, LanguageCert International ESOL SELT or PTE Academic UKVI.

However as NSCD is a Higher Education Provider (HEP) we can assess your level of English through an alternative qualification providing it meets the required level.

To enrol on a postgraduate course your English language qualification must be equivalent to the examples below:

IELTS for UKVI with an overall band of 6.0 with no less than 6 in Reading and Writing and no less than 5.5 in Speaking and Listening.

LanguageCert International ESOL SELT with 33– 37 per skill for Reading and Writing, 25-32 per skill for Speaking and Listening. 38 – 50 per skill to achieve 6.5 across all skills.

Who does not need to prove their knowledge of English?

• You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you’ve completed a qualification equivalent to a UK degree in one of the following countries, or are from one of the following countries: Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Ireland, Jamaica, Malta, New Zealand, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, USA.
• You also do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you proved your level of English in a previous visa application.
• In certain countries English subjects studied at school are comparable to B2 standard, provided these subjects have been taken and successfully passed in the final examinations with the required grades where stated. If you are offered a conditional place, after your audition, qualifications that you have gained, including grades that you believe are comparable to the B2 level should be submitted to the admissions team for them to check with NARIC (The National Recognition Information Centre). You will then be notified whether you are exempt from taking additional English language tests for entry. Equally, if you studied/are studying recognised qualifications in English at an International School, or took a GCSE English as a first or second language, you may be exempt.

Most Overseas students will require a Student Route Visa. See further details here: Overseas Students – Northern School of Contemporary Dance (nscd.ac.uk)

There is no such thing as a typical week at NSCD; it is dependent on the course, term and modules. 

MA Contemporary Dance Performance PPS: A typical week for PPS students depends on the company that they are on placement with. It might involve devising, rehearsal, teaching or performance.

MA Contemporary Dance Performance VERVE:  Curriculum Lead Matteo Marfoglia notes,

A day with VERVE is never the same. Sometimes we are in creation, at times researching or touring during the Spring term. However, a day at base (NSCD) will look like this: start the day at 9am with 1.5 hours morning practice delivered by a different guest teacher weekly, followed by rehearsals of the show from 11am to 5pm with an hour lunch break.

MA Dance & Creative Enterprise:

MA Dance & Creative Enterprise mixes studio-based practice, theoretical learning and directed study time.  While the teaching varies across the year, a typical day will have a technique class from 9:00-10:30, which is then often followed by either an extended studio session looking at developing creative practice within a studio environment, or a lecture looking at developing understanding in a key area of arts management, such as project management, fundraising, marketing or research skills.

MA Professional Dance Pedagogy: 

The MA Professional Dance Pedagogy is designed around a flipped classroom approach.  Much of the learning is achieved through independent guided study and learning, leaving the time with tutors and peers for extended discussion and development of reflexive understanding.  Students typically meet online once a week alongside engagement with their regular teaching practice, and extended tutorials focused on their individual practice.  

MA Teaching & Facilitating (Creative Subjects): 

Much of the learning for the MA Teaching and Facilitating programme is based around teaching placements.  Depending on the specific agreed placement, this can involve shadowing, team-teaching, leading sessions and delivering programmes of study.  This learning is supplemented by taught sessions designed around developing pedagogical understanding and teaching techniques. 

NSCD employs a wide variety of assessment methods including formative, continuous and summative assessment. 

Assessment evidence is collected through: 

• Continuous and summative assessments in technique modules 
• Assessed rehearsal processes 
• Showings of performance, choreographic work, improvisation & movement research 

Students receive ongoing feedback in practical classes and through the tutorial system in which professional and academic development are considered and evaluated. 

We have a broad range of free support services for students to access.

Our onsite dance specialist physio team are available to support students with injuries, rehabilitation programmes, sports massage, full physio assessments and referrals to external services where required.

Our counselling service is free, and confidential (unless a student is at risk), and is available for all students to access. The first step is to book an appointment with our Head of Student Support, who can assess immediate needs and discuss options for ongoing support.

From there, it is then decided what level of support feels right. For example, we could offer:

• Weekly counselling via our team of Student counsellors (or external referrals where required)
• Groups and workshops covering a range of common student mental health issues
• Adhoc support and advice appointments as and when you need
• Referral to our dance nutritionist for support around nutrition and issues with eating

Waiting times are always considerably lower than NHS referrals and our services are free to all students.

See further details on services available to students here: Student Services

Most NSCD students live in shared housing close to the school, some opt for halls of residence in the city centre or a little further away from the school. See info here: Accommodation – Northern School of Contemporary Dance (nscd.ac.uk) 

Our MA Professional Dance Pedagogy course is designed for dance artists who already have an established teaching practice.  The focus of this course is to reflect, reevaluate and contextualise existing practice.  This is achieved by situating current practice within reflexive frameworks, and through real-world discussions with tutors and peers.  As an online learning programme, this course is particularly suitable for students wanting to broaden their horizons through cross-cultural dialogue and international exchange. 

The MA Teaching & Facilitating (Creative Subjects) programme is designed for emerging teachers across creative subjects who are wishing to develop their teaching practice.  The programme focuses on expanding the core techniques of teaching, developing skills around curriculum design and building student-centred lessons and schemes of work, including guidance and development of teaching practices. 

Both MAs allow you to develop an area of specific research interest to explore in depth in your second year. 

Some applicants are not required to pay these fees. 

If you have received an application fee waiver, if you are a NSCD continuing student, including NSCD CAT students, you do not need to pay the Acceptance Administration Fee. 

You do not need to pay the Course Fee Deposit if you are paying your course fees via UK student loan, or are an EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic or Liechtenstein national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme applying for Undergraduate Student Finance or a Postgraduate Master’s Loan. 

You receive the Conditional Offer Letter first (usually within 3 weeks of your audition or interview). This outlines all the details of the course you have an offer for, and information on next steps. 

The Unconditional Offer Letter is issued once we have received all entry requirements and is confirmation that your place is secure.  

Often, this is in August. 

You will receive your Unconditional Offer letter once all entry requirements have been met. This may include: 

• Academic entry requirements – these may not be available until after you have completed your current studies 

• Financial evidence (overseas if needed for visa) 

• English Language Entry Requirements (overseas if needed for visa) 

• Current passport or other valid travel documentation 

Most applicants are also required to pay the Acceptance Administration Fee and Course Fee Deposit. See here for more info: Fees & Finance 

You do not have to pay the £20 Application Fee if you meet any of the below criteria: 

• If your household income is below £25,000 

• If you previously studied on NSCD’s CAT scheme. 

• If you’ve previously applied for a different course for this year of entry (& already paid the application fee). 

If you are unsure about the criteria listed above or have any questions regarding this, please contact admissions@nscd.ac.uk.   

No, we want to hear your voice. You can use AI for guidance and support, but please submit your own words for the personal statement.