Royal Holloway has one of the leading departments of Drama, Theatre and Dance in the

UK, with an international reputation for the excellence of its research. There are two Research Centres in the department reflecting distinct areas of specialism – in Asian Theatre and Dance, and Contemporary British Theatre.

We have a lively and diverse community of researchers at all stages in their careers. All of our academic members of staff are active researchers, working at the cutting edge of research in many different aspects of drama, theatre and performance studies. The quality of research supervision in the department was recognized with a nomination for Outstanding Research Supervisor at the prestigious Times Higher Education Awards in 2018.

In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), 86% of our research was judged as world-leading or international in quality. As a research student, you will be regularly invited to participate in seminars with academic staff and to organize events and research activities in collaboration with other students. You’ll also be encouraged to present your work at national and international conferences, and to publish your findings.

You will write a thesis of up to 100,000 words on a subject agreed with your proposed supervisor, prior to Admission to the College. You will receive support from your supervisory team.

Students completing a practice-based PhD will be required to produce a substantial body of performance or creative work and a thesis of between 30,000 – 60,000 words.

The thesis is examined by two examiners and includes a Viva Voce examination.

Normally we require a UK Masters degree (or equivalent international qualification) in a relevant subject, or relevant professional qualifications and relevant experience in an associated area.

Before applying we recommend securing a supervisor in order to apply for your research project.

We advise getting in touch with the Director of Postgraduate Education making an informal enquiry for your chosen research degree to inquire whether there is any other additional material they require you to submit in your application.

Please submit the following supporting information when making your application:

• a research proposal
• two samples of written work in English, which should take the form of short academic essays or reviews of theatre productions (2,000 words in total)
• a copy of the degree certificate/transcript from your Masters degree (this can be a transcript of your progress so far if you have not yet completed it)
• a copy of your English language qualification (if English is not your first language) - if you have not completed an IELTS or recognised test yet, you can submit your application without it and then forward your results once they are available
• a supporting statement, explaining your motivation for studying your chosen programme
• one academic reference - your referee can upload this directly to the online system
• and copies of any other qualifications that are relevant to your chosen programme.

Please note that we will not be able to consider your application until we have received your research proposal and writing samples.

All suitable applicants will be invited for an interview, either in person or via Skype.

English language requirements

All teaching at Royal Holloway is in English. You will therefore need to have good enough written and spoken English to cope with your studies right from the start.

The scores we require

• IELTS: 6.5 overall. Writing 7.0. No other subscore lower than 5.5.
• Pearson Test of English: 61 overall. Writing 69. No other subscore lower than 51.
• Trinity College London Integrated Skills in English (ISE): ISE III.
• Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) grade C.
• TOEFL ib: 88 overall, with Reading 18 Listening 17 Speaking 20 Writing 26.

Country-specific requirements

For more information about country-specific entry requirements for your country please see here.

Recent PhD graduates now work in the following areas:

• Postdoctoral researcher
• University Lecturer
• Manager of Research and Public History at a major national museum
• Researcher at the V&A
• Freelance theatre-maker
• Research and evaluation for participatory arts organisation

Home (UK) students tuition fee per year*: £4,786

EU and international students tuition fee per year**: £21,500

Other essential costs***: There are no additional costs greater than £50 per item.

…How do I pay for it? Find out more about funding options, including loans, grants, scholarships and bursaries. 

* and ** These tuition fees apply to students enrolled on a full-time basis in the academic year 2025/26.

* Please note that for research courses, we adopt the minimum fee level recommended by the UK Research Councils for the Home tuition fee. Each year, the fee level is adjusted in line with inflation (currently, the measure used is the Treasury GDP deflator). Fees displayed here are therefore subject to change and are usually confirmed in the spring of the year of entry. For more information on the Research Council Indicative Fee please see the UKRI website.

** This figure is the fee for EU and international students starting a degree in the academic year 2025/26.  

Royal Holloway reserves the right to increase fees for overseas fee-paying students annually. Be aware that tuition fees can rise during your degree (if longer than one year’s duration), and that this also means that the overall cost of studying the course part-time will be slightly higher than studying it full-time in one year. The annual increase for continuing students who start their degree in 2025/26 will be 5%.  For further information see fees and funding and the  terms and conditions.

*** These estimated costs relate to studying this particular degree at Royal Holloway during the 2025/26 academic year and are included as a guide. Costs, such as accommodation, food, books and other learning materials and printing, have not been included.