Why study at GSA
Guildford School of Acting (GSA) is one of the UK’s leading accredited drama schools, providing dedicated conservatoire training within a purpose-built environment on the University of Surrey campus.
GSA operates a pedagogic approach that utilises student-centred learning. Every module has an ethos of nurturing and enabling employability and personal development opportunities for the students. Our working practices encourage dialogue and are most effective when a collaborative approach is undertaken. Our learning environment grants our students the freedom to take risks and to embrace spontaneity.
We keep our cohorts small to ensure you get personal attention and contact from our expert teachers, who have extensive first-hand experience in professional theatre in the UK, Europe and the US.
Our campus boasts great transport links to London, so you’ll be close to the heart of UK theatre in London’s West End.
We are ranked 3rd in the UK for dance, drama and cinematics in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024, and 5th in the UK for drama and dance in the Guardian University Guide 2024. We were shortlisted for University of the Year in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.
Programme overview
MFA Teaching and Practice of Voice and Singing programme is designed to build upon students’ existing experience and expertise in either or both disciplines. It will provide a unique opportunity for the research and development of specialist vocal techniques appropriate to the demands of professional interdisciplinary performing arts, which may include both spoken text and singing. It also has the integrated feature of offering both voice and singing training in a conservatoire and business context.
This practice-based interdisciplinary allows students to deepen and extend their learning over a sustained 2-year programme, offering the opportunity for further development of skills in voice and singing pedagogies, greater opportunity for observation and shadowing of professional practice, and the opportunity to gain a qualification (MFA) which has international recognition.
This two-year Masters programme is unique in the sector and by studying it, you will be part of the next generation of voice and singing business practitioners.
What you will study
In the first year, you will study three compulsory modules:
- Voice fundamentals (phonetics, accents and anatomy)
- Voice and singing pedagogies
- Integrated teaching practice (intensive public-facing placements).
In the second year, you will study two further compulsory modules:
- Advanced pedagogies
- Advanced professional practice (placement and research project).
Please be aware: the course content and modules listed for this course are subject to change for the 2024/25 academic year, whilst we undertake a curriculum design review. Please contact the programme leader if you have any queries about the course.
Programme structure
Modules listed are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that modules may be subject to teaching availability, student demand and/or class size caps.
The University operates a credit framework for all taught programmes based on a 15-credit tariff. Modules can be either 15, 30, 45, 75 or 120 credits, and additionally for some masters dissertations, 90 credits.
The structure of our programmes follows clear educational aims that are tailored to each programme. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes:
Course timetables are normally available one month before the start of the semester. Please note that while we make every effort to ensure that timetables are as student-friendly as possible, scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday). Wednesday afternoons are normally reserved for sports and cultural activities. Part-time classes are normally scheduled on one or two days per week, details of which can be obtained from the Academic Hive. View our Code of practice for the scheduling of teaching and assessment (PDF).
Contact hours can vary across our modules. Full details of the contact hours for each module are available from the University of Surrey's module catalogue. See the modules section for more information.
We offer career information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University. Our graduates have lifetime access to Surrey Pathfinder, our online portal for appointment and events bookings, jobs, placements and interactive development tools.
GSA has an excellent reputation as a conservatoire, and graduates are sought for a variety of roles in the Performing Arts, as teachers, performers, creatives and production staff. We consistently nurture students to become highly employable leaders in their field and resilient graduates, with a sophisticated toolkit of transferable skills. GSA is part of the Federation of Drama Schools (FDS), the Alliance of Musical Theatre Conservatoires (AMTC) and the Global Conservatoire Alliance (GCA).
The MFA programme focuses on the development of specialist skills and knowledge, producing highly skilled teachers and coaches, ready to enter their respective specialist workforces. Students study core aspects of each field, gaining theoretical and practical skills as well as work placement within the University, networking and career planning opportunities. All GSA students are equipped with both a practical and theoretical understanding of potential employment opportunities and how to navigate them upon graduation.
Former graduates of GSA’s Masters Programmes have moved into careers related specifically to the training of voice and singing including, but not limited to, the following:
- Lecturer in Voice, Lecturers in Singing, Head of Singing at GSA
- International Outreach Project organiser for Cross-cultural Shakespearean Projects
- Head of Voice, Laines Theatre Arts
- Singing Teacher, Gothenburg Academy of Music and Drama, specialising in Musical Theatre, Sweden
- Professor of Voice, Seoul, South Korea
- Joint Head of Voice, Mountview Theatre School
- Vocal Tutor, University of Chichester
- Vocal Tutor, Dept Music and Media, University of Surrey
- PhD Research and Head of Singing, Victorian College of the Arts, Australia
- Head of Musical Theatre, Sharjah Performing Arts Academy, UAE
- Director, S&L Performing Arts, Hong Kong
- Teaching Fellow in Vocals at the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP), London.
An MFA qualification offers opportunities to teach at university level (internationally) and will help students develop business and digital skills, creativity and imagination, dexterity, and good interpersonal skills.
Entry requirements
Entry by audition. Students must hold a bachelor's degree in a relevant subject (minimum 2.2 or equivalent), as well as significant engagement with drama, theatre and performance. Alternatively, entrants may have relevant professional experience in the industry. Offers are made subject to a successful audition and interview.
For more audition information please visit AUDITIONS & INTERVIEWS
English language requirements
IELTS minimum overall: 6.5
IELTS minimum by component: 6.0 in each element
View the other English language qualifications that we accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Further information about entry requirements can be found here
Find out all about fees and funding here.
Visit our Scholarships and Bursaries page for more details.
Thinking of continuing your education at Surrey? As an alumnus of Surrey, you may be eligible for a ten percent discount on our taught Master's programme fees. Learn more about discounts for Surrey graduates
We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.
In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.
Learn more about opportunities that might be available for this particular programme by using our student exchanges search tool.