BA (Hons) Musical Theatre
- Study Mode: Full Time
- Location: High Wycombe
- Duration: Three or Four Years
- Start Date: September 2025
You can also study this course:
Work alongside industry specialists as you develop your skills and abilities through the three essential disciplines: Acting, Dance and Singing. Collaborate, create and gain performance experience from full scale musicals to a graduate showcase.
With this musical theatre course you’ll become a confident, creative and self-motivated individual, ready to break into the industry.
On our BA (Hons) Musical Theatre course, we’ll ensure the skills and knowledge you learn make you desirable and a key candidate for future employers. You’ll work alongside industry specialists as you develop your skills and abilities through the three essential disciplines: Acting, Dance and Singing.
You’ll collaborate, create and gain performance experience from full scale musicals to a graduate showcase. With this course you’ll become a confident, creative and self-motivated individual, ready to break into the Musical Theatre industry.
Opportunity modules are a key part of the BNU curriculum. You’ll choose modules in your first year from a broad selection in areas such as sustainability, entrepreneurship, creativity, digital skills, personal growth, civic engagement, health & wellbeing and employment. Opportunity modules are designed to enable you to develop outside the traditional boundaries of your discipline and help you to further stand out from the crowd to future employers.
This BA (Hons) Musical Theatre is led by a dedicated and experienced course team. Benefit from their industry knowledge and the industry links they bring to the course. Many of our guest lecturers are industry-experts and alongside your lecturers, they’ll nurture your learning and professional development.
As well as this we seek to bring your work into the wider world and to bring the world into the university. During your time at BNU you’ll have the opportunity to perform at external venues and take part in workshops with leading companies, both on and off campus. We also have access to the Wycombe Swan Theatre and Wycombe Town Hall as part of our Wycombe Swan Residency. The Swan Theatre sits adjacent to the University and is one of the UK’s leading regional theatres.
As part of the Art, Design and Performance School at BNU, you’ll benefit from a practiced-based course, supported by contextual studies. You’ll also have the opportunity to work collaboratively across the university with other courses, ensuring during your studies you are building a varied network, like you would in the real world. Previous joint projects have seen acting students working with film and TV production, audio and music, set design for stage and screen, costume design and making, and hair and make-up students. We’ll support you to find an approach to Musical Theatre that’s uniquely yours and alongside this set you up with the real-world skills you need to secure Musical Theatre work when you graduate.
We're passionate about giving our students as many opportunities as possible, that’s why often invite industry-professionals and our network of successful alumni in to deliver masterclasses, lecturers and feedback sessions.
We’ve invested in a range of state-of-the-art facilities to help you bring your ideas to life on the musical theatre degree. You’ll benefit from our dance studios, all of which are bright, open spaces, equipped with;
- overheard gallery lighting
- audio playback facilities
- fully sprung floors
- floor to ceiling mirrors for rehearsals
- ballet barres
- Air conditioning
You will also have access to our drama and performance studios, all are kitted-out with everything you’ll need, including;
- tiered seating
- sprung floors
- lighting and sound systems
- black-out drapes
- Props and performance blocks
You’ll also have access to high quality camera equipment, a greenscreen room and lighting rigs and sound recording facilities, all suitable for film and TV screening. As well as this you’ll also have access to our props store where you can find everything you’ll need to bring your performances to life, from costumes and wigs, to lamps and even a coffin.
We also understand that during your time at university, it is also just important to get involved with extra-curricular activities. Our Students’ Union offers a range of free societies and nights out for you to enjoy, from musical theatre society to our yearly festiball event, there is something for everyone.
Our High Wycombe Campus is only a short train ride away from London, meaning you are only a stones-throw away from the hustle and bustle of the world-renowned West End and many other independent theatres. You are also only around the corner from Oxford, another beautiful city known for its culture, theatre and dance scene.
What will I study?
This course is also offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.
The BA (Hons) Musical Theatre equips you with the fundamentals of musical theatre performance skills, enabling you to emerge with the confidence and creativity to launch a career as a performer.
The notion of the ‘thinking practitioner’ is central to our approach on this course, the ability to understand yourself as a performer and have the confidence to engage creatively and thoughtfully with the industry, and its innovations, is at the heart of our working ethos.
Throughout this musical theatre degree, you will be exploring both the practical and theory of musical theatre. The production module strand will require you to engage with increasingly demanding productions within genres such as: Pre-1950 Classical, Contemporary Broadway, Variety and Cabaret and Political Musical Theatre.
You will take part in fully realised productions as a key part of your BNU Musical Theatre education, often performing in large-scale productions. These are created in an intensive ‘timetable takeover style’ which mimics the experience of producing a show in a professional setting.
The course is a high-quality practical training designed to hone your performance skills and stimulate your creative thinking. You’ll focus on acting, singing, and dancing throughout the course. You’ll become a member of our repertory musical theatre company, producing both studio and theatre performances.
As well as this you will engage with industry professionals via a programme of workshops, seminars, lectures and performances. You will work collaboratively with a professional creative team to design, create and produce high quality productions. Experienced professional lecturers will tutor students in a range of acting, singing and dance styles, closely aligned to the industry’s constantly evolving sense of genre.
The course progression will develop those skills necessary for entry to the performing arts industry. These will include the knowledge and skills you need to manage a professional freelance creative career and develop promotional materials such as showreels, an online portfolio and self-taped auditions. You will also take part in our Graduate Showcase.
Upon graduating from this course you’ll be able to show you are a versatile performer, with valuable industry connections, experience and knowledge towards making your passion a career.
How will I be taught and assessed?
Assessment is varied, catering for different learning styles and enabling students to develop a wide range of academic and performance skills. During your musical theatre classes you will attend tutor-led skills workshops which will enhance your skills in acting, text, ballet, jazz technique, singing and voice.
Learning is largely practical and involving a balance of technical and interpretative skills. Some modules involve group work and others will be focussed on the solo performance.
We're passionate about giving our students as many opportunities as possible so you’ll be able to work on several exciting projects. You’ll learn to develop your own response to open briefs, giving you independence and creative control over your work.
Throughout the course you’ll connect practical and theory work, showing an understanding of the key links between the two.
You’ll also have the opportunity to take part in workshops to develop practical and production skills, seminars and lectures, performances (some of which are formally assessed) where you will perform to an audience or be mediated (i.e. for camera) and study trips, research-driven essays, live presentations and a dissertation.
What are the course entry requirements?
A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)
UCAS points can be obtained through qualifications such as A levels, T levels, BTEC or an Access to Higher Education course in a relevant subject. Please list all your qualifications on the application form as you will be asked to provide copies when we receive your application.
A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required and a typical offer also requires GCSE Maths and English at grade C/4. Every application is considered on an individual basis.
Applicants will need to complete an interview and/or demonstrate portfolio work, further guidance is given on the interview and portfolio advice pages.
For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.
Those with no previous study, work experience, or who do not meet the specified entry requirements, including demonstrating the necessary knowledge and understanding, are welcome to apply for the 3-year BA (Hons) degree, however may be offered the four-year programme which includes a Foundation Year.
Suitable candidates will receive an audition invitation
All suitable candidates will be invited to discuss their work during an audition and interview that will last approximately 15 minutes. The interviewing tutor will be looking for:
- the ability to articulate your views on your own work
- a commitment and enthusiasm for the subject
- the potential for sustained professional development
- the ability to form and present opinions on other performing art work, either as a performer or audience member.
Your audition piece
All candidates will be invited to an audition and interview. The three-part audition will consist of:
- Dance: You will join in 30 min jazz dance class; please ensure you are wearing suitable dance attire and be prepared to dance in bare feet or trainers.
- Acting: To prepare a 2 minute monologue from a published play that is written post 1970s.Character selection to be close to your own age and delivered in your native accent.
- Song: To prepare a song from genre of your own choice. (32 bars) This must be performed in the key in which the music is written. Please bring both sheet music and a backing track with you.
The audition is an opportunity to show your skills and development potential in these areas. However it is more important that you display the correct attitude, rather than aptitude. All candidates will also need to display their motivation, enthusiasm and work ethic.
What you must bring with you
For the audition please ensure that you are wearing appropriate clothes and footwear. Formal attire is not required.
Information for overseas students
Please note, if you're overseas and are unable to attend an interview/audition should submit a YouTube/Vimeo link in place of attending in person. The chosen piece needs to be prepared in advance, recorded and sent over to us electronically at least one week before your interview slot.
Your audition piece can be emailed to admissions@bucks.ac.uk. A telephone or Skype interview will be conducted during your allocated slot. Please ensure that you email the contact details that will be used to carry out your interview to admissions@bucks.ac.uk.
For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.
Modules
This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.
What are the tuition fees
Home
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Home Foundation Year, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £9,535 *
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Home, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £9,535 per year *
International
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Overseas/International Foundation Year, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £15,150 *
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Overseas/International, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £15,150 per year *
Following the Government’s announcement of 4 November 2024, we will be increasing our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for UK students to £9,535 per year from the start of the 2025/26 academic year. Our part-time fees for UK undergraduate students will increase to £7,145 per annum. Please visit , on the Government’s website, for more information about the changes.
Tuition fees for Home undergraduate students (including with foundation year) may increase in subsequent years for both new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by the Government.  
Tuition fees for both new and continuing international students may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year.  
Tuition fees for postgraduate courses and CPD may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year. This increase will apply to both new and continuing students.  
We understand, and really appreciate, the significant financial commitment our students make when they choose to study at BNU. We take our responsibilities to our students very seriously, and are ambitious for each to reach their full potential and succeed in their chosen career. Our fees help us to continue providing our students with a high-quality education, and to invest in the services and facilities which create an excellent student experience at BNU.
The following factors will be considered by the University when we set the annual fees: measures of inflation such as the retail price indices; projected increases in University costs; and any changes in the level of funding for teaching received from the Government.
What are my career prospects?
Throughout your time with us we’ll support you on the route to your chosen career. We’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. Our Careers and Employability Team also help you find employment after graduation.
Our BA (Hons) Musical Theatre course will help prepare you for a range of career possibilities, such as:
- West End productions
- Touring companies
- Cruise Ships
- Small scaled educational tours
- Film and TV
- UK and internal entertainment companies
- Teaching
- Production
Graduates can also choose to further explore the industry with one of our postgraduate degrees, such as MA Performance (Live and Digital).
Course leader
