Study options
- Starting in
- September 2025
- Location
- Mile End
- Fees
- Home: £12,250
Overseas: £24,250
EU/EEA/Swiss students
What you'll study
This programme is grounded in both arts and science methodologies and perspectives. Examine mental health theory and practice through a critical approach which establishes the central role of the arts in mental health. Study the history, theory and practice of the arts for mental health promotion, the representation of mental health in the arts, and arts intervention for the prevention and treatment of mental distress (with a focus on theatre and performance).
You will study how the creative arts can be used to think critically about concepts and experiences of mental health and the mental health system. You will investigate how arts practices can be means of prevention and intervention in mental health, as well as ways of engaging the public with these concerns.
Through practice and critical writing, you will undertake research in specific areas of arts and mental health through critical analysis of representation of mental health within the arts and the applications of the arts in specific contexts, to alleviate or prevent mental distress and improve mental health.
The course is not clinical, therefore you will not leave with a clinical accreditation in mental health practice or art therapy. Rather, the course is based on practice, research and critical thinking. You will be encouraged to develop your own specialist interest in relation to the arts and mental health, whether you come from an arts or a science background.
We aim to develop pioneering research in best practices for better, more effective collaborations among arts practitioners, healthcare practitioners and patients, so we can best serve the interests of all within mental health, social care and education systems.
Additional costs
You may have to pay for entrance charges and travel for performances, exhibitions and field visits, although such costs will be kept to a minimum. Set books are usually available through the library, but you may wish to buy your own copy in some instances.
Structure
- Three compulsory modules
- One elective module (from a choice of three)
- 10,000–15,000-word dissertation
Compulsory/Core modules
This module explores the performance of mental health and mental illness as they have been defined across history, and in the contemporary moment. In particular the module asks how the social construction of mental health is reflected in and produced by performance. While the module focuses on the types of subjectivity and selfhood that have emerged in the history of theatre and performance, students are also encouraged to explore ways other creative practices engage these topics. Special attention is given to representations of 'madness' and `mental illness' produced in historical performance, as well as to how these representations have since been reinterpreted and adapted to reflect current constructions and concerns. In addition we will consider a variety of contemporary and collaborative performance practices that interrogate attitudes relating to normative concepts of mental health, and even try to intervene into policy and care. Students will be introduced to broad debates on mental health from within the Humanities and informed by the approaches of disability studies.
This module examines contemporary debates within the field of mental health theory and practice from the critical premise that the dominant, so-called 'biomedical' model of mental health is in urgent need of reform. Students will learn about critical approaches to assessment and diagnosis, psychiatric treatments, and mental health theory. They will also start to consider how the arts can contribute to a critical approach to mental health. Examples of themes include: critical psychiatry; the Power Threat Meaning Framework; Open Dialogue; a psychoanalytic framework for understanding unconscious emotional processing; social justice and mental health; survivors' and service users' narratives and critiques, including through the arts.
This module examines productive intersections between the arts and mental health from a critical perspective. It investigates the use of arts-based practices as research, education, health intervention, advocacy and activism in mental health. Students will learn about contemporary art practice which interrogates, critiques and/or contributes to mental health theory and practice. Examples of themes include: art interventions with groups and communities for the promotion of mental health and as preventive measure; creative enquiry for professional development; a psychoanalytic framework for understanding the role of the arts in emotional processing; artistic practices which give voice to survivors' narratives and concepts, including towards activism.
This module is designed for students undertaking a research project in their chosen area of mental health. Although this module is predominately independent study, students are expected to complete a set of formative assessments and have regular contact with their supervisor in order to monitor progress.
Elective modules
This module offers a group placement within a young people's theatre company or other relevant arts organisation working with young people. The organisations offering the group placement will normally be working with young people in mental health contexts, or with young people who have experiences of social and mental health issues. It offers the opportunity to observe, learn and develop arts-based teaching methodologies with and for young people and to explore the social, mental and creative benefits of the arts for young people.
This module explores how performance contributes to social justice, especially through activism. It examines: activist movements, such as Black Lives Matter, Extinction Rebellion, and activism for indigenous rights; activist practices and actions, spanning pacifism and violence, and including occupations, events like carnivals, and performances such as verbatim theatre; and intersecting theories of activism, social justice, and performance, such as Boal's Poetics of the Oppressed, Judith Butler's theory of assembly, and Christina Sharpe's theory of wake-work, drawing on wider literatures in, for example, critical race theory, environmental humanities, queer theory, law, and disability rights. The module focuses on the present but explores historical roots, such as the Diggers and Levellers of the English Civil War, South African Township Theatre, women's suffrage movements, struggles for abolition and decolonisation, and activism in relation to disability, AIDS, and more. It explores arguments for activism's benefits but also explorations of its limits. It considers how performance studies can help us better understand - and potentially practice - activism for social justice, and how performance might particularly contribute to action for social change.
This module explores through practice the relation between text, self, and performance, in order to investigate critically the way performance may articulate individual experience, to invoke or confirm aspects of collective identity, and to complicate the assumed relations between performances and texts. Through weekly practical workshops and contextual research, you will explore forms, methodologies and topics including (for example): writing for solo performance, live art, verbatim and documentary theatre, improvisation, protest performance, and oral histories. Your practical investigations will be embedded in critical readings in identity politics and social justice, in relation to identity formations including gender, sexuality, race, class and ability. In your engagement with found or created texts, you will consider truth and dissemblance, authenticity and representation, auto/biography and disclosure, particularity and community, the politics of representation, and the ethics of performance. Throughout, an emphasis is placed on testing the limits of familiar approaches to creating and performing texts.
Assessment
- 67% Modules
- 33% Dissertation
Dissertation
You will write a 10,000-15,000-word final dissertation, using an art-based or science-based methodology or an original and comprehensive systematic literature review.
Where applicable, you will be required to obtain ethics applications for your research.
You will be matched with at least one dissertation supervisor from either Drama or Psychiatry, based on your topic and methods of research, who will offer you individual tutorials.
Teaching
You will learn through a mixture of specialist lectures delivered by academics, clinicians and artists, seminars and group work, practice-based workshops and field visits. Research skills are taught in dedicated seminars.
As part of your chosen elective you may undertake a work placement within an organisation that operates in a field related to creative arts and mental health. Alternatively, you can develop your own arts practice through a dedicated module.
—This programme takes an interdisciplinary approach that allowed me to explore how various art forms can serve as psychotherapy tools to help individuals process emotional challenges. As a result, I now have a broader understanding of mental health treatments and better creative and reflective skills. Studying at Queen Mary also changed my perspective on social life and community. Initially, I was worried about language barriers and making friends, but the warm, welcoming atmosphere put me at ease. I made incredible friends, explored the city, and built meaningful connections that enriched my year in London.
Jinning Yang, Creative Arts and Mental Health MSc, 2024
Where you'll learn
Facilities
- Specialist performance facilities at our Mile End campus, including three rehearsal rooms, the Pinter studio theatre, and the Film and Drama Studio (FADS)
- The new Graduate Centre and award-winning Lock-Keepers’ Cottage
- Queen Mary’s comprehensive libraries, including the Postgraduate Reading Room
- Access to the University of London Library at Senate House
Campus
The programme’s modules will be principally taught at Queen Mary’s Mile End campus, where students will be exposed to east London’s unique blend of emerging and established theatre companies and live art makers.
There will be opportunities to visit the Whitechapel campus, where the Centre for Psychiatry and Mental Health is located, for seminars and access to our administration office.
About the Institute
Wolfson Institute of Population Health
This course is based at the Wolfson Institute of Population Health, which delivers internationally recognised research and teaching in population health. The Wolfson Institute is a part of Queen Mary University of London’s faculty of medicine and dentistry.
The work of our researchers and educators has had a significant impact on lives across the world. We provide integrated teaching and training opportunities delivered by leaders in the field. By sharing knowledge and pushing the boundaries of research, we will continue to advance population health and preventive medicine on a global scale.
Queen Mary is a member of the Russell Group of leading research universities in the UK and the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry proudly holds an Athena Swan Gold Award in recognition of our commitment to gender equality.
School of English and Drama
The School of the Arts combines innovation, discovery and excellence in education and research in Drama, Film, Modern Languages, English & Comparative Literature, Creative Writing, Linguistics and Liberal Arts. We rank in the top 100 worldwide for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)
Career paths
Some students already hold qualifications in art or drama therapy, are practicing artists, or work elsewhere in mental health. For them, the programme offers an opportunity to expand their knowledge base, develop their practice, meet a variety of other professionals working in related fields and further their careers
Other students have used the MSc as a stepping stone to entering a career in education, mental health practice or to pursue postgraduate research/doctoral training in either art or mental health.
Recent graduates work in:
- teaching and education
- art
- research
- mental health.
- 92% of Wolfson Institute postgraduate-taught graduates are in employment or further study (2020/21)
- 84% of Wolfson Institute postgraduate-taught graduates are in highly skilled or graduate jobs (2020/21)
—One of my favourite aspects of doing this programme was the opportunity to gain real-world experience. Through the Theatre for Young People module, I completed a placement with an arts-based charity. The course also offered a range of innovative modules that combine both practical and theory-based elements. I'm very proud to now work as an Independent Mental Health Advocate (IMHA) for a mental health charity, where I apply the psychological and psychiatric knowledge I gained during my MSc.
Emma Thornton, Creative Arts and Mental Health MSc, 2022
Fees and funding
Full-time study
September 2025 | 1 year
- Home: £12,250
- Overseas: £24,250
EU/EEA/Swiss students
Unconditional deposit
Home: Not applicable
Overseas: £2000
Information about deposits
Part-time study
September 2025 | 2 years
- Home: £6,150
- Overseas: £12,150
EU/EEA/Swiss students
Unconditional deposit
Home: Not applicable
Overseas: £2000
Information about deposits
Queen Mary alumni can get a £1000, 10% or 20% discount on their fees depending on the programme of study. Find out more about the Alumni Loyalty Award
Funding
There are a number of ways you can fund your postgraduate degree.
- Scholarships and bursaries
- Postgraduate loans (UK students)
- Country-specific scholarships for international students
Our Advice and Counselling service offers specialist support on financial issues, which you can access as soon as you apply for a place at Queen Mary. Before you apply, you can access our funding guides and advice on managing your money:
Entry requirements
UK
Degree requirements
A 2:1 or above at undergraduate level in a relevant subject.
Applicants with a good 2:2 degree will be considered on an individual basis.
Other routes
Candidates that do not currently meet the set entry requirements may also have the option to study the Graduate Diploma in Humanities and Social Sciences. Meeting the required grades on completion of this programme will provide a pathway to study MSc Creative Arts and Mental Health.
Find out more about how to apply for our postgraduate taught courses.
International
English language requirements
The English language requirements for our programmes are indicated by English bands, and therefore the specific test and score acceptable is based on the band assigned to the academic department within which your chosen course of study is administered. Note that for some academic departments there are programmes with non-standard English language requirements.
The English Language requirements for entry to postgraduate taught and research programmes in the Wolfson Institute falls within the following English band:
Band 4: IELTS (Academic) minimum score 6.5 overall with 6.0 in each of Writing, Listening, Reading and Speaking
We accept a range of English tests and qualifications categorised in our English bands for you to demonstrate your level of English Language proficiency. See all accepted English tests that we deem equivalent to these IELTS scores.
Visas and immigration
Find out how to apply for a student visa.