How to Apply

Admission Policy

Most courses at Central prepare students both for a higher education qualification and for professional practice. Knowledge and analysis are integrated with practical skills training, so that graduates’ future practice will be informed by insight and reflection.

Central’s policies and procedures for admission aim to identify applicants who can benefit from this combination of intellectual engagement and professional training. The aim is to ensure a good match between your ability and the demands of the course, so that those who begin a programme can reasonably expect to succeed, and to achieve a qualification.

Central is committed to offering opportunities to applicants from varied educational backgrounds who can demonstrate that they have the capacity to study in this way, to benefit and to succeed. The selection process considers not only educational qualifications, but also evidence of aptitude and motivation. Central values learning from prior experience and particularly welcomes mature students who return to formal study.

Central’s equal opportunities policy applies to the admission process and the same criteria for selection for each course applies to all applicants.

When to apply for postgraduate courses

We will start receiving applications from 1 October 2012 for courses starting in September/October 2013. There is no formal closing date for direct applications to Central, but you are strongly advised to apply as early as possible after applications open, as we consider applications in the order they are submitted and will close courses once they become full. Earlier applications will generally stand you in better stead for securing external funding, such as Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) awards. Later applications will be considered as long as there are still places available on the course. We will post notice on the individual course pages on our website when a course becomes full and is no longer considering further applications.

Admission criteria

Candidates must be eligible to satisfy the admission requirements. Invitation to audition/interview and admission will be based on the reasonable expectation from your application that you have the potential to complete and contribute positively to the degree and that you would benefit from master’s level study.

Applicants will normally be able to demonstrate the following:

  • relevant qualifications (e.g. undergraduate degree or equivalent) or professional experience which has prepared you equivalently for advanced study
  • appropriate written reference
  • evidence of a specific commitment to the course with an understanding of relevant issues and practices
  • evidence of appropriate level of skills/ competencies
  • evidence of the ability to work in collaboration with colleagues and, where relevant, with external parties
  • evidence of a capacity to work at master’s level, e.g. engage with complex matters in the field, or demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge.

What happens next to applications to postgraduate courses

When we receive your application, the relevant Admissions Tutor at Central will look carefully at the information you have given in your personal statement, your academic records and references and will then decide whether to take your application further.

Entry to Central is competitive and we are not able to offer an audition/interview, or a place, to everyone who applies. As our initial selection decision is based on the information contained in the application form, it is important to complete the form with great care. We reserve the right to withdraw any offer if the information on the form is incomplete or inaccurate.

Auditions/interviews

Before deciding whether to make you an offer, we may invite you for an audition/interview. These are held from November onwards for courses starting the following September/October.

If you are selected for an audition/interview your invitation will be sent to the email address you entered on your application form. This will detail exactly what you will need to prepare for the audition/interview. We try to give you at least three to four weeks advance notice of the date to give you time to prepare. Please check your junk/spam folders as sometimes invitation emails can be automatically routed there.

Distance auditions/interviews

If you live abroad and are unable to attend an audition/interview in person, you may, at the discretion of the Admissions Tutor, be offered the opportunity of a distance audition/interview.

If you are selected for audition/interview in this manner you will be subject to the conditions detailed above and notified as follows:

  • you will be contacted (normally by email) in order to arrange a suitable time for an audition/interview. This will be conducted either by telephone or by ‘live’ email exchange, at the discretion of the Admissions Tutor, and will often be based on material that you will have been asked to submit in advance
  • the audition/interview will be conducted by an Admissions Tutor, in liaison with a colleague who will have sight of your submitted materials.

English Language Requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English are required to have an International English Language Testing System (IELTS) score of 7.0 or equivalent