Applied Theater: Theater as Social Work
New from WS 2024
At a glance
Faculty
Academic degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Form of study
Consecutive Master
Standard period of study
4 semesters (incl. Master's thesis), 120 ECTS
Language of instruction
German
Start of studies
Winter semester (October 01)
Admission requirements
A university degree in an artistically or scientifically oriented course of study (social work, social pedagogy, educational science, educational science, early childhood education, sociology, psychology, drama, dramaturgy, theater studies, directing, theater pedagogy, theater didactics, etc.) or an equivalent degree. Determination of course-specific aptitude by means of an assessment procedure. Detailed information and study and examination regulations.
Costs
Semester fee (incl. semester ticket)
Accreditation
QA system of the University of Bayreuth, in process
Registration
from March 01 – May 15 at the University of Bayreuth
Profile of the degree program
In the Applied Theatre: Theater as Social Work degree program, art and social work merge. Art forms such as theater, literature, dance and music are used to connect with people in different life situations and to become artistically active together.
Applied theater is not just about depicting reality, but actively shaping it. It is about promoting social and political change. The focus is on participatory approaches, in particular on strengthening communities and maginalized groups. The intensive combination of social work and the performing arts makes it possible to use theater in a wide variety of social contexts.
Our degree program is unique in this form in Germany. Social change and artistic practice combined. Quite concretely.
Prof. Björn Bicker
The Master's degree program offers you the unique opportunity to actively design artistic projects and acquire specific skills for project work. This prepares you for a successful entry into the professional world. It is about community arts, participatory art, artivism, cultural education projects and much more.
"Applied Theatre: Theater as Social Work" is a cooperative study program of the HAW Coburg (Social Work) and the University of Bayreuth (Theater Studies, Theater Didactics).
We will inform you!
Are you interested in the Master's degree program in Applied Theatre? Then come to one of our information events – live on site or conveniently online!
Attendance date:
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Date: December 02, 2025
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Time: 16:00
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Location: Room 10-221, Coburg University of Applied Sciences
Online appointments via Microsoft Teams:
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December 11, 2025, 5:00 p.m.
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January 15, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
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Meeting ID: 383 273 274 362 62
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Passcode: bm6Su2tM
At all events, you will receive all the important information about the degree program, the application process and have the opportunity to ask your questions directly to the lecturers.
We look forward to your participation – on site or online!
What we value
Interdisciplinarity and openness
The Master's program is interdisciplinary and open to everyone.
Graduates of social work meet employees in theater studies, graduates of state theater colleges are just as welcome as theater-affine alumni from education, fine arts or other courses of study.
Support
With the support of artistically and academically experienced lecturers and fellow students, you will design your own artistic journey in the field of "Applied Theater: Theater as Social Work".
Artistic and personal development
For us, theater is work on social change. This requires the commitment of all of us. That's why we want to support you in your artistic and personal development in the best possible way.
Course content
The Applied Theatre: Theater as Social Work course focuses on combining artistic projects with theatrical reflection and social work. From the second semester onwards, you will work in small groups together with external partners
from the region on your own artistic project. This work is intensively supervised by the lecturers and supported by practical courses.
You will deal with current topics such as superdiversity and postcolonial discourses and learn how to incorporate these into your projects. At the end of the third semester, you will present your project, which will then form the basis for your Master's thesis. In this way, you combine theory and practice in a unique way and develop both artistically and academically.
Study structure
Applied Theatre: Theater as Social Work is a joint degree program in Social Work at Coburg University of Applied Sciences and Theater Studies and Theater Didactics at the University of Bayreuth. It combines the best of two worlds. That's why you study at two locations. In the first three semesters, one day of teaching takes place in Bayreuth and two to three days in Coburg. As soon as the project-based work begins, however, the courses can also take place decentrally at the locations where your project, which you develop and realize in the group with partners from the social space, takes place.
Application and admission
1st semester
In the first semester, you will get to know your respective specialist knowledge as a resource and pass on your specialist skills to each other in peer-to-peer formats. You will receive impulses from theater studies and take your first practical and theoretical steps in the field of applied theater, accompanied by intensive exploration of social and cultural groups and their contexts.
2nd semester
In the second semester, you start developing your project in the field: research, finding project partners and artistic and conceptual development. This is flanked by artistic exercises (directing, acting, dramaturgy, writing, etc.). Theater didactics will accompany you as well as the examination of current socio-political discourses. This is complemented by targeted experience and skills training in cultural management.
3rd semester
The third semester is all about implementing your artistic project in the field of applied theater. The focus is on rehearsal and development work. You will be supported by in-depth courses in cultural management and cultural policy. Ultimately, the aim is for you to promote and finance your project and place it in the right context.
4th semester
In the fourth semester, you will dedicate yourself to writing your Master's thesis, which is usually closely related to your artistic project from the previous semesters. Through a colloquium and close and trusting supervision, you will be accompanied on this path by our lecturers.
Application and admission
You can apply to start your studies in the winter semester on the University of Bayreuth's online portal by May 15 of each year. There is a separate procedure for admission to the course. To apply, you will need, among other things, the required degree, a detailed cover letter describing your motivation for our degree program. You will also need to write a three-page synopsis in which you outline an "Applied Theater" project. We will then invite you to an interview to decide whether you are suitable for the degree program and can be admitted. After enrolling in Bayreuth, you will need to register with the Coburg University of Applied Sciences and upload your Imma certificate.
Contact persons
The heads of the degree program will be happy to answer any questions you may have about our courses.
- Prof. Björn Bicker (Cultural Work and Community Building, Coburg University of Applied Sciences)
Email: bjoern.bicker@hs-coburg.de
- Prof. Dr. Wolf-Dieter Ernst (Theatre Studies, University of Bayreuth)
Email: W.Ernst@uni-bayreuth.de
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Lecturers
Head of degree program Coburg, Cultural Work and Community Building, Applied Theatre, Directing, Dramaturgy, Creative Writing
T. +49 (0)9561 317-493
Room 10-212
Bjoern.Bicker@hs-coburg.de
Cultural Management, Cultural Policy
T. +49 (0)9561 317-255
Room 10-212
Hellen.Gross@hs-coburg.de
Prof. Dr. Claudia Lohrenscheit
Politics and Human Rights, Current Political Discourse
T. +49 (0)9561 317-308
Room 10-105
Claudia.Lohrenscheit@hs-coburg.de
Theater Didactics
T. +49 (0)921 / 55-3633
Building: GW I Room: 0.13
gabriela.paule@uni-bayreuth.de
Head of degree program Bayreuth, Theatre Studies, Applied Theatre
T. +49 (0)921 / 55-3018
GW 1, 2.18
w.ernst@uni-bayreuth.de
Social and cultural groups, scientific work
T. +49 (0)9561 317-374
Room 10-117
Veronika.Hammer@hs-coburg.de
Michaela Musenja, Dipl.-Sozialpäd. (FH)
Social Groups and Contexts, Supervision
T. +49 (0)9561 317-479
Room 10-211
Michaela.Musenja@hs-coburg.de
T. +49 (0)9561 317-656
Room 10-101
Andrea.Schmelz@hs-coburg.de
Curriculum and examination regulations
The module handbook provides information on the content of the individual modules. The study and examination regulations form the legal basis of the degree program.
Further information
You can find more information about the degree program here:
