The University of Malawi’s Fine and Performing Arts Department on the Chancellor College campus has been in existence since 1982, with specialisations in the three areas of Fine Art, Drama and Music. From its inception the major thrust of the department has been that of linking artistic/cultural expression with national development. This has been particularly the case with drama, which attracts students, according to the university, due to short- and long-term employment in such development communication organisations as the (Malawi) German Technical Organization (GTZ), Creative Centre for Community Mobilisation (CRECCOM), The Story Workshop and (Malawi) Population Service International (PSI) amongst many others.

1. Master of Arts in Theatre for Development in Malawi - The university cites a demand in recent years within the Government, and within non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for skilled personnel in the field of performance communication, following a trend established in other countries in the region. According to the university, it has been observed that many development initiatives in such fields as health awareness, agriculture, forestry, human rights awareness and literacy have limited success owing to their failure to take into account local cultural factors. This has resulted in the rapid rise of such fields as Theatre for Development, Afrocentric Social Art and Media Edutainment.
   
   According to the university: "These [fields] bridge the gap between local cultural perceptions and the transformation agenda of Government and NGO change agents. In addition, the demands of the Department of Culture for Research into Malawi’s indigenous and syncretic cultural forms can meaningfully be met by high quality post-graduate research. The demand for such a programme goes beyond Malawi’s boundaries. There are many institutions within the region which seek such training outlets. These range from potential clients who seek purely professional skills, for which the post-graduate diploma would be suitable, to those requiring a more academic approach, for which the M.A. courses would be more suitable."
   
   The Masters programme is coordinated by a graduate studies coordinator, selected by the Department. The programme is modular in that it is divided into two years. The first year contains primarily instruction-based courses, and the second year consists of research and dissertation writing. Students can obtain a postgraduate professional diploma by completing the first year. If students wish to obtain a Masters degree the first year serves as the coursework component of the degree leading to a second year of research assessed by a dissertation. The first year must be successfully completed with an average grade of at least 60% before a student can proceed to the Masters degree.