Drama BA (Hons)
UCAS code: W402
Act. Create. Produce. Find your voice as a student of the arts as you probe the social and political impact of theatre. We’ll help you discover the many opportunities presented by a life on stage in our drama degree.
Overview
| Course length: | 3 years full-time 6 years part-time |
|---|---|
| Start dates: | September 2022 September 2023 |
| Location: | Edge Hill University |
| Example offers: | BBC-BBB (A Level) or DMM (BTEC) View full entry criteria |
| Subject(s): | Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre |
| Department: | Creative Arts |
What is drama? Why do we need it? You’ll challenge the meaning of popular entertainment and engage in artistic debate on our drama degree.
Live performance is central to our ethos. We’ll encourage you to develop your artistic skills and vision in the theatres and studios of our Arts Centre. Join workshops with professional directors and companies. Try new techniques for improvisation, rehearsal and performance as you collaborate on stage.
Interrogate plays across time and culture to answer questions on the origins, development and value of drama. You’ll examine the work of key ensembles in contemporary theatre, before creating dynamic group productions. And you’ll also have opportunities to push yourself further with our staff- and student-led drama groups.
We want you to feel supported during your drama degree. Our team of experienced actors, playwrights, directors and theatre technicians will work with you as you grow. Together, we’ll connect theory to practice so you graduate as a practitioner with a deep understanding of your profession and real experience of live performance.
Course features
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Learn a Language
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Sandwich Year Option Available
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Studying Abroad Option Available
What you'll study
In Year 1 of your BA (Hons) Drama degree, you’ll look at acting, how theatre gets made and how textual interpretation impacts dramatic messaging. See modern and historical productions from around the world through a critical lens. Explore dramatic theory and innovative approaches in a performance laboratory environment. Our drama technique workshops will give you a reflective space to put ideas into practice, and find your voice.
Explore ideas around the play as a form, process and purposeful activity. Examine what drove key historical figures in theatre, and study the range of artistic movements developed during drama’s modern age. Learn how different actors and directors rehearse together. Then use your findings to create and present work as an ensemble. Choose to focus on performance interventions, dive into dramatic technique, or investigate the role of the actor and director.
What values, practices and ideas sustain the current theatre scene? Examine contemporary performers, directors and companies and develop your own informed view. Take an active part in ensemble productions. Understand practice-based research. Then refine your path with two additional modules. Dig into acting and directing, or rummage through popular culture. Experiment with interventionist theatre or question political themes on stage. In Year 3, you’ll build the skills and confidence you need to launch your artistic career.
Optional modules provide an element of choice within the course curriculum. The availability of optional modules may vary from year to year and will be subject to minimum student numbers being achieved. This means that the availability of specific optional modules cannot be guaranteed. Optional module selection may also be affected by timetabling requirements. Some restrictions on optional module choice or combinations of optional modules may apply.
How you'll study
Through formal lectures and seminars, practical workshop classes, production projects, independent ensemble work and personal research, you will acquire critical and creative skills which will be of use in your future career. Alongside your study programme, you will maintain personal reflective journals and prepare practice CVs for employment.
Our lectures include workshops, tutorials and seminars which provide an opportunity to study a wide range of plays and to interrogate ideas in the history, theory and practice of drama and theatre. Some modules include placements alongside taught sessions.
Through compulsory full-scale production modules you will have the opportunity to develop your practical skills in live theatre in front of audiences in fully-equipped professional theatre spaces.
How you'll be assessed
Assessment is through a balanced mixture of practical and written work including essays, reflective journals, workshop performances, full productions and oral presentations. Practical work and research go hand-in-hand and all good practice is informed by sound theoretical investigation. In assessment, you can expect to be tested on your practical and theoretical knowledge and understanding. You will be encouraged to reflect critically on your learning and use journals to reflect on your personal development.
There are no formal written examinations as part of the current assessment methods on this degree.
Who will be teaching you
You will be taught by a dedicated team of academic specialists and professionally-experienced practitioners and benefit from a wide range of learning experiences.
Learning is driven by the principle of research-informed teaching and supported by a team of technicians.
Entry criteria
Entry requirements
Typical offer 112-120 UCAS Tariff points, preferably to include Drama, Performing Arts or Theatre Studies. Other subjects will be considered if you have demonstrable interest or experience in Drama.
Relevant experience will be taken into account and all offers are made on the basis of an audition.
Example offers
| Qualification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| A Level | BBC-BBB. |
| BTEC Extended Diploma (or combination of BTEC QCF qualifications) | Distinction, Merit, Merit (DMM). |
| T Level | Overall grade of Merit. |
| International Baccalaureate (IB) | We are happy to accept IB qualifications which achieve the required number of UCAS Tariff points. Subject-specific requirements at Higher Level (HL) Grade 5 may apply. |
| Access to Higher Education Diploma | 45 credits at Level 3, for example 15 credits at Distinction and 30 credits at Merit or 24 credits at Distinction and 21 credits at Merit. The required total can be attained from various credit combinations. |
Please note, the above examples may differ from actual offers made. A combination of A Level and BTEC awards may also be accepted.
If you have a minimum of two A Levels (or equivalent), there is no maximum number of qualifications that we will accept UCAS points from. This includes additional qualifications such as Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), AS Levels that haven't been continued to A Level, and General Studies AS or A Level awards.
English language requirements
International students require IELTS 6.0, with a score no lower than 5.5 in each individual component, or an equivalent English language qualification.
If your current level of English is half a band or one band lower, either overall or in one or two elements, you may want to consider our Pre-Sessional English course.
How to apply
Apply full-time
Read our guide to applying through UCAS to find out more about the application process.
Apply part-time
Complete our online application form if you want to study this course on a part-time basis.
International
Please see our international student pages for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.
Should you accept an offer of a place to study with us and formally enrol as a student, you will be subject to the provisions of the regulations, rules, codes, conditions and policies which apply to our students. These are available at www.edgehill.ac.uk/studentterms.
Did you know?
If you join a full time undergraduate degree at Edge Hill University, we will guarantee you the offer of a room in our halls of residence for the first year of your course.
Discover our accommodation
Facilities
Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre students at Edge Hill University enjoy industry-standard teaching and learning facilities in the £7million Arts Centre which is also home to the Rose and Studio Theatres.
The Department of Creative Arts’ outstanding resources ensure you gain practical experience to a professional standard. Contemporary performance environments include dance studios, black box drama studios, rehearsal rooms, a theatre construction workshop, costume construction workshop, scene dock, theatre design studios, digital sound studio, digital design suite, music technology room, music practice studios, a recital room and an outdoor amphitheatre. The Studio Theatre also functions as a fully equipped aerial performance space.
The Arts Centre hosts a diverse range of high-quality productions and performers, including comedy, dance, drama and music, designed to supplement Creative Arts programmes and entertain both students and the local community.
Where you'll study
Arts Centre
Finance
Tuition fees
UK Full-Time
£9,250
a year
UK Part-Time
£77 per credit
for 360 credits
International
£15,000
a year
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, as well as Irish nationals, may be eligible for the UK tuition fee rate.
Financial support
Subject to eligibility, UK students joining this course can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan from the Government to cover the full cost of tuition fees. UK students enrolling on the course may also be eligible to apply for additional funding to help with living costs. Please view the relevant Money Matters guide for comprehensive information about the financial support available to eligible UK students.
EU/EEA and Swiss students who have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme may be eligible to apply for financial support. Irish nationals should ordinarily apply to Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). If you are an EU student who does not have settled or pre-settled status, or are an international student from a non-EU country, please see our international student finance pages.
Your future career
A drama degree develops specialist and transferable skills, so you’ll have lots of exciting career options when you graduate. Our EHU-Arts HUB offers professional opportunities to ensure you are industry-ready. If you decide to kickstart your career straight away, you could go for rewarding roles in:
- theatre production
- television production
- acting
- drama therapy
- teaching
- social work
Many of our students choose to pursue their passion with freelance careers as actors and directors. Others find alternative paths in the creative industries. You could also start your own performance company. We’re proud to have alumni working at the BBC and York Theatre Royal, as well as an award-winning artistic director of a theatre company.
Edge Hill drama graduates sometimes decide to continue studying or go into teacher training. One of our alumni is now thriving as head of performing arts in a secondary school. Other students have explored a wide variety of roles, including running their own theatre company and working as drama therapists.
A drama degree is a great way to explore acting, so if performance is your passion, this is the course for you.
Course changes
Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, however our courses are subject to ongoing review and development. Changing circumstances may necessitate alteration to, or the cancellation of, courses.
Changes may be necessary to comply with the requirements of professional bodies, revisions to subject benchmarks statements, to keep courses updated and contemporary, or as a result of student feedback. We reserve the right to make variations if we consider such action to be necessary or in the best interests of students.
