Acting, Performance and English Literature BA(Hons)

About the course

If you love the texts behind the drama as much as you love the performances themselves, studying Acting, Performance and English Literature together is for you.

It gives you the opportunity to gain a richer understanding of the two subjects, allowing you to investigate drama through practical performance and developing your appreciation of the startling variety and complexity of English literature.

During your English Literature studies, you'll focus on renowned pieces of writing, as well as lesser known but equally inspiring work. You’ll have the chance to develop an understanding of the major movements of prose and poetry, and we’ll focus on building your analytical skills to help you assess, question, debate and persuade – all skills that employers are looking for.

Why study Acting, Performance and English Literature BA(Hons)

We’re ranked 27th in the world for 'Performing Arts' (QS World University Subject Rankings 2023) and you’ll be taught by industry professionals and benefit from guest appearances from well-known theatre stars and actors. Past students have met Professor Sir Patrick Stewart, Natalie Gavin, John Britton, Nicolás Núñez, Chloe Beale, Nicci Topping, Anna Helena McLean, and David Crowley.

You’ll also have the chance to undertake a work placement, which will give you the chance to benefit from real-world experience and boost your CV in the process. You can get involved, too, with the award-winning Huddersfield Literature Festival: past students have gained experience in festival planning, programming, curating, and stewarding.

This is a production-based course, and you’ll also enjoy visits from practitioners and residencies from internationally known companies like Slung Low, IOU Productions and Northern Broadsides. If you’re interested in pursuing a career in acting, performance, contemporary theatre, theatre technology or writing for theatre, this course will introduce you to topics that will complement any of these routes.

You might also wish to pursue further study, in English literature, drama, stage production and more.

Entry requirements

Offers will be subject to an audition, after which you will be invited to attend an Applicant Visit Day, at which you will have the opportunity to discuss and be given feedback on your portfolio. Read more about the portfolio review process on our Interviews, auditions and portfolio pages.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.5 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Other suitable experience or qualifications will be considered. For further information please see the University's minimum entry requirements.

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