BA (Hons) Drama with a Placement Year

Course Overview

Drama is a powerful, captivating and collaborative artform. It allows us to reflect on ourselves and the world, to tell important stories, and to explore bold new ideas. Whether on page, stage or screen, Drama shapes our imaginations. It gives us forms of expression and models ways of understanding – and changing – the world.

Drama at UEA combines practical, historical, and critical study, with an emphasis on practical skill and exploration. You’ll be taught by artists and researchers, who will help you develop your understanding and your artistic skills as an actor, director, designer, technician, and theatre-maker.

Through the degree, you can follow specialist pathways in acting, theatre-making, or in technical theatre, or you can explore a mixture of them all. You’ll study a range of theatre from around the world, engaging with major theoretical approaches, with actor- and director-training, and with techniques for creating your own work. You’ll learn about cutting-edge theatre companies and innovative writers. Through all this, you’ll become an engaged, reflective, and creative thinker and theatre-maker.

You’ll work in our professional Drama Studio and will benefit from our highly regarded student-run Minotaur Theatre Company. This will give you the chance to gain even more performance, technical, and scriptwriting experience. Studying in Norwich means you’ll have access to a rich arts scene, including Norwich Theatre, Norwich Arts Centre, and

You’ll develop skills for a fulfilling career in the creative industries, such as in theatre, film, or radio. Or you might take your skills in collaboration, presentation, and critical thinking into a host of other professions.

On BA Drama with a Placement Year, you’ll normally spend 9-12 months of your third year in a placement, gaining invaluable working experience and employability skills in a relevant area of your choice.

This course is open to

UK and International fee-paying students. Choose UK or International above to see relevant information. The entry point is in September each year.

We welcome and value a wide range of qualifications, and we recognise that some students might take a mixture of different qualifications. We have listed typical examples that we accept for entry.

You should hold or be working towards the specified English and Mathematics requirements and one of the examples of typical entry qualifications listed below. If your qualifications aren’t listed, or if you are taking a combination of qualifications that isn’t specified, please contact Admissions.

English and Mathematics

All applicants must hold or be working towards GCSEs in English Language and Mathematics at minimum grade C or grade 4.

In place of Mathematics GCSE we can also consider Functional Skills Level 2 Mathematics.

We accept a wide range of English Language qualifications, please see our English Language equivalencies page.

Typical International Entry Requirements

We accept many international qualifications for entry to this course. For specific details about your country, view our information for International Students.

A levels

BBB

International Baccalaureate

31 points overall

INTO UEA

If you do not meet the academic and/or English language requirements for direct entry our partner, INTO UEA offers progression on to this undergraduate degree upon successful completion of a preparation programme. Depending on your interests, and your qualifications you can take a variety of routes to this degree.

English Foreign Language

Applications from students whose first language is not English are welcome. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including writing, speaking, listening and reading): 

• IELTS:  6.5  overall (minimum  5.5  in all components) 

We also accept a number of other English language tests. Review our English Language Equivalencies for a list of example qualifications that we may accept to meet this requirement.

Test dates should be within two years of the course start date.

  If you do not yet meet the English language requirements for this course, INTO UEA offer a variety of English language programmes which are designed to help you develop the English skills necessary for successful undergraduate study.

Deferred Entry

We welcome applications from students who have already taken or intend to take a gap year. We believe that a year between school and university can be of substantial benefit. You are advised to indicate your reason for wishing to defer entry on your UCAS application.

Admissions Policy

Our Admissions Policy applies to the admissions of all undergraduate applicants.

Employability

Some of our BA Drama graduates go into careers in theatre, film, television, or radio, as performers, writers, directors, developers, agents, casting directors, or artistic directors of their own companies. Recent graduates from our drama degrees include the actor Matt Smith (famous for his portrayal of Doctor Who and his leading roles in Netflix's The Crown and HBO’s House of the Dragon) and the presenter of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, Greg James.

For others, the BA Drama degree is a stepping-stone towards careers in the arts, media, publishing, politics, charities, NGOs, teaching and the commercial sector. Our award-winning Careers Service is here to support you in launching your career by advising with CV writing, internships, and much more. Every year we run an event, ‘Working with Words’, which gives current students the chance to meet and hear from successful UEA alumni from across the creative industries. UEA also has its own in-house student publishing project, Egg Box, along with many other exciting initiatives that give you opportunities to turn your love of drama into a foundation for your future career. 

Examples of careers you could enter include: 

• Theatre and film 
• Journalism 
• Media 
• Teaching 
• Finance 
• Publishing 

Discover more on our Careers webpages.