BA (Hons) DRAMA AND CREATIVE WRITING
BA (HONS) DRAMA AND CREATIVE WRITING
This unique degree unites UEA’s strengths in creative writing and in drama to give you an exhilarating immersion in writing and performance.
You will have the opportunity to study all kinds of creative writing, with a particular focus on writing for theatre, cinema, television, and radio. Alongside, you'll be exploring the contemporary practice, criticism, and history of dramatic writing and performance. Your writing will be enriched by an awareness of theatrical and literary traditions from around the globe.
You’ll take practical drama modules, and you’ll have full access to our professionally equipped 200-seat Drama Studio. This comprehensive grounding in acting, directing, and all other aspects of stagecraft will enable you to graduate as a writer with an instinctive feel for the world of theatre and performing arts.
Our BA Drama and Creative Writing is ranked 6th for Creative Writing by 'The Guardian University Guide 2023'.
About
You'll gain a thorough grounding in writing for stage and screen, which will be complemented by opportunities to develop your skills in non-dramatic writing, too. Your stage and screen writing will be improved by getting to grips with the ins-and-outs of theatrical performance, while you become better able to analyse dramatic language by writing it yourself.
At the heart of your degree are scriptwriting masterclasses with practising writers, where you’ll discover the formats, conventions, and techniques of writing for different
dramatic genres and media. You’ll learn by writing scenes and short scripts, offering critiques of each other’s work, and by working closely with other Drama students.
In your second and third years, you'll be able to develop your craft as a writer by taking workshops in prose or poetry, working closely with our world-famous creative writing colleagues.
Throughout your degree, you will gain hands-on experience by participating in production and practical project work. You’ll have the keys to our professionally equipped 200-seat Drama Studio, giving you the chance to control everything in your own productions. You’ll also have access to performance and placement opportunities, including a creative industries internship in your second year, which involves a work placement in a drama-producing organisation or environment.
You’ll encounter an astonishing array of drama and a wealth of performance styles, from naturalism to Noh theatre. You’ll engage with major theoretical and directorial approaches, from Aristotle to Boal, from live art to physical theatre. And you can examine the use of theatre and performance – by the state, by political activists, and by theatre and performance practitioners – to solidify or challenge structures of power.
You’ll benefit from our highly regarded student run Minotaur Theatre Company, which gives you the chance to gain additional performance, technical and scriptwriting experience, as well as exciting chances to share your writing at events such as New Writing Live. Find out more about life in the School of Literature, Drama, and Creative Writing on our Instagram @uealdc.
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Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the courses listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the regular review of course programmes. Where this activity leads to significant (but not minor) changes to programmes, there will normally be prior consultation of students and others. Changes may for example consist of variations to the content and method of delivery of programmes, courses and other services, to discontinue programmes, courses and other services and to merge or combine programmes or courses. The University will endeavour to keep such changes to a minimum, and will inform students.Placement Year and Study Abroad
You have the option to apply to study abroad for one semester of your second year. Studying abroad is a wonderfully enriching life experience – you will develop confidence and adaptability, and will have the chance to deepen your understanding of drama and writing while learning about another culture. At UEA, you will also be surrounded throughout your degree by the many students we welcome from around the world to study with us.
For further details, visit the Study Abroad section of our website.
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After the Course
Some graduates go into careers in film, drama, radio, and scriptwriting, as writers, 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 role in The Crown), the presenter of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show, Greg James, and the playwright Tom Morton-Smith (whose 2015 play Oppenheimer was performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company). For others, this degree is a stepping-stone towards careers in the arts, media, publishing, politics, charities, and NGOs, teaching, and the commercial sector. Our 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 writing and performance into a foundation for your future career.
Career destinations
A degree at UEA will prepare you for a wide variety of careers. We've been ranked 1st for Job Prospects by StudentCrowd in 2022.
Examples of careers you could enter include:
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Scriptwriting
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Theatre and film
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Journalism
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Media
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Teaching
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Publishing
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Assessment for Year 1
Assessment
Our BA Literature and Drama modules do not have written exams (apart from one technical theatre test). As a Creative Writer, in the first year you'll be led through a series of writing exercises and discussions to help you produce a short, complete script. The technical theatre skills you're developing will be assessed through tasks such as making a 3D model of a set, designing a costume, or placing mics on a soundstage. Your performance work will be graded, and so will the rehearsals for your end-of-year production, capturing your development in the round.
Feedback
You're given constant feedback on your practical work, helping you to deepen your craft as a performer. You'll receive feedback on your writing from your tutors and your peers in workshops. Feedback on assessed work will be returned within 20 working days (after it has been carefully marked and moderated). As your first year does not count toward your overall degree result, it's the perfect moment to experiment and take risks.
Assessment for Year 2
Assessment
Your creative writing will flourish as you produce more substantial scripts for stage, radio, or screen (c.20-30 minutes in length), and, if you wish, pieces of prose (e.g. a 1250-word short story or longer 2000-word narrative), or a portfolio of poetry. You can try your hand at devised performances and write reflective pieces to understand better your own creative processes. You might write essays on books or plays. You'll continue to be assessed on your practical drama work in all its forms, whether that's acting, directing, filmmaking, technical theatre, or on your collaborative work with an external organisation.
Feedback
Your creative work will be deepened by your immersion in the workshop environment, where you receive feedback from your peers and learn to give feedback on their work, an enormously valuable skill in many careers. Your practical work is constantly enriched by your drama tutors' feedback during rehearsals, and you'll continue to receive advice on 'formative' writing, too, from both your literature and drama tutors.
Assessment for Year 3
Assessment
In your Creative Writing Dissertation, you’ll produce a substantial piece of work that truly reflects the writer you’ve become, whether that’s a 60-page script, or a collection of stories or poems. You’ll also write a reflective self-commentary on your creative process. If you choose the intensive Drama Production module, your rehearsal and technical work will be continuously assessed by the drama tutor who's leading the whole project, and your final performance will be marked, and that mark moderated by an external examiner. You might write academic essays, reflections on your performances, or pieces of creative-critical writing, where you fuse critical with imaginative writing.
Feedback
For your Creative Writing Dissertation, you'll work one-on-one with a member of our creative team, receiving regular feedback on your progress. As well as constant advice on your practical drama work as it develops, you'll receive full written feedback on your work in either the Drama Production or Drama Project modules, as well as regular feedback on formative written work for all your modules.
Assessment for Year 1
Assessment
Our BA Literature and Drama modules do not have written exams (apart from one technical theatre test). As a Creative Writer, in the first year you'll be led through a series of writing exercises and discussions to help you produce a short, complete script. The technical theatre skills you're developing will be assessed through tasks such as making a 3D model of a set, designing a costume, or placing mics on a soundstage. Your performance work will be graded, and so will the rehearsals for your end-of-year production, capturing your development in the round.
Feedback
You're given constant feedback on your practical work, helping you to deepen your craft as a performer. You'll receive feedback on your writing from your tutors and your peers in workshops. Feedback on assessed work will be returned within 20 working days (after it has been carefully marked and moderated). As your first year does not count toward your overall degree result, it's the perfect moment to experiment and take risks.
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.Students must select 60 credits in semester 1 and 60 credits in semester 2.
Assessment for Year 2
Assessment
Your creative writing will flourish as you produce more substantial scripts for stage, radio, or screen (c.20-30 minutes in length), and, if you wish, pieces of prose (e.g. a 1250-word short story or longer 2000-word narrative), or a portfolio of poetry. You can try your hand at devised performances and write reflective pieces to understand better your own creative processes. You might write essays on books or plays. You'll continue to be assessed on your practical drama work in all its forms, whether that's acting, directing, filmmaking, technical theatre, or on your collaborative work with an external organisation.
Feedback
Your creative work will be deepened by your immersion in the workshop environment, where you receive feedback from your peers and learn to give feedback on their work, an enormously valuable skill in many careers. Your practical work is constantly enriched by your drama tutors' feedback during rehearsals, and you'll continue to receive advice on 'formative' writing, too, from both your literature and drama tutors.
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.Assessment for Year 3
Assessment
In your Creative Writing Dissertation, you’ll produce a substantial piece of work that truly reflects the writer you’ve become, whether that’s a 60-page script, or a collection of stories or poems. You’ll also write a reflective self-commentary on your creative process. If you choose the intensive Drama Production module, your rehearsal and technical work will be continuously assessed by the drama tutor who's leading the whole project, and your final performance will be marked, and that mark moderated by an external examiner. You might write academic essays, reflections on your performances, or pieces of creative-critical writing, where you fuse critical with imaginative writing.
Feedback
For your Creative Writing Dissertation, you'll work one-on-one with a member of our creative team, receiving regular feedback on your progress. As well as constant advice on your practical drama work as it develops, you'll receive full written feedback on your work in either the Drama Production or Drama Project modules, as well as regular feedback on formative written work for all your modules.
Important Information
Whilst the University will make every effort to offer the modules listed, changes may sometimes be made arising from the annual monitoring and review of modules. Where this activity leads to significant change to a programme and modules, the University will endeavour to consult with affected students. The University may not be able to offer a module for reasons outside of its control, such as the illness of a member of staff. Availability of optional modules may be restricted owing to timetabling, lack of demand, or limited places. Where this is the case, you will be asked to make alternative module choices and you will be supported during this process.Entry Requirements
A Levels
AAB including one of the following subjects: Drama, Theatre Studies, English Literature, English Language and Literature, English Language, History, Ancient History, History of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Classical Civilisation, Classical Studies, Politics, Government and Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Film Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies, Psychology, Law If you are taking an EPQ and three A-levels, we may offer you a one grade reduction on our advertised typical offer, if you achieve an A in the EPQ.T Levels
Not acceptedBTEC
DDD in an Arts/Humanities subject (usually Performing Arts). BTEC Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration are not acceptedScottish highers
AAAAA including one of the following subjects: Drama, Theatre Studies, English Literature, English Language and Literature, English Language, History, Ancient History, History of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Classical Civilisation, Classical Studies, Politics, Government and Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Film Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies, Psychology, LawScottish highers advanced
BBC including one of the following subjects: Drama, Theatre Studies, English Literature, English Language and Literature, English Language, History, Ancient History, History of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Classical Civilisation, Classical Studies, Politics, Government and Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Film Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies, Psychology, LawIrish leaving certificate
4 subjects at H2, 2 subjects at H3 including one of the following subjects: Drama, Theatre Studies, English Literature, English Language and Literature, English Language, History, Ancient History, History of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Classical Civilisation, Classical Studies, Politics, Government and Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Film Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies, Psychology, LawAccess course
Access to Humanities & Social Sciences pathway. Pass Access to HE Diploma with Distinction in 36 credits at Level 3 and Merit in 9 credits at Level 3European Baccalaureate
80% including 7 in one of the following subjects: Drama, Theatre Studies, English Literature, English Language and Literature, English Language, History, Ancient History, History of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Classical Civilisation, Classical Studies, Politics, Government and Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Film Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies, Psychology, LawInternational Baccalaureate
33 including HL5 in one of the following subjects: Drama, Theatre Studies, English Literature, English Language and Literature, English Language, History, Ancient History, History of Art, Archaeology, Anthropology, Classical Civilisation, Classical Studies, Politics, Government and Politics, Psychology, Sociology, Film Studies, Philosophy, Religious Studies, Media Studies, Psychology, LawGCSE offer
You are required to have Mathematics and English Language at a minimum of Grade C or Grade 4 or above at GCSE.Additional entry requirements
UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes.
If you do not have an A-Level or equivalent qualification in one of the subjects listed above, once you have submitted your UCAS form we may then contact you to ask you to submit a short analysis of a passage of a literary text in support of your application.
We welcome and value a wide range of alternative qualifications. If you have a qualification which is not listed here, please contact us via Admissions Enquiries.
If you do not meet the academic requirements for direct entry, you may be interested in one of our Foundation Year programmes
Important note
Once enrolled onto your course at UEA, your progression and continuation (which may include your eligibility for study abroad, overseas experience, placement or year in industry opportunities) is contingent on meeting the assessment requirements which are relevant to the course on which you are enrolled.
International Requirements
We accept many international qualifications for entry to this course. View our International Students pages for specific information about your country.
Students for whom english is a 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):
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IELTS: 6.5 overall (minimum 5.5 in all components) for year 1 entry
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.
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:
Interviews
We will request a sample of your creative dramatic writing, which could be a monologue, duologue, a couple of scenes or a short film.Gap year
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.Intakes
This course is open to UK and International applicants. The annual intake is in September each year. UEA Live
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Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
View our information for Tuition Fees.
Scholarships and Bursaries
We are committed to ensuring that costs do not act as a barrier to those aspiring to come to a world leading university and have developed a funding package to reward those with excellent qualifications and assist those from lower income backgrounds. View our range of Scholarships for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
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How to Apply
Apply for this course through the Universities and Colleges Admissions Services (UCAS), using UCAS Hub.
UCAS Hub is a secure online application system that allows you to apply for full-time undergraduate courses at universities and colleges in the United Kingdom.
Your application does not have to be completed all at once. Register or sign in to UCAS to get started.
Once you submit your completed application, UCAS will process it and send it to your chosen universities and colleges.
The Institution code for the University of East Anglia is E14.
View our guide to applying through UCAS for useful tips, key dates and further information:
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