BA (Hons) Drama with a Placement Year
Key details
- Award
- Degree of Bachelor of Arts
- UCAS Course Code
- W40P
- Typical Offer
- BBB
- Contextual Offer
- BCC
- Course Length
- 4 years
- Course Start Date
- September 2025
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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.
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Placement Year
Want to graduate with professional experience? On this course, you’ll normally spend 9-12 months of your third year* in a placement, gaining invaluable work experience and employability skills in an area of your choice relevant to drama. You’ll be expected to seek your own placement with the support of UEA’s Career Central Service and the Literature, Drama and Creative Writing School. Early in your first year you’ll begin preparations for seeking a placement and will be guided throughout the process with support tailored to your particular needs at each point.
The specific area in which you’ll do your placement will depend on your own interests, and some of the preparatory workshops will help you clarify your interests, values and career goals. Drama graduates go into a wide range of sectors, and so placements can be done in fields such as heritage, business, the public sector, creative industries and many more. We’ll, however, require that the tasks involved in your placement meet the required learning outcomes and include enough complexity to give you the skills that you’ll use throughout the rest of your degree and into your career.
*Placements may be shorter on some occasions, or take place during different years of the degree, but this has to be agreed by the Placement Director and Learning and Teaching Services.
Have a business idea? If you have an idea for a great business, you may be able to turn your Placement Year into a ‘Year in Enterprise’*. Your idea (business plan, budget etc.), motivation and academic record would have to be assessed by our team. Should you be given the go-ahead, you could use the year to start your businesses in a structured and supportive environment, accessing numerous training courses and extensive mentoring.
*Note that if you’re studying with us on a Student Visa, you can’t currently undertake a Year in Enterprise due to Visa rules.
This version of the degree gives you the opportunity and support to greatly enhance your employability by securing and undertaking a year-long placement in the third year of your degree. Find out more about this exciting opportunity on our 'Placement Years in Arts and Humanities' page.
Careers
Career Pathways
Examples of careers you could enter include:
- Theatre and film
- Journalism
- Media
- Teaching
- Finance
- Publishing
Discover more on our Careers webpages.
After the Course
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.
Entry Requirements
- 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(opens in a new window) page.
- Contextual Offers
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(opens in a new window).
- Typical UK Entry Requirements
A levels
BBB
Contextual: BCC
BTEC
Level 3 Extended Diploma: DDM
Contextual: DMM
Combinations of BTEC and A levels
Diploma: DD plus B at A level.
Contextual: DD plus C at A level.
Extended Certificate: D plus BB at A level.
Contextual: D plus BC at A level.
BTEC in Public Services, Uniformed Services and Business Administration are all excluded from our BTEC offers.
Access to HE Diploma
Access to Humanities and Social Sciences Pathway. Pass Access to HE Diploma with Merit in 45 credits at Level 3.
T levels
Not accepted
Foundation Year options:
If you do not meet the academic requirements for direct entry, you may be interested in one of our Foundation Year programmes such as BA Drama with a Foundation Year(opens in a new window)
- Further Examples of Typical Entry Requirements
International Baccalaureate
31 points overall
Irish Leaving Certificate
2 subjects at H2, 4 subjects at H3
Scottish Highers
AABBB
Scottish Advanced Highers
CCC. A combination of Advanced Highers and Highers may be acceptable
- 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.
- 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(opens in a new window) 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(opens in a new window).
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):
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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(opens in a new window) 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.
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Fees and Funding
Tuition Fees
View our information for Tuition Fees(opens in a new window).
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(opens in a new window) for eligibility, details of how to apply and closing dates.
Course Related Costs
Please see Additional Course Fees for details of course-related costs.
How to Apply
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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: