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Drama and Film [with placement year]

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

3 GCSEs at grade C, or grade 4, or above.

UCAS Tariff

96

from a minimum of 2 A Levels (or equivalent), preferably to include Drama, Theatre Studies or a related subject.

About this course


Course option

4years

Sandwich | 2024

Subjects

Film studies

Drama

**Explore film theory and film-making from all over the world, as well as different modes of performance with our BA (Hons) Drama and Film degree in Cambridge.**

As a Drama and Film student, you’ll explore the latest theory and practice in both fields as we help you to grow into a confident, versatile and exciting practitioner with transferable skills to suit whichever field you hope to work in.

Performance is at the core of our Drama and Film degree here at ARU, whether you’re in front of or behind the camera. Your understanding of film theory and history will improve your acting skills and your hands-on knowledge of performance practice will enhance your filmmaking or writing skills.

In drama, you’ll work on public-productions and smaller-scale projects, exploring practices and texts from the 20th century onwards as well as working on original pieces.

In film you’ll explore the language and convention of drama and film, taking in some of the key movements in history from Hollywood cinema through to more experimental modes of performance.

You’ll also have the chance to weight your studies to prepare for a career in the arts or fields such as teaching – get ready to change the way others see the world.

You’ll follow an experiential, 'learning-through-doing' programme. Your degree will see you choosing from a range of career-focused optional modules, completing a 100% practical Major Project in either Drama or Film, and graduating with a professionally produced showreel and portfolio.

There are opportunities to gain valuable work experience throughout the course.

Connect with Cambridge’s performance scene through our links to local networks such as Cambridge Arts Network and Cambridge Live. You’ll get the chance to perform in public venues around Cambridge as well as on campus, in the Mumford Theatre and Covent Garden Studio.

As part of your studies, you’ll see your films screened at Cambridge Arts Picturehouse and other public venues, and get involved behind-the-scenes at local events – thanks to our connections with organisations such as Take One magazine and Cambridge Film Festival.

Experience being part of a professional troupe with our very own Community Theatre Company and take the chance to perform and collaborate with other creative industries students.

You’ll be able to collaborate with other Cambridge School of Creative Industries student such as our film students who need actors for their films. We’ll also support you to find placements and work experience – our students recently took part in a live brief with Great Abington Primary School, devising performances and workshop activities to enhance curriculum learning through interactive drama events - and you can also take an optional placement year as well.

Develop your technical and production skills in our specialist facilities, with full training and support from our technical staff.

You can also choose to study abroad for a semester, with funding available to help cover the cost.

As an ARU student, you can also get involved with the University of Cambridge's Footlights comedy events as a writer, performer or member of the production team.

**Industry-standard facilities**

As one of our Drama and Film students, you’ll have access to:
- Dedicated drama studio; on-campus professional Mumford Theatre; large rehearsal space with audio playback facilities; and a Student Union-run dance studio

- Film studio and multi-camera television studio

- Full range of location kit and sound-recording equipment; Aaton Cameras and Steenbeck editors for 16mm film production; motion capture equipment

- Editing and finishing suites with Da Vinci Resolve and Adobe Creative Cloud

- podcast and video capture system

- Training in all our creative industries facilities

Modules

Year 1 core modules: Film Language and Concepts; Creative Moving Image; Ensemble Performance; Key Skills. Year 2 core modules: Classical Hollywood Cinema; Making Performance; Theorising Spectatorship; Community Theatre Performance; Ruskin Module. Year 2 optional modules: Practice as Research; Independent Cinema: US and Beyond; Non-Fiction Filmmaking; Performing Shakespeare; Performing New Writing; Professional Theatre Practice 1; Anglia Language Programme; Filmmakers on film. Year 3: Work placement. Year 4 core modules: Major Project; Festival of Performance. Year 4 optional modules: Special Topics in Film Studies; TV Drama Production; Site Specific and Immersive Theatre; Independent Film Practice 1; Gender and Popular Cinema; Working in English and Media; Narrative in Global Cinema; Workshop Facilitation; Provocations; Anglia Language Programme. Modules are subject to change and availability.

Assessment methods

You’ll show your progress on the course through a combination of essays, reports, critical reflections, presentations, studio and public performances and a major project, which may include practical work.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Cambridge Campus

Department:

Cambridge School of Creative Industries

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

73%
Film studies
50%
Drama

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Media studies

Teaching and learning

80%
Staff make the subject interesting
80%
Staff are good at explaining things
67%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
76%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

67%
Library resources
81%
IT resources
76%
Course specific equipment and facilities
56%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

67%
UK students
33%
International students
42%
Male students
58%
Female students
81%
2:1 or above
13%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

D
C
D

Drama

Teaching and learning

59%
Staff make the subject interesting
56%
Staff are good at explaining things
62%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
53%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

59%
Library resources
75%
IT resources
84%
Course specific equipment and facilities
28%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

76%
UK students
24%
International students
25%
Male students
75%
Female students
98%
2:1 or above
13%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
C

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Media studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
93%
med
Employed or in further education
19%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

14%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
11%
Other elementary services occupations
9%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

Drama

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£14,000
low
Average annual salary
92%
low
Employed or in further education
27%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

19%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
19%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
10%
Other elementary services occupations

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Media studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£13k

£13k

£20k

£20k

£26k

£26k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Drama

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£12k

£12k

£17k

£17k

£24k

£24k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here