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Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Drama (Including Year Abroad)
University of Essex
Entry requirements
Here's what you will need to get a place on the Drama (Including Year Abroad) course at University of Essex.
Select a qualification to see required grades
A level
B,B,B
Including an essay-based subject. Offers will be made in the range of BBB to BBC or 120-112 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels
Tuition fees
| Location | Fees |
|---|---|
| England | £9,250 per year |
| Scotland | £9,250 per year |
| Wales | £9,250 per year |
| Northern Ireland | £9,250 per year |
| Channel Islands | £9,250 per year |
| Republic of Ireland | £9,250 per year |
| EU | £20,475 per year |
| International | £20,475 per year |
Course summary
What this course is about
UCAS code: W402
Here's what University of Essex says about its Drama (Including Year Abroad) course.
Theatre is a radical and influential art form. Its roots lie deep in the ancient world but its relevance to contemporary life is urgent and ongoing. Theatre enables different cultures and societies to confront the most important issues of our time; it provides a crucial space to laugh, to dream, and dare to project different worlds.
Studying theatre and drama at Essex enables you to examine some of the most influential play-texts ever written, and to be ready to take part in shaping the essential performances of tomorrow. This degree is a chance to unlock and explore your creativity. You will be performing and producing work in the professional context of our state-of-the-art Lakeside Theatre, and will be developing a wide range of creative, critical and practical skills that will open the door to a future in the theatre, cultural industries or a wide range of other graduate careers.
At Essex, we offer a rich combination of practical workshops, critical seminars and lectures, and employability opportunities delivered by an experienced team of playwrights, directors, and actors, as well as leading academic theatre specialists.
Areas of exploration in our modules include, but are not limited to:
-
Dramatic literature from Ancient Greek tragedy and Shakespeare, to modern plays from around the world
-
Contemporary playwriting and devising techniques
-
Staging political ideas, human rights and social justice issues
-
Gender, identity, orientation and sexual politics on stage
-
Creating Applied Theatre in educational and community contexts
-
Emergent trends in interactive performance-making and audience participation
Through classroom teaching, practical experiment and professional experience, we help you craft the skillset that will be essential in your creative development. This approach reflects our core belief that engaging with both practice and theory produces a deeper understanding of how theatre works.
Our commitment to the student experience is why we are ranked third for drama in the Guardian University Guide 2021 and top 20 for dance, drama and cinematics (Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021). Top 20 for overall student satisfaction in the National Student Survey 2021. Other courses within the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies, including Literature, Creative Writing, Filmmaking and Journalism, are available as options to all our students.
Source: University of Essex
Course details
Qualification
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Department
Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies
Location
Colchester Campus | Colchester
Duration
4 Years
Study mode
Full-time
Subjects
• Drama
Start date
October 2026
Application deadline
14 January 2026
The modules you will study
Many of our courses offer a choice of optional modules to tailor your learning experience. More information about these can be found on the University of Essex website.
University of Essex reviews
Showing 45 reviews
2nd year student
The SU tries their best with the budget they have. They are probably one of the only departments who try their hardest at Essex. Societies and sports clubs are great with lots of socials and a great way and the best way to make new friends at Essex. The 2 bars and nightclub on campus are ok although...
2 years ago
2nd year student
I live near Colchester so I haven’t moved far to go to Essex University so I knew what the area would be like. It isn’t the most busiest area and you can pretty much find every and do everything tourist-wise in a couple of days. Nightlife is ok with the club on campus and a couple in the town, all o...
2 years ago
2nd year student
With the cost of living so high in the UK, the University has only raised their rent slightly and when you take into account that bills are included, the cheaper accommodation options are quite good deals. I notice that financial support is offered to those in more difficult circumstances due to the...
2 years ago
2nd year student
There is more that could be done in this area and I imagine those who are new to this sort of environment (living on your own, needing to self motivate to study etc) would struggle as there is a lack of communication from all aspects of the University. A simple email explaining how a specific examin...
2 years ago
2nd year student
The facilities on campus for education (library, labs etc) I cannot fault and they all work effectively. However, the accommodation is quite poor. In my 1st year in halls, I moved into a dirty room which smelt like a toilet. Clearly it hadn’t been cleaned since the last tenant which meant I had to c...
2 years ago
2nd year student
The course content is good however the delivery is lacking. It seems pointless going to lectures face to face as a lot of lecturers just read off the slides and add nothing on top. Sometimes the lecturers themselves seem puzzled at some of the content on the slides and they often just quickly move o...
2 years ago
National Student Survey (NSS) scores
The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.
Here you can see ratings from University of Essex students who took the Drama (Including Year Abroad) course - or another course in the same subject area.
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
95%
med
Teaching on my course
95%
med
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
95%
med
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
96%
med
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
97%
med
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
93%
med
Learning opportunities
94%
high
Learning opportunities
94%
high
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
95%
high
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
95%
med
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
95%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
95%
high
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
90%
med
Assessment and feedback
89%
high
Assessment and feedback
89%
high
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
94%
high
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
82%
med
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
94%
high
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
91%
med
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
86%
med
Academic support
94%
med
Academic support
94%
med
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
94%
med
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
95%
med
Organisation and management
84%
high
Organisation and management
84%
high
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
83%
high
How well organised is your course?
85%
high
Learning resources
87%
med
Learning resources
87%
med
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
82%
med
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
91%
med
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
89%
med
Student voice
84%
med
Student voice
84%
med
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
81%
high
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
89%
high
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
84%
med
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
62%
low
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
93%
high
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
64%
low
Student information
See who's studying at University of Essex. These students are taking Drama (Including Year Abroad) or another course from the same subject area.
| Most popular A-levels studied | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Grade | |||||
| Drama and Theatre Studies | B | |||||
| English Literature | C | |||||
| History | C | |||||
| Psychology | A | |||||
| Art and Design | A | |||||
Graduate prospects
What graduates do next
We have no information about graduates who took Drama (Including Year Abroad) at University of Essex.
Earnings after graduation
Earnings from University of Essex graduates who took Drama (Including Year Abroad) - or another course in the same subject area.
Earnings
£14.2k
First year after graduation
£20.4k
Third year after graduation
£23k
Fifth year after graduation
Shown here are the median earnings of graduates at one, three and five years after they completed a course related to Drama (Including Year Abroad).
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
Discussions
Discussions
Students are talking about University of Essex on The Student Room.
University of Essex open days
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Before you do, it's a good idea to go to an open day. You can have a good look around campus, getting a better idea of what it's like to study there. You'll meet current students and staff and get the chance to ask them questions.
Universities will list upcoming open days on their websites. Most will also have virtual open days; these are a great alternative if you really can't get there in person. For tips on preparing for open days, check the advice section here on The Uni Guide.
