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Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Film and Drama (Including Year Abroad)
University of Essex
Entry requirements
Here's what you will need to get a place on the Film and Drama (Including Year Abroad) course at University of Essex.
Select a qualification to see required grades
A level
B,B,B
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
Course summary
What this course is about
UCAS code: P401
Here's what University of Essex says about its Film and Drama (Including Year Abroad) course.
Our course is perfect for the creative types. Upon graduation you’ll be ready to break into the world of cinema, the stage and behind the scenes - and a whole range of other graduate careers in the arts, media, education, and the creative industries. We don’t stop there though, we make sure you know the theory behind theatre and the screen too.
You study themes in drama such as gender, identity, tragedy, human rights, devising and playwriting. Your film modules explore directing, screenwriting, classic and contemporary texts and many aspects of screen media, from cinema to social media.
You also gain the skills in technical theatre and film production, like design and stage management, camerawork, editing and film-making. You’ll still write essays as in any other Humanities degree, but alongside honing your critical writing and thinking, you’ll also have the chance to be assessed on your creativity, performance and technical skills.
What makes us different? We also offer many modules which bring the disciplines of film and drama together. Our modules Directing Actors for Film and Introduction to Screenwriting give you a seamless mix of both film and drama so you can excel throughout the screen and the stage.
Our high-spec facilities mean you’ve always got somewhere to rehearse and edit. You’ll also be offered careers guidance and training, preparing you for the career you want upon graduation.
This course is based in our Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies. You’ll be taught by academics who are also practitioners in their field and have significant experience in the industry – from film-makers to award-winning theatre specialists.
We are ranked top 20 for dance, drama and cinematics in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021.
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
• Film studies
• Drama
Start date
October 2026
Application deadline
14 January 2026
Tuition fees
| Location | Fees |
|---|---|
| England | £9,535 per year |
| Scotland | £9,535 per year |
| Wales | £9,535 per year |
| Northern Ireland | £9,535 per year |
| Channel Islands | £9,535 per year |
| Republic of Ireland | £9,535 per year |
| EU | £21,500 per year |
| International | £21,500 per year |
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 student reviews
Showing 45 reviews
2nd year student
2 years ago
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...
2nd year student
2 years ago
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...
2nd year student
2 years ago
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...
2nd year student
2 years ago
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...
2nd year student
2 years ago
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...
2nd year student
2 years ago
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...
National Student Survey (NSS) scores at University of Essex
The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.
The Film and Drama (Including Year Abroad) course at University of Essex features content from more than one subject area. Using the options below, you can see ratings from students who took courses in each of these subject areas at this uni
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
84%
med
Teaching on my course
84%
med
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
76%
low
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
98%
high
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
89%
med
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
73%
low
Learning opportunities
72%
low
Learning opportunities
72%
low
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
72%
low
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
72%
low
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
71%
low
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
71%
low
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
76%
med
Assessment and feedback
82%
med
Assessment and feedback
82%
med
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
84%
low
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
83%
med
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
74%
med
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
91%
high
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
81%
med
Academic support
88%
low
Academic support
88%
low
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
91%
med
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
86%
low
Organisation and management
81%
med
Organisation and management
81%
med
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
87%
high
How well organised is your course?
75%
med
Learning resources
82%
low
Learning resources
82%
low
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
68%
low
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
89%
med
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
88%
med
Student voice
68%
low
Student voice
68%
low
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
56%
low
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
79%
med
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
68%
low
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
73%
med
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
84%
low
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
60%
low
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
The Film and Drama (Including Year Abroad) course at University of Essex features content from more than one subject area. Choose an option below to find out about the students taking courses in each of those subject areas at this uni.
| Most popular A-levels studied | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Grade | |||||
| Media Studies | B | |||||
| English Literature | C | |||||
| Business Studies | C | |||||
| Psychology | B | |||||
| Sociology | B | |||||
| 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
Facts and figures about University of Essex graduates who took Film and Drama (Including Year Abroad) - or another course in the same subject area.
Graduate statistics
80%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
85%
In work, study or other activity
80%
Say it fits with future plans
70%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
35%
Media Professionals
30%
Business and public service associate professionals
15%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
5%
Administrative occupations
Graduate statistics percentages are determined 15 months after a student graduates
Earnings after graduation
The Film and Drama (Including Year Abroad) course includes content from more than one subject area. Choose an option below for University of Essex graduate earnings across each of those subject areas.
Earnings
£22.6k
First year after graduation
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 Film and 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
Are you thinking of applying to this university?
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.
