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Applied and Contemporary Theatre

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C

Overall: CCC Applicants taking an A-level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.

Access to HE Diploma

D:21,M:3,P:21

Overall: QAA recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits overall including 21 at Distinction, 3 at Merit and 21 at Pass.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE English Language at Grade C(4) and Mathematics at Grade C (4) (or equivalent).

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

29

Overall: 29 GCSE or Equivalent: English, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths, HL4/SL4 (including MYP). Maths Studies, SL4.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

MMM

Overall: MMM

Scottish Advanced Higher

C,C,C

Overall: CCC GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths: Scottish National 5 - C

Scottish Higher

B,B,B,C,C

Overall: BBBCC GCSE or Equivalent: English Language: Scottish National 5 - C Maths: Scottish National 5 - C

Overall: Pass overall with CCC from a combination of the Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate and two A-levels. Applicants taking an A-level science subject with the Science Practical Endorsement are required to pass the practical element.

UCAS Tariff

96-123

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Theatre production

**Why choose this course**
Our BA (Hons) Applied and Contemporary Theatre course is designed to train highly skilled theatre makers of the future, who aspire to influence social change. This programme is the first choice for those wishing to be thoroughly equipped with the knowledge and skill base to create theatre that can rapidly respond to, learn from and challenge contemporary issues.

Fully embedded within the GSA Conservatoire, the vocational modules help to deepen and develop your knowledge of applied theatre and cover all relevant aspects from multiple angles; creative, technical, teaching, entrepreneurial, professional development, work placement, whilst providing you with core skills training in the performing disciplines.

Society needs practitioners with a broad and dynamic skill set; problem-solvers who see challenges as opportunities. This course develops, enables and trains the next generation of performance artists and creative entrepreneurs. You will explore devised and collaborative approaches to researching, creating, producing and performing contemporary performance practices, in addition to traditional historical scripted forms.

We are ranked 5th in the UK for dance and drama in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023, 6th for drama, dance and cinematic in the Complete University Guide 2023, and 7th in the UK for drama and dance in the Guardian University Guide 2023.

Our award-winning Professional Training placements prepare students for roles in industry. We deliver on jobs, too. We were named  University of the Year for Graduate Employment in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2022. We were shortlisted for University of the Year in The Times/Sunday Times Good University Guide 2023.

**What you will study**
On our BA (Hons) Applied and Contemporary Theatre course you will be taught by industry-leading professionals, and will join a vibrant community of talented performers, performance makers, creative practitioners, stage managers and technicians.

The course examines the ever-evolving nature of contemporary practice in pursuit of developing and training the next generation of theatre makers, creative entrepreneurs and cultural leaders. Case studies, performances, theatre creation and placements include, but are not limited to: theatre for social change, site-specific performance, community theatre, theatre in education, education and outreach programmes, health and wellbeing organisations, disability arts, as well as a collaborative large-scale ensemble performance in a traditional theatre setting.

This work extends to an exciting range of UK and international settings, including a placement module in your second year, as well as a further optional Professional Training placement, between the second and final year of study.

Modules

To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects

Extra funding

The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.

The Uni


Course location:

Stag Hill

Department:

FASS - Guildford School of Acting (GSA)

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.

88%
Theatre production

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.

Drama

Teaching and learning

90%
Staff make the subject interesting
90%
Staff are good at explaining things
89%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
97%
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

76%
Library resources
84%
IT resources
91%
Course specific equipment and facilities
72%
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?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
30%
Male students
70%
Female students
95%
2:1 or above
5%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

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.

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.

£19,032
high
Average annual salary
99%
high
Employed or in further education
51%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

52%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
11%
Other elementary services occupations
9%
Teaching and educational professionals

What about your long term prospects?

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

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.

£14k

£14k

£20k

£20k

£22k

£22k

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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Same University
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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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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