Drama
Explore contemporary performance to develop your creativity, critical thinking & practical skills for a career in creative industries and beyond. Our students study an exciting and challenging programme with an emphasis on contemporary performance practices. Our approach to teaching and learning integrates theories and practices of performance in order to extend our understanding of Drama as an art form in its social, political and cultural contexts.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | |
| Awarding Body | Ulster University |
| NFQ Level |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor at UK Level 6 | Ulster University |
Duration
Attendance
Students are expected to be in attendance during the normal working week. In line with the University’s attendance policy, attendance at all taught sessions is compulsory. In addition, students working on projects and in independent work may be required to attend for group meetings and rehearsals in the evenings and, occasionally, at weekends.
Entry Requirements
Irish Leaving Certificate
96 UCAS tariff points to include a minimum of five subjects (four of which must be at higher level) to include English at H6 if studied at Higher level or O4 if studied at Ordinary Level.
Careers / Further progression
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course are now working for:
BBC
Belfast Health & Social Care Trust
Big Telly Theatre Company
Kabosh Productions
Lyric Theatre
Tinderbox Theatre Company
Primary and Secondary Schools
Job roles
With this degree you could become:
Actor
Administrator
Designer
Director
Facilitator
Health and Social Care Trusts
Teacher
Career options
Our Drama graduates work in the professional theatre as actors, directors, writers and stage managers. They also work too as teachers, college and university lecturers, drama therapists or community artists. They have found work with: Kabosh Theatre Company, Blue Raincoat Theatre Company, the Millennium Forum, Jigsaw Productions, Lyric Theatre, In Yer Space, BBC, Derry Playhouse, amongst others. They have set up their own businesses, founded theatre companies, been employed in various media posts, management, theatre management, arts administration, and the civil service.
Our graduates progress to postgraduate study and training such as at the University of Exeter, University of Warwick, Central School of Speech and Drama, Atlantic Acting School, Gaiety School of Acting, The Drama Studio, University of Manchester, and a range of PGCE courses in England and Scotland.
Because of the range of transferable skills associated with drama - skills in communication, analysis, creative thinking, team management - you will also be equipped to work in a range of non-specialist careers.
Drama graduates have amongst the best rates of employment amongst all arts and humanities graduates in the UK.
For information on postgraduate research opportunities see: www.arts.ulster.ac.uk/rgs
Further information
Start date: September 2024
Deadlines for on-time applications
2024 entry application deadlines
For courses starting in 2024 (and for deferred applications), your application should be with us at UCAS by one of these dates – depending on what courses you apply for. If your completed application – including all your personal details and your academic reference – is submitted by the deadline, it is guaranteed to be considered.
16 October 2023 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – any course at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, or for most courses in medicine, veterinary medicine/science, and dentistry. You can add choices with a different deadline later, but don’t forget you can only have five choices in total.
31 January 2024 for 2024 entry at 18:00 (UK time) – for the majority of courses.
Some course providers require additional admissions tests to be taken alongside the UCAS application, and these may have a deadline. Find out more about these tests at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/applying-university/admissions-tests
Check course information in the search tool to see which deadline applies to you at the application weblink below.
Apply as soon as possible: Student funding arrangements mean that as offers are made and places fill up, some courses may only have vacancies for students from certain locations. It’s therefore really important that you apply for your chosen courses by the appropriate deadlines mentioned above, as not all courses will have places for all students.
All applications received after 30 June are entered into Clearing - find out more about Clearing at https://www.ucas.com/undergraduate/clearing-and-results-day/what-clearing
Overview
Explore contemporary performance to develop your creativity, critical thinking & practical skills for a career in creative industries and beyond.
Summary
Drama in the School of Arts and Humanities is based on the beautiful Magee campus in the historic city of Derry / Londonderry. Our students study an exciting and challenging programme with an emphasis on contemporary performance practices. Our approach to teaching and learning integrates theories and practices of performance in order to extend our understanding of Drama as an art form in its social, political and cultural contexts.
Our expert lecturing staff are internationally-recognised, and have a range of industry-related experience. Students are able to take advantage of our nationally-acknowledged teaching expertise and will have opportunities to extend their experience of contemporary performance practices through contact with part-time staff and key visiting lecturers. The Drama programmes benefit from extensive links with theatre practitioners and key theatre companies, who use our spaces for performances and delivering practice-based workshops.
Drama allows students to learn in a rigorous and stimulating environment where they are encouraged to develop essential skills as team leaders, communicators, and thinking creative practitioners.
About
The degree in Drama allows you to develop a broad base of knowledge of Drama practices and systematic approaches to the analysis of works in performance. You will be able to prepare yourself for the kinds of mosaic careers characteristic of the creative industries and increasingly common across a range of sectors.
There are particular areas of specialist practice that you can develop as you progress through each level of the degree. If you wish to pursue a creative career, although we do not provide full-time conservatoire training for actors, you can take modules that introduce you to the principles of acting, writing, directing, design, stage management, arts education and working with community groups. These can prepare you for further specialist professional training at post-graduate level.
You will develop a core set of academic skills in research, analysis and communication in written and oral formats. Alongside these, you will also develop transferable skills in group work, project management, problem solving and the use of key technologies.
The BA Drama programme is designed specifically to facilitate the development of your ability to work independently. We will offer you extensive support and guidance throughout your studies, as you develop the skills necessary to carry out rigorous and sustained independent research and practice. In this way, you will develop key skills alongside foundational professional competencies you can draw on in your future career.
Here is a guide to the subjects studied on this course.
Courses are continually reviewed to take advantage of new teaching approaches and developments in research, industry and the professions. Please be aware that modules may change for your year of entry. The exact modules available and their order may vary depending on course updates, staff availability, timetabling and student demand. Please contact the course team for the most up to date module list.
Year 1
Dramatic Structures on Stage and Screen
Acting 2: Studio Practice
Performance Technologies
Space and Performance
Acting 1: Text and Performance
Critical Practice
Year 2
Arts Administration
The Form and Function of Performance
Political Theatre from Expressionism to Brecht
Introduction to Directing - Optional
Production Process - Optional
Acting 4: Acting and Screen - Optional
Theatre and Community - Optional
Educational Arts - Optional
Writing for Stage and Screen - Optional
Acting 3: Commedia dell'Arte - Optional
Placement - Optional
Year 3
Independent Project
Liveness and Documentation in Performance
Creative Business - Optional
Advanced Playwriting - Optional
Representing Violence - Optional
Performance and Disability - Optional
Advanced Directing - Optional
Storytelling and Performance - Optional
Acting 5: Advanced Acting - Optional
Performing Ireland on Stage and Screen - Optional
Arts Entrepreneurship - Optional
Performing Community - Optional
Performance and Conflict Transformation - Optional
Performance and Health - Optional
Theatre and Ritual - Optional
Theatre for Young Audiences - Optional
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
Award: Bachelor of Arts with Honours
Work placement / study abroad
Formal arrangements for placement are provided for within the designated module in Year 2. We have relationships with many exchange partners in Europe, overseas and across the globe – and we extend our network every year. There are currently formal subject-specific arrangements for study abroad, at the University of Malta.
Ulster University,
Northland Rd,
Londonderry
BT48 7JL
T: 02870 123 456