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Undergraduate Study

BA English and Drama - 2025 entry

Please note: The below is for 2025 entries. Click here for 2024 entries.
UCAS code WQ34
Duration 3 years
Entry year 2025
Campus Streatham Campus
Discipline English
Contact

Web: Enquire online
Phone: 0300 555 6060 (UK callers) 
+44 (0)1392 723044 (EU/International callers)

Typical offer

View full entry requirements

A-Level: AAB-ABB
IB: 34-32/665-655
BTEC: DDD-DDM

Contextual offers

A-Level: BBB-BBC
IB: 30-28/555-554
BTEC: DDM

Overview

  • A challenging and flexible degree that builds on two internationally renowned centres of excellence in research, teaching and theatre practice
  • Study a range of literary works, introducing you to theoretical approaches that enable you to engage critically with texts understood in their historical and cultural contexts
  • Develop your critical, imaginative and practical engagement with the social, historical and cultural contexts of theatre
  • Our English department includes world-class experts in the subfields of film studies and creative writing.
  • Excellent facilities on campus include our Special Collections relating to world-renowned writers, The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum which is a unique film and popular culture resource and our Digital Humanities Lab. Exeter has also recently been awarded UNESCO City of Literature status.

View 2024 Entry

Request a prospectus

Open Days and visiting us

How to apply

Contact

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

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2nd in the UK for Drama, Dance and Cinematics

2nd in the Complete University Guide 2025

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Professional standard performance spaces and state-of-the-art production facilities for video, sound and scenic design

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Top 15 in the UK for English

11th in the Complete University Guide 2025; 14th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

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Opportunities for Study Abroad and Employment Experience in the UK or abroad

I love the flexibility of my joint honours English and Drama course. There are a wealth of optional modules to choose from which means I am always studying something that I truly want to learn about whilst pursuing my passions.

I feel privileged to be taught by so many outstanding lecturers who are always there to offer guidance and support, pushing me to achieve and challenging me to be the best I can be.

Read more from Olivia

Olivia

BA English and Drama

Entry requirements (typical offer)

Qualification Typical offer Required subjects
A-Level AAB-ABB B in English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language
IB 34-32/665-655 HL5 in English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language
BTEC DDD-DDM Applicants studying a BTEC Extended Diploma will also require GCE AL English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language Grade B
GCSE C or 4 English Language
Access to HE 24 L3 Credits at Distinction Grade and 21 L3 credits at Merit Grade. To include at least 12 L3 credits at Merit Grade in an acceptable English Literature or English Language subject area.
T-Level Distinction Applicants studying a T-Level will also require GCE AL English Literature, English Language, or English Literature & Language grade B
Contextual Offer

A-Level: BBB-BBC
IB: 30-28/555-554
BTEC: DDM

Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers.

Other accepted qualifications

View other accepted qualifications

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

NB General Studies is not included in any offer.

Grades advertised on each programme webpage are the typical level at which our offers are made and provide information on any specific subjects an applicant will need to have studied in order to be considered for a place on the programme. However, if we receive a large number of applications for the programme we may not be able to make an offer to all those who are predicted to achieve/have achieved grades which are in line with our typical offer. For more information on how applications are assessed and when decisions are released, please see: After you apply

Course content

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

45 credits of compulsory English modules, 60 credits of compulsory Drama modules and 15 credits of optional English modules.

Compulsory modules

CodeModule Credits
DRA1016 Performance Analysis 30
DRA1018 The Creative Actor 30
EAS1035 Beginnings: English Literature before 1800 30
EAS1041 Rethinking Shakespeare 15

Optional modules

a - You must select 15 credits from this list of optional English modules; EAS1040 is only available in Term 2 to Combined Honours students.

CodeModule Credits
English Stage 1 CH Option Modules 2024-5 [See note a above]
EAS1037 The Novel 15
EAS1038 The Poem 15
EAS1041 Rethinking Shakespeare 15
EAS1044 Imagine This: Prompts for Creative Writing 15
EAS1016 Digital Cultures: Narrative, Creativity, Industry 15

60 credits of optional English modules and 60 credits of optional Drama modules.

Optional modules

Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:

b - select 60 credits from this list of optional Drama modules - Students can only take one practice module and one Drama seminar module.

c - select 60 credits from this list of optional English modules. English modules in stage 2 are divided into three groups: Group 1, modules concerned with pre-1750 literature; Group 2, modules concerned with post-1750 literature; Group 3, modules not concerned with a particular historical period. Combined Honours students may not take more than one module from each group.

CodeModule Credits
Drama Stage 2 Option Modules 2024-5 [See note b above]
DRA2026 Applied Drama: Interactive Theatre 30
DRA2042 Puppetry and Object Theatre 30
DRA2044 Acting Shakespeare 30
DRA2045 Theatre and Health 30
DRA2047 Interpretive Acting 30
DRA2061B Digital Theatrecrafts 30
DRA2072 Culture in / as Performance 30
DRA2076 Playwriting 30
DRA2077 Theatre for Environmental Change 30
DRA2083 Intermedial Performance Practice 30
DRA2087 Activism and Performance 30
DRA2089 Popular Entertainment and Performance Documentation 30
DRA2092 Modernist Drama in Contemporary Theatre 30
DRA2096 Voices Across Stage and Screen 30
DRA2104 Approaches to Comedy 30
DRA2105 Eco-Theatre: Outdoor and Immersive Performance 30
DRA2108 Introduction to Creative Producing: Making Change and Shifting Cultures 30
DRA2109 Ensemble Acting: Co-Creation 30
DRA2110 Political Theatre: The 1980s 30
DRA2111 Live Art and Spatial Practices 30
English Stage 2 Pre-1750 Option Modules 2024-5 [See note c above]
EAS2026 Desire and Power: English Literature 1570-1640 30
EAS2036 Theatrical Cultures in Early Modern England 30
EAS2071 Chaucer and His Contemporaries 30
EAS2080 Renaissance and Revolution 30
EAS2102 Satire and the City: English Literature 1660-1750 30
English Stage 2 Post-1750 Option Modules 2024-5 [See note c above]
EAF2510 Adaptation: Text, Image, Culture 30
EAS2029 Revolutions and Evolutions 19C Writings 30
EAS2103 Modernism and Modernity: Literature 1900-1960 30
EAS2104 Crossing the Water: Transatlantic Literary Relations 30
EAS2106 Romanticism 30
EAS2116 Empire of Liberty: American Literature of the Long Nineteenth Century 30
English Stage 2 Neutral Option Modules 2024-5 [See note c above]
AHV2018 Comics Studies: Histories, Methodologies, Genres 30
EAS2031 Creative Writing: Building a Story 30
EAS2032 Creative Writing: Making a Poem 30
EAS2089 Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future 30
EAS2090 Humanities after the Human: Further Adventures in Critical Theory 30
EAS2113 Culture, Crisis and Ecology in a Postcolonial World 30
HUM2000 Humanities in the Workplace 30

Typically, any placement year will take place in Year 3. If you are not taking a placement year please see the Final Year modules for year 3.

0-30 credits of compulsory English modules, 0-30 credits of compulsory Drama modules, 30-60 credits of optional English modules, and 30-60 credits of optional Drama modules.

 

Compulsory modules

d - select a Dissertation in either Drama or English: DRA3094 or EAS3003 or EAS3122 (you cannot choose more than one module from this group).

CodeModule Credits
DRA3094 Theatre Dissertation [See note d above]30
EAS3003 Dissertation [See note d above]30
EAS3122 Creative Writing Dissertation [See note d above]30

Optional modules

if selecting EAS3003 or EAS3122, select 60 credits from this list of optional Drama modules.

if selecting DRA3094, select 60 credits from this list of optional English modules.      

CodeModule Credits
Drama Final Stage Option Modules 2024-5
DRA3011 Practice II: Technical Specialisation 30
DRA3012 Theatre Practice I: Applied Drama 30
DRA3050 Creative Industries Management 30
DRA3051 Voice for the Actor 30
DRA3061 Practical Essay 30
DRA3088 Women and Theatre 1700-1928 30
DRA3092 Theatre for a Changing Climate 30
DRA3094 Theatre Dissertation 30
DRA3095 Music Drama 30
DRA3100 Physical Performance 30
DRA3102 Audio Dramaturgy: Theatre of the Ear 30
DRA3104 Approaches to Acting 30
DRA3105 Theatre for Environmental Change 30
DRA3106 Acting for Screen 30
DRA3107 Theatres Against Colonialism 30
English Final Stage Option Modules 2024-5
EAS3128 Writing the Short Film 30
EAS3131 Advanced Critical Theory 30
EAS3181 Visual and Literary Cultures of Realism 30
EAS3182 Encountering the Other in Medieval Literature 30
EAS3191 Writing for Children and Young Adults 30
EAS3198 The Death of the Novel 30
EAS3219 Virginia Woolf: Fiction, Feeling, Form 30
EAS3225 'Reader, I Married Him': The Evolution of Romance Fiction from 1740 to the Present 30
EAS3237 The Rise of Science 30
EAS3245 The 21st Century Museum 30
EAS3252 Poison, Filth, Trash: Modernism, Censorship and Resistance 30
EAS3311 Piracy in Early Modern Literature, 1570-1730 30
EAS3408 Poetry and Politics 30
EAS3414 Jane Austen: In and Out of Context 30
EAS3415 The Development of British Childrens Literature 30
EAS3416 Feeling Bodies: Emotions in Early Modern Literature and Culture, 1500-1700 30
EAS3417 Sex, Scandal and Sensation in Victorian Literature 30
EAS3420 Staging Space: Dramatic Geography and Audience Experience 30
EAS3421 Picturing the Global City: Literature and Visual Culture in the 21st Century 30
EAS3502 Shakespeare and Crisis 30
EAS3503 Migration, Literature and Culture 30
EAS3501 Fiction Matters 30
EAS3100 Hardy and Women Who Did: the Coming of Modernity 30
EAS3500 American Counterculture in Literature 30
EAS3504 Surrealism and its Legacies 30
EAS3228 Romance from Chaucer to Shakespeare 30
EAS3509 From Pen to Printed Page: Exeter's Literary Archives 30
EAS3511 'Mad': cultures, histories, phantasies, imaginaries of mental distress 30
EAS3312 Adventures in Technique (Poetry) 30
EAS3196 Charles Dickens: Novelist, Journalist and Reformer 30

Course variants

UCAS code: WQ35

Our four-year ‘with Study Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, studying with one of our many partner universities.

Why Study Abroad?

Living and studying in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. Students who have studied abroad demonstrate initiative, independence, motivation and, depending on where they stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language – all key qualities that employers are looking for in today’s competitive employment environment.

Where can I Study Abroad?

We have partnership arrangements with many prestigious institutions across the globe. Exactly where you can apply to study will depend on the subjects you are studying at Exeter. For a full list please visit the Study Abroad website.

Does it count towards my degree?

Credit for academic work during your year abroad is arranged by agreement between the University of Exeter and the host institution. These marks are then translated back into your degree at Exeter. If you are Studying Abroad for a semester or full year, your time abroad will count toward your final degree. Please refer to your Study Abroad co-ordinator for further details.

How does it affect my tuition fee and funding?

For the year that you spend studying abroad you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter, but nothing to your host university – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your Study Abroad year.

UCAS code: WQ36

Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements within the UK as part of your degree.

Why choose to include Employment Experience?

Undertaking graduate-level work during your degree unlocks a world of experience that allows you to develop essential employability and interpersonal skills that relate to your degree and future career. A work placement will dramatically boost your confidence, enhance your CV and develop graduate level skills and competencies that employers are looking for.

Where will I do my work placement?

The sector you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.

How does it affect my tuition fees and funding?

For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.

Find out more

Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities. 

UCAS code: WQ37

Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience Abroad’ degree, offers you the possibility of spending your third year abroad, carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements as part of your degree.

Why choose to include Employment Experience Abroad?

Spending up to a year living and working in a different country is an exciting experience that broadens your academic and cultural horizons, as well as giving you the opportunity to widen your circle of friends. By carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements abroad you can demonstrate to employers your adaptability, cultural awareness, independence and resourcefulness and, depending on where you stay, may also have gained a working knowledge of another language.

Where will I do my work placement?

The sector and country you choose to work within is very much your choice as you will be responsible for finding and organising your placement. We will provide plenty of guidance and support during your first and second years which will prepare you to research and apply for placements. Ultimately, the university will give final approval to your placement to make sure you have a valuable experience.

How does it affect my tuition fee?

For your ‘Year In Industry’ you will pay a significantly reduced tuition fee to Exeter – for more information visit our fees pages. If you were previously eligible, you will continue to receive a maintenance loan whilst on your year of work placement/s.

Is the placement paid?

You will be paid in accordance with the rules of the country you work in and there may be visa restrictions or requirements which you need to consider when applying.

Find out more

Visit our website to learn more about employment experience opportunities. 

Fees

Tuition fees for 2025 entry

UK students: £9,250 per year
International students: £24,700 per year

Scholarships

The University of Exeter has many different scholarships available to support your education, including £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*. Financial support is also available for students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lower income households and other under-represented groups to help them access, succeed and progress through higher education.

* Terms and conditions apply. See online for details.

Find out more about tuition fees and scholarships

Facilities

Film students discussing artefacts at the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Students in the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

We are exceptionally lucky to have some fantastic facilities and resources on the Streatham Campus.

Special Collections

We have Special Collections relating to writers such as Agatha Christie, Daphne du Maurier, and William Golding, and we integrate these into our teaching so students can share the excitement we have when discovering new insights from manuscripts, letters, and business papers.

The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum

Our unique film and popular culture resource, contains items going back hundreds of years. We regularly take students into its archives and think about the study of literature in relation to visual texts.

Digital Humanities Lab

Digital Humanities is increasingly important in all areas of humanities research, including history, archaeology, literatures and languages. This research space enables the examination, preservation and analysis of historical, literary and visual material. Facilities in the lab include:

  • a flagship seminar room equipped with a 4.2-metre video wall, encouraging interactive engagement in a shared display space
  • two state-of-the-art photography labs, including provision for the 2D digitisation of heritage material and primary sources
  • an audio-visual lab with a recording studio and sound editing suite
  • a MakerSpace equipped with 3D scanning and printing equipment

Learning and teaching

How will I learn?

You will be taught by internationally respected research-active staff. We use a wide variety of techniques and approaches to help you learn and get the most out of your degree. Our teaching methods make full use of seminars, studio sessions, study groups, workshops, lectures, and web-based learning.

Modules

In English, all our modules centre the learning experience on seminars, involving groups of between 10 and 20 students, typically running for two hours. In Drama, you will be involved in studio-based learning, typically in 3-hour studio sessions of 10-20 students, in each year of the degree. At the start of the programme the emphasis is on collaborative group work which becomes the basis for development of your individual interests and skills later on.

Option modules in your second and third years allow you to specialise in what most interests you.

How will I be assessed?

You will be assessed in all years through a variety of assessment methods. Assessment in English is through a mixture of methods that includes essays, examinations and group presentation work. The ratio of formal examination to coursework is on average 40:60. Assessment in Drama includes continuous assessment, essay, performance and portfolio, or viva interview. Most work is assessed as coursework through studio practice, seminar and essay and there are currently no formal examinations for Drama modules.

Other/Extra-curricular opportunities

We provide an exciting range of special lectures and seminars by visiting academics and renowned writers, actors and film directors. In addition to your academic work, the student-run English Society organises book and poetry readings, film screenings and social events, providing an opportunity to meet students who share a love of literature, culture and the arts. Students from the English department are always active on the University student newspapers, radio and TV station and in the University’s drama groups.

Optional modules outside of this course

Each year, if you have optional modules available, you can take up to 30 credits in a subject outside of your course. This can increase your employability and widen your intellectual horizons.

Proficiency in a second subject

If you complete 60 credits of modules in one of the subjects below, you may have the words 'with proficiency in [e.g. Social Data Science]' added to your degree title when you graduate.

  • A Foreign Language
  • Data Science
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Innovation
  • Law (Penryn Campus only)
  • Leadership
  • Management
  • Social Data Science

Find out more about proficiency options

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Your future

Professional Experience

With practical modules on offer and opportunity to undertake professional placements, a degree in English will give you plenty of opportunity to develop your professional portfolio which will give you the skills and experience needed to be successful in your chosen career.

Employer-valued skills this course develops

An English degree puts you in a great position to succeed in a range of careers. Oral and written communication is at the heart of our programme and you will learn to present your ideas in a variety of formats. You will also develop strong research and analytical skills and the ability to problem solve and make informed decisions. Through a balance of independent study and teamwork you will learn to manage your time and workload effectively.

Career paths

Our students have progressed to a broad range of work sectors including education, arts management, publishing, journalism, marketing, finance and events management, working for companies such as:

Recent Graduates are now working as*:

  • Actor
  • Assistant Brand Manager
  • Assistant Director
  • Copywriter
  • Data Analyst
  • Journalist
  • Policy Adviser
  • Product Manager
  • Radio Producer
  • Youth Worker

Recent Graduates are now working for*:

  • European Parliament
  • Rolls Royce
  • Oxford University Press
  • Warp Films
  • Oxfam
  • Estee Lauder

Other recent graduates have progressed to postgraduate courses in:

  • MA Cultural Heritage Management
  • MA English Literary Studies
  • PGCE English primary
  • MA Magazine Journalism
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Skills

* This information has been taken from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) Surveys 14/15, 15/16, 16/17 and 17/18. Please note that, due to data protection, the job titles and organisations are listed independently and do not necessarily correspond.

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