BA English and Drama
| UCAS code | WQ34 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 3 years |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Typical offer | A-Level: AAB-ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBB-BBC |
| UCAS code | WQ35 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Typical offer | A-Level: AAB-ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBB-BBC |
| UCAS code | WQ36 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 4 years |
| Entry year | 2026 |
| Campus | Streatham Campus |
| Typical offer | A-Level: AAB-ABB |
|---|---|
|
A-Level: BBB-BBC |
Why study BA English and Drama at Exeter?
- 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.
4th in the UK for Drama, Dance and Cinematics
Complete University Guide 2026
Professional standard performance spaces and state-of-the-art production facilities for video, sound and scenic design
Top 10 in the UK for English
7th in the Complete University Guide 2026
85% of English graduates in/due to start employment or further study 15 months after graduation
Based on full-time, first degree, UK domiciled graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes survey 2022/23 data (published 2025)
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.
Olivia
BA English and Drama
Entry requirements (typical offer)
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| A-Level | AAB-ABB | B in an accepted Humanities or Social Science subject* (see below) |
| IB | 34/665-32/655 | HL5 in an accepted Humanities or Social Science subject* (see below) |
| BTEC | DDD-DDM | Applicants studying a BTEC Extended Diploma will also require GCE A-Level grade B in an accepted Humanities or Social Science subject* (see below) |
| 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 accepted Humanities or Social Science subject* (see below) |
| T-Level | Distinction | Applicants studying a T-Level will also require GCE A-Level grade B in an accepted Humanities or Social Science subject* (see below) |
| Contextual Offer | A-Level: BBB-BBC |
Specific subject requirements must still be achieved where stated above. Find out more about contextual offers. |
| 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 B1. 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
*Accepted Humanities and Social Science subjects:
- Anthropology
- Classics and Ancient History
- Drama
- English
- Geography
- Government and Politics
- History
- Law
- Media Studies
- Modern Languages
- Philosophy
- Politics
- Psychology
- Religious Studies
- Sociology
Course content
You may notice changes to some of our modules over the coming months. This is because we are making space for the following:
- Minors: Future Skills Pathways - Alongside your main degree you may be eligible (depending on your course) to choose modules from another subject to broaden your skills and interests.
- Skills to Thrive built into every degree - Essential skills for your future, including communication, problem-solving, teamwork and digital confidence.
- Increased innovation and wellbeing - More room for creative learning, real-world projects and a healthier study rhythm.
The modules below 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.
Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.
Students must take 45 credits of compulsory English modules, 60 credits of compulsory Drama modules and 15 credits of optional English modules at Stage 1.
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory 1 | ||
| Performance Analysis | 30 | |
| The Creative Actor | 30 | |
| Beginnings: English Literature before 1800 | 30 | |
| Rethinking Shakespeare | 15 | |
Optional modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Combined Honours Optional 1 | ||
| Digital Cultures: Narrative, Creativity, Industry | 15 | |
| The Novel | 15 | |
| The Poem | 15 | |
| Academic English | 15 | |
| Rethinking Shakespeare | 15 | |
| Imagine This: Prompts for Creative Writing | 15 | |
Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.
Students must take 60 credits of optional English modules and 60 credits of optional Drama modules.
Subject to choosing 120 credits for the stage overall, you must:
1. Select 60 credits from this list of optional Drama modules. Students can take 30 credits maximum of studio modules (Group 1) and 30 credits maximum of Drama seminar modules (Group 2).
2. 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.
Optional modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Optional Group 1 | ||
| Writing for Stage, Screen and Across Media | 30 | |
| Acting Shakespeare | 30 | |
| Popular Performance Practices | 30 | |
| Applied Drama: Touring, Directing and Facilitating | 30 | |
| Approaches to Acting and Contemporary Performance Making | 30 | |
| Optional Group 2 | ||
| Audiences, Participation, Immersion | 15 | |
| Activism and Performance | 15 | |
| Musicals: Critical Perspectives in Contemporary Contexts | 15 | |
| Creative Producing: People, Culture and Collaboration | 15 | |
| Voices Across Stage and Screen | 15 | |
| Performance in the Age of Screens: Intermedial Theatre | 15 | |
| Group 1 Optional Modules | ||
| Desire and Power: English Literature 1570-1640 | 30 | |
| Theatrical Cultures in Early Modern England | 30 | |
| Chaucer and His Contemporaries | 30 | |
| Renaissance and Revolution | 30 | |
| Satire and the City: English Literature 1660-1750 | 30 | |
| Group 2 Optional Modules | ||
| Revolutions and Evolutions 19C Writings | 30 | |
| Modernism and Modernity: Literature 1900-1960 | 30 | |
| Romanticism | 30 | |
| Empire of Liberty: American Literature of the Long Nineteenth Century | 30 | |
| Group 3 Optional Modules | ||
| Adaptations: Text, Image, Culture | 15 | |
| Creative Writing: Building a Story | 30 | |
| Creative Writing: Making a Poem | 30 | |
| British Cultures: The Exeter Seminar | 15 | |
| Comics Studies: Histories, Methodologies, Genres | 15 | |
| Creative Industries: Their Past, Our Future | 30 | |
| Humanities after the Human: Further Adventures in Critical Theory | 30 | |
| Culture, Crisis and Ecology in a Postcolonial World | 30 | |
Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.
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.
With Study Abroad
120 credit compulsory placement module
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory 1 | ||
| Study Abroad | 120 | |
With Employment Experience
120 credit compulsory placement module
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory 2 | ||
| Employment Experience | 120 | |
Please note that the module information displayed here is subject to change.
Students must take 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. You must select a Dissertation in either Drama or English: CDF3000 or EAS3003 or EAS3122 (you cannot choose more than one module from this group). You are expected to balance your credits in each stage of the programme, taking 60 credits from Drama, and 60 credits from English. Students can take 30 credits maximum of Drama studio modules (Group 1) and 30 credits maximum of Drama seminar modules (Group 2).
Compulsory modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Compulsory 1 | ||
| Dissertation | 30 | |
| Dissertation | 30 | |
| Creative Writing Dissertation | 30 | |
| Dissertation by Collaborative Project | 30 | |
Optional modules
| Code | Module | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Optional Group 1 (combined hons) | ||
| Practical Essay | 30 | |
| Acting for Screen | 30 | |
| Applied Drama: Community, Participation and Co-Creation Projects | 30 | |
| Physical Performance: Actor, Director, Maker | 30 | |
| Optional Group 2 | ||
| Creative Industries Management: Representation and Cultural Value | 15 | |
| The Actor’s Body: Theories and Practices of Performer Training | 15 | |
| Theatre Now! – Key Issues, Current Practices | 15 | |
| Women and Theatre, 1662-1928 | 15 | |
| Optional 1 | ||
| Queering British Screens | 15 | |
| Hardy and Women Who Did: the Coming of Modernity | 30 | |
| Writing the Short Film | 30 | |
| Heroes and Exiles: English Poetry of the Age of Beowulf | 30 | |
| James Joyce's Ulysses | 30 | |
| Life and Death in Early Modern Literature | 30 | |
| Visual and Literary Cultures of Realism | 30 | |
| Encountering the Other in Medieval Literature | 30 | |
| Writing for Children and Young Adults | 30 | |
| Resource Fictions: Oil, Water and Conflict in the World-System | 30 | |
| Acts of Writing: From Decolonisation to Globalisation | 30 | |
| The Death of the Novel | 30 | |
| Virginia Woolf: Fiction, Feeling, Form | 30 | |
| "Reader, I Married Him": The Evolution of Romance Fiction from 1740 to the Present | 30 | |
| Romance from Chaucer to Shakespeare | 30 | |
| Citizens of the World | 30 | |
| The Rise of Science | 30 | |
| Harlem and After: African American Literature 1925-present | 30 | |
| Food, Environment and Literature in Early Modern England | 30 | |
| The Poetry of Place | 30 | |
| Piracy in Early Modern Literature, 1570-1730 | 30 | |
| Poetry and Politics | 30 | |
| Ghosts, Witches and Demons: the Renaissance Supernatural | 30 | |
| Jane Austen: In and Out of Context | 30 | |
| The Development of British Children's Literature | 30 | |
| Art, Industry and the Modern, 1840-1900 | 15 | |
| American Counterculture in Literature | 30 | |
| Fiction Matters | 30 | |
| Migration, Literature and Culture | 30 | |
| Surrealism and its Legacies | 30 | |
| "Mad": Cultures, Histories, Phantasies, Imaginaries of Mental Distress | 30 | |
Course variants
BA English and Drama with Study Abroad
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.
Are there any academic requirements to study abroad?
Yes. If you wish to study abroad as part of this degree course, you must achieve an overall grade of at least 60% (a 2:1) for your first year of study. This applies to all students, even if you are registered on the 'with Study Abroad' variant from the start of your degree.
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.
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.
BA English and Drama with Employment Experience
UCAS code: WQ36
Our four-year ‘with Employment Experience’ degree offers you the option of spending your third year carrying out a graduate-level work placement or placements, within the UK or abroad, 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 and country you choose to work in 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.
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
Fees
Tuition fees for 2026 entry
UK students: £9,790 per year
International students: £24,950 per year
Scholarships
The University of Exeter offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with £7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year, including our prestigious Exeter Excellence Scholarships*. We also provide scholarships for sport, music and other achievements, alongside regional and partner awards such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. Financial support is 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, including deadlines, apply. See our website for details.
Facilities
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.
Minors: Future Skills Pathways
You can study a Future Skills Pathway alongside your main degree by choosing up to 30 credits of modules from a different subject area in your second and final years.
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.
