About this program
BA Drama and Creative Writing
Are you impatient to have it all? No need to choose between subject areas, your degree is balanced equally between the disciplines of Drama and Creative Writing but there will be many modules where the two disciplines come together, for example in modules such as Writing For Radio and Writing for Theatre.
On the Drama side, you will have the opportunity to study many aspects of theatre from classic to contemporary texts, and to explore themes in drama such as gender, identity, tragedy, human rights, immersive theatre, devising and playwriting. You will gain skills in technical theatre, design and stage management, and will be assessed in a range of ways from essay-writing, to performance, devised work, solo projects and group work.
In Creative Writing you explore the urge to create and build new worlds, to share language and stories with others. On our course you work on the craft of writing through a multi-genre approach, through and across a variety of writings from fiction and poetry, to non-fiction, psychogeography, performance writing and beyond. At Essex we offer an unusual approach to the practice of writing, combining innovative and traditional methods in order to develop your writing skills and abilities to judge your work critically, while expanding your knowledge across different modes and genres. In the Centre for Creative Writing we encourage a culture of experiment and creativity, enabling you to feel part of a community of writers. In addition, you will gain transferable skills in research, essay-planning and writing, and you will be offered careers guidance and training.
Admission requirements
Clearing entry requirements
Specific entry requirements for this course in Clearing are not published here but for most of our degree courses you will need to hold a Level 3 qualification. If you are interested in applying and have already received your results, use our Clearing application form to apply for 2022 entry and find out if you are eligible. You will be asked to provide details of your qualifications and grades.
English language requirements
English language requirements for applicants whose first language is not English: IELTS 6.0 overall. Different requirements apply for second year entry, and specified component grades are also required for applicants who require a Tier 4 visa to study in the UK.
For more information about admission requirements, please visit the university website.
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Program content
Year 1
- Introduction to Theatre Studies
- The Writer's Toolkit
- Writing for the Radio
- The Humanities Graduate: Future Pathways
- Introduction to Heritage and Museum Studies
Year 2
- Theatre and Performance Makers
- Creative Non-Fiction
- Writing Structures
Scholarships & funding
Several scholarship options are available, please visit the university website for more information.
Program delivery
BA Drama and Creative Writing: 3 years
BA Drama and Creative Writing (Including Year Abroad): 4 years
BA Drama and Creative Writing (Including Placement Year): 4 years
- Teaching will take the form of lectures, seminars, practical workshops and skills-based training sessions
- We offer a unique combination of theoretical and creative approaches
- Class sizes are up to 20 students and taught in specially designated teaching rooms
- A typical timetable is a mixture of one hour lectures and three-hour seminars and/or practical workshops
Tuition
- Home/UK fee: £9,250
- International fee: £17,700
Career paths
Many of our students have gone on to successfully publish their work, notable recent alumni including:
- Ida Løkås, who won a literary prize in Norway for The Beauty That Flows Past, securing a book deal
- Elaine Ewert, recent graduate from our MA Wild Writing, placed
- Petra Mcqueen, who has written for The Guardian and runs creative writing courses
.
Our graduates are also ideally prepared for careers in the media, education, publishing, and the film and theatre industries. Two particular areas in which our graduates have had recent success are publishing and the theatre. One of our former students is now in charge of editorial at a large publishing house, and another has just taken over running one of the country’s major theatres.
Other recent graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of desirable roles including:
- The Civil Service
- Journalism and broadcasting
- Marketing
- Museum and library work
- Commerce and finance
- Teaching
About this institute
University of Essex
We are Essex: home to the ambitious and the inquisitive. We are proud to be top 39 in the Complete University Guide (2022), a past University of the Year (THE) and internationally recognised for Social Sciences. We're committed to two...
