Drama and English Literature, BA Hons
Join an exciting and challenging Drama & English Literature degree that will help you become a future industry leader. Develop the skills for Creative Arts, Performing Arts or literary careers.
On our innovative Drama and English Literature degree, you'll be taught by world-leading academics and theatre practitioners. You spend half of your time at the Bathway Theatre - a specialist drama facility with six studios and a flexible theatre space - and half at Greenwich Maritime campus.
As part of this course, you'll study literature, visual narratives, fiction and poetry. You can hone your performance skills through large-scale public productions and create your own Theatre Company in the final year.
If you're interested in a Drama and English Literature course with a year studying abroad, have a look at our 4-year BA (Hons) Drama and English Literature with International Study degree. You can apply to join the BA (Hons) Drama and English Literature with International Study degree as a new student in year 1 and students studying our BA (Hons) Drama and English Literature degree may be able - subject to meeting certain conditions - to transfer to the BA (Hons) Drama and English Literature with International Study degree.
Our 4-year 'sandwich' mode includes a professional practice year where you work with one of our industry partners.
UCAS points
104 (full requirements below)
Course/institution codes
QW43 G BA/DrEng
School
Location
Duration
- 3 years full-time
- 6 years part-time
- 4 years sandwich
Start month
September
Home* /international fees 2025/26
£9,535 /£17,500
What you should know about this course
* The Department for Education has indicated that it intends to raise the Home tuition fee limit from £9,250 to £9,535 for 2025/26.
What you will study
About the course team
Staff are all creative practitioners and/or scholars involved in original research projects. You will be taught by an experienced team in a supportive environment. Staff connect with other artists and academics through the Bathway Theatre Network. Partners include Greenwich Theatre, Protein Dance Theatre, Greenwich and Lewisham Young People's Theatre (GLYPT), and a variety of professional theatre companies, writers and performers.
Come and meet us
We are offering virtual events so that you can still experience how Greenwich could be the right university for you.
Next Open Days
Got a question?
To find out more about our Open Days and Campus Tours or if you need any assistance, please email opendays@gre.ac.uk.
Entry requirements
Qualifications
- 104 UCAS Tariff points. We accept A Levels, T Levels, BTECs, Access to HE and all other qualifications with UCAS Tariff points.
Contextual Admissions
- We make Contextual offers to this programme. Applicants that meet specific eligibility criteria will be made a contextual offer with a reduced tariff of up to 16 UCAS Tariff points. Other entry requirements such as GCSEs, Interview, etc., will still need to be met. For further information, please see our Contextual Admissions Policy.
For more information, use our contact form or call us on 020 8331 9000.
You can also read our admissions policy.
Further information about entry
- Application and selection: Suitable applicants will be required to attend an audition workshop or a virtual interview event depending on location/circumstances.
Available to overseas students?
Yes
Can I use Prior Learning?
For entry: applicants with non-traditional qualifications or appropriate professional experience will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
For exemption: If you hold qualifications or courses from another higher education institution, these may exempt you from modules of this degree.
How you will learn
Teaching
Learning takes place through a combination of timetabled learning and independent study.
You can view more information about how each module is taught within our 'What you will study' section.
Seminars and workshops enable you to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups. You will also be able to meet your personal tutor. Timetabled learning may fall between 9am and 9pm depending on your courses and tutorials.
Class sizes
Class sizes vary to suit the type of activity. Workshops will normally hold around 25 people, whereas lectures may be larger.
You will be put in to smaller groups for particular assessment tasks, projects and performances.
Where you will learn
- Half of your lessons are taught at the Bathway Theatre site in Woolwich
- Half are taught at our Greenwich Campus.
Independent learning
Drama and English Literature requires both independent study and a large amount of group work. Outside of timetabled sessions, you are expected to carry out practical and theoretical research, undertake set reading, and work in small groups towards assessments, performances, and presentations.
You can reserve studio space at Bathway for this and use the computers and other technical resources on site, plus the Stockwell Street library in Greenwich.
In addition, during the week you can also:
- Join student societies including the FPS (Film and Photography Society) and Performing Arts
- Attend guest lectures from industry experts
- Take part in employability and enterprise workshops.
Overall workload
If you are studying full-time, you should expect the workload to be similar to a full-time job. Each 30-credit module should take 300 hours in total including staff contact time. 15-credits need 150 hours.
Learning to work independently and as part of a creative project team makes our graduates highly desirable employees, whether they pursue careers in theatre or in other fields.
Assessment
You can view how each module is assessed within our 'What you will study' section.
Each course has formal assessments which count towards your grade. Some courses may also include 'practice' assignments, which help you monitor progress and do not count towards your final grade.
Feedback summary
We aim to give feedback on assignments within 15 working days.
Dates and timetables
The academic year runs from September to June.
Full teaching timetables are not usually available until term has started. For any queries, please use our contact form.
Official statistics on Discover Uni
Full time
Part time
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Cohort | Full time | Part time | Distance learning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home* | £9,535 | £2,384 per 30 credits | N/A |
| International | £17,500 | £4,375 per 30 credits | N/A |
University is a great investment in your future. English-domiciled graduate annual salaries were £10,500 more than non-graduates in 2023 - and the UK Government projects that 88% of new jobs by 2035 will be at graduate level.
(Source: DfE Graduate labour market statistics: 2023/DfE Labour market and skills projections: 2020 to 2035).
* The Department for Education has indicated that it intends to raise the Home tuition fee limit from £9,250 to £9,535 for 2025/26.
Other costs
Resources: You will need comfortable clothing for practical modules (including steel toe capped boots for technical theatre students). You will also need to buy a limited number of texts for your studies. Many other texts and resources are available from our Stockwell Street Library.
Trips: Drama students typically attend 3-4 theatre trips per year (typically in/around London). We subsidise these so you only pay half the ticket cost.
Transport: You face any costs for travelling to/from our theatre facility in Woolwich, where several of our drama modules may be taught.
Scholarships and bursaries
We offer a wide range of financial help including scholarships and bursaries.
The Greenwich Bursary
This bursary is worth £700 for new undergraduate students with a low household income, entering Year 0 or 1 who meet the eligibility criteria.
EU Bursary
Following the UK's departure from the European Union, we are supporting new EU students by offering a substantial fee-reduction for studying.
Financial support
We want your time at university to be enjoyable, rewarding, and free of unnecessary stress, so planning your finances before you come to university can help to reduce financial concerns. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.
Careers and placements
Will I have a work placement?
This course can be taken in sandwich mode, which means you can take a year to work in industry between your second and final years of study. Sandwich placements in industry are relevant to your degree subject and are paid roles.
How long is my placement?
Sandwich placements last for between 9-13 months. Work-based learning module placements are normally one day a week for either one or two terms depending on the number of credits available from the module.
What are the financial arrangements?
Sandwich placements in industry are paid roles whereas work-based learning module placements are normally unpaid.
What sort of careers do graduates pursue?
The skills you acquire through studying our courses will prepare you for careers in a wide range of industries and jobs. Many graduates of this course go on to careers in theatre, socially engaged drama, publishing, and arts administration.
Are internships available?
Students are encouraged to take up Summer internships during the Summer holidays, though it is up to the student to find them. Support is available to students from the Employability and Careers Service when applying for placements and internships.
Do you provide employability services?
Employability activities take place all the time at Greenwich and students are encouraged to take part in as many opportunities as possible. The central Employability and Careers Service provides support for students preparing to apply for placements and graduate roles, such as CV clinics, mock interviews and employability skills workshops. In addition, your School has a dedicated Employability Officer who will be organising work-related activities throughout the year which will help you to build you industry knowledge and networks.
More about careers.
Support and advice
Academic skills and study support
We want you to make the most of your time with us. You can access study skills support through your tutor, our subject librarians, and our online academic skills centre.
Where appropriate, we provide support in academic English and mathematics. If you need to use particular IT packages for a specific module, we provide training for this.
Not quite what you were looking for?
We've got plenty of other courses for you to choose from. Browse our undergraduate courses or check our related courses below.....
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Visit our drama degrees page.
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Visit our English degrees page.
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Looking for some tips to get you thinking about either studying English Literature or Creative Writing at undergraduate level? If so, look no further - our subject teaching teams have a few suggestions which might help.
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