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Drama and Creative Writing with a Placement Year

Course details
  • BA (Hons)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-time
  • 14/09/2026
  • Undergraduate
Course location
Main Site

Course summary

Overview

Drama and Creative Writing work together to craft powerful stories, invent new forms of expression, and engage audiences and readers in fresh ways of thinking. Whether on the page, stage or screen, these disciplines help us explore what it means to be human.

The Drama and Creative Writing with a Placement Year degree at UEA gives you the chance to study in two outstanding departments, including the longest-established and most prestigious Creative Writing department in the UK. You’ll be taught by experienced artists, writers, and researchers who will support you in developing both your creative voice and your performance skills. By combining your passions for text and performance, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how they inform and inspire one another.

Throughout your degree, you’ll explore both disciplines, studying acting, innovative playwrights, writing, and theatre practices from around the world. You’ll learn the art of writing, including for stage and screen, the craft of theatre-making, and how critical thinking leads to rigorous and powerful work. You’ll have the opportunity to study all kinds of creative writing, with a particular focus on writing for theatre, cinema, television, and radio. Alongside this, you'll be exploring the contemporary practice, criticism, and history of dramatic writing and performance. Your writing will be enriched by an awareness of theatrical and literary traditions from around the globe.

You’ll work in our professional Drama Studio, benefiting from our highly regarded student-run Minotaur Theatre Company and gaining even more performance, technical, and scriptwriting experience. Studying in Norwich means you’ll have access to a rich arts scene, including Norwich Theatre, Norwich Arts Centre, UEA Live, and the National Centre for Writing. On this course, you’ll also spend 9-12 months in an industry placement during your third year, gaining invaluable work experience and employability skills in a relevant area of your choice.

Your degree could take you into a career in the creative industries, as a writer or working in theatre, film, and radio. Or you might choose to take your collaborative, creative and critical skills into a host of other professions or into business.

Disclaimer

Course details are subject to change. You should always confirm the details on the provider's website: www.uea.ac.uk

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
WW4P
Institution code:
E14
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - Not accepted

A level - ABB

Contextual offer: BBC

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDM

Contextual offer: DMM Please see UEA website for further information on accepted combinations. Excludes BTEC Public Services, BTEC Uniformed Services and BTEC Business Administration.

Access to HE Diploma - D: 30 credits M: 15 credits

Humanities & Social Sciences pathway. Contextual offer: Humanities & Social Sciences pathway. Pass the Access to HE Diploma with Merit in 30 credits at Level 3 and pass in 15 credits at Level 3.

Scottish Higher - AAABB

Scottish Advanced Higher - BCC

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 32 points

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal

Principal subjects and A-level combinations are considered - please contact us.

T Level - M

GCSE Requirements: GCSE English Language grade 4 or C and GCSE Mathematics grade 4 or C.

UEA are committed to ensuring that Higher Education is accessible to all, regardless of their background or experiences. One of the ways we do this is through our contextual admissions schemes – please see our website www.uea.ac.uk/apply/undergraduate/contextual-admissions for further information.

We welcome a wide range of qualifications - for further information please visit our website www.uea.ac.uk

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio
Candidates who are shortlisted will be asked to provide a sample of their creative writing as part of our assessment.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.5IELTS: 6.5 overall (minimum 5.5 in each component)
We welcome applications from students from all academic backgrounds. We require evidence of proficiency in English (including speaking, listening, reading and writing) We will also accept a number of other English language qualifications. Please check our website for details: https://www.uea.ac.uk/apply/our-admissions-policy/english-language-equivalencies

English Language Equivalencies https://www.uea.ac.uk/apply/our-admissions-policy/english-language-equivalencies

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

This course may make contextual offers. This means that we use additional information to understand and recognise your potential to succeed at UEA. Using this insight, we could provide you with an offer with reduced entry requirements to study at UEA. You don’t need to do anything to be considered – if eligible we will process your contextual offer automatically, based on the data we hold in your application. We do not make contextual offers during clearing. Check our website for eligibility.

Learn more on the University of East Anglia UEA website

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Data from:
This course and 2 other drama courses
Date range:
2022-2024

Offer rate for UK school & college leavers

93% Students aged 17/18 who applied to this course were offered a place.

How do you compare?

See how students with your grades have been accepted onto this course in the past.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

60 Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)

85 Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
England£9790Year 1
Northern Ireland£9790Year 1
Scotland£9790Year 1
Wales£9790Year 1
Channel Islands£9790Year 1
International£23100Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Tuition fees increase annually for all students in subsequent years of study. Any fee increase is based on the fee for the year that you register. Home undergraduate fees, whose rates are regulated by the UK Government, will be amended in line with any alteration advised by the UK Government. Fees not regulated by the UK Government will increase by a maximum of 4% or RPI-X whichever is the higher. RPI-X is the Retail Prices Index excluding mortgage interest.
For further information about additional costs for your course and information on fee status please see our website.

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