Drama and Creative Writing with a Placement Year
- BA (Hons)
- 4 Years
- Full-time
- 14/09/2026
- Undergraduate
- 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
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
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Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - Not accepted
A level - ABB
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDM
Access to HE Diploma - D: 30 credits M: 15 credits
Scottish Higher - AAABB
Scottish Advanced Higher - BCC
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 32 points
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
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
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6.5 | IELTS: 6.5 overall (minimum 5.5 in each component) |
English Language Equivalencies https://www.uea.ac.uk/apply/our-admissions-policy/english-language-equivalencies
Contextual admissions
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.
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
Grades held by accepted students
- A*AA
- Highest grades
- CCC
- Lowest grades
Offer rate for UK school & college leavers
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
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
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
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| England | £9790 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9790 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9790 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9790 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9790 | Year 1 |
| International | £23100 | Year 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.
University of East Anglia UEA
Norwich Research Park
Norwich
NR4 7TJ
Visit our website Visit our course page
Course contact details
Admissions Service
Email:admissions@uea.ac.uk
Phone:01603 591515

