BA Drama and Film Studies
About this course
BA Drama and Film Studies is an undergraduate degree exploring the histories, theories and practical applications of theatre, performance and cinema. Core topics include Programming, Research Methods, and Ethics & Professional Practice. The programme is delivered over three years with distinct pathways across stage and screen. The first year covers foundational concepts through compulsory modules such as The Art of Film, Introduction to Theatre and Performance Studies, and Theatre and Performance Histories. Subsequent years offer extensive choice across optional modules examining contemporary cinema, documentary practices, applied theatre, screenwriting and performance histories. Students can further tailor their studies in the final year through specialized options and independent research projects including the Dissertation in Drama/Film.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB including one essay based subject
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What students say
Based on about 14 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 93%
- Learning opportunities: 90%
- Assessment and feedback: 87%
- Academic support: 100%
- Organisation and management: 98%
- Learning resources: 88%
- Student voice: 87%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 30 students who started
- Continued on course: 95%
- Moved to a lower qualification: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 14 graduates who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 65%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 5%
- Unemployed: 10%
Most common jobs
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 45%
- Business and public service associate professionals: 20%
- Elementary occupations: 15%
- Secretarial and related occupations: 5%
- Media Professionals: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 70%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 60%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 30%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 115 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 2%
- North West: 36%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 3%
- West Midlands: 7%
- East of England: 2%
- London: 27%
- South East: 9%
- South West: 4%
- Wales: 3%
- Scotland: 1%
- Northern Ireland: 3%
Who gets in
Based on about 30 students who started
- A levels: 90%
- Baccalaureate: 5%
- Foundation course: 5%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- The Art of Film
- Introduction to Theatre and Performance Studies
- Theatre and Performance Histories
- Performance Practices 1
- Performance Practices 2
- Introduction to Early Film Histories
- Introduction to World Cinema
- Contemporary British Cinema
- Screen, Culture and Society
- Theatres of Modernity
- Black on Screen
- Post-Thatcher British Theatre: New Writing Since 1992
- Performing America
- God at the Movies
- Devising for Performance
- Introduction to Documentary Film Practice
- Playmaking
- Solo Performance A
- Solo Performance B
- Drama in Education
- Horror Film: Genre, Periods, Styles
- Social Acts: Applied Theatre and Socially Engaged Arts Practice
- Theatres of Spontaneity
- Introduction to Screenwriting
- Discipline and Punish: The Modern Prison on Stage and Screen
- Archiving Culture
- Contemporary British Cinema
- Screen, Culture and Society
- Black on Screen
- Post-Thatcher British Theatre: New Writing Since 1992
- Performing America
- God at the Movies
- Horror Film: Genre, Periods, Styles
- Social Acts: Applied Theatre and Socially Engaged Arts Practice
- Discipline and Punish: The Modern Prison on Stage and Screen
- Dissertation in Drama/Film (Semester One)
- Dissertation in Drama/Film (Semester Two)
- Docufiction Filmmaking
- Applied Theatre: Theatre in Prisons
- Writing For Performance
- Performance and Public Space
- Professional Practices: Dramaturgy, Curation and Creative Programming
- Queer Bodies and the Cinema
- Directing Theatre
- Screening the Holocaust
- Activist Performance
- Social Lives of Cinema
- Extended Dissertation
- Falstaff and Gandalf go to the Movies: Adapting Fantastic Texts to Screen
- Contemporary Theatre-Making
- Global Television Industries
- Contemporary Documentary Film Making
- Screen Acting & Stardom
- Theatre, performance and care: studying artful care and careful art
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Drama and Film Studies at University of Manchester earn?
The median salary is £25,500 after 15 months, £21,000 after 3 years, £29,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £25,000 and £36,000. The £29,000 median after five years is £3,000 more than the UK median for Media studies.
What do graduates of BA Drama and Film Studies at University of Manchester do next?
75% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Drama and Film Studies at University of Manchester?
93% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Drama and Film Studies at University of Manchester?
The typical offer is ABB at A level. The average entrant had 155 UCAS points.
How many students continue on BA Drama and Film Studies at University of Manchester?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 0% left higher education.