BA Acting & English
About this course
BA (Hons) in English and Performance and design for theatre and screen. Core topics include Research Methods, Ethics & Professional Practice, and Social & Cultural Analysis. Acting training covers both stage and screen, with final-year public productions and the opportunity to present work at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. The programme culminates in a dissertation.
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
Scottish Higher: Standard Entry Requirement: BBBC including English. Minimum Offer Entry Requirement: BCCC including English. A level: CCC including English. Irish Leaving Certificate: H2, H3, H3, H3 at HL including English. BTEC Extended Diploma: Minimum grades MMM (Merit, Merit, Merit) in a related subject. Grade C in AL/Higher English also required. IB: Award of Diploma with 27 points overall with three HL subjects at grades 6, 5, 4 including English. HNC: Pass HNC Acting and Performance or another performance based subject with grade B in the graded unit. Grade C in Higher English is also required. T Level: Grade Pass T Level must be completed in a English/Literary subject or A Level English may be required. Please contact ugadmissions@napier.ac.uk to check if you meet the subject specific requirements.
See the highest paying Languages & English degrees in the UK →
See the highest paying Art, Design, Music & Drama degrees in the UK →
What students say
Based on about 17 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 100%
- Learning opportunities: 94%
- Assessment and feedback: 94%
- Academic support: 97%
- Organisation and management: 72%
- Learning resources: 89%
- Student voice: 83%
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 13 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 55%
- Working and studying: 20%
- Further study: 15%
Most common jobs
- Secretarial and related occupations: 15%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 15%
- Business and public service associate professionals: 15%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 40%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 20%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 30 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- Scotland: 100%
Who gets in
Based on about 30 students who started
- A levels: 85%
- Other HE qualification: 5%
- No formal qualifications: 5%
Modules
- Introduction to Literary Studies: Text and Context
- Reading Texts: Analysing Film, Literature and Culture
- Acting Fundamentals I
- Acting Fundamentals II (Naturalism)
- Interpreting Text
- Critical Contexts: Introduction to Literary Criticism and Cultural Theory
- Modern Drama: Shakespeare and the Renaissance
- Shakespeare
- The Modern Novel
- Intermediate Acting I: Contemporary Theatre Practice
- Performance Workshop 1: Shakespeare
- The World at War: Writing and Watching Global
- Narratives of Social and Sexual Deviance: Rethinking the Victorians
- Collaborative Practice
- C21 Literature: Writing the Unfolding Present
- Cultural and Literary Theory: Debates and Applications
- Advanced Acting: Screen
- Theatre Directing
- Leadership in the Creative Industries
- Narratives of Nature
- Bloody Bodies: Violence in Early Modern Drama
- Cultural Heritage: Narratives and Memorialisation
- Dissertation
- Performance Workshop II
- Festival Production
- Postcolonial Fiction and Film
- Modern Scottish Fiction
- Lateness and the Modern
- The Gothic Tradition
- Performance Skills for Professional Practice
- Memoir, Documentary and the Essay Film
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Acting & English at Edinburgh Napier University earn?
The median salary is £16,000 after 3 years, £23,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £19,500 and £31,000. The £23,500 median after five years is £5,500 less than the UK median for English studies.
What do graduates of BA Acting & English at Edinburgh Napier University do next?
90% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Acting & English at Edinburgh Napier University?
100% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Acting & English at Edinburgh Napier University?
The typical offer is CCC at A level, or 27 points in the IB. The average entrant had 185 UCAS points.
Does BA Acting & English at Edinburgh Napier University include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has an optional year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Acting & English at Edinburgh Napier University?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 0% left higher education.