BA Drama and English
About this course
BA in Drama and English, an undergraduate degree combining the critical study of literature, theatre, and the English language through performance and textual analysis. Core topics include Data Analysis, Research Methods, Fieldwork, and Historical Research. The curriculum offers options for independent research through a dissertation and practical engagement via work-based learning. The first year covers foundational topics through compulsory modules such as English in Transition, Issues in Contemporary Fiction: Gender, Race, Ecology, Introduction to Theatre: The Material Stage, Introduction to Acting for Stage and Screen, Introduction to English Language, and Theatre Now: Contemporary Performance. The second year introduces core studies in Modernist Theatre alongside an extensive selection of optional modules covering historical periods, drama practices, and creative traditions. The final year allows students to pursue advanced topics or independent projects such as a Dissertation, Advanced Theatre Practice, or specialist optional studies spanning international literature, performance theory, and media analysis.
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: BBB including A-level English Note: for applicants who have not studied A-level English then AS-level English (grade A) would be acceptable in lieu of A-level English. IB: 32 points overall, including 6 (English),5,5 at Higher Level
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What students say
Based on about 7 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 80%
- Learning opportunities: 84%
- Assessment and feedback: 70%
- Academic support: 90%
- Organisation and management: 65%
- Learning resources: 87%
- Student voice: 70%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 15 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 100%
What graduates do next
Based on about 8 graduates who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 25%
- Further study: 15%
Most common jobs
- Business and public service associate professionals: 15%
- Teaching Professionals: 15%
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 15%
- Sales occupations: 10%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 65%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 55%
Who gets in
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 100%
Modules
- English in Transition
- Issues in Contemporary Fiction: Gender, Race, Ecology
- Introduction to Theatre: The Material Stage
- Introduction to Acting for Stage and Screen
- Introduction to English Language
- Theatre Now: Contemporary Performance
- Modernist Theatre
- Mapping the Anglo-Saxon World
- Foundations for Speech Analysis: The Phonetics of English
- Language and Power
- History of English: Studying Language Change
- Shakespeare and Co
- Irish Literature
- Devising Theatre
- The Art of the Actor
- Principles of Business in Arts, Cultural and Creative Industries
- Educational Drama
- Acting Shakespeare
- Havoc and Rebellion: Writing and Reading Later Medieval England
- Modern American Fiction: Race, Class, Gender, Sexuality
- Inventing America
- Modernism and Modernity
- Fiction and the Novel (1660-1820)
- Utopia / Dystopia: The Future in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century Literature
- Romantic Poetry, 1789-1832
- Enlightenment and its Discontents
- Dickens and the Cult of Celebrity
- Acting for Musical Theatre
- Drama and Mental Health
- America's Aftermaths
- Gender, Culture, and Representation – Backwards & in Heels
- Writing Contemporary Ireland: Elegy, Epistle, Ekphrasis
- Culture, Class, and Emotion
- The Bible and Modern Fiction
- Poetry from Britain and Irelan
- Women's Writing 1680-1830
- Dissertation
- Shakespeare on Screen
- Speech Worlds: Phonological Acquisition, Variation and Disorder
- Televising the Victorians
- Irish Theatre
- Beckett in Performance
- Language in the Media
- Double Dissertation English Literature
- Double Dissertation English Language
- Advanced Theatre Practice
- Marvels, Monsters and Miracles in Anglo-Saxon England
- Contemporary Indian Literature in English
- The Art of Interaction
- Special Topic in Creative Writing
- Special Topic in Irish Writing
- Renaissance Performance, Gender, Space
- Dance Theatre
- Contemporary Irish and Scottish Fiction Devolutionary Identities
- The Structure of English
- Representing the Working Class
- Writing New York, 1880-1940
- Contemporary Poetry
- Irish Gothic
- The Theatre of Brian Friel
- Writing Africa: The Colonial Past to Colonial Present
- Work-based Learning
- Restoration to Regency in Contemporary Fiction
- Solo Performance
- Love Across the Divide: Northern Irish Literature and Culture 1968-Present
- Advanced Musical Theatre
- Participatory performance practices
- Shakespeare's History Plays: Then and Now
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Drama and English at Queen's University Belfast earn?
The median salary is £25,000 after 15 months. After fifteen months the middle half of graduates earn between £20,000 and £29,500. The £25,000 median after fifteen months is £2,000 less than the UK median for English studies.
What do graduates of BA Drama and English at Queen's University Belfast do next?
100% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Drama and English at Queen's University Belfast?
80% 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 English at Queen's University Belfast?
The typical offer is BBB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 156 UCAS points.
How many students continue on BA Drama and English at Queen's University Belfast?
100% of students continued into their second year, and 0% left higher education.