BA (Hons) in Drama Anglia Ruskin University

Explore different modes of performance and drama practice and develop skills for the stage and screen, with our BA (Hons) Drama degree in Cambridge.

Performing is at the core of our Drama degree at ARU.

With our BA (Hons) Drama degree, we’ll help you to grow into a confident, versatile and exciting drama practitioner with transferable skills to suit the field you want to work in.

With a strong focus on performance, you’ll get to work on public productions as well as smaller-scale projects, exploring practices from the 20th century onwards and devising your own productions.

We’ll encourage you to create innovative and daring performance practice as you develop expertise in group collaboration alongside your own solo performances. You’ll also get the chance to weigh your studies to suit your interests, be that drama practice, specialising in backstage production or even theatre administration.

What will study drama be like?

You’ll follow an experiential 'learning-through-doing' programme and your degree will see you choosing from a range of career-focused optional modules, completing a 100% practical Major Project, and graduating with a professionally produced showreel and portfolio.

As a student here, you’ll develop your technical and production skills in our specialist facilities. Our technical staff will be on hand to offer help and support.

You can also choose to study abroad for a semester, with funding available to help cover the cost.

Closer to home, you can connect with Cambridge’s performance scene through our links to local networks such as Cambridge Arts Network and Cambridge Live. You’ll get the chance to perform in public venues around Cambridge as well as in our performing arts spaces on campus, the Mumford Theatre and Covent Garden Studio.

Experience being part of a professional troupe with our very own Community Theatre Company and take the chance to perform and collaborate with other creative industry students.

You’ll be able to collaborate with other Cambridge School of Creative Industries students, such as our film students who need actors for their films. We’ll also support you to find placements and work experience and you can choose to take an optional placement year to gain further experience in drama and theatre.

As an ARU student, you can also get involved with the University of Cambridge's Footlights comedy events as a writer, performer or member of the production team.

The impact of our Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, and Film & Screen Studies research achieved 'world-leading' in the Research Excellence Framework 2021.

Is drama a good career?

Studying drama can open up a number of career paths, both in the performing arts sector, the creative industries more broadly, and areas such as education and teaching.

What is a degree in drama?

A degree in drama can help you to develop a number of skills. At ARU, our Drama degree is strongly focused on performance and getting you involved in a range of productions. But you'll also gain transferable skills that can be used in areas such as theatre, broadcasting, and arts organisations.

How long is a drama degree?

At ARU, you can study our BA (Hons) Drama degree over three years or four years with a placement year. There is also the option of a four-year degree with a foundation year.

Year 1

• Studio Performance
• Staging and Production
• Theatre Analysis
• Production Skills
• Applied Drama

Year 2

• Making Performance
• Community Theatre Performance
• Practice as Research
• Ruskin Module (15 credits)
• Physical Theatre
• Professional Theatre Practice 1
• Performing Shakespeare
• Performing New Writing

Year 3

• Major Project
• Festival of Performance
• Site-Specific and Immersive Theatre
• TV Drama Production
• Professional Theatre Practice 2
• Workshop Facilitation
• Provocations

Not only will you develop your performance skills during your time at ARU, our BA (Hons) Drama degree will give you practical experience as a stage technician, and the academic understanding you need to be a director or a teacher.

Graduation doesn’t need to be the end of your time with us, of course. You might decide to stay at ARU and study for a master, such as our MA in Dramatherapy. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and get 20% off your fees.