To apply you’ll need to:
Have further questions? How to apply | Entry requirements
Are you interested in the fusion of literature, performance and culture?
Our BA joint honours course in English and Drama is an exciting opportunity to study the practice of theatre and performance, and the reading of texts from a broad spectrum of genres and periods. It combines practical and theoretical study in a wide range of interconnected areas, providing you with a variety of approaches to drama and literary studies as active and dynamic subjects.
Along with an understanding of how approaches to Drama and English complement one another, you will be encouraged to locate texts and performances in their political, cultural, and historical contexts. You'll also develop your communication and research skills, and skills in working collaboratively.
Our staff – leading academics and artists – will work with you to make learning challenging and engaging, and help you to develop as an informed critic, reader and performance maker.
You can complete your English and Drama degree in three or four years. If you choose to do a year abroad this will take place in Year 3 and Year 3 modules will instead be studied in Year 4.
Your first year includes a combination of practice-based and lecture/seminar-based modules:
Plus:
Or
You can find out more about our modules from Queen Mary’s module directory.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
1. Medieval and Early Modern Studies
2. Eighteenth-Century, Romanticism, and Nineteenth-Century Studies
3. Modern, Contemporary and Postcolonial Studies
You select the rest of your English modules from a range of options that changes each year.
You select Drama modules from a combination of seminar and practice-based options.
Select from modules, which may include:
Practice-based:
Seminar-based:
This is a sample of modules from our full module directory.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
You select the rest of your final-year modules from range of seminar and practice-based options that changes each year.
This is a sample of modules from our full module directory.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Apply for this degree with any of the following options. Take care to use the correct UCAS code - it may not be possible to change your selection later.
Go global and study abroad as part of your degree – apply for our English and Drama BA with a Year Abroad. Queen Mary has links with universities in Europe, North America, Asia and Australia (partnerships vary for each degree programme).
Find out more about study abroad opportunities at Queen Mary and what the progression requirements are.
Some modules require you to buy books, tickets to performances or exhibitions, and travel within London. Tickets are free in your first year and, where possible, offered at a discounted rate in subsequent years.
In English and Drama you are working with people, both practical workshops and seminars, it's very sociable.
You’ll usually attend eight hours of classes weekly, mainly in the form of seminars, lectures and studio-based workshops. Practice-based modules include additional scheduled studio time weekly for student-led practice. Some modules also include lectures, tutorials and field trips.
For every hour spent in class, you'll complete approximately three to four further hours of independent study preparing for classes and assignments.
Assessment typically includes a combination of written and practical assignments, such as essays, performances, presentations, portfolios, log books, programme notes, reviews, feature articles, artist websites, podcasts and dissertations. Some assessment is based around group work, especially for performance projects and presentations. There are no written exams in Drama and no exams in English beyond the first year.
The School offers excellent on-campus and London-based resources to support your studies, including:
English and Drama Joint Course at Queen Mary University of London. Hear from our students Christopher, Mahima and Blanka about why you should join the #QMULfamily.
| A-Level | Grades ABB at A-Level. This must include grade A or above in A-Level English Literature, English Language and Literature or English Language. Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking. |
| IB | International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 32 points overall, including 6,5,5 from three Higher Level subjects. This must include a minimum of 6 in Higher Level English A. |
| BTEC | See our detailed subject and grade requirements |
| Access HE | We consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 15 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. This must include at least 6 Level 3 credits in English Literature or Literacy modules at Distinction. |
| GCSE | Minimum five GCSE passes including English at grade C or 4. |
| EPQ | Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification. For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq |
| Contextualised admissions | We consider every application on its individual merits and will take into consideration your individual educational experiences and context. More information on how academic schools and programmes use this information as part of the admissions process, can be found on our contextualised admissions pages. |
| A-Level | Grades ABB at A-Level. This must include grade A or above in A-Level English Literature or English Language and Literature. Applicants with A-Level English Language may be considered on an individual basis. Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking. |
| IB | International Baccalaureate Diploma with a minimum of 32 points overall, including 6,5,5 from three Higher Level subjects. This must include a minimum of 6 in Higher Level English A. |
| BTEC | See our detailed subject and grade requirements |
| Access HE | We consider applications from students with the Access to Higher Education Diploma. The minimum academic requirement is to achieve 60 credits overall with 45 credits at Level 3, of which 15 credits must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit or higher. This must include at least 6 Level 3 credits in English Literature or Literacy modules at Distinction. |
| GCSE | Minimum five GCSE passes including English at grade C or 4. |
| EPQ | Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification. For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq |
| Contextualised admissions | We consider every application on its individual merits and will take into consideration your individual educational experiences and context. More information on how academic schools and programmes use this information as part of the admissions process, can be found on our contextualised admissions pages. |
We accept a wide range of European and international qualifications in addition to A-levels, the International Baccalaureate and BTEC qualifications. Please visit International Admissions for full details.
If your qualifications are not accepted for direct entry onto this degree, consider applying for a foundation programme.
Find out more about our English language entry requirements, including the types of test we accept and the scores needed for entry to the programme.
You may also be able to meet the English language requirement for your programme by joining a summer pre-sessional programme before starting your degree.
UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.
Queen Mary offers a generous package of scholarships and bursaries, which currently benefits around 50 per cent of our undergraduates.
Scholarships are available for home, EU and international students. Specific funding is also available for students from the local area. International students may be eligible for a fee reduction. We offer means-tested funding, as well as subject-specific funding for many degrees.
Find out what scholarships and bursaries are available to you.
We offer specialist support on all financial and welfare issues through our Advice and Counselling Service, which you can access as soon as you have applied for a place at Queen Mary.
Take a look at our Student Advice Guides which cover ways to finance your degree, including:
Our English and Drama graduates go on to work across many different sectors, such as the creative arts, publishing, teaching, and media and broadcasting.
Recent graduates from the School of English and Drama have been hired by:
You’ll have access to bespoke careers support during your degree including access to experts in the Departments of English and Drama, specific modules (e.g. Applied Performance, Drama and Education, Writing about the Arts, Livelihoods in English); School and Department-run careers and professional development workshops; extra-curricular experience with arts organisations; and advice about postgraduate study.
Our Queen Mary careers team can also offer:
Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.
English and Drama - BA (Hons)
English and Drama with Year Abroad - BA (Hons)
The School of English and Drama provides a first-class learning environment -- the Departments of Drama and English are in the top 40 in the world (QS World Rankings by Subject 2019). And you’ll learn from leading experts: Drama is ranked first and English fifth in the UK for research quality (Research Excellence Framework 2014).
We are a large School, with a lot of specialist staff, enabling us to offer a wide range of topics and approaches. You’ll have tailored support, including individual feedback on your work, and there are opportunities to contribute to student performances and publications.
We regularly host prominent writers and performers, and collaborate with leading organisations such as the V&A, the Barbican, the Live Art Development Agency and Shakespeare’s Globe. Our course makes full use of London’s exceptional theatre and performance resources (e.g. theatres, galleries, museums, libraries, archives, site-specific performance, festivals).
The School runs several innovative research centres, including the Centre for Poetry; the Centre for Renaissance and Early Modern Studies; the Centre for Religion and Literature in English; and the Sexual Cultures Research Group.
