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To apply you’ll need to:
- Make note of the Queen Mary institution code: Q50
- Make note of your chosen course UCAS code:
Film Studies and Drama
- WW46 — BA (Hons)
- WW4Y — BA (Hons) with Year Abroad
- Click on the link below:
Have further questions? How to apply | Entry requirements
Film Studies and Drama
2 study options
Film Studies and Drama BA (Hons)
Key information
- Degree
- BA (Hons)
- Duration
- 3 years
- Start
- September 2022
- UCAS code
- WW46
- Institution code
- Q50
- Typical A-Level offer
- Grades ABB at A-Level. This must include at least one A-Level in an arts, humanities or social sciences subject, and at least one essay based subject.
Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Full entry requirements - UK fees
- £9,250*
- International fees
- Fees for 2022 entry will appear here shortly
*These fees are for the 2021-22 academic year and are provided as a guideline. Fees for 2022-23 have not yet been set.
Film Studies and Drama with Year Abroad BA (Hons)
Key information
- Degree
- BA (Hons)
- Duration
- 4 years
- Start
- September 2022
- UCAS code
- WW4Y
- Institution code
- Q50
- Typical A-Level offer
- Grades ABB at A-Level. This must include at least one A-Level in an arts, humanities or social sciences subject, and at least one essay based subject.
Excludes General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Full entry requirements - UK fees
- £9,250*
- International fees
- Fees for 2022 entry will appear here shortly
*These fees are for the 2021-22 academic year and are provided as a guideline. Fees for 2022-23 have not yet been set.
Overview
Study film and drama in London, one of the world’s greatest theatre cities, and heart of the UK film industry.
Our BA joint honours course in Film Studies and Drama is an exciting opportunity to study the dramatisation of our world across live and recorded media, and examines interrelated concepts such as production, mise-en-scène and spectatorship. You will be introduced to theories of performance and representation, and to key critical practices of twentieth and twenty-first-century theatre, performance and film.
You'll develop critical skills, which will give you a crucial insight into fundamental aspects of theatre and film, as well as creative skills in theatre and performance making. You'll also develop your communication and research skills, and skills in working collaboratively.
Our staff – leading academics, practitioners and arts professionals – will work with you to make learning challenging and engaging, and encourage you to develop as a theatre and film critic and informed theatre and performance maker.
Structure
You can complete your Film Studies 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.
Year 1
- US Cinema: Key Concepts
- Approaches and Analysis
- London/Culture/Performance
- Power Plays
- Beyond Acting
You can find out more about our modules from Queen Mary’s module directory.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Year 2
Compulsory
- What is Cinema? Critical Approaches
Choose at least one Drama module from
- Culture, Power and Performance (seminar)
- Group Practical Project (practice-based)
You select the rest of your modules from a range of options that changes each year.
Modules may include:
- Brazilian Cinema: The Social Tradition
- Contemporary World Cinemas
- Film Curation
- From Page to Screen
- Introduction to British Cinema
- Research Methods (Film)
- Scriptwriting: Adaption and Original Script
- Action Design
- London Performance Now
- Making Contemporary Theatre
- Naturalism
- Performing Illness and Disability
- Performing Shakespeare
- Race and Racism in Performance
This is a sample of modules from our full module directory.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Year 3
Choose one from
- Film Studies Research Project
- Practice-based Research Project
- Written Research Project
You select the rest of your final-year modules from a range of seminar and practice-based options that changes each year.
Modules may include
- Contemporary Chinese Cinemas
- Film Archaeology
- German Narrative Fiction in Text and Film
- Mapping Contemporary Cinemas
- New Independent Indian Cinema
- Slavery, Colonialism and Postcolonialism in African Cinema
- Applied Performance
- Culture, Performance and Globalisation
- Performance and Celebrity
- Performance Composition
- Shakespeare after Shakespeare
- Show Business: Theatre and Capitalism
- Verbatim, Testimonial, Tribunal
This is a sample of modules from our full module directory.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
Study options
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.
Year abroad
Go global and study abroad as part of your degree – apply for our Film Studies 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.
Additional Costs
Some modules require you to buy books, tickets to performances, films or exhibitions, and travel within London.. Tickets for Drama modules are free in your first year and, where possible, offered at a discounted rate or subsidised in subsequent years.
At the time, I was looking to expand my understanding of cinema not only technically, but also through areas such as philosophy, history, psychology and politics. This program permanently altered my approach to film, teaching me how to understand the cinema’s complex visual language. It also made my own practice more meaningful by teaching me how to express my vision more effectively and clearly.
Teaching
Teaching and learning
You’ll usually attend at least eight hours of classes weekly, mainly in the form of seminars, lectures, studio-based workshops and workshops outside Queen Mary. Practice-based modules include additional scheduled studio time weekly for student-led practice. You'll also attend regular timetabled film screenings. Some modules also include 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
Assessment typically includes a combination of written and practical assignments, such as essays, performances, presentations, portfolios, scripts, programme notes, reviews, feature articles, artist websites, podcasts and dissertations. Some assessment is based around group work, especially for performance projects and presentations.
Resources and facilities
The Schools offer excellent on-campus resources to support your studies, including:
- our state-of-the-art 41-seater cinema
- a large range of professional and broadcast-standard production and post-production equipment, including a film production suite, two film studios with professional lighting grids, two edit suites, and motion capture equipment
- access to the Film and Drama Studio
- five performance spaces, including rehearsal rooms and two fully equipped studio theatres
- opportunities to act, direct, stage manage through the Queen Mary Theatre Company
- opportunities to meet visiting experts including artists, directors, producers, playwrights, activists and filmmakers
- proximity to specialist archives and collections such as the BFI Archive, National Theatre, Live Art Development Agency Study Room, Women’s Library and Black Cultural Archives
- access to Senate House Library and the British Library
Entry requirements
| A-Level | Grades ABB at A-Level. This must include at least one A-Level in an arts, humanities or social sciences subject, and at least one essay based subject. 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 at least one arts, humanities or social sciences subject at Higher Level. This must also include an essay based humanities or social sciences subject at Higher Level. |
| 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 arts or humanities 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 at least one A-Level in an arts, humanities or social sciences subject, and at least one essay based subject. 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 at least one arts, humanities or social sciences subject at Higher Level. This must also include an essay based humanities or social sciences subject at Higher Level. |
| 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 arts or humanities 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. |
Non-UK students
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.
English language
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.
Further information
Funding
Loans and grants
UK students accepted onto this course are eligible to apply for tuition fee and maintenance loans from Student Finance England or other government bodies.
Scholarships and bursaries
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.
Support from Queen Mary
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:
- additional sources of funding
- planning your budget and cutting costs
- part-time and vacation work
- money for lone parents.
Careers
Our Film Studies and Drama graduates go on to work in a variety of roles – including performing, programming and producing – across many different sectors, including the creative arts, media and broadcasting, teaching and publishing.
Recent graduates have gone on to work for:
- BDiscovered
- British Film Council
- Equinox Film and TV Production
- The National Theatre
- Odeon
- Shakespeare’s Globe.
Career support
You’ll have access to bespoke careers support during your degree, including access to experts in Drama and Film, specific modules (e.g. Applied Performance, Drama and Education, Writing about the Arts); 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:
- specialist advice on choosing a career path
- support with finding work experience, internships and graduate jobs
- feedback on CVs, cover letters and application forms
- interview coaching.
Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.
Unistats data for these courses
Film Studies and Drama - BA (Hons)
Film Studies and Drama with Year Abroad - BA (Hons)
About the Schools
School of English and Drama - Department of Drama
We provide a first-class learning environment - the Departments of Drama and English are in the top 35 in the world (QS World Rankings by Subject 2018). And you’ll learn from leading experts: Drama is ranked first and English fifth in the UK for research quality (Research Excellence Framework 2014).
Our degrees make full use of the literary and cultural riches of London, with trips to venues such as Shakespeare’s Globe, the Victoria & Albert Museum and the British Library.
School of Languages Linguistics and Film
The School of Languages, Linguistics and Film is friendly and vibrant. Our students produce podcasts and short films, put on plays and liaise with writers and journalists.
We’re visited by poets, novelists and outside experts, and have strong links with London’s cultural institutions.
In the 2017 National Student Survey, French and Hispanic Studies received overall satisfaction ratings of 100 per cent – top in the UK. German was ranked first in London and Hispanic Studies and Russian in the top five by the Complete University Guide 2018.
