Drama and Film and Screen Studies

On this combined course, you’ll gain a range of analytical and creative skills that will help prepare you for employment in many industries. 

Through your Film and Screen Studies modules you’ll develop an understanding of film and screen in contemporary society. You’ll be equipped to examine your own work with a critical and creative eye and have the opportunity to create your own practical filmmaking projects. 

In your Drama modules, you’ll study plays, practitioners and genres that have been particularly influential in shaping contemporary theatre and performance. You’ll explore: 

• Theatre practitioners 
  
• Playwrights 
  
• Performance making 
  
• Writing, directing and performing 
• Play production and theatre performances 
  
• Theatre in education performances and workshops in local schools and community settings 
  
• New plays written by students 
  
• New and existing works devised, directed and performed by students. 

Year one 

Build the foundations. You’ll gain skills in working with play texts as part of a theatrical ensemble, performing and directing, theatre production and performance. 

You’ll investigate film as a specific academic discipline, alongside how meaning is conveyed through film form and content. You’ll analyse how films are constructed and be introduced to ways of writing effectively about film. You'll also undertake an advanced investigation of key theoretical and methodological issues involved in the study of cinema, and explore film as a commercial, cultural and aesthetic institution. 

Year two 

Apply your skills. You’ll work with local practitioners, collaborate with a range of theatre experts and learn from visiting professional companies and artists. You'll also have the opportunity to apply yourself in a variety of performance projects.  

You can design your own programme for Film and Screen from a range of exciting modules. You can also take part in organising LineUP, the annual Student Film Festival at Bath Spa University. 

Our focus is allowing you to create original work, while you explore your particular areas of interest such as puppetry, performance and media, devising, applied theatre, musical theatre and theatre production. 

Year three 

Develop your specialisms. You'll define and manage your own work, and carry out research into areas of drama or performance of your choice. You may explore topics such as performance, staging gender, modern American drama, staging Shakespeare, musical theatre, theatre for social change, media and performance, and devising. There's also the opportunity to collaborate with staff on projects relating to their areas of expertise. 

You'll continue on a self-designed programme for Film and Screen chosen from a range of exciting modules. You can also take part in organising LineUP, the annual Student Film Festival at Bath Spa University. 

At BSU, our courses are designed to equip our graduates with the knowledge and skills they’ll need for the real world. To do this, we are continually improving our courses by responding to feedback from students and other stakeholders. This may mean changes may be made to the curriculum. You’ll always be given notice of any such changes.

For more information on how we approach such changes at the university, please read our policies on

• Suspensions and Discontinuations
• Programme modifications.

You'll be taught through a range of activities using our excellent media and theatre facilities. Your Film and Screen Studies modules will involve new media and your Drama modules will include workshops, skills classes, rehearsals and theatre visits. You'll be encouraged to make use of the University's virtual learning environment and you'll also learn through lectures, seminars, tutorials and work placements. 

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our information on Your Learning and Teaching at BSU.

We use a variety of assessment tasks across the programme, including:

• Essays
• Public performance
• Playwriting
• In-class performance of devised or published work
• Oral presentations
• Research reports
• Performance of backstage/technical roles
• Critical reflection
• Journals
• Working as part of an ensemble
• Script analysis
• Devising
• Portfolios
• Individual and group research projects.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

Visits may include trips to theatres and tours of famous UK film studios such as Pinewood and key film centres such as the BFI.

The main focus of interest for our graduates is the creative and cultural industries in the UK. These industries include advertising, journalism, theatre, publishing, film and film-related employments, television, radio and the heritage sector. However, there are also employment opportunities in local and central government and the voluntary sector.

Since 2011, employers such as BBC Bristol, Argonon and The Sheffield International Documentary Festival have recruited graduates from the Film and Screen courses at BSU. Students have also gone into roles including Unit Assistant, Festival Assistant and Film Location Manager.

Some graduates choose to pursue postgraduate study, especially in teaching, or vocational training. Recent graduates have gone on to study Master's degrees at Central School of Speech and Drama, Yale Theatre School and the Royal Academy of Music.

Other graduates launch careers in the creative industries, including working with theatre and media companies. Some of our Drama graduates are now:

• Founder of an award-winning theatre company
• Executive Director of a theatre school
• Principal of an Academy of Performing Arts
• Drama therapist and Tutor.

You'll be equipped with creative, collaborative, writing, presentational and communication skills that are useful in many professional and vocational areas.

Work placements for Film and Screen students are available within the programme through the second year Work Placement model. They can also be facilitated on an extra-curricular basis through members of the teaching team.

You’ll benefit from visits from industry professionals. Previous visitors have covered a range of specialisms including: playwriting, directing, acting, television production, theatre in education, and children’s theatre. We also have partnerships with local venues, local schools and local community groups.

You'll get the chance to take part in Sparkfest – a four-week celebration of the creative work from students, alumni, partners and our collaborators at Bath Spa School of Music and Performing Arts.

You'll create the material, then perform and produce it. You'll also design and construct the sets and take on roles in stage management, publicity, and health and safety. In doing this, you'll gain transferable skills such as project management, collaboration and teamwork you can use in a range of careers.

We encourage our filmmaking students to enter material for film competitions and festivals.

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

Both Film and Screen and Drama are taught at our stunning Newton Park campus, where you’ll be surrounded by wildlife and a beautiful 18th century landscape and lake.

You'll have access to a range of excellent Virtual Learning Environment, including:

• facilities with its state-of-the-art classrooms, study spaces and cafe
• Digital labs (Mac rooms) for students learning new media
• Commons building to support you in your modules.

As a Drama student, you'll also have access to our range of theatre and performance spaces, including a state-of-the-art equipped theatre, rehearsal spaces and studios. 

As a student of both Drama and Film and Screen, you'll work in a professional environment with industry-level equipment, truly preparing you for a career in the industry. Our electronic, multi-camera TV studios rival those used by commercial organisations and broadcast companies. They’re equipped to exceed industry standard and have both blue and green screen capability.

You'll be able to benefit from the studios, the studio gallery equipped with three HD camera channels, our nine HD-capable edit suites, a viewing theatre offering viewing for 2D, 3D, 4k (ultra-HD) and HD presentations, and two mixing rooms.

You'll also have access to:

• Cameras, audio recording equipment available for students to borrow absolutely free
• Technical staff to help students use industry standard software
• Library with print and ebooks, digital resources, literary magazines and journals
• Amphitheatre 
• University Theatre
• Michael Tippett Centre
• Oldfield Park Theatre Workshop.

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.