Film and Television Studies/Drama and Theatre
UCAS Code: WW64
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Pass in Access qualification in a relevant subject with Merit in 50% of units at level 3.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
UCAS Tariff
Aberystwyth University welcomes the Welsh Baccalaureate as a valuable qualification in its own right and considers completion of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate to be equivalent to an A level grade.
About this course
Aberystwyth University’s joint honours Film and Television Studies/Drama and Theatre degree is an exciting, diverse and challenging programme, combining practical and theoretical approaches to the study of a broad spectrum of media and performing arts. You will encounter a wide range of practical and theoretical modules in film and television, covering everything from fiction to documentary, and from mainstream to experimental. In addition, you will have the opportunity to explore a wide range of contemporary theatre practices from scripted drama to site-specific performance, and from Shakespeare to experiments in new media.
You will be taught by leading researchers and experienced practitioners in a department that places an emphasis on intellectual development, technical proficiency and industry partnerships. Your three years of study on this course will prepare you for a variety of careers in the creative media, creative arts and beyond. We are a vibrant and creative department where drama and theatre, film and media, and scenography and theatre design collide.
We have connections with key industry partners, such as National Theatre Wales, Music Theatre Wales, Quarantine Theatre Company, and Theatr Genedlaethol Cymru. You will succeed with our superb facilities and resources for practical work: three rehearsal studios, each with flexible technical facilities; 2 large professionally-equipped studios with digital lighting rigs controlled via ETC Congo and Strand Lighting consoles, Yamaha and Soundcraft PAs, Sanyo AV systems and Strand lighting and two NXAMP; and costume and wardrobe facilities.
This course is taught through the combination of lectures, seminars, practical workshops. Our teaching is frequently mixed-mode, interrogating theory through practical investigation and practice through the lens of various theoretical perspectives. You will be assessed through formal and performed essays, written and practical examinations, critical and creative portfolios, practical productions, seminar presentations and group activities. Check out our website for full details on modules!
One of our notable and esteemed alumni is Alex Jones who is currently the longest running female presenter on the One Show. During her time at Aberystwyth University, Alex Jones studied Drama and Theatre Studies. Many of our students have been successful in obtaining employment in these fields; Acting and performing; Directing; Designing; Script writing; Teaching and education; Arts administration; Marketing; Management; Public Relations.
Tuition fees
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Extra funding
Aberystwyth University offers a valuable package of scholarships and bursaries to support students. Our long-established Entrance Examination competition means you could get up to £2,000 a year towards your living and study costs. You can combine that with any or all of our other awards, to make your financial package more valuable. Our awards include Sport and Music Scholarships, Bursaries for Care Leavers/Young Carers and a range of department specific awards. Please visit our website for full details.
The Uni
Main Site (Aberystwyth)
Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies
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See your living costsWhat students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Drama
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Media studies
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Cinematics and photography
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Drama
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?Drama is a very popular degree subject — in 2015, over 5,000 degrees were awarded to UK graduates. With so many graduates around, jobs in acting are very sought-after and often gained through personal contacts, or through your careers service so be prepared to practise your people skills and to make full use of your university facilities. But there are lots of roles in the arts for drama graduates, in direction, production, audio-visual, set and clothing design and PR. The skills taught by drama courses can be useful elsewhere — a lot of the economy can use people who can perform and present in front of others, and so drama graduates can be found in teaching, management, advertising, project and events organisation and community work. Be aware that freelancing and self-employment is common, as are what is termed 'portfolio careers' — having several part-time jobs or commissions at once — one in ten drama graduates last year had more than one job on the go at once after six months. And starting salaries are not the best - but nevertheless the large majority of drama graduates going into acting still felt that it was just the job for them regardless of pay.
Media studies
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?The UK has a world-class media industry in film, print and broadcast media, worth billions to the economy, and employing thousands of new graduates every year, so it's hardly surprising that ambitious and talented graduates want to work in it. But be realistic — this is a highly-sought after industry and jobs are amongst the most competitive around. If you want to be a star in front of the camera or in print, you might want to look at other options. Media studies graduates are much the most likely graduates to get into the media industry (in 2015, one in five grads entering the film industry, and one in four getting jobs in TV or film production had a media studies degree) and they’re more likely to be in crucial roles directing, producing, or operating sound or video equipment, or in media research or marketing roles. Self-employment and freelancing is more common than for most degrees, so that may be something to prepare for.
Cinematics and photography
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What do graduate employment figures really tell you?A few years ago graduates from this subject were having a very hard time but things have improved a lot thanks to our active media, film and photographic industries - much the most common employers for this group. The most common jobs are in the arts — as photographers, audio-visual technicians, operators and designers, as directors, as artists and as graphic designers. Training in presenting sound and graphics is useful in other industries as well, so you can find graduates in journalism, in advertising, in business management, in events management and in web design and IT. Be aware that freelancing and self-employment is common in the arts, as are what is termed 'portfolio careers' — having several part-time jobs or commissions at once.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Drama
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£14k
£17k
£20k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Media production
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£15k
£18k
£22k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Cinematography
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£14k
£17k
£20k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
We calculate a mean rating of all responses to indicate whether this is high, medium or low compared to the same subject area at other universities.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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