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Dance and Performance (Top-Up)

Entry requirements


Complete a relevant HND

Complete a relevant HND

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

About this course


Course option

1year

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Dance performance

Gain a broad understanding of the dance industry and the ability to manage a successful career in this exciting field. Become a thinking practitioner of dance and spend time looking at performance development through choreography and dance science.

If you have completed a foundation-level degree, HND, or equivalent qualifications in a relevant subject, you can choose to top-up your studies to gain a full bachelor’s degree. Applications are welcomed from dancers with any dance background, including both traditional and non-traditional forms, but the programme focuses primarily on jazz technique and is therefore aimed at those students with an interest in the commercial dance industry.

**Why study this subject?**
If you love to Dance and Perform, this course could see you getting your first role within the industry. Wake up every day knowing you’re doing what you love, turn your passion for dance and performance into your career.

**Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?**
A top-up degree is the equivalent of the final year of an undergraduate degree, and offers a chance to deepen your knowledge, skills and understanding of your subject, while also getting an internationally-recognised qualification.

This programme will focuses on commercial dance forms that range from street, to classical ballet. Unlike many other courses this programme focuses primarily on jazz technique and the commercial dance industry and is therefore aimed at those students keen to learn about the wider commercial dance sector.

During this course you’ll be able to take advantage of regular masterclasses. Taught by leading industry professionals, these classes allow you to further develop technique and acquire a deep understanding of a range of dance styles. This also provides ample opportunity to network with professionals working in the field.

You will have access to a range of our state-of-the-art facilities including a well-equipped gym, dance studios, fitness studio and a brand new Human Performance Lab. Also with the West End just a short train ride away, you'll be perfectly located to immerse yourself in the performing arts.

**What facilities can I use?**
Our Human Performance Laboratory has been designed to increase athletes’ performance through improved technique, and also assists with injury prevention and rehabilitation. The lab is home to an indoor three-lane running track that incorporates 3D motion-capture technology and is equipped for assessing a range of physiological, biomechanical and psychological parameters.

We also have access to the Wycombe Swan Theatre and Wycombe Town Hall as part of our Wycombe Swan Residency. The Swan Theatre sits adjacent to the University and is one of the UK’s leading regional theatres.

**What will I study?**
BA (Hons) Dance and Performance Top-up offers students the chance to study at an institution rich in culture, with London West End just a short train ride away. This industry focused Programme is delivered through a variety of teaching mediums; studio classes, workshops, lectures and seminars, all designed to provide a stimulating environment with opportunities for students to work with local dance organisations and professional dance practitioners in the field.

The overall aim is to use innovative teaching and learning methods to guide students towards becoming more independent learners by the end of the programme, and to allow them to explore issues fully in the context of their work

**How will I be taught and assessed?**
During your time with us you will find the emphasis will be on enabling you to develop essential skills (both in practice and theory) and knowledge that are needed to learn and to demonstrate learning. You will be expected to apply theoretical understanding in a variety of different scenarios, and employ a number of approaches to expression and articulation in assignments in self-directed modules.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£15,000
per year
International
£15,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Buckinghamshire New University

Department:

School of Art, Design, and Performance

Read full university profile

What 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.

100%
Dance performance

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.

Dance

Teaching and learning

100%
Staff make the subject interesting
100%
Staff are good at explaining things
100%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
100%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

79%
Library resources
90%
IT resources
90%
Course specific equipment and facilities
90%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

86%
UK students
14%
International students
8%
Male students
92%
Female students
71%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A
A

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.

Dance

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.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
64%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

14%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
13%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
13%
Other elementary services occupations

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Dance

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

£15k

£18k

£18k

£20k

£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.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
University of Chichester | Chichester
Dance Performance
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96-120
Lower entry requirements
LMA | Liverpool
Dance Performance
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96-99

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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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).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

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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