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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 programme 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.
Register your interest
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.
You will take the following modules (all compulsory):
US Cinema: Key ConceptsDecolonising Approaches to Film AnalysisLondon/Culture/PerformancePower PlaysPerformance, Acting, TextYou can find out more about our modules from Queen Mary’s module directory.
Please note that all modules are subject to change.
In Drama you must take at least one of the following modules:
Culture, Power, Performance (15 credits)Group Practical Project (30 credits)You then select your remaining credits from a selection of Level 5 Drama modules that changes each year. Modules may include:
Art and the Climate CrisisAction DesignRace and Racism in PerformanceTheatre, Experiment and Revolution Performing PersonaePerformance and Visual Culture in South AsiaVoice, Gender and PerformanceIn Film, you will take the following compulsory module:What is Cinema? Critical ApproachesYou then select your remaining Film modules from a list that changes each year. Modules may include:Brazilian Cinema: The Social TraditionContemporary World CinemasFilm CurationFrom Page to ScreenIntroduction to British CinemaResearch Methods (Film)Scriptwriting: Adaption and Original ScriptThis is a sample of modules from our full module directory.
You will choose one of the following modules: Film Studies Research ProjectPractice-based Research ProjectWritten Research ProjectYou select the rest of your final-year modules from a range of seminar and practice-based options that changes each year.
Modules may include:Applied PerformanceContemporary Chinese CinemasCulture, Performance and GlobalisationFeeling It: Emotion and Sensation in TheatreFilm ArchaeologyGerman Narrative Fiction in Text and FilmLive Art: Then and NowMapping Contemporary CinemasNew Independent Indian CinemaOffstage LondonPerformance and CelebrityPerformance CompositionSlavery, Colonialism and Postcolonialism in African CinemaShow Business: Theatre and CapitalismVerbatim, Testimonial, TribunalThis is a sample of modules from our full module directory.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
The Schools offer excellent on-campus resources to support your studies, including:
Alternative offers may be made to applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification.
For further information please visit: qmul.ac.uk/undergraduate/entry/epq
Our standard contextual offer: BBC at A-Level.
Our enhanced contextual offer: BCC at A-Level.
More information on our contextual offer criteria can be found on our contextualised admissions page.
Please note that General Studies and Critical Thinking are excluded from any A-Level offer and cannot be considered.
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.
See our general undergraduate entry requirements.
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 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:
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:
Learn more about career support and development at Queen Mary.
Film and Drama - BA (Hons)
Film and Drama with Year Abroad - BA (Hons)
The Discover Uni dataset (formerly Unistats)
The School of the Arts combines innovation, discovery and excellence in education and research in Drama, Film, Modern Languages, English & Comparative Literature, Creative Writing, Linguistics and Liberal Arts. We rank in the top 100 worldwide for Arts and Humanities (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024)