A student operating a film camera in a dim studio

BA (Hons) Available in Clearing

Drama and Film

Explore film theory and film-making from all over the world, as well as different modes of performance.

Start date: September 2025
Location: Cambridge
Duration: 3 years
UCAS course code: WP4H

Start date: September 2025
Location: Cambridge
Duration: 4 years with foundation
UCAS course code: W493

Start date: September 2025
Location: Cambridge
Duration: 4 years with placement
UCAS course code: WP41

92%

for Freedom of students to express ideas, opinions and beliefs and 90% for Teaching on my course.

Source: NSS 2024

Explore the latest theory and practice in drama and film as we help you grow into a confident, versatile and exciting practitioner with transferable skills to suit whichever field you hope to work in.

Performance is at the core of our degree, whether you’re in front of the camera or behind it. Your understanding of film theory and history will improve your acting skills and your hands-on performance practice will enhance your filmmaking and writing skills.

Find out what makes our Drama and Film course unique with our short video.

Why ARU?

Our Drama and Dance courses ranked 13th in the UK in the Guardian University Guide 2025
Follow an experiential 'learn-through-doing' programme, and choose from a range of career-focused modules
Transfer your talents to many different careers by making performance for professional and public contexts
See your films screened at Cambridge Arts Picturehouse and perform in public venues
Train in professional-standard facilities including our 260-seater Mumford Theatre
Graduate with a professional CV, headshots and showreel

Study at an award-winning university

We were named Times Higher Education University of the Year 2023. We've also been awarded a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework – a reflection of the outstanding education we offer our students.

Careers

The difference between not wanting to do a one-minute monologue a few years ago, and now… the confidence to go out there and do that has come from being thrown into uni life.

Leila Khan, BSc (Hons) Drama and English Literature graduate and star of Netflix's Heartstopper

Our Drama and Film degree allows you to choose from a range of career-focused optional modules.

You’ll complete a 100% practical Major Project in either drama or film, and graduate with a professionally produced showreel and portfolio.

You can weight your studies to prepare for a career in the arts or fields such as teaching, and collaborate with other creative students.

What can you do with a Drama and Film degree?

Where have other Drama and Film graduates worked?

Where have other Drama and Film students found work experience?

How can ARU help with my employability and career development?

Teaching and modules

You’ll get straight into the studio, learning new skills that will be key to your future as a performer.

You'll start by exploring film through a series of briefs, and developing your production skills such as stage management and lighting/sound design.

Your second year begins with a major production at Mumford Theatre. You’ll also work on a community theatre project, and learn about film audiences and responses to moving image.

Finally, you’ll complete an individual research project in film or drama, and collaboratively plan and execute our Festival of Performance in Cambridge.

Student work

Our student showcase

Graduating students share their experiences of Drama at ARU, with clips from performances.
Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Brian Butler was a local Sightsetter in one of Belfast’s main gun turrets.
Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Captain Parham was remembered by Belfast’s sailors as a very gentle and humane leader.
Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Bob Shrimpton was part of HMS Belfast’s ASDIC (sonar) equipment team.
Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Charles Simpson was one of Belfast’s five Engineering Lieutenants.
ARU MA Film Production student Megan Wiggins shares her highlights from the 2023 CFF, and its benefits to the community and ARU students.
A film by students James Pearson and Martha Wallam.
A film by student Liz Michael.
A film by student Lauren Powell.
A film by student Grete Kutkaite.

What will I study?

Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.

Year 1

Film Language and Concepts
Creative Moving Image
Fundamentals for Acting
Researching Performance
Studio Project
Into ARU

Year 2

Filmmaking on Film: 16mm Filmmaking
Festive Theatre
Theorising Spectatorship
Community Theatre Performance
Ruskin Module (15 credits)
Filmmakers on Film *
Independent Cinema: US and Beyond *
Non-Fiction Filmmaking *
Performing Shakespeare *
From Script to Screen *
From Performance to Therapy Arts Therapies In Action *
Writing for the Stage *
Storytelling on Screen: Collaborative Project *
Introduction to Directing *
Technical Production Placement *
Anglia Language Programme (15 credits) *

Year 3

Professional Preparation and Showcase
Creative Industries Major Project
Screenwriting: Writing and Selling the Feature Film *
Experiments in Film and Moving Image *
Special Topics in Film Studies *
Screen Drama Production *
Anglia Language Programme (15 credits) *

Module details

To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.

Year 1

Foundation in Humanities, English, Media, Social Sciences and Education

Module details

You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.

Placement year

Work Placement - Cambridge School of Creative Industries

Module details

What happens on a foundation year?

What happens on a placement year?

How is Drama and Film assessed?

Who teaches Drama and Film at ARU?

Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.

Dr Sue Wilson
Senior Lecturer
Dr Nina Lübbren
Associate Professor
Dr Harriet Fletcher
Lecturer
Dr Sarah Gibson Yates
Senior Lecturer
Toby Venables
Senior Lecturer Practitioner
Dr Tina Kendall
Associate Professor

Facilities

As a Drama and Film student you can get full training in all our creative industries facilities including:

professional 260-seater on-campus Mumford Theatre, dedicated drama studio, large rehearsal space and a Students’ Union-run dance studio
film studio and multi-camera television studio
full range of location kit and sound-recording equipment; Aaton Cameras and Steenbeck editors for 16mm film production; motion capture equipment
editing and finishing suites with Da Vinci Resolve and Adobe Creative Cloud
podcast and video capture system.

ARRI Alexa camera
Media Service loans
Covent Garden drama studio
Dance studio
Film editing suite
Film studio
Green screen studio
Mumford Theatre
Mumford Theatre
Screening room

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Entry requirements

UK students

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email [email protected] for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

International students

English language requirements

Making you an offer

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Fees and funding

UK students

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

If you start a course on or after 1 August 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £25,000. This is called repayment Plan 5. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £25,000. After 40 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

If you started a course on or before 31 July 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £27,295. This is called repayment Plan 2. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £27,295. After 30 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£1,400 Placement year (2024-25)

International students

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

Placement year fee

Living costs

Bursaries, sponsorship and working

Apply for Drama and Film

Clearing places available

UK students, apply through Clearing for a September 2025 start

Apply through Clearing

UK students

Call our Clearing line

01245 686868

UK students

Apply through UCAS for 2026

Apply through UCAS

International students

Apply direct

Apply online

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Drama and Film

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Careers

Teaching and modules

Student work

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Facilities

Entry requirements

BA (Hons)

Important additional notes

With foundation year

Important additional notes

With placement

Important additional notes

International students

English language requirements

Fees and funding

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Apply for Drama and Film

Clearing places available

UK students

01245 686868

UK students

International students

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