Drama and Film & Television Studies

Drama and film and television studies together examine the performing arts and the moving image, two of the most powerful media through which cultures tell stories and explore what it means to be human. Drama encompasses theatre in its historical breadth and contemporary diversity, from ancient tragedy to immersive performance and verbatim theatre. Film and television studies approaches the screen as a formal and cultural object, analysing visual language, narrative, genre, and the industrial conditions in which screen texts are produced and consumed.

Studying both means you understand performance, narrative, and media from multiple angles simultaneously.

At Exeter, this programme combines academic rigour with creative practice, asking you to analyse drama and screen texts critically while also engaging in the making and performance of work. You will study the history and theory of theatre and film, explore contemporary debates in both disciplines, and develop your own practice through workshop and studio-based work. The degree includes a sandwich placement year and a year abroad, both of which bring significant professional and international experience into the structure of the degree, alongside embedded work placement opportunities.

The programme runs over three years full-time, with a typical entry tariff of 152 points.

Graduates of drama and film and television studies programmes pursue careers across the performance and screen industries, as well as in arts education, theatre management, arts journalism, casting, production, and community arts. The critical and analytical skills developed in the programme are also valued in roles in communications, publishing, policy, and public affairs. Many graduates go on to postgraduate study in theatre, film, or cultural studies, or continue developing practice as performers, directors, and screen practitioners.