Acting & Performance BA (Hons)

UCA’s Integrated Foundation Year is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and more.

You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.

Find out more about the Integrated Foundation Year

For our students coming from a non-UK educational background, UCA has launched an Integrated International Foundation Year, based at UCA Farnham to bring students from around the world to one hub of creativity.

This year of preparatory study is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and the English speaking and writing skills you’ll need to succeed.

You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.

Find out more about the Integrated International Foundation Year

Year 1
For your first Launch Week, you’ll be introduced to studio etiquette, and the disciplines of movement and voice work, with vocal workouts, energetic movement material and drama games leading to an informal sharing of work on the final day.

Acting Skills 1
This unit will introduce you to a set of skills that will provide a robust foundation for the course and underpin a life-long process of learning for the professional actor and performer. You’ll cover: Movement – getting to know your own physical awareness and choices and using physicality in performance; Voice – you’ll explore body, breath and voice and how to use voice to interpret and work on a text, and how the use of voice work can inform acting choices; Text and Character – techniques to improve reading aloud and sight-reading, and; Improvising and Devising – group workshops to free you to work spontaneously and collaboratively, through games and other methods.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
The unit provides an opportunity for students to explore what is meant by equality, diversity, and inclusion and the implications of these concepts for creative practice. It will equip students to understand how our social identities (such as gender, race/ethnicity, class, disability, sexual orientation, and religion) contribute to the inclusion and/or exclusion of individuals in creative spaces.

Screen Acting
You’ll study the fundamentals of screen acting and film creation to make a five-minute non-dialogue film inspired by the film genre you have studied. You’ll develop your understanding of the craft of screen acting and how to convey emotion, thought, physicalisation and movement and storytelling on camera without using dialogue, and explore the basic skills of film including how to set up a camera for filming, framing, lighting and editing.

Opportunity - Stage Combat and Intimacy Co-ordination 1
For your first Opportunity Week, you’ll learn about intimacy practices as part of Stage Combat training. You explore the concepts of consent, soft and hard boundaries, rehearsal and repetition practices in order to create story-specific consistency. Non-armed stage combat will be explored with a specialist.

Approaches to Acting
Approaches to Acting introduces you to both the theoretical and practical approaches to creating a role. You will be introduced to the theory and practice of Konstantin Stanislavski, whose well-documented systems of preparation and rehearsal have had a lasting influence on actor training in the western world. Working on scenes from one of Anton Chekhov’s major plays; you will put the ‘Stanislavski System’ into practice and learn how to approach rehearsal as a mode of inquiry.

Professional Development 1
This unit will be the first to address marketing yourself as an actor and performer when you leave UCA. You will start to meet actors, casting agents and directors from industry who will discuss with you the work you want to make and be cast in.

Individual Performance Project
This final unit of Year 1 combines the skills you have learned throughout the year and anticipates elements of your Final Major Project. You’ll create a live solo performance lasting between five and seven minutes, comprising two different elements, from a monologue or piece of storytelling, a poem, a stand-up routine, a piece of movement or dance or a even a puppet show

ATOM Activities
ATOM activities are tiny pieces of individual learning that facilitate interdisciplinary exposure across the university. Collectively they form a small fraction of your curriculum that is determined through your own personal choice and interest.

PLE Digital Outcome
In this unit you will collate a digital record, reflecting on your learning journey through the first year of your degree. You will be identifying key points and developments within all units undertaken. We are interested in seeing a detailed account of your academic, technical and creative progress and development.

If you opt to complete a professional practice year, this will take place in year three. You will undertake a placement within the creative industries to further develop your skills and CV.

While on your Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee for that year. This fee will be determined using government funding regulations. Based on current regulations, we expect this to be a maximum of 20% of the tuition fee rate that you are charged for your second year of study. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during this year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this as you approach your Professional Practice Year.

Please note: If you are an international applicant, you will need to enrol onto the course ‘with Professional Practice Year’. It will not be possible to transfer onto the Professional Practice Year after enrolment

Launch Week
As a final year student, Launch Week presents an opportunity to work with new and Year 2 students on the annual acclimation and ‘bootcamp’ activities, including vocal workouts, energetic movement material and drama games leading to an informal sharing of work on the final day. You can learn to mentor new students and if you’re interested in a career in teaching, you may opt to assist with class delivery.

Live Performance
This unit is the final directed performance of the course. Led by professional directors and senior staff, you will work on a live staged performance, to be shown to an invited audience.

Screen Performance
For the culmination of your studies in screen acting, you’ll work on a film performance through scenes (and monologues), from commissioned or published screenplays. Additionally, you are likely to be called upon to crew as required. Screen acting sometimes requires an intimate relationship with the camera as well as with your scene partner. You will be taught skills in creating intimacy safely and consensually.

Opportunity week - Professional Development 5
This is an intensive week of industry talks and networking opportunities. Speakers may include UCA alumni, stage and screen actors and directors, casting directors, Equity, Spotlight and more. The week will culminate in a tutorial where the student can reflect on the ideas and information and get personalised career advice from a member of the team.

Final Major Project – Practice as Research
This final unit engages you with several periods of sustained research on an individually negotiated subject. This will most likely be related to the contextual and/or theoretical concerns of your chosen areas of practice. Once you have your research title agreed, you’ll explore it through the following typical assessments:

• An essay in which you’ll articulate your research
• A performance project to practically explore and investigate the issue, concern, practice or theory of the topic
• A viva voce to examine or discuss a critical reflection of the process you undertook for your research, the exploration of your analysis and your modes of expression

This course offers the opportunity to study abroad for part of your second year. To find out more about studying abroad as part of your course please see the Study Abroad section:

• Study abroad information

Tuition fees - 2023 entry

UK students:

• Integrated Foundation Year - £9,250
• BA course - £9,250

EU students:

• Integrated International Foundation Year - £9,250 (see fee discount information)
• BA course - £9,250 (see fee discount information)

International students:

• Integrated International Foundation Year - £16,950
• BA course - £16,950

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, for 2023 you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee of £1,850 (UK students) and £3,390 (International students). You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

Additional course costs
In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials. These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of your Course Information for details of the costs you may incur.

Further information
For more detailed information about our course fees and any financial support you may be entitled to please see our fees and finance pages.

The fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only. Costs may increase each year during a student’s period of continued registration on course in line with inflation (subject to any maximum regulated tuition fee limit). Any adjustment for continuing students will be at or below the RPI-X forecast rate.

Taught by lecturers with professional acting or directing experience, you’ll quickly learn what it takes to be an industry professional. Our degree course is designed by professionals to train contemporary actors, and our valuable industry links include:

• Farnham Maltings
• British Actors’ Equity
• Drama UK (the body that oversees drama training across the country).

Alongside (or as an alternative to) theatre, TV, radio or film work, a portfolio career for the professional freelance actor may also include:

• Acting in corporate films, and live role-play in business training
• Forming a company to create and stage your own work
• Commercials (film or audio)
• Voicing computer games and animations
• Creating original material for Image Capture projects
• Community projects such as theatre in schools.

You may also like to consider further study at postgraduate level.

BA (Hons) course
BA (Hons) course with Professional Practice Year

The standard entry requirements* for these courses are one of the following:

• 112 new UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
• Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
• Distinction, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
• Merit at UAL Extended Diploma
• 112 new UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
• 27-30 total points in the International Baccalaureate Diploma with at least 15 IB points at Higher level, see more information about IB entry requirements.

And four GCSE passes at grade 9-4/A*-C  including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).

Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.   

BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year

The standard entry requirements for these courses are one of the following:

• 64 new UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
• Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
• Merit, Pass, Pass at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
• Pass at UAL Extended Diploma
• 64 new UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
• 24 points from the International Baccalaureate, see more information about IB entry requirements.

And four GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 4-9 including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).

Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply. 

BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year

For these courses you need to have completed 12 years* of schooling (with good grades) and show strong evidence of your ability to successfully complete the programme and progress onto your chosen degree. 

*We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios, as well as their grades -  in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important.

• Non-UK equivalent qualifications
• English language requirements

BA (Hons) course
BA (Hons) course with Professional Practice Year

For these courses, we’ll need to see an audition, this will be an individual piece (for a maximum of two minutes); either: a short piece of contemporary text (play or screenplay); or a piece of Shakespeare; or an original piece you have written. We’ll invite you to attend an Applicant Day so you can have your audition in person, meet the course team and learn more about your course. If you would prefer to upload your audition digitally, there is also the option to submit it online via your UCA Applicant Portal. Further information will be provided once you have applied.

BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year

These courses don't require an audition. If you receive an offer, you’ll be invited to attend an Applicant Day where you can meet the course team and learn more about the course.

BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year
BA (Hons) course with Integrated International Foundation Year and Professional Practice Year

These courses don’t require an audition. If you receive an offer, you’ll be invited to attend an Applicant Day where you can meet the course team and learn more about the course. 

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