Program Overview

Are you impatient to have it all? No need to choose between subject areas, your degree is balanced equally between the disciplines of Drama and Creative Writing but there will be many modules where the two disciplines come together, for example in modules such as Writing For Radio and Writing for Theatre.

On the Drama side, you will have the opportunity to study many aspects of theatre from classic to contemporary texts, and to explore themes in drama such as gender, identity, tragedy, human rights, immersive theatre, devising and playwriting. You will gain skills in technical theatre, design and stage management, and will be assessed in a range of ways from essay-writing, to performance, devised work, solo projects and group work.

In Creative Writing you explore the urge to create and build new worlds, to share language and stories with others. On our course you work on the craft of writing through a multi-genre approach, through and across a variety of writings from fiction and poetry, to non-fiction, psychogeography, performance writing and beyond. At Essex we offer an unusual approach to the practice of writing, combining innovative and traditional methods in order to develop your writing skills and abilities to judge your work critically, while expanding your knowledge across different modes and genres. In the Centre for Creative Writing we encourage a culture of experiment and creativity, enabling you to feel part of a community of writers. In addition, you will gain transferable skills in research, essay-planning and writing, and you will be offered careers guidance and training.

Placement year

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.