Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £9,250 per year (£1,200 for placement year)
International/EU: £16,655 per year (£1,200 for placement year) -
How long will I study?
3 / 4 Years
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Where will I study?
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What is the UCAS code?
W491
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When do I start?
September 2024
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Placement year available?
Yes
Teaching Quality
Sheffield Hallam University is amongst the top ten UK providers for drama in the Guardian University Guide 2023 league table.
Course summary
- Develop high-level skills as an actor and performer.
- Research, plan and execute professional-standard performances across stage, screen, audio and digital media.
- Create a multi-media digital portfolio to showcase your work.
- Engage with communities and challenge real-world issues.
- Take part in our final-year degree showcase festival.
Develop your flair in everything from screen acting to working with texts, audio performance, and physical and spatial practices. You’ll master production processes and apply your learning by creating and starring in your own public performances. You’ll also work with real-world briefs commissioned by external clients, helping to challenge global issues.
At the end of your studies you’ll produce and deliver your own professional performance for public presentation at our Changemakers Festival – our festival of theatre and performance.
Find out more about acting and performance courses, facilities and student projects on the SHU performance website.
Come to an open day
Visit us to learn more about our gold-rated teaching and why we were awarded the highest possible rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework.
How you learn
All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.
You’ll take part in interactive lectures, seminars and practical workshops led by creative professionals, practitioners and expert academics. You’ll also have the opportunity to work with industry partners on ‘live brief’ projects. As you develop experience, you’ll create a professional portfolio designed to prepare you for a range of careers – whether that’s in the creative industries, drama education or postgraduate study and training.
You learn through
- acting and performing
- taking part in production projects
- practical workshops
- working in an ensemble
- attending performances
- work-based learning
- independent study
- real-life projects for external clients
- interactive lectures and seminars
- extracurricular activities, including theatre and performance productions
Course leaders and tutors
Dr Tom Payne
Senior Lecturer, Course Leader BA (Hons) Acting & PerformanceSenior Lecturer in Performance Studies, Joint Recruitment Lead (BA Acting and Performance), Social Media Lead (BA Acting and Performance)
Applied learning
Work placements
In your second year you’ll have the opportunity to undertake a short placement with an external organisation. Here you’ll use your newfound skills to address real-world challenges, connect with diverse audiences and make a difference in your community.
Live projects
We work with a range of local theatres, filmmakers, performance companies and arts organisations on live briefs and production projects. Recent industry collaborators include Sheffield Theatres, Forced Entertainment, The Sheffield Creative Guild, Theatre Delicatessen, Stand and Be Counted, John Godber and Doppelgangster.
Staff often produce performances for local and international festivals – and invite students to take part in them, giving you the chance to work alongside professionals. In recent years students have participated in Off the Shelf Festival, the Venice Biennale, The Melbourne Fringe Festival, Season for Change, and Woodland Trust’s Tree Charter. We also collaborate with Hallam’s Department of Film and Media Production to create additional screen acting opportunities for you to take part in.
Field trips
Throughout the course you'll have the opportunity to go on a wide range of trips. We're ideally located close to Sheffield Theatres and regularly see performances there. You'll also travel to see work in other cities in the north, nationwide and where possible internationally. In previous years students have attended international theatre festivals in Prague, Venice, Berlin and Paris.
Networking opportunities
We have excellent links to local actors, companies and venues – which we encourage you to take advantage of. These include Sheffield’s Equity Branch, the Making Room network at Sheffield Theatres and the Sheffield Creative Guild, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet, talk with and work alongside people from the industry.
Find out more about our Acting and Performance course, from opportunities and student experiences.
Employability
93% of our graduates are in work or further study fifteen months after graduating (2019/20 Graduate Outcomes Survey).
Future careers
Our graduates have gone on to rewarding and fulfilling careers in
- the acting profession
- the creative industries
- film production
- marketing, communications and media
- education
- community theatre
- creative arts facilitation
- the charity sector
- journalism
- public-facing professions such as HR, training and customer service
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for
- The Royal Shakespeare Company
- Sheffield Theatres
- Forced Entertainment
- Third Angel
- GrowTheatre
- Blowfish
- Yesterday. Today. Tomorrow.
- Open House Pictures
- their own companies and creative enterprises – set up with support from the university
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreEquipment and facilities
You’ll have practical classes in our state-of-the-art theatre spaces at the Performance Lab. These spaces are fully equipped with lighting, sound, special effects, communications systems, changing rooms, shower, props, costume/set store, green room and iMacs. You’ll also have access to our digital learning environment and editing facilities at Aspect Court – where we have three dedicated recording studios.
On this course you work with
- industry-standard cameras and sound equipment
- sound recording booths and audio recording equipment
- audio and video editing software
- theatre lighting and sound
- digital design software
- creative online platforms
Media Gallery
Entry requirements
All students
We will offer flexibility on our usual entry requirements for clearing applicants. Please call us on 0330 024 6390 to discuss your options and apply.Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
Year 1
Compulsory modules
Acting Ensemble
Media For Acting And Performance
Performance Commission
Year 2
Compulsory modules
Acting With Texts
Bodies, Space, Performance
Ideas Into Action
Year 3
Optional modules
Placement Year
Final year
Compulsory modules
Change Makers' Festival
Elective modules
Advanced Acting Techniques
Drama In Education & The Community
Making Comedy
Performance Lab
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time undergraduate study in 2024/25 is £9,250 per year. These fees are regulated by the UK government and are therefore subject to changes in government policy. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2024/25 is £16,655 per year. During your placement year you will pay a reduced fee of £1,200.
Financial support for home/EU students
How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.
Additional course costs
This link allows you to view estimated costs associated with the main activities on specific courses. These are estimates and, as such, are only an indication of additional course costs. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
Additional costs for Acting, film and TV courses (PDF, 333.7KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
