BA (Honours) Acting and Performance with Foundation Year

Year of Entry 2024/25
BA Acting and Performance 2021

BA (Honours)

Acting and Performance with Foundation Year

Full-time Acting film and TV

Create your own performances for stage, screen and audio media — with an initial foundation year to prepare for the course.

Everything you need to know...

  • Pound sign

    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)

  • Time

    How long will I study?

    4/5 Years

  • Location

    Where will I study?

    City Campus

  • Bookmark

    What are the entry requirements?

    48 UCAS points

  • Checkmark

    What is the UCAS code?

    C012

  • Date

    When do I start?

    September 2024

  • Avatar

    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.

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Course summary

  • Develop your skills as an actor and performer
  • Create digital materials to showcase your work
  • Research, plan and execute a wide range of performances at a professional level
  • Use performance to engage with communities and challenge real-world issues.
  • Join at the foundation year and develop your personal skills, awareness of resources and commitment to the subject

You’ll be immersed in the creative process of making and presenting theatre and performance in a range of styles and across a range of platforms (such as stage, screen, audio and digital/new media). You will develop your acting skills and contribute to our own festival, The Change Makers Festival.

Find out more about acting and performance courses, facilities and student projects on the SHU performance website.


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.

In the foundation year, you will start by developing a good base of knowledge, but also the personal skills and awareness of resources that will help you manage your studies effectively and be self-motivated.

The practical elements of the course will build throughout your time with us. You’ll take part in interactive lectures, seminars and workshops and have the opportunity to work with industry partners on live projects. At the end of your second year, you’ll travel abroad to see performances made and presented in a different context.

You learn through 

  • practical workshops
  • working in an ensemble
  • going to see performances
  • independent study
  • undertaking real-life projects for external clients
  • lectures and seminars

Course leaders and tutors

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Fraser Stevens
Lecturer in Performance, Course Leader for the Foundation Year in Humanities

Fraser is artist/scholar and lecturer in Acting and Performance.

Applied learning

Work placements

In the second year, of the full degree, you’ll have the chance to collaborate with external partners, undertake a work placement or develop your own enterprise.

Live projects 

We work with a range of local organisations (theatres, film makers, theatre companies and arts organisations) on live briefs, with staff often producing work for local festivals. You’ll be invited to participate in these projects, giving you the chance to work alongside industry professionals.

In the foundation year, you will undertake a series of projects that respond to real world debates. 

Field trips 

You will have the opportunity to participate in a wide range of trips throughout your time on the course. We are ideally located close to Sheffield Theatres and regularly see performances there, but you will also travel to see work in other cities in the north, nationwide, and where possible, internationally. In past years, students have attended international theatre festivals and/or performed work in Prague, Venice, Berlin and Paris.

Networking opportunities 

We have excellent links to local actors, companies and venues, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to meet and talk to people from the industry.


Future careers

Our students have gone on to rewarding and fulfilling careers in

  • the acting profession
  • the creative industries
  • film production
  • marketing, communications and media
  • education
  • creative arts facilitation
  • the charity sector
  • public facing professions such as HR, training and customer service
  • and a number have set up their own companies

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for

  • The Royal Shakespeare Company
  • Blowfish
  • Forced Entertainment
  • Third Angel
  • GrowTheatre
  • Sheffield Theatres

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 


City Campus map
Location

Howard Street
Sheffield
S1 1WB

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Adsetts library

Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.

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Equipment and facilities

Most of our teaching is conducted in our two studio theatre space, the Performance Lab. These spaces are fully equipped with lighting, sound, special effects, a communications system, changing rooms, a shower, prop, costume and set store, a green room and iMac computers. We also have three dedicated recording studios.

On this course you work with 

  • industry-standard cameras and sound equipment
  • sound recording booths
  • editing software
  • theatre lighting and sound

Entry requirements

All students

UCAS points

  • 48

This must include at least 24 points from one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications excluding general studies. For example:

  • DD at A Level
  • PPP in BTEC Extended Diploma.
  • Pass from a T level qualification with D or E from core
  • A combination of qualifications, which may include AS levels and EPQ.

You can find information on making sense of UCAS tariff points here and use the UCAS tariff calculator to work out your points.

GCSE

  • English Language at grade C or 4 or equivalent

Prior learning options available for students that have been out of education for a number of years, but can show some commitment to the subject (e.g. evidence of some creative writing when applying to Creative Writing course).

If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.

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

Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.

Important notice: The structure for this course is currently being reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment are all likely to change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Once the changes have been confirmed, 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

Module
Credits
Assessment
Talent Accelerator
Credits 120
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Year 2

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Acting Ensemble
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Media For Acting And Performance
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Performance Commission
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Year 3

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Acting With Texts
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(30%) , Practical(70%)
Bodies, Space, Performance
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(30%) , Practical(70%)
Ideas Into Action
Credits 40
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Year 4

Optional modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Placement Year
Credits -
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Final year

Compulsory modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Change Makers' Festival
Credits 60
Assessment Coursework(100%)

Elective modules

Module
Credits
Assessment
Advanced Acting Techniques
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Drama In Education & The Community
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)
Making Comedy
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(30%) , Practical(70%)
Performance Lab
Credits 20
Assessment Coursework(100%)

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.

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Financial support for home/EU students

How tuition fees work, student loans and other financial support available.

Learn more

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, screenwriting and film courses (PDF, 194.5KB)

Legal information

Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.

Student success story
Performance graduates Josh Schofield and Emily Kitteringham returned to Sheffield Hallam to perform John Godber's 'September in the Rain' for the Off the Shelf Festival.
 

How do I apply?

Apply now via UCAS

Not ready to apply just yet?

Why not come to our next open day? Open days are the perfect place to talk to staff and students, visit our campuses and get all the information you need. Alternatively, feel free to ask us a question.

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Why choose us?

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Teaching

We are Gold rated in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) for the outstanding quality of our teaching and student outcomes

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Accommodation

We guarantee to find you an affordable place to live that’s close to campus and comes with all bills included

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Employment

95% of our UK graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating (2020/21 Graduate Outcomes Survey)

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