Drama and English

Drama and English is a degree that develops two intertwined sets of skills: the analytical, critical, and expressive abilities that come from deep engagement with literary texts, and the practical, interpretive, and collaborative capacities that drama training builds. English literature asks you to read carefully and argue persuasively about how texts produce meaning, why they endure, and what they reveal about human experience. Drama invites you to embody and realise those meanings through performance, directing, devising, and the physical and vocal work of theatre-making.

Together, the two disciplines develop graduates who can think, write, and make with equal confidence.

At the University of Sussex, this three-year, full-time degree prepares you for careers across the creative industries and beyond. You will engage with dramatic literature, performance theory, rehearsal practice, and critical writing, developing a practice that is both intellectually grounded and practically accomplished. A foundation year is available for students who benefit from additional preparation.

A sandwich year provides the opportunity to gain professional experience in a theatre, arts, or media environment, and work placements are embedded throughout the course. A year abroad is also part of the programme, giving you the chance to study theatre and literature in a different cultural context. Graduates of this programme have gone on to work with organisations including the Young Vic, Munich Kammerspiele, the BBC, ITV, and the National Theatre.

A typical entry tariff of 136 points reflects the programme's accessibility for students with the right combination of aptitude and commitment.

Career destinations for drama and English graduates span theatre, television, radio, publishing, education, journalism, arts administration, writing, and the wider creative industries. Many develop portfolio careers combining practice in several of these areas. Postgraduate study in performance, creative writing, English literature, theatre directing, or applied theatre is a further option for those seeking to specialise or pursue academic roles.