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Acting (Professional Placement Year) at Bath Spa University - UCAS

Course options

2024 - 2025
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This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 25th September 2024.

Bath Spa University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Open days

18Sep
Bath Spa University undergraduate open day
Undergraduate
19Oct
Bath Spa University undergraduate open day
Undergraduate
6Nov
Bath Spa University undergraduate open day
Undergraduate

Course summary

Our Acting degree trains you to become a versatile and employable voice, film and stage actor.

  • Prepare for a portfolio career. Train as an actor who can work across a range of media including theatre, screen, radio and voiceover.
  • Perform and create with professional venues and organisations including Ustinov Studios, The Rondo Theatre and Bath Festivals.
  • Build the skills, experience and resilience necessary to become a professional in the industry.
What does it take to be a professional actor? Skill and confidence, certainly. We also think it helps to have a strong portfolio before you even graduate. Our Acting course trains you in all aspects of the business while nurturing the versatility, creativity and resilience needed to succeed in acting and a range of performing arts careers. In your first year, you’ll build the foundations through technical skills classes in movement, voice, singing and comedy. Your second year explores and tests these skills through projects such as full-scale theatre productions, short films, commercials, presenting jobs and voiceovers for audiobooks and games. In your final year, you’ll focus on your profile and perform to public audiences to build your CV. You’ll also work with industry professionals to expand your network of contacts – all before launching your career. More about the Professional Placement Year A Professional Placement Year (PPY), traditionally known as a sandwich year, is where you undertake a period of work with an external organisation for between 9-13 months. The placement occurs between your second and final years of undergraduate study. You can engage in multiple placements to make up the total time and are required to source the placement(s) yourself, with support from the Careers team. The PPY Bursary can make work experience more accessible, with students undertaking a PPY able to receive between £500 and £1,500 to be used towards placement costs such as travel, food, workwear or accommodation.

Modules

Year one The first year introduces you to the key practitioners and processes that underpin actor training. You’ll learn about the connections between composition, rehearsal, research and performance, and develop skills such as:

  • script analysis
  • breaking down a scene
  • researching the world of the play
  • interpreting character
  • exploring subtext
  • devising your own work.
Technical classes will introduce you to professional-level movement, voice and comedy skills that will enable you to work effectively both as an individual and as part of an ensemble. Year two Interpret, analyse and perform various texts in order to extend your understanding of performing in, as well as creating, drama. Alongside your regular technical classes, you’ll receive acting for camera training and stage combat classes, designed to enhance your skills-base and prepare you for production projects in year three. Your third year is a Professional Placement Year. Year three This is your apprentice year, when we’ll encourage you to take your skills into an outward-facing environment. You’ll become a member of Bath Spa Productions, a professional company that produces a range of live and recorded work. This provides a safe environment in which to test your ability to work collaboratively. You’ll get the chance to connect your acting work with design, technical, management, music and other production elements. Within this collaborative environment you’re expected to meet industry standards and work within professionally-recognised timeframes.

Assessment method

You’ll be assessed through a variety of methods including:

  • self-reflective journals
  • performances
  • essays
  • vivas (where you talk about your work)
  • presentations.
In your final year, you’ll also be assessed on a range of projects, all led by external industry professionals.

How to apply

31Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
RTFD
Institution code:
B20
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2
  • Year 4

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Speech & Drama qualifications or evidence of experience in performing arts outside of formal education will also be considered from applicants who have not studied Acting or Drama qualifications.

Additional entry requirements

Audition

We invite all eligible candidates to attend an audition. Auditions begin at 9am and run to around 5pm. There are seven elements to the day: Brief welcome Movement workshop Text workshop Monologue presentations Q&A about the programme Campus tour Interview Candidates must prepare a contemporary monologue. You’ll receive further information if you are invited to audition. The audition panel consider the academic reference, academic qualifications and personal statement of each candidate, as well as the work in the sessions. In the interview, the workshops and monologue presentation elements are considered and the panel score each candidate against the following criteria: Responsiveness to ideas and direction; Creativeness of responses; Spontaneity demonstrated in tasks; Proficiency of skills; Depth of comprehension; and Approachability. Overseas students must present two contrasting monologues on a region 2 format DVD or via the internet in Windows or Quicktime compatible video. The monologues should be performed and recorded for the specific purposes of audition and not be edited work from other videos. The panel will also interview the candidate via phone or Skype. We do not charge a fee for auditions.

Interview

Included as part of formal audition programme.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
80%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
95%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

England £9250 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 Year 1
Scotland £9250 Year 1
Wales £9250 Year 1
Channel Islands £9250 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250 Year 1
EU £16905 Year 1
International £16905 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Acting (Professional Placement Year) at Bath Spa University - UCAS