Program Overview

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Acting BA(Hons)

Succeed as a confident, exciting, contemporary performer.

Key details

• Location: Penryn Campus
• Course duration: 3 years / 4 years
• Attendance: Full-time / Professional Placement
• UCAS code: W410 / PY01

Course overview

This is an acting degree for the contemporary performer. From the outset, you’ll be focusing on the in-depth training and practical techniques needed for stage, film, television and digital media, giving you the skills to succeed as a confident and versatile actor.

You’ll be encouraged to collaborate with other disciplines across our vibrant university community, broadening your acting repertoire. You could work with writers, filmmakers, game writers and artists to produce material that is engaging and unique; developing your individual voice as an actor through experimentation with different mediums.

You will be studying in professional-standard facilities – including a public performance venue – alongside a creative and collaborative community where you can combine practice and research, working with supportive industry professionals to help you prepare for a career in the performing arts.

You will:

• Gain, develop and apply acting techniques and approaches to prepare for a professional career
• Focus on specific industry skills to support you as a performer for stage, screen, and digital work
• Engage with working practitioners through practical sessions and intensive performance projects
• Collaborate with students within AMATA as well as those specialising in film, television and games, gaining industry-relevant training
• Showcase your work through live and digital performances
• Benefit from being located in a working performance venue offering a year-round programme
• Have access to a host of resources including green screen and motion-capture facilities

Course details

BA(Hons) Acting course video

On this Acting degree, you'll have the opportunity to gain a BA(Hons) degree over three years or study Acting BA(Hons) with a professional placement year option.

Focusing on practical skills, you'll learn from working industry professionals while studying acting approaches, voice, text analysis, movement and character physicality, and imaginative. You’ll also be studying a range of acting techniques in live and digital performances such as film, TV, stage, gaming, and voiceover.

Year one

In your first year with us will be focused on gaining: gaining an appreciation for the work required to succeed, gaining collaboration opportunities with students on this and wider courses, and gaining support for what you want to achieve. Your degree starts here, and the course team is here to support you.

You also be gaining one of the most beautiful locations in the world to train, by studying Acting at Falmouth. With opportunities to explore the local environment, you can use this as inspiration for your practice as an actor.

Modules

• Approaches to Acting
• Voice and Movement 1
• Culture and Contexts: Stage and Screen
• Character Improvisation
• Voice and Movement 2
• Live Performance Project 1

Year two

In your second year, you’ll examine your own artistic development: introducing new areas of rehearsal and performance practice. You’ll look to develop your work through the exploration, application and implementation of skills gained in your first year.

You'll develop connections within the university, and work across disciplines. There are also more experiences of performing to an audience and fostering a growing awareness of potential areas within the acting profession to explore.

Modules

• Screen Acting
• Voice and Movement 3
• Live Performance Project 2
• Playful Performer
• Classical and Contemporary
• Character Research

Professional placement (optional)

You can choose to take an optional professional placement after your second year on a three-year programme, or after your third year if you’re studying for a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year.

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the employability team.

Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying.

How you’ll study during your professional placement

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks.

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation.

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth.

Year three

The final year of the course focuses on applying the skills you have gained and developed on the course in a variety of different contexts. There will be opportunities to apply these skills for rehearsals and recorded and public performances.

Students will be prepared for their future aspirations and ambitions with a detailed knowledge of the professional industry they will be entering, with a portfolio and CV to support the move to professional actor.

Modules

• Acting in Digital Modes
• The Thinking Practitioner
• Screen Project
• Professional Preparation & Employability
• Live Performance Project 3

How you'll learn & be assessed

How you'll learn

The BA(Hons) Acting degree is designed to give students experience in various performance modes, techniques and tools that are vital for a contemporary performer.

Learning and teaching will be via a blend of workshops, rehearsals, productions, practical classes, laboratory/studio-based practice, screenings, lectures, seminars, and tutorials.

How you'll be assessed

Assessments across the course are a mixture of practical and portfolio-based (inc. practical elements) and written content.

Assessments are designed in a variety of formats, which assess understanding, knowledge, skill, technique, creativity, artistry and application. These include but are not limited to:

• Practical activities (group and/or individual)
• Performances
• Workshops (applied, educational, creative)
• Industry and professional live briefs
• Digital outputs
• Performance texts/scores/plays
• Presentations
• Essays
• Critical/reflective evaluations
• Journals/portfolios
• Research projects (practical and/or written)

Feedback is given as a mix of verbal (face-to-face) and written depending on the assessment within the module.

Staff

The team of staff on this BA(Hons) Acting degree are industry experienced. They include current directors, writers, performers, scenographers, researchers, filmmakers, and actor-trainers, each bringing a wealth of experience and diversity to the program. With their combined talents, they are actively engaged both in the UK and internationally, contributing to the global landscape of acting and performing.

The staff place a strong emphasis on practical training, supported by a foundation of contemporary knowledge and theory. This approach ensures that students not only develop their artistic abilities but also understand the broader context of their experiences within contemporary society.

Moreover, the staff members have extensive connections within the live and digital performance industries, providing students with invaluable networking opportunities and industry insights.

Facilities

• 11 equipped performance studios.
• A public, working performing arts venue
• Recording studio with four control rooms.
• 11 practice rooms.
• Computer labs for CAD and audio software.
• Scenery workshop.
• Technical resource stores stocking a wide range of microphones for recording and live voice and music.
• Digital audio workstations, PA systems, mixing desks, lighting kits, portable dimmers, cameras, projectors, and musical instruments.

Careers

Employability and next steps:

• Graduates are eligible to join Spotlight Casting Directory and Equity, the Actor's Union.
• Graduates have gone on to perform nationally and pursue careers as actors on stage and on screen
• Graduates have become creators of touring shows at venues and as part of theatre festivals
• Graduates have gone on to further study at leading institutions in specialist subjects

What can you do with an acting degree?

You could become a professional actor, a freelance artist or performer, or you may inspire others by working as a teacher.

How to apply

Ready to apply for 2025?

You can apply for our undergraduate degrees via UCAS. You'll need our university UCAS code (F33) as well as your course code (which you'll find on your course page) for your application.

Application advice & interview information

We consider all applications on their own individual merit and potential. We invite all applicants to an interview day or audition to give them the opportunity to demonstrate this along with what inspires and motivates them in their field. Applicants will also be able to show their portfolio or give a performance depending on the course. We welcome applications from all subject backgrounds, whether you’ve specialised in STEM, the arts or humanities.

Course routes & entry requirements

• BA/BSc(Hons) three year degree: 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points
• BA/BSc(Hons) four year degree with professional placement: 104 – 120 UCAS Tariff points

Check the title of your course to see if it's a BA or BSc award. UCAS Tariff points will primarily be from Level 3 qualifications such as but not limited to A-levels, T Levels, a BTEC/UAL Extended Diploma or a Foundation Diploma.

Language requirements

For applicants whose first language is English we require you to have or be working towards GCSE English Language Grade 4 (C), or equivalent.

If English is not your first language you will need to meet the same standard which is equivalent to the IELTS Academic 6.0 overall score, with at least 5.5 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. We accept a range of in country equivalencies and approved tests.

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

Tuition fees for students starting the course in September 2025

• Annual tuition fee: £9,535 per year (Full-time UK)
• Annual tuition fee: £17,950 per year (Full-time EU/international)
• Annual tuition fee: £1,905 per professional placement year (Full-time UK and EU/international)

Tuition fees for students starting the course in September 2024

• Annual tuition fee: £9,250 per year (Full-time UK)
• Annual tuition fee: £17,950 per year (Full-time EU/international)
• Annual tuition fee: £1,850 per professional placement year (Full-time UK and EU/international)

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

Typical course costs

• Public Programme season tickets (student rate) costs found: AMATA Live Pass
• Students must come prepared with suitable loose warm clothing appropriate for all practical classes, a non-shatter water bottle for practical sessions, a yoga mat for movement classes and a reusable metal straw for voice classes. Approx £100/year
• General Materials, such as scripts or books. Approx £125/year
• A personal laptop or desktop computer – approx. £300 - 500

If you need to bring equipment or materials with you, these will be outlined in your Welcome Letter.

Funding

For information about funding available, please visit our student funding pages.