Program Overview

Professional Dance BA (Hons)

Overview

Study a Professional Dance degree that will challenge the boundaries of your physical expression through a dynamic studio-based learning experience. Underpinned by a critically informed approach to current trends in media and technology, you will learn to perform, create, and teach dance in diverse professional settings, and acquire strong performance, dance technique, and choreographic skills.

Course Details

• Level: Undergraduate
• UCAS Code: W500
• UCAS Points: 104
• Start date: Oct 2025, Oct 2026
• Duration: 3 years
• Location: Creative Campus, Kingsway, Chester
• UK fees: £9,535 per year for a full-time course (2025/26)
• International fees: £14,450 per year for a full-time course* (2025/26)
• Course Leader: Nicole Wellings

Course Structure

Year 1 (Level 4)

• Introduction to Performance and Production (100 Credits) Core
  • Explore core performance skills with a focus on key practitioners through various mediums.
  • Engage with a comprehensive overview of performance theory and key practitioners, emphasizing the importance of understanding storytelling, the art of performing, and its contextual background.
• Production 1 (20 Credits) Option
  • Performers must not only master the art of performance but also understand the context in which they perform.
  • Cultivate abilities as performers while gaining a thorough understanding of the theoretical and historical contexts of their work.
• Language Module Options
  • Chinese: Intermediate Language Development (20 Credits)
  • French: Communication in Practice (20 Credits)
  • French: Intermediate Language Development (20 Credits)
  • German: Communication in Practice (20 Credits)
  • Spanish: Communication in Practice (20 Credits)
  • Spanish: Intermediate Language Development (20 Credits)
  • Subsidiary Language for Beginners (20 Credits)

Year 2 (Level 5)

• Applied Practices for Dancers (20 credits) Core
  • Develop the skills and strategies required to facilitate and lead inclusive, participatory workshops and, where appropriate, include a performative element to accompany a workshop with understanding and confidence.
• Choreographic Approaches (20 Credits) Core
  • Develop and define your 'choreography toolkit' by working with compositional scores and choreographic approaches, equipping you with strategies for rigorous experimentation and craftsmanship in dance-making.
• Musical Theatre (20 Credits) Option
  • Develop essential technical and artistic skills required to grow as a musical theatre performer, artist, or practitioner, increasing your awareness and appreciation of Musical Theatre.
• Screen Acting (20 Credits) Option
  • Enhance critical skills, knowledge, and practices in screen performance, engaging with advanced concepts and practices within the discipline.
• Creative Approaches: Adaptation and Storytelling (20 Credits) Option
  • Explore and engage in the process of adaptation, critically examining the field of adaptation and storytelling studies.
• Performance Skills and Techniques (20 Credits) Option
  • Unlock your full potential with this advanced performance module, designed to elevate your technical knowledge and practical abilities to new heights.
• Creativity in the Modern Workplace (40 Credits) Option
  • Undertake a 140-hour work placement, complemented by school-delivered sessions designed to develop employability, professional practice, and understanding of career options.
• Creative Futures: CSP (40 Credits) Option
  • Identify and develop key employability attributes and skills in preparation for your future career, working collaboratively with other students on a major project or several smaller projects in a professional 'simulated real world' working environment.
• Professional work placement/Language module/Term abroad
  • Choose one of the following:
    • Professional Placement (40 Credits)
    • Term abroad (40 Credits)
    • One of the following Language options:
      • Advanced Language Development and Global Sustainability (40 Credits)
      • Developing Intercultural Literacy and Cross-Cultural Skills (40 Credits)
      • Experiential Overseas Learning (40 Credits)
      • Post Beginner Language Development and Global Cultures (40 Credits)
      • Upper Intermediate Language Development and Global Employability (40 Credits)

Year 3 (Level 6)

• Creative Practice: Liquid Space (40 Credits) Core
  • Engage in interconnected creative practices, articulating your practice through dance-making processes.
• Final Production (40 Credits) Option
  • Showcase the skills developed over the course of the programmes studied, undertaking research to inform your process.
• Creative Practice: Performance Pathways (40 Credits) Option
  • Explore the powerful concepts of authorship and agency in relation to your personal artistry, research methodologies, and creative processes.
• Showcase: Professional Practice (40 Credits) Option
  • Curate and select performance material to showcase your skillset and professional practice in a showcase event, developing a comprehensive portfolio to prepare you for entry into the industry.
• PA Dissertation (40 Credits) Option
• CSP Negotiated Research Project (40 Credits) Option
  • Initiate and develop your own major project ideas, appropriate to your discipline of study, to gain 'graduate trajectory' and enable you to better move into your chosen profession.

Entry Requirements

• Home Students:
  • UCAS Points: 104 points
  • GCE A Level: Typical offer – CCC-BCC
  • BTEC: BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM
  • International Baccalaureate: 28 points
  • Irish / Scottish Highers: Irish Highers: H3 H3 H3 H4 H4 Scottish Highers: BBBB
  • Access requirements: Access to HE Diploma, to include 45 credits at level 3, of which 30 must be at Merit or above
  • T Level: Pass (C or above on the core)
  • OCR Cambridge Technicals: OCR Extended Diploma: DMM
  • Extra Information: Applicants will be required to attend an audition. Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced and A level General Studies will be recognised in our offer. We will also consider a combination of A Levels and BTECs/OCRs. We accept the UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma. Candidates who do not meet the minimum entry requirements, or who have non-standard qualifications and relevant experience, are encouraged to apply and will be considered if they can demonstrate appropriate ability through their audition.
• International Students:
  • Students from countries outside the UK are expected to have entry qualifications roughly equivalent to UK A Level for undergraduate study and British Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) for postgraduate study.
  • English Language Requirements:
    • IELTS Academic: Undergraduate: 6.0 (minimum 5.5 in each band)
    • Postgraduate: 6.5 (minimum 5.5 in each band)

Fees and Finance

• Home Students:
  • £9,535 per year for a full-time course (2025/26)
• International Students:
  • £14,450 per year for a full-time course* (2025/26)
• Additional Costs:
  • Books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery, and related materials.
  • Students often elect to purchase a laptop; where students choose to do so, the cost is likely to be around £800-£1000.
  • Accommodation, food, travel, and bills for students living away from home.

Your Future Career

• Careers service:
  • The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences.
• Related courses:
  • Performing Arts BA (Hons)
  • Drama BA (Hons)
  • Musical Theatre Performance BA (Hons)