BA Creative Arts and Humanities FAQs

No, the BA Creative Arts and Humanities degree has a very specific focus on different forms of creative practice: writing, performance and the moving image. You will have the opportunity to explore and engage with a range of subject matter to reflect your own interests, but the degree aims to enable you to develop both your critical and your creative skills in these areas, focused on shared concepts of creativity, collaboration and narrative.

In your first year you will be required to study all three of the modes of creative practice. This is to provide you with a solid grounding in the different skill areas and to deepen your understanding of how these modes interact and can influence one another. As you progress through the degree you will then have opportunities to specialise in the area or areas you are particularly interested in.

No, we welcome students who have studied a wide range of different subjects before coming to UCL, and no prior knowledge is required to join the degree. We do ask that you have studied at least one essay-based subject previously, to ensure that you have some experience of critical and analytical approaches to support you in the critical components of the degree, but no previous formal experience in the core creative practice skills in writing, performance or moving image will be required.

Thinking critically about performance on this degree will involve examining how performance reveals that ‘all the world’s a stage’ and that each of us puts on a performance: through the clothes and food we choose to wear and eat, and the conversations we take part in; all these are a performance designed to signal to ourselves and to others our place within our society. Examining this approach to performance can be quite different to drama at school. In practice classes on performance there will be formal performance teaching which will develop in each student the expressive and technical skills in voice and movement that will enhance your capabilities to respond in imaginative contexts. This may have some similarities to acting in drama classes.

It will have some elements of film studies and some new and different elements. There will be critical examination of moving images and their development through history. We will also explore the practice of making moving images for the modern world. We will do this by teaching students the basics of lighting, shooting, recording sound and editing, students will be encouraged to experiment with a variety of storytelling forms, from experimental to narrative filmmaking.

There will be a range of opportunities. Within the degree we have modules that are designed to assist in connecting with creative industries. These are both critical in exploring what the state of creative industries are, essential in planning any career in this area, and practical in working on creative projects. We will also be aiming to provide master classes and other direct contacts with industry professionals. UCL’s careers service will provide support and guidance for opportunities for internships and placements in creative industries. At UCL East the School for the Creative and Cultural Industries offers specialist creative careers events and training for students.

Many! You can see UCL’s student clubs and societies here: https://studentsunionucl.org/clubs-societies, which will be open to you. You will also have the opportunity to create new societies if you feel there are gaps and there are other students interested in developing societies.

The degree is located at UCL’s new campus at Stratford called UCL East. You can see more about the campus here: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/ucl-east/. The School for Creative and Cultural Industries has a range of creative facilities including industry-standard filming and sound recording studios, editing and post-production suites, which we use for the moving image strand of the degree. Our Creative Arts and Humanities kit store and dedicated technician provides media equipment for teaching and student use, including a range of cameras, lenses and rigging, up to professional level cinema cameras, lighting, sound recording, software and projection equipment. Specialist performance space is available at the Wayne McGregor Studios at Here East and we have an industry standard 160 seater cinema as part of UCL East- which is used for student screenings, guest and industry screenings and masterclasses.