BA Humanities Music, Film & Drama (DN530/MCS4)

The first year of the programme builds students’ vocabulary and fluency in key analytical techniques and introduces students to the cultural and historical contexts of music, film and drama. Second year modules broaden the scope of inquiry, moving from central texts and practices to the representation of lesser-known voices and issues. In your third and fourth years of the programme, you will forge your own path, taking modules that focus on specific genres and/or issues in these art forms. You can also choose to incorporate a one-semester humanities internship or study abroad. In the final year, students will work on a major dissertation which will allow them to produce a sustained research project on a topic of their choice, working one-on-one with an expert in the field.

First Year

• Composition, Performance, and Reception
• Intro to Physical Theatre
• Musicianship
• The Theatrical Event
• Introduction to Film & Media (including case studies in digital innovation, film, television and other media forms)
• Music, Culture and Society
• Theatre Context and Conventions
• Film Sound
• Performance Electives.

Second Year

• Producing Music, Film and Drama
• Popular Music and Culture
• Staging Performance
• European Cinema
• Documentary and Ethnography
• Music History Since 1750
• History of TV
• Irish Theatre
• Action Adventure Cinema
• Musics of the World
• Performance Electives
• UCD Special Collections: Archival Research Methods.

Third Year

You will choose from a range of options that will enable you to broaden your horizons and enrich your academic experience:

• Apply for a competitive internship in an area that interests you and/or relates to your area of study.
• Study abroad for a trimester/year to develop your language skills and immerse yourself in a new culture.
• Deepen your knowledge by studying a dedicated range of Music, Film and Drama modules, including: The Symphony & European Culture, Contemporary Alternative Cinema, Staging Texts, Educational Drama & Augusto Boal, Topics in Ethnomusicology, Contemporary Theatre in Performance, Performance Electives.

Fourth Year

• Dissertation
• The Oedipus Myth
• Modernism and Avant-Garde
• Screen Comedy
• Music and Film
• Revolutions in 20th Century World Theatre
• Animation
• The Orchestra
• Beckett in Performance
• Melodrama in Film and Theatre
• Performance Electives.

You may be interested in the following Blog posts: A Stage 1 English with Film student discusses his involvement with UCD Drama Society.

Below is a list of all modules offered for this degree in the current academic year. Click on the module to discover what you will learn in the module, how you will learn and assessment feedback profile amongst other information.

Incoming Stage 1 undergraduates can usually select an Elective in the Spring Trimester. Most continuing undergraduate students can select up to two Elective modules (10 Credits) per stage. There is also the possibility to take up to 10 extra Elective credits.

The 4-year pathway prepares graduates to pursue careers in Theatre, Music Industry, Journalism,
Media, Arts Administration, Education, Academia, Performance.

In addition to MLitt and PhD programmes in Music, Drama and Film, UCD offers the following taught graduate degrees:

• MMus (Musicology or Ethnomusicology)
• MA in Film Studies
• MA in Drama and Performance Studies

Non-EU Undergraduate Fee information can be found here.

UCD offers a number of competitive undergraduate scholarships for full-time, self-funding international students, holding an offer of a place on a UCD undergraduate degree programme. For information on Undergraduate Scholarships, please see the UCD International Scholarships webpage.