Theatre and Dramatic Arts postgraduate degrees in Northern England

Obviously studying during the pandemic has been a challenge. The school does have a major issue with organisation and communication. However, I’ve met some great people through this course and had a lot of fun. We got to experience filmmaking modules as well as the acting modules which was a great opportunity.

The community is very diverse and inclusive, you can find a lot of other people like you and get talking. Laptop borrowing, computer rooms, and lecture halls are useful and conducive to learning, and the professors want you to do your best and encourage you to achieve, giving good guidance as well. Student support can be hit or miss - I was not contacted by them in first year, and had to contact them myself so I could learn about what support they can offer me, but when the agreements are in place, they are quite good. Collegiate campus has amazing nature and building design, beautiful and on Ecclesall Road, and both campuses are easy to get to from the city centre. The Students' Union does not feel like it is part of the university - I have had little interaction with them, do not know the full extent of what they offer, and do not entirely know how they work, and so it does not seem like a top priority or the first thing one may think of when they think of Sheffield Hallam University. However, this is not the universal experience of the Union, and others may say differently. Overall, the university is rather good, and my experience is largely satisfactory.

The SU seems really out of touch and dominated by 3rd year students who don't give one or are clinging to any form of relevance. People shouldn't run an SU to pad out their CV, they should actually care. Being in the SU cafe just feels like a walking billboard, the amount of harassment I receive from different people advertising things to me as I sit down is crazy.

I love the social areas that I can spend time with my friends and buy delicious food. Leeds Beckett also has a lot of sports club options whether that’s on the main teams or the social teams. My course is also very practical and has excellent equipment to utilise for our learning. The only suggestion I could think for improvements is potentially increasing the seating areas or decreasing the food prices in the city campus cafes.

The lecturers are very nice and knowledgeable. There’s great student support available through the wellbeing hub as well as assessment support and tutorials. Many interesting masterclasses with industry professionals are given. The main point of improvement is the building. The windows need to be completely redone due to a mold problem and some of the air conditioners don’t work properly.

The university takes a long time to respond to claims. Also feedback is given back sparsely and it takes a long time to get back which makes it difficult to improve for future assignments. The labs are very nice and it is good that we are learning multiple different techniques. The student life and feel is also very nice. And even though there is limited study space on campus especially during exam time, if you get to the library early enough you will find a seat somewhere.