St Mary’s University: Versatile creative arts degree in Twickenham, London

A year after introducing an innovative, flexible approach to its undergraduate courses, St Mary’s University School of the Arts in Twickenham is seeing encouraging results. The initiative encourages students across a range of BA subjects, including Acting, Filmmaking and Creative Production, to take modules in other disciplines. The aim is to foster a wider range of skills and encourage students to equip themselves with the tools they need to navigate their own pathways in today’s multimedia industry. 

As one second-year student attests: “I personally believe that the options have provided us with a clearer sense of direction regarding our career paths in the industry. For some, it’s even helped them realise what they truly preferred deep down, bringing those feelings to the surface.” 

Empowering students to make such discoveries was exactly the aim, says Mark Street, associate head of Creative Arts. “We wanted to create an environment where everyone, regardless of their subject, is able to become self-sufficient and compete in this new creative era.” 

He points out that today, more than ever, arts graduates need to be self-starters, able to make and market their own work as well as being valued in the rehearsal room or editing suite. To facilitate this, St Mary’s encourages students to make professional connections before they graduate. 

“We want students to forge networks while they’re here, rather than relying on finding an agent to get work after they graduate,” says head of school Kim Salmons. “We’re giving them the skills to be innovative and entrepreneurial, so students interested in filmmaking can connect with screenwriters, or actors can match with stage managers.” 

She cites the Cambridge Footlights, where actors such as Richard Ayoade and Simon Bird cut their teeth, as an example of this approach in action. “It’s about bringing people with a range of skills together to create their own work, rather than relying on somebody else to give you something.” 

It also helps that the school is part of a broader university, with a campus situated on the outskirts of London. Students are able to enjoy a full undergraduate experience, meeting people across a wide range of courses with a host of different backgrounds and cultural interests. 

“There’s a real community feel to the campus,” says Street. “The student union here is amazing, there’s a very strong social scene as well as some fantastic facilities, including great mental health and well-being support. So it’s like the best kind of village.”  

Graduates are affectionately known as ‘Simmies’, and many continue their relationship with the University after they leave, supporting fellow alumni and visiting for talks and events.  

The school has also launched an annual Festival of Creativity, for which final year students from across the creative, liberal arts and humanities subjects produce work in local professional spaces such as the OSO Arts Centre in Barnes. The programme features everything from theatre productions to open mic nights and networking opportunities. 

“Our graduates are servicing the creative industries in all kinds of interesting ways,” adds Street. “Of course, it’s still early days for this new, modular approach, but I think we can safely say, based on the feedback we’re getting, that it’s going well so far.

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For more info visit stmarys.ac.uk