PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 1 - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module is designed to work alongside the Specialist Pathway Development module to empower students to begin their ‘journey’ of professional development within their chosen field in the global entertainment industry. It will include a short period of work experience within an approved professional setting.

In the delivery of this module, GSA is guided by the UN's 17 Sustainable Development goals. We aim to promote good health and well-being by keeping to appropriate working hours and maintaining Equity-standard safe spaces. We encourage positive working ethics: collaboration, kindness, support, understanding, listening and integrity. We aim to encourage enterprise and entrepreneurship as well as fostering an understanding of sustainable business models. An understanding of sustainable funding streams so that practice can take place in a viable ethical way post graduation. We encourage collaboration within the community through initiative that support social sustainability.

 

 

 

Module provider

Guildford School of Acting

Module Leader

DOWNTON Kathryn (GSA)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 5

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Year long

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Indicative content includes:

• Employability within the creative industries


• Marketing & networking


• Applying for work


• Professional development planning


• Self-presentation & interview techniques.


• Entertainment industry unions & professional bodies.

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate achievement against the module learning outcomes.

 

 

Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of:

• Portfolio: CV, personal development plan and reflective evaluation of their work experience (2000 words)

• CV and personal development plan workshop: peer, self and tutor assessment of a professional CV and career development plan during a timetabled session.

• Tutor and peer feedback for the formative assessment will be given during the workshop


• Written feedback for the summative assessment will be provided within 3 weeks of the submission date.

Module aims

• ¿ increase students¿ knowledge and skills in personal employability in order to secure and maintain employment after graduation
• ¿ encourage a ¿lifelong learning¿ approach to career and professional development planning
• ¿ develop students¿ understanding of the structures of the global entertainment industry
• ¿ help students to develop transferable skills in communication, presentation, professional networking, effective use of social media and personal promotion

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to provide a variety of learning and teaching methods which fit with the overall aims & strategy of the programme and support an independent and self-motivated approach to personal career planning and professional development.

 

The learning and teaching methods include:

 

• Lectures


• Seminars


• Mock interviews

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: PRO2031

Other information

GSA delivers its provision across three teaching blocks, within the University of Surrey’s existing semester structure.

Additional Costs

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.