PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT - 2025/6
Module code: PROM012
Module Overview
This module is designed to introduce students to the process and practice of professional development planning as it relates both to their career choice and wider understanding of industry. It culminates in the realisation of the graduate showcase, providing an opportunity to connect with prospective employers and key practitioners representing production sectors of the global entertainment and creative industries. This may be presented as a digital or live event.
Within this module, students will consider their career and personal development as a lifelong sustainable process. They will create showcase materials that reflect their innovation and commitment to social and economic sustainability. Through engagement with professional practitioners and organisations, they will be empowered to create positive contribution to ethical innovation and entrepreneurship. This will support them to be instrumental in the building of sustainable communities and institutions within the arts and entertainment
Module provider
Guildford School of Acting
Module Leader
EVANS Gareth (GSA)
Number of Credits: 30
ECTS Credits: 15
Framework: FHEQ Level 7
Module cap (Maximum number of students): 30
Overall student workload
Independent Learning Hours: 232
Tutorial Hours: 17
Practical/Performance Hours: 30
Captured Content: 21
Module Availability
Year long
Prerequisites / Co-requisites
NA
Module content
What is employability within the creative industries?
Employment opportunities in the creative industries
Marketing & networking
Applying for employment
Self-presentation, interview techniques and networking
Industry bodies and trade unions
Continuing Professional Development.
Legal aspects of employment & self-employment.
Finance for the self-employed, including taxation & insurance
Graduate showcase event
Assessment pattern
| Assessment type | Unit of assessment | Weighting |
|---|---|---|
| Oral exam or presentation | Individual Presentation | 50 |
| Coursework | Professional Development Portfolio | 50 |
Alternative Assessment
Individual presentation - alternative to showcase exhibition NA for portfolio
Assessment Strategy
The assessment strategy for this module consists of:
Summative assessment: Self-presentation at graduate showcase event 50% Submission of written portfolio incorporating professional development plan, CV and marketing materials 50%
Formative assessment: Teaching block 1: mock interview with guest industry professional Teaching block 2: formative tutorial on showcase plans with audio feedback
Feedback Tutor feedback for the formative assessments will be given immediately following the interview Tutor and peer feedback on CVs will be given during seminars Tutor audio feedback on showcase plans will be provided after tutorial Written feedback for the summative assessment will be provided within 3 weeks of the submission date
Module aims
- Equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in proactive promotion of themselves as emerging practitioners
- Enable students to understand the nature and construction of a career in the global entertainment industry
- Equip students to secure and maintain appropriate employment after graduation
- Encourage students to reflect critically on their professional development planning and engagement with cross-cultural creative industries.
- Encourage students to develop transferable skills in communication, presentation, professional networking, effective use of social media and personal promotion
- Implement a professional, industry-facing graduate showcase as a culmination of Professional Development throughout the programme
Learning outcomes
| Attributes Developed | ||
| 001 | Articulate their experiences, skills and abilities to professional networks/contacts both in person and in the use of a range of supporting media | KPT |
| 002 | Plan a proposal for career and professional development after graduation through research and engagement | CKT |
| 003 | Develop a mature, considered approach to professional presentation evidencing competency in written, oral and other media | PT |
| 004 | Develop and deepen understanding of entertainment industry structures and systems | CK |
Attributes Developed
C - Cognitive/analytical
K - Subject knowledge
T - Transferable skills
P - Professional/Practical skills
Methods of Teaching / Learning
Lectures
Seminars
Tutorials
Independent study
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: PROM012
Other information
GSA delivers its provision across three teaching blocks, within the University of Surrey’s existing semester structure.
This module has a capped number and may not be available to ERASMUS and other international exchange students. Please check with the International Engagement Office email: ieo.incoming@surrey.ac.uk
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.