Film Studies BA (Hons)

Develop your skills as a professional film-maker, critic, event organiser, writer or industry analyst through the academic study of cinema, to prepare you for a career in the creative industries.

Entry Criteria
Structure and assessment
Facilities and features
Opportunities and careers
Take your next steps
Contact us

Overview

Senior lecturer Dr Ellen Wright as she discusses the expertise of film academics at DMU, the opportunities you'll have on the course and why Film Studies is important.

In an increasingly media-focused world, this course will develop your existing passion for film and TV into a prospective career, helping you acquire a skillset required for many technical and creative roles.

From broadcast journalism to the arts and events, this course focuses on the study of film and its variety of uses, and challenges you to see far beyond just the viewing experience.

You will be able to choose modules that combine practice and study, giving you a strong theoretical understanding, as well as versatile skills such as communication and critical analysis. Our graduates go on to work in a variety of fields, including film and TV, but also finance, public relations, banking, and tourism.

Key features

Gain a strong theoretical understanding of the global film industry, cult film, media capture and processing, audiences and fandom, writing for the screen, and the practical skills of film-making.
Learn in a real cinema environment thanks to our partnership with Leicester’s Phoenix Cinema and Arts Centre, while benefiting from placement opportunities and the chance to organise and manage an annual film festival.
Gain valuable international experience as part of your studies with our #DMUglobal programme. Students have been able to immerse themselves in Hollywood’s fan culture, tour iconic cinemas in Berlin and attend the famous Cannes Film Festival.
Benefit from experts in our prestigious Cinema and Television History Research Institute, as well as guest lectures by well-established film directors, exhibitors, writers, distributors, and journalists.
Our communication, cultural and media studies research is ranked joint first in the UK for the proportion of research outputs, rated as world-leading (4*) in the Research Excellence Framework 2014, the most recent evaluation of its kind.
Graduates have gone on to work for high-profile employers including the BBC and Odeon Entertainment in varied roles including research, teaching and writing for film, public relations and film journalism.

Watch: Film Studies graduate Georgina Griffiths talks about her exciting future after graduating from DMU

News stories

Ambitious film project by DMU alumni set to challenge the status quo

Media expert explores how the portrayal of mental health in movies has evolved

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UK
EU/International

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: P303

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement

Fees and funding:

2024/25 tuition fees for UK students: £9,250

Find out about additional costs and optional extras.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply

Order a prospectus

Book an Open Day

Submit a study-related enquiry

Institution code: D26

UCAS course code: P303

Duration: Three years full-time, four years with placement

Fees and funding:

2023/24 tuition fees for international students: £15,750

Find out more about available funding for international students.

Find out about additional costs and optional extras.

Contact us: For more information, call us on +44 (0)116 2 50 60 70.

How to apply

Order a prospectus

Submit a study-related enquiry

Entry criteria

Normally 104 UCAS points from at least two A-levels or
BTEC National Diploma/ Extended Diploma at DMM

Plus, five GCSEs at grade 4 or above, including English or equivalent.

Alternative qualifications include:

Pass in the QAA-accredited Access to HE course with at least 30 level 3 credits at Merit or equivalent, with English GCSE required as a separate qualification.

We will normally require students to have had a break from full-time education before undertaking the Access course.

International Baccalaureate: 24+ points

Portfolio Required : No

Interview Required: No

Mature students

We welcome applications from mature students with non-standard qualifications and recognise all other equivalent and international qualifications.

English language

If English is not your first language an IELTS score of 6.0 overall with 5.5 in each band (or equivalent) when you start the course is essential. English language tuition, delivered by our British Council-accredited Centre for English Language Learning, is available both before and throughout the course if you need it.

UCAS tariff information

Students applying for courses starting in September will be made offers based on the latest UCAS Tariff.

Contextual offer

To make sure you get fair and equal access to higher education, when looking at your application, we consider more than just your grades. So if you are eligible, you may receive a contextual offer. Find our more about contextual offers.

Structure and assessment

Year one

Introduction to Film Studies
Introduction to Global Film History
Introduction to Moving Image Production
Writing, Reviewing and Film Criticism
Film and New Media

Year two

Contemporary British Cinema
Disney
The New Hollywood
Film and TV Genres
Script to Screen
Professional Practice: Film Festivals
Media, Gender and Identity
Film and Material Culture
World Cinema

Year three

Film Studies Dissertation or Major Filmmaking Project
Cult Film
Filmmakers
Writing for the Screen
Audiences and Fandom
Documentary
Exploring Film Archives

See more detailed module information.

Note: All modules are indicative and based on the current academic session. Course information is correct at the time of publication and is subject to review. Exact modules may, therefore, vary for your intake in order to keep content current. If there are changes to your course we will, where reasonable, take steps to inform you as appropriate.

You will learn about the history of the movies, film storytelling, style and technique and criticism. This is combined with opportunities to gain practical experience making movies, organising and promoting film events, writing reviews and (through our second year professional practice option) working with exhibitors and distributors.

The course is taught using a mix of lectures, film screenings, small group discussions, workshops, group and practice-led projects, individual tutorials and private study. You will normally attend between 14–16 hours of timetabled taught sessions (lectures and tutorials) each week, and can expect to undertake at least 24 further hours of independent study to complete project work and research.

Our varied and imaginative assessment methods develop a range of critical, creative and communication skills. They include essays, research reports, presentations, creative work, film reviews, edited collections and other group projects.

Our teaching team has close connections with film directors, writers, distributors and journalists who give guest lectures, ensuring your learning is relevant to current practice.

Film Studies at DMU is closely affiliated with Leicester’s Phoenix Cinema, which also acts as a base for employment and work experience opportunities, ensuring our students are ready for employment upon graduation.

All students work on collaborative and individual film productions over the three years of the degree. You will experience writing, shooting, casting and editing, and you will be guided to contribute to real film festivals across the UK.

Students on our Writing, Reviewing and Film Criticism module (year one) run a film blog and are set writing commissions by external partners, including Phoenix Cinema. Students taking our Professional Practice, Film Festivals module (year two) gain experience of developing and delivering a film festival in a range of roles.

These opportunities, alongside the industry focus, are key parts of our wider teaching and will allow you to make sense of the cinema industry and film culture from a practical, creative and commercial perspective, as well as develop your industry links.

Film Studies at DMU is taught by renowned world-class scholars based in our prestigious Cinema and Television History Institute (CATHI). You will be taught by experienced subject experts with a range of relevant professional, industry and creative expertise. The teaching team is made up of widely published academics, film journalists, film-makers and industry professionals. You will benefit from a quality learning and teaching experience.

Our teaching team has close connections with film directors, writers, distributors and journalists who give guest lectures, ensuring your learning is relevant to current practice.

View the academics who are part of CATHI.

Facilities and features

Library and learning zones

On campus, the main Kimberlin Library offers a space where you can work, study and access a vast range of print materials, with computer stations, laptops, plasma screens and assistive technology also available.

As well as providing a physical space in which to work, we offer online tools to support your studies, and our extensive online collection of resources accessible from our Library website, e-books, specialised databases and electronic journals and films which can be remotely accessed from anywhere you choose.

We will support you to confidently use a huge range of learning technologies, including the Virtual Learning Environment, Collaborate Ultra, DMU Replay, MS Teams, Turnitin and more. Alongside this, you can access LinkedIn Learning and learn how to use Microsoft 365, and study support software such as mind mapping and note-taking through our new Digital Student Skills Hub.

The library staff offer additional support to students, including help with academic writing, research strategies, literature searching, reference management and assistive technology. There is also a ‘Just Ask’ service for help and advice, live LibChat, online workshops, tutorials and drop-ins available from our Learning Services, and weekly library live chat sessions that give you the chance to ask the library teams for help.

Phoenix Cinema link

Students have opportunities to benefit from our relationship with Leicester’s independent Phoenix Cinema, providing the opportunity to undertake placements and organise and manage an annual film festival.

The cinema is also the location for some of the teaching and screening sessions on our Film Studies course, so students can experience the real cinema environment at film showings.

Taking part in the wide range of events and festivals held at the cinema throughout the year also helps students to build a broader knowledge of their subject.

More flexible ways to learn

We offer an equitable and inclusive approach to learning and teaching for all our students. Known as the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), our teaching approach has been recognised as sector leading. UDL means we offer a wide variety of support, facilities and technology to all students, including those with disabilities and specific learning differences.

Just one of the ways we do this is by using ‘DMU Replay’ – a technology providing all students with anytime access to audio and/or visual material of lectures. This means students can revise taught material in a way that suits them best, whether it's replaying a recording of a class or adapting written material shared in class using specialist software.

Opportunities and careers

Placements

Work placements are offered as part of this course and can boost your skills and experience while studying, as well as improving your chances of gaining a graduate level job.

We have links with organisations both in the UK and internationally, and the placements team can help you find a placement to suit your interests and aspirations.

Our partnership with Leicester’s Phoenix Cinema provides placement opportunities that Film Studies students can get involved with. Film Studies students have also gone on to do internships with BBC Films, Warp Films and others.

#DMUglobal

Our innovative international experience programme aims to enrich your studies and expand your cultural horizons – helping you to become a global graduate, equipped to meet the needs of employers across the world. Through #DMUglobal, we offer a wide range of opportunities including on-campus and UK activities, overseas study, internships, faculty-led field trips and volunteering, as well as Erasmus+ and international exchanges.

Film studies students have been on trips to the famous Cannes Film Festival and also the WonderCon comic book, science fiction, and film convention in Hollywood, where they immersed themselves in fan culture and met celebrities on the red carpet of a premiere. Students have also been to visit one of the most iconic and historically important cinemas in Berlin.

Graduate careers

The course provides a broad grounding in film history, criticism, practice and industry skills. Students may pursue a variety of careers in the film and cultural industries.

Over the past five years, graduates have gone on to work for employers such as BBC Films, BBC Sport, Film4 and Odeon Entertainment. They’ve also gone on to work in roles as film and television production staff and researchers, writers for film news media, public relations writers and executives, film journalists, independent film-makers, camera people, and commercial managers.

Other students have gone on to work as teachers and academics, or pursued careers in PR, banking, finance and other fields. Film Studies is also ideal preparation for further study, with our postgraduate options including the International Film Production MA.