Taught course

Film and Screen Media (with Study Abroad)

Institution
Birkbeck, University of London · School of Creative Arts, Culture and Communication
Qualifications
MA

Entry requirements

A second-class honours degree (2:2) or above in a relevant subject (e.g. humanities, modern languages or social sciences).

Knowledge of at least one other European language at a level to allow you to follow a postgraduate-level course at one of our partner institutions.

You are required to complete a 700-1000-word written exercise by choosing a film or television programme which you have recently seen and explaining why you found it innovative. Your completed exercise should be returned directly to culture@bbk.ac.uk, or alternatively uploaded to the Applicant Portal, either as a Word document or a PDF. Please ensure that you include your reference number and name on each page of the document. Successful candidates will be invited to attend an interview.

Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.

Months of entry

October

Course content

Our MA Film and Screen Media (with Study Abroad) explores the history, development and interaction of film, television and other screen media. You will have access to world-class postgraduate teaching and research at Birkbeck, and spend one term abroad at a leading university in Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, or Canada. This is the only Master's degree in film and screen media in the UK that includes an international exchange with prestigious European and North American universities.

This course encourages you to explore a wide variety of screen media in historical, sociological, aesthetic and anthropological terms and, also, in a variety of cultural and national contexts.

You can personalise your MA studies and specialise in areas of film and screen media that match your intellectual interests and career goals, and for the study abroad element, you can choose the university with the specific strengths and specialisms that will help you develop and deepen your particular film and screen media interests. A work placement option allows you to gain practical experience that may enhance your career prospects.

You will need to have good or very good knowledge of at least one European language in order to take full advantage of this course (for Montreal this language is French). Some universities offer language instruction for Birkbeck students, to help them improve their language skills.

This course has three other pathways: MA Film and Screen Media, MA Film and Screen Media (with Television) and MA Film and Screen Media with Film Programming and Curating.

Our partner institutions

Highlights

Careers and employability

Graduates can pursue career paths in film and television companies, museums and galleries, arts administration, education, publishing and film criticism. Possible professions include:

  • arts administrator
  • museum or gallery curator
  • teacher
  • programme researcher
  • television/film/video producer.

It is also possible to continue on to a PhD which offers employment opportunities in academia and other areas.

Jobs gained by some of our MA and PhD graduates include:

  • Deputy Editor, Sight & Sound
  • freelance editor
  • independent film producer
  • Temporary Exhibitions Curator, Science Museum
  • Curator of Public Programmes, British Film Institute
  • Associate Lecturer, University of Surrey
  • Reader, King’s College London
  • Academic Publishing Sales Manager, Taylor & Francis Group.

We offer a comprehensive careers service - Careers and Enterprise - your career partner during your time at Birkbeck and beyond. At every stage of your career journey, we empower you to take ownership of your future, helping you to make the connection between your experience, education and future ambitions.

Information for international students

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement, we offer pre-sessional English courses and foundation programmes to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Qualification, course duration and attendance options

  • MA
    full time
    24 months
    • Campus-based learningis available for this qualification

Course contact details

Name
Student Advice Service
Email
studentadvice@bbk.ac.uk
Phone
+44 (0)20 3907 0700