Film and Screen Media
Entry requirements
A second-class honours degree (2:2 or above).
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
January, October
Course content
On our MA Film and Screen Media you will have the opportunity to explore the history, development and interaction of film, television and other screen media in historical, sociological, aesthetic and anthropological terms, and in a variety of cultural and national contexts.
Why choose this course?
- This course is unique in its combination of world-class, rigorous postgraduate study with strong creative and practical opportunities.
- It offers you an optional two-month work placement module on which you can gain valuable, practical experience that will enhance your career prospects in the film and screen media industries.
- It includes further option modules that offer you exciting networking opportunities and can help you stand out in a competitive job market and further your career in the media, creative and cultural industries.
- It gives you the chance to specialise depending on your interests and career goals.
What you will learn
You will gain advanced knowledge in the history, theory and contemporary practice of film, TV and related media, and creative media practice. You will also gain in-depth understanding of the historical, technological and cultural interaction between the main media forms - from pre-cinematic forms to sound cinema, television, the digital turn, the internet, VR and generative AI.
This course is designed so that you can graduate with one of the following awards by focusing on film and screen media studies or by specialising further:
- MA Film and Screen Media
- MA Film and Screen Media with Film Programming and Curating
- MA Film and Screen Media with Television
You can also apply separately for the MA Film and Screen Media (with Study Abroad) to spend a term abroad at one of our partner institutions.
How you will learn
This course is available to study full- or part-time. It has an evening timetable with classes taking place in the evening. These consist mostly of small group and seminar teaching, with some individual supervision, and are delivered by leading film and media academics.
You will learn about industry practice via guest speakers and work placement opportunities. You will also have the chance to engage in practice-based learning in workshops and pursue individual research projects supported by tutors.
Highlights
- Birkbeck is part of the Screen Studies Group, so to gain further experience you may take one of your option modules at participating University of London institutions too, such as at Goldsmiths, Kings College London, Queen Mary's, SOAS and UCL.
- Teaching and supervision are delivered by leading film and media academics, including Drs Mike Allen, Janet McCabe and Dorota Ostrowska, and Professors Laura Mulvey and Ian Christie. The research expertise of our academics is in cinema history, exhibition cultures, programming and curating, film aesthetics, television industry and form, and contemporary and future new media opportunities inform every aspect of the course.
- Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
- The award-winning Birkbeck Cinema is central to this course. The 70-seat cinema is equipped with 35mm and state-of-the-art DVD projection. The Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image (BIMI) runs a busy, intellectually stimulating programme of events, including conferences, screenings and film-related events of all kinds. You will have the opportunity to participate in and attend the Essay Film Festival, jointly run by BIMI and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA), with free admission to events hosted at Birkbeck. There are practical film-making opportunities offered through the Derek Jarman Lab.
- Located in central London, in the heart of historic Bloomsbury, Birkbeck is within easy reach of cinemas and galleries, as well as facilities such as the British Film Institute and the British Library.
- We offer a number of bursaries for postgraduate students.
Graduates can pursue career paths in film and television companies, film festival organising, museums and galleries, arts administration, education, publishing and film criticism. Possible professions include:
- programme researcher
- television/film/video content producer
- museum or gallery curator
- teaching
- communications and PR.
It is also possible to continue on to a PhD which offers employment opportunities in academia and other areas of advanced research.
Jobs gained by some of our MA and PhD graduates include:
- Deputy Editor, Sight & Sound
- freelance editor
- independent film producer running their own company
- 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, our usual requirement 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 time12 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
- part time24 months
- Campus-based learningis available for this qualification
Course contact details
- Name
- Student Advice Service
- studentadvice@bbk.ac.uk
- Phone
- +44 (0)20 3907 0700