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University of Southampton · Undergraduate
BA (Hons) Film Studies Bachelor's degree at Southampton
BA (Hons) Film Studies at Southampton. Cinema is approached here as a continuous history rather than a fixed subject: you'll trace it from the earliest projected images through to present-day blockbusters, examining how the medium has changed technically, aesthetically and…
BA (Hons)
Award
–
Years
Part-time
Study mode
On campus
Location
About this course
Study cinema & movies from the earliest projected images to present day blockbusters with this BA Film Studies. You’ll be ideally placed for a careers in film. From the provider’s course page.
BA (Hons) Film Studies is a Bachelor's degree (BA (Hons)) at Southampton. It is studied part-time; duration varies by route.
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Media & Communications, see the sections below.
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year 1 4 modules
- European CinemaCore
- Film Theory, Media, Culture and SocietyCore
- Introduction to Film 1: Form, Style and AnalysisCore
- What is Cinema? Film, Art, Technology 2Core
Year 2 18 modules
- Early and Silent Cinema, 1895-1929Core
- Global CinemasCore
- AI Utopias and the Climate CrisisCore
- Animation: Technology, Culture and IndustryCore
- Audiences: Theories, Methods, ContextsCore
- Contemporary British CinemaCore
- Corpus Linguistics: Working with Large-scale Text DataCore
- Dark Streets and Strange Detours: Film Noir in ContextCore
- Data, Culture, and JusticeCore
- Digital Futures of the Past: Power, Ethics, and RepresentationCore
- Digital Media and The World of WorkCore
- Digital Media: Professional PracticeCore
- Film, Realism and Reality: representing the world, from revolution to the everydayCore
- Ghosts on ScreenCore
- Humanities and Professional PracticeCore
- Queering the DigitalCore
- Television Studies: Key DebatesCore
- Women and HollywoodCore
Year 3 10 modules
- Film DissertationCore
- American Cinema Since 1965Core
- Crime TV: Technologies of DetectionCore
- Environmental Cinema and MediaCore
- Fantasy Film and FictionCore
- Framing the Past:Stardom, History and Heritage in the CinemaCore
- Horror on FilmCore
- Music in Film and TelevisionCore
- Popular Global Screen CulturesCore
- Video Games in ContextCore
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
The course structure moves you from foundations towards independent work. Early on, you'll build core theory, learning the vocabulary and frameworks used to analyse film form, genre, authorship and audience. Alongside this, you'll be introduced to research & methods, giving you the tools to construct an argument about a film or body of films using appropriate evidence rather than impression alone. Applied practice gives you the chance to work with the practical side of filmmaking or production processes, connecting analytical study to how films actually get made. As you progress, specialist options let you follow particular interests, such as national cinemas, documentary, genre studies or specific historical periods, depending on what's offered. The degree builds towards an independent project, where you take a question of your own choosing and pursue it in depth, supported by your tutors but largely self-directed. Running through the whole course are professional skills components, aimed at making sure what you learn translates into skills useful beyond the seminar room, including writing, presenting and analysing under time pressure.
Who it's for
This course suits someone who already spends time thinking about the films they watch, noticing how a scene is shot, why a director made a particular choice, or how an old film still speaks to a modern audience. You should enjoy reading and writing as much as watching, since a good deal of the work involves turning viewing into argument. Studying part-time, you'll need to be someone who can manage sustained independent study around other responsibilities, staying disciplined about coursework and screenings even when they don't fall neatly into a single working week. It suits people who are curious about film history in the broadest sense, not just contemporary cinema, and who are happy to sit with older or unfamiliar material as readily as with blockbusters. By the end, you should feel comfortable constructing a sustained piece of research on a topic you've chosen yourself, and confident discussing film in both academic and everyday conversation.
Careers & job market
Southampton describes graduates of this course as being well placed for careers in film, though the specific route you take will depend on the specialisations and independent project you pursue. Looking at national data for Media & Communications courses, 90% of graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduating, and 60% of working graduates are in highly skilled work or further study. These figures are national statistics from the Graduate Outcomes survey, not specific to Southampton or to this course, so they should be read as a general picture of the sector rather than a guarantee. Similarly, national graduate earnings data shows starting salaries (15 months after graduating) ranging from £22,000 to £28,000, dropping to £18,275–£25,800 after three years and rising to £22,525–£31,800 after five years, again, these are national figures across the field, not specific salary outcomes tied to this course or university. Separately, 85% of students nationally continue past their first year, either still enrolled or having completed their studies, which gives a sense of typical persistence on courses of this kind.
University & format
The University of Southampton is a public, Russell Group university founded in 1862, with 21,335 students in total. It holds a Silver award for teaching quality in the Office for Students' TEF 2023, and was. This BA (Hons) Film Studies course is offered part-time, taught in English, based in Southampton. As a recognised UK degree-awarding body, the university's degrees carry national recognition.
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
Published entryABB typical offer
Provider-published requirement; check the linked course page before applying.
2027 entry deadlineApply directly to the provider
Part-time application dates vary by provider. UCAS dates
Contextual offersPublished by this provider
The provider publishes contextual-offer information. Eligibility and any reduced offer are applicant-specific.
Open daysOpen days and visits
See and book current events. Dates can fill or change.
2026 entryLive availability check
Opened 2 July 2026; last choice 19 October 2026. Check vacancies now. A cached page never claims a place is still available.
Entry & how to get in
Typical offer (from the provider)The university’s course page lists a typical A-level offer of ABB. Always check the provider for the current offer and subject requirements.
Entry requirements are set by the universityGrades, subjects and contextual offers vary. Check Southampton's official course page for the current offer.
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Offer-based entry
Entry is set by the university and based on your offer. Use your predicted grades to see how you compare, then check the university's stated requirements.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
Apply byApply directly to the providerfor this course
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course. One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by Apply directly to the provider
Part-time application dates vary by provider. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
💡 Many universities make a contextual (reduced-grade) offer, for example based on your school’s results, time in care, or where you live. Ask Southampton whether you’re eligible before you apply; it can lower the grades you need.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Homeup to £9,790 / yr
International£25,500 / yr
Provider fee page (England 2026/27 cap where not stated).
Check fees at Southampton →For students who normally live in England
illustrative Maintenance Loan per year
Check providertuition used per year, no published course home fee, total not estimated
total borrowing, course length not published
2026/27 Student Finance England figures. Maintenance support is means-tested and this two-point view is not an entitlement calculator. The course total uses its published length and home fee where both are available; a missing full-time fee uses the clearly labelled England-cap scenario, while part-time fees and unknown lengths are never guessed. Use the official calculator. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland use separate systems: SAAS, Student Finance Wales, and Student Finance NI.
Starting on or after 1 January 2027?
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a separate system. A new learner’s tuition entitlement is currently stated as £39,160 (about 480 credits at 2026/27 fee levels), subject to prior study and eligibility. Check the official LLE guide.
Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: can cover eligible tuition up to the applicable limit and is paid straight to the provider.
- Maintenance Loan: up to £10,830/yr away from home outside London (England, 2026/27), means-tested on household income.
- Repayment: 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below it; written off after 40 years.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
England figures shown; Scotland, Wales & NI run their own schemes, check gov.uk.
Funding matched to this course
All Southampton funding →Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
Named awards published by the university. Compare the eligibility and application route before budgeting for one.
electrical engineering students
Check eligibility →Global Talent in Adult Nursing Scholarship£5,000 off tuition fees
international students studying eligible undergraduate or postgraduate master's in adult n
Check eligibility →Amounts, exclusions and deadlines can change. An award is not guaranteed unless the university confirms it.
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Career quizApplication walkthroughSalary & CV check
Careers & earnings
What Media & Communications graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in media & communications · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Media & Communications nationally
Starting (15 months) HESA GO
£22,000 – £28,000
After 3 years LEO
£18,275 – £25,800
After 5 years LEO
£22,525 – £31,800
national rangeaxis £17,000 – £33,000
National figures for Media & Communications graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
Job market & outlook
How Media & Communications graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
90%
in work or further study 15 months after graduating, across Media & Communications courses nationally.
Graduate Outcomes60%
of working graduates are in highly skilled work or further study.
highly skilled85%
of students continue past their first year (still enrolled or completed).
continuationHow AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Media & Communications graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Media companies
- Agencies
- In-house comms teams
- Broadcasters & charities
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Media & Communications graduates.
Media Operations, VP (Parental Leave Cover)WPP MediaMedia Relations ManagerCommonwealth War Graves CommissionMedia ManagerUS Tech SolutionsMedia Planning and Buying CoordinatorBurberryMedia Sales ExecutiveService ServiceMedia Planner/BuyerDifferent Technologies Pty Ltd.Live from the StudySmarter job board · as of 2026-08-01.See all matching jobs
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Southampton
All students25,785
International35.1%
Aged 25+17%
Media, journalism and communications across the UK
Students47,255
Aged 25+18.5%
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Southampton
941 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Violent Crime 308Anti Social Behaviour 121Shoplifting 106Public Order 79Criminal Damage Arson 75
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Media & Communications right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Southampton from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is £25,500 / year for this course (from the provider’s fee page). You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Southampton offers the Global Talent in Adult Nursing Scholarship (£5,000 off tuition fees) for international students, see Scholarships above.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Southampton and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Southampton
Common questions
What are the entry requirements?
Set by Southampton. Check the university's course page for the exact offer.
What do graduates earn?
See the career and earnings data for Media & Communications below (national Graduate Outcomes / LEO figures).
What will it cost me?
For comparison, the standard full-time England tuition cap is up to £9,790 per year in 2026/27; the actual fee varies by course and provider. If you normally live in England, eligible students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan, plus a Maintenance Loan for living costs. Under Plan 5 you repay 9% of income above £25,000, nothing below that, and the balance is written off after 40 years. See Fees & funding on this page to work out your numbers.
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