Film and Media with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

Birkbeck, University of London

This popular and well-established course combines the academic study of film, television and digital media with the chance to develop your creative skills in a range of practice-oriented modules. Our BA Film and Media will give you a solid grounding in core knowledge and key skills that will equip you to work in the creative and cultural industries.

You will learn how technology, business and human creativity have forged the contemporary media world in which we live. You will be challenged to engage critically and imaginatively with a wide variety of forms and styles from around the world and from different historical periods. And you will have the chance to study screenwriting, cinematography, sound design and digital editing, from both practical and critical points of view.

Our teaching staff are passionate about film and media; many are highly ranked researchers in their field, while others have extensive practical experience in the media industries. They will change the way that you see the world around you, and help you to acquire new skills and develop your intellectual confidence.

Progression paths are available to our MA Screenwriting, MA Film Programming and Curating, and MA Film and Screen Media.

If you opt for the Foundation Year route, this will fully prepare you for undergraduate study. It is ideal if you are returning to study after a gap, or if you have not previously studied the relevant subjects, or if you didn't achieve the grades you need for a place on your chosen undergraduate degree.

Highlights

• 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 the course, where most of our film classes take place. The cinema is equipped with 35mm and state-of-the-art digital projection, which offers you an opportunity to watch and study films in the best possible conditions. 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.

The cinema is housed in a historic building that was a former home to key members of the Bloomsbury Group, including the author Virginia Woolf and the artist Vanessa Bell.

• In film, media and cultural studies, Birkbeck fosters an especially research-intensive environment. We offer an extensive portfolio of internationally respected courses that span a variety of academic disciplines and engage with the latest ideas and techniques in journalism, media and cultural theory, arts policy and management, film and television studies, creative marketing, digital culture and East Asian cultural studies.
• 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, which students on this course are encouraged to attend. You will have the opportunity to participate in and attend the Essay Film Festival, jointly run by BIMI and the ICA, with free admission to events hosted at Birkbeck.

Careers and employability

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

• programme researcher (broadcasting/film/video)
• museum/gallery curator
• arts administrator
• higher education lecturer.

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.