Birkbeck, University of London
Film and Screen Media (with Study Abroad) MA
Birkbeck, University of London

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 10 graduates of Film and Screen Media (with Study Abroad) MA and other courses in languages and area studies at Birkbeck, University of London for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in languages and area studies .

Overall student satisfaction
77 /100
10 total respondents

Primarily based on data from undergraduate degree students.

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in CAH19

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of languages and area studies at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £33500 £18000 £27500
25-75 percentile range £24500 - £45000 £9500 - £27500 £11500 - £43000


Salary of all UK Graduates of CAH19

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £25625 £23693 £27744
25-75 percentile range £22269 - £29904 £17937 - £29563 £21216 - £36573

Course Description

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

  • Université Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3
  • Università degli Studi di Udine
  • Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Milano
  • Université de Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense
  • Université de Liège
  • Ruhr Universität Bochum
  • Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University Frankfurt
  • Universitat Pompeu Fabra Barcelona
  • Université Lille 3
  • Università degli Studi Roma 3
  • University of Amsterdam
  • Université de Montréal

Highlights

  • Teaching and supervision are delivered by leading film and media academics, including Drs Mike Allen, Janet McCabe, Silke Arnold-de Simine, Dorota Ostrowska, Emma Sandon and Michael Temple, 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.

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.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Film and Screen Media (with Study Abroad) MA at Birkbeck, University of London

20% Process, plant and machine operatives
10% Engineering professionals
10% Elementary occupations
10% Engineering professionals
5% Managers, directors and senior officials
5% Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
5% Skilled trades occupations
5% Process, plant and machine operatives
5% Managers, directors and senior officials
5% Elementary occupations

During your studies at Birkbeck, you will be assessed by essay assignments of approximately 5000 words each, a research report and a dissertation of 15,000 words, due in September of the final year. During your term abroad, the assessment will depend on the institution you attend. In most cases, it will be a mixture of essays and examinations.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

    • 6.5
    • Mphil / PhD

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.
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Film and Screen Media (with Study Abroad), MA, if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language 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.

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.

Costs

Tuition Fees Film and Screen Media (with Study Abroad) MA

England UK £10800 year 1
Northern Ireland £10800 year 1
Scotland £10800 year 1
Wales £10800 year 1
International £19830 year 1

Additional fee information

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases.

Average student cost of living in London

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

University Rankings

Positions of Birkbeck, University of London in top UK and global rankings.

Rankings of Birkbeck, University of London in related subject specific rankings.

Social Studies & Humanities

    • #30 
    • #176 
    Social Sciences
    THE World University Rankings by Subject
    [Published 26 October, 2022]

See all 17 university rankings of Birkbeck, University of London

About Birkbeck, University of London

Birkbeck, University of London (BBK) was established in 1823, and takes a different stance towards admissions than many other universities. Applicants are encouraged by BKK to apply even if they don’t possess the traditional qualifications normally required, as applications here are also considered based on an assessment of your knowledge on the subject, and any work experience you might have. Being located in the very centre of London, students will have all the advantages of the city’s public transport connections, as well as the chance to live in such a diverse and vibrant city with all that it offers.

List of 197 Bachelor and Master Courses from Birkbeck, University of London - Course Catalogue

Student composition of Birkbeck, University of London

undergraduates:
4800
postgraduates:
2810
Total:
7610
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Where is this programme taught

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