BA Film and History
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in Film and History, a History and Film Studies degree centred on the critical exploration of cinematic art and historical development. During the first year, students study foundational principles through European Cinema, History Matters (Object, Image, Text), Introduction to Film 1: Form, Style and Analysis, and World Histories Introduced. The second year progresses to examine global contexts and public history through Early and Silent Cinema, 1895-1929, Global Cinemas, and Making History: Historians and Audiences. Optional choices across the course allow specialisation in diverse areas such as film genres, ancient civilisations, and political history. The final year culminates in independent scholarship through the Film Dissertation and History Dissertation.
Written by AI from the university's course page and module list. It can get details wrong, so check the official course page before you rely on it.
Entry requirements
A level: ABB IB: Pass, with 32 points overall with 16 points at Higher Level
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What students say
Based on about 85 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 82%
- Learning opportunities: 78%
- Assessment and feedback: 72%
- Academic support: 92%
- Organisation and management: 75%
- Learning resources: 88%
- Student voice: 73%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 75 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- Continued on course: 96%
- Left higher education: 4%
What graduates do next
Based on about 12 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 75%
- Working and studying: 10%
- Further study: 5%
- Unemployed: 5%
Most common jobs
- Sales occupations: 15%
- Administrative occupations: 15%
- Finance Professionals: 10%
- Teaching Professionals: 10%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 80%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 60%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 45%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 35 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 5%
- West Midlands: 5%
- East of England: 10%
- London: 30%
- South East: 45%
- South West: 5%
Who gets in
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- A levels: 100%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- European Cinema
- History Matters (Object, Image, Text)
- Introduction to Film 1: Form, Style and Analysis
- World Histories Introduced
- Antiquity and Authority: Ancient Persia in Modern Iranian Politics
- Putin and the Politics of Post-Soviet Russia
- Rebellions and Uprising in the age of the Tudors
- The Crimean War
- The French Revolution
- Early and Silent Cinema, 1895-1929
- Global Cinemas
- Making History: Historians and Audiences
- AI Utopias and the Climate Crisis
- Ancient Greeks at War
- Ancient Rome: the First Metropolis
- Animation: Technology, Culture and Industry
- Audiences: Theories, Methods, Contexts
- Building London: the history of a city, 1666 – 2012
- Cities of the Dead: Death, Mourning and Remembrance in Modern Britain
- Contemporary British Cinema
- Corpus Linguistics: Working with Large-scale Text Data
- Creating Elizabeth I: Ancient Inspiration for a Renaissance Queen (1558-1603)
- Dark Streets and Strange Detours: Film Noir in Context
- Darwin and the Making of Evolutionary Thought: Myth, Memory, and Modern Society
- Data, Culture, and Justice
- Digital Futures of the Past: Power, Ethics, and Representation
- Digital Media and The World of Work
- Digital Media: Professional Practice
- Film, Realism and Reality: representing the world, from revolution to the everyday
- Ghosts on Screen
- Humanities and Professional Practice
- Imperial China: From China’s mythical emperors to the 19th century
- Islam's Identity Crisis: Between Violent Jihadism and Peaceful Reformation
- Jews in Germany before the Holocaust
- Latin 1
- Latin 2
- McCarthyism
- Myth and the Ancient World
- Napoleon and his legend
- Nelson Mandela: A South African life
- Plague, Fire and Popish Plots: The Worlds of Charles II
- Queering the Digital
- Ragtime! The Making of Modern America
- Retail Therapy: A Journey Through the Cultural History of Shopping
- Television Studies: Key Debates
- The Age of Discovery? c.1350-c.1650
- The EU and European Identity
- The Fall of the Russian Empire
- The First British Empire: the beginnings of English dominance, 1050-1300
- The Making of Modern India
- Vienna and Berlin: Society, Politics and Culture from 1890 to the Present
- Women and Hollywood
- Film Dissertation
- History Dissertation
- A Short History of Exploration
- A Short History of the Far Right
- A Short History of the Populist Leader
- American Cinema Since 1965
- China in the Cold War – Part 1 (The Chronology)
- China in the Cold War – Part 2 (Themes)
- Crime TV: Technologies of Detection
- Crime and Punishment in England c.1688-1840 part 1
- Crime and Punishment in England c.1688-1840 part 2
- Cultures in Contact: A Diverse Ancient World
- Cultures in Contact: Resisting Rome
- Environmental Cinema and Media
- Fantasy Film and Fiction
- Framing the Past:Stardom, History and Heritage in the Cinema
- From Tyranny to Revolution: England 1625-49: Part 1
- From Tyranny to Revolution: England, 1625-49 Part 2
- Historical Memory in Modern Latin America
- Horror on Film
- Language and the City
- Music in Film and Television
- Reading Histories
- The Hammer and the Scalpel: The American Precision Ethos and Culture of War (Part 1)
- The Hammer and the Scalpel: The American Precision Ethos and Culture of War (Part 2)
- The Third Reich 1
- The Third Reich 2
- The imperial Other: Race, Religion and Identity in modern Britain and France
- The imperial Other: Race, Religion and Identity in the Russian and Soviet empires
- Video Games in Context
- War, State and Society: The Hundred Years War (1337-1453), Part 1
- War, State and Society: The Hundred Years War (1337-1453), Part 2
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Film and History at University of Southampton earn?
The median salary is £24,000 after 15 months, £23,500 after 3 years, £30,000 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £25,500 and £37,000. The £30,000 median after five years is £500 less than the UK median for History.
What do graduates of BA Film and History at University of Southampton do next?
85% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Film and History at University of Southampton?
82% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Film and History at University of Southampton?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 129 UCAS points.
How many students continue on BA Film and History at University of Southampton?
96% of students continued into their second year, and 4% left higher education.