BA Film Studies
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies, a film studies degree centred on the analysis of cinema as art, industry, and cultural artifact. Core topics include Programming, Statistics, Research Methods, Ethics & Professional Practice, and Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning. Students can spend a semester or summer abroad at partner universities in locations such as South Korea, Sweden, Ireland, Hong Kong, and the Czech Republic, and complete a four-week summer school at Dongguk University in Seoul. During the first year, students establish foundational knowledge through compulsory modules including European Cinema, Film Theory, Media, Culture and Society, Introduction to Film 1: Form, Style and Analysis, and What is Cinema? Film, Art, Technology 2. The second year progresses with compulsory study in Early and Silent Cinema, 1895-1929 and Global Cinemas, alongside optional choices covering areas like British cinema, television studies, animation, and digital media. In the final year, students complete a compulsory Film Dissertation alongside optional modules examining American cinema, horror on film, and video games in context.
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 7 final-year students who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Teaching on my course: 86%
- Learning opportunities: 75%
- Assessment and feedback: 62%
- Academic support: 82%
- Organisation and management: 86%
- Learning resources: 94%
- Student voice: 55%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 15 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 85%
- Left higher education: 15%
What graduates do next
Based on about 12 graduates who answered (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 60%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 5%
- Unemployed: 15%
Most common jobs
- Elementary occupations: 20%
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 10%
- Sales occupations: 10%
- Web and Multimedia Design Professionals: 10%
- Teaching and Childcare Support Occupation: 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: 90%
- No formal qualifications: 10%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- European Cinema
- Film Theory, Media, Culture and Society
- Introduction to Film 1: Form, Style and Analysis
- What is Cinema? Film, Art, Technology 2
- Early and Silent Cinema, 1895-1929
- Global Cinemas
- AI Utopias and the Climate Crisis
- Animation: Technology, Culture and Industry
- Audiences: Theories, Methods, Contexts
- Contemporary British Cinema
- Corpus Linguistics: Working with Large-scale Text Data
- Dark Streets and Strange Detours: Film Noir in Context
- 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
- Queering the Digital
- Television Studies: Key Debates
- Women and Hollywood
- Film Dissertation
- American Cinema Since 1965
- Crime TV: Technologies of Detection
- Environmental Cinema and Media
- Fantasy Film and Fiction
- Framing the Past:Stardom, History and Heritage in the Cinema
- Horror on Film
- Music in Film and Television
- Popular Global Screen Cultures
- Video Games in Context
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Film Studies 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 £4,000 more than the UK median for Media studies.
What do graduates of BA Film Studies at University of Southampton do next?
70% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Film Studies at University of Southampton?
86% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Film Studies at University of Southampton?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 125 UCAS points.
How many students continue on BA Film Studies at University of Southampton?
85% of students continued into their second year, and 15% left higher education.