BA Film Studies with Year Abroad
About this course
Bachelor of Arts in Film Studies with Year Abroad, a film studies degree centred on historical, theoretical and international perspectives on cinema. Core topics include Programming, Statistics, Research Methods, Ethics & Professional Practice, Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning. Students spend the third year studying at a partner university abroad in countries such as South Korea, Sweden, Ireland or the Czech Republic. The first year covers foundational concepts through 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 expands into historical and international contexts with modules including Early and Silent Cinema, 1895-1929 and Global Cinemas. Optional modules in the second year allow students to explore diverse topics such as AI Utopias and the Climate Crisis, Animation: Technology, Culture and Industry, and Corpus Linguistics: Working with Large-scale Text Data. The final year involves an extended independent project through the compulsory Film Dissertation. Further optional study in the final year includes American Cinema Since 1965, Environmental Cinema and Media, 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 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 15 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
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
- Elementary occupations: 20%
- Artistic, literary and media occupations: 10%
- Sales occupations: 10%
- Web and Multimedia Design Professionals: 10%
- Teaching Professionals: 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 90 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 62%
- Baccalaureate: 6%
- Foundation course: 19%
- A degree: 2%
- Other HE qualification: 8%
- Other qualifications: 2%
- No formal qualifications: 2%
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 with Year Abroad 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 with Year Abroad 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 Studies with Year Abroad 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 Studies with Year Abroad at University of Southampton?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 127 UCAS points.
Does BA Film Studies with Year Abroad at University of Southampton include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Film Studies with Year Abroad at University of Southampton?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.