BA American Studies and Film Studies (with a study abroad year)
About this course
BA (Hons) in American Studies and Film Studies (with a study abroad year), an interdisciplinary degree combining the history, culture, and politics of the United States with global screen media and cinematic analysis. Core topics include Research Methods. This four-year full-time programme includes a compulsory study abroad year and an optional foundation year. The first year covers core foundations through Analysing Film: Forms and Contexts B, Early American History, Literature and Culture, European Cinema, and Global Cinema. The second year builds on this with compulsory modules such as Debates in Screen Documentary, Theoretical Concepts in American Studies, and American City, alongside optional choices like Adaptation: Filming Fiction and British Cinema. The final year offers advanced optional modules including Cinema and Migration, Hollywood Industry and Imaginary, and American Teen Cinema: Coming of Age on Screen, as well as the option to complete an American Studies Dissertation and Research Communication or Film Studies 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 or BBB IB: 32 points
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What students say
Based on about 117 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 87%
- Learning opportunities: 81%
- Assessment and feedback: 84%
- Academic support: 88%
- Organisation and management: 78%
- Learning resources: 87%
- Student voice: 83%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 10 students who started (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 90%
- Left higher education: 10%
What graduates do next
Based on about 23 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 80%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 5%
- Unemployed: 10%
Most common jobs
- Sales occupations: 15%
- Business and public service associate professionals: 15%
- Elementary occupations: 10%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 5%
- Leisure, travel and related personal service occupations: 5%
- Find their work meaningful: 65%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 55%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 25%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 135 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- East Midlands: 1%
- East of England: 10%
- London: 48%
- South East: 34%
- South West: 6%
- Wales: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 130 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 70%
- Baccalaureate: 3%
- Foundation course: 17%
- A degree: 8%
- Other HE qualification: 1%
- Other qualifications: 1%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Bronze for student experience, Silver for student outcomes.
Modules
- Analysing Film: Forms and Contexts B
- Early American History, Literature and Culture
- European Cinema
- Analysing Film: Authorship and Genre B
- Global Cinema
- Modern American History, Literature and Culture
- Debates in Screen Documentary
- Theoretical Concepts in American Studies
- American City
- Adaptation: Filming Fiction
- Exploring Local Film Cultures
- Film Musicals
- 1661: Slavery in English America
- 1959 Havana: Revolution in Latin America
- British Cinema
- Chinese Cinema
- Latin American Cinema: Contemporary Trends and Movements
- Picasso to Kahlo: Transatlantic Dialogues
- Pop Life: After Modern Art
- States of Disunion: Power, Polarisation and Protest in US Politics
- American Studies Dissertation and Research Communication
- Film Studies Dissertation
- Cinema and Migration
- City on a Hill: Faith and the American Project
- Freedom Now! The African-American Freedom Struggle After 1945
- Pop Soundtrack Cinema
- Race and Ethnicity in Popular Cinema
- Topics in African American Literature
- Viewing Women
- Visualising War: Image, Media, and Culture
- America in the 21st Century
- American Empire
- American Studies in Practice
- American Teen Cinema: Coming of Age on Screen
- Cinema and Sexualities
- Film and Revolution
- Hollywood Industry and Imaginary
- Queer Fictions
- Race, Photography, Archives
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA American Studies and Film Studies (with a study abroad year) at University of Sussex earn?
The median salary is £26,000 after 15 months, £24,000 after 3 years, £30,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £25,000 and £38,500. The £30,500 median after five years is £1,000 more than the UK median for American and Australasian studies.
What do graduates of BA American Studies and Film Studies (with a study abroad year) at University of Sussex do next?
90% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA American Studies and Film Studies (with a study abroad year) at University of Sussex?
87% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA American Studies and Film Studies (with a study abroad year) at University of Sussex?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 32 points in the IB. The average entrant had 118 UCAS points.
Does BA American Studies and Film Studies (with a study abroad year) at University of Sussex include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on BA American Studies and Film Studies (with a study abroad year) at University of Sussex?
90% of students continued into their second year, and 10% left higher education.