BA Portuguese and Film Studies
About this course
BA in Portuguese and Film Studies, a School of European Languages, Culture and Society degree focusing on language acquisition, literature, and cinema. Core topics include Research Methods. The course includes a compulsory third-year period abroad spent studying or working in a Portuguese-speaking region. The first year covers foundational media analysis and initial language study through Manufacturing Consent: Media and the Making of the Modern World, Theories and Methods in Film and Media Studies, Introduction to Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture, and The Brazilian Novel. The second year expands into film history, genre studies, and intermediate language modules such as Introduction to Film Genre, Topics in Popular Film and Media, Intermediate Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture, and Afro-Brazilian Literature in Translation. The third year consists of a compulsory SELCS Year Abroad across two terms. The fourth year concludes the degree with advanced language proficiency, specialised historical study, and independent research through Advanced Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture, Portugal and Its Empire in the 20th Century: Trajectories and Memories, and a Dissertation in Film and Media. Optional modules in later years allow students to explore topics in international cinema, such as French Film History, Bombay Cinema: Industry and History, and Weimar and Nazi Film.
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 (Previous study of a foreign language is preferred (not necessarily one of the named languages) but not required. Applicants may study two languages at beginner level and may seek advice from the departments concerned if needed.) IB: 34 points (A total of 16 points in three higher level subjects, with no higher level score below 5. Foreign language preferred.)
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What students say
Based on about 61 final-year students who answered, across similar courses at this university
- Teaching on my course: 77%
- Learning opportunities: 81%
- Assessment and feedback: 76%
- Academic support: 92%
- Organisation and management: 69%
- Learning resources: 89%
- Student voice: 80%
Do students stay on the course?
Based on about 10 students who started, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Continued on course: 95%
- Left higher education: 5%
What graduates do next
Based on about 10 graduates who answered, across similar courses at this university (a small group: a rough guide only)
- Working: 55%
- Working and studying: 5%
- Further study: 15%
- Unemployed: 5%
Most common jobs
- Business, Research and Administrative Professionals: 15%
- Administrative occupations: 10%
- Teaching Professionals: 10%
- Managers, directors and senior officials: 10%
- Business and public service associate professionals: 10%
- Find their work meaningful: 75%
- Feel on track for their future plans: 75%
- Use what they learnt on the course: 50%
Where graduates work (5 years on)
Based on about 215 graduates, across similar courses at this university
- North East: 1%
- North West: 4%
- Yorkshire and the Humber: 3%
- East Midlands: 1%
- West Midlands: 2%
- East of England: 7%
- London: 67%
- South East: 8%
- South West: 4%
- Wales: 1%
Who gets in
Based on about 100 students who started, across similar courses at this university
- A levels: 72%
- Baccalaureate: 16%
- A degree: 7%
- Other HE qualification: 3%
- No formal qualifications: 1%
Accreditation & quality ratings
TEF 2023 (whole university): Silver overall, Silver for student experience, Gold for student outcomes.
Modules
- Manufacturing Consent: Media and the Making of the Modern World
- Theories and Methods in Film and Media Studies
- Film and Media History and Analysis
- Introduction to Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture
- Introduction to Portuguese Literature
- The Brazilian Novel
- Introduction to Film Genre
- Topics in Popular Film and Media
- Mediatising Dissent
- Directions in Contemporary Cinema
- Intermediate Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture
- The Golden Age of Portuguese Travel Literature
- Afro-Brazilian Literature in Translation
- French Film History
- The New German Cinema
- Docudrama in Contemporary Italian Cinema
- 20th Century Latin American Cinema: History, Politics, Aesthetics
- SELCS Year Abroad Term 1
- SELCS Year Abroad Term 2
- Dissertation in Film and Media
- Advanced Portuguese Language and Lusophone Culture
- Portugal and Its Empire in the 20th Century: Trajectories and Memories
- Short Fiction and the Making of Modern Brazil
- Low Countries Cinema
- The Cinema of Resistance: Second World War
- Film and/as Philosophy
- Bombay Cinema: Industry and History
- East Asian Cinema
- French Film Adaptations
- Weimar and Nazi Film
- Words and Images: Italian Film Adaptations
- Experimental Film and Video: Between Gallery and Cinema
- Spanish Film from the 1990s: New Ways of Seeing (II)
Questions about this course
How much do graduates of BA Portuguese and Film Studies at University College London earn?
The median salary is £30,000 after 15 months, £31,000 after 3 years, £42,500 after 5 years. After five years the middle half of graduates earn between £32,500 and £57,000. The £42,500 median after five years is £9,500 more than the UK median for Iberian studies.
What do graduates of BA Portuguese and Film Studies at University College London do next?
80% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing (Graduate Outcomes 2023-24).
Are students happy with the teaching on BA Portuguese and Film Studies at University College London?
77% of final-year students were positive about the teaching in the National Student Survey 2025-26.
What grades do I need for BA Portuguese and Film Studies at University College London?
The typical offer is ABB at A level, or 34 points in the IB. The average entrant had 147 UCAS points.
Does BA Portuguese and Film Studies at University College London include a placement year or year abroad?
The course has a compulsory year abroad.
How many students continue on BA Portuguese and Film Studies at University College London?
95% of students continued into their second year, and 5% left higher education.