Film Studies and Screenwriting
Entry requirements
We welcome applications from students who are completing an Access to Higher Education Diploma. We normally look for applicants to have studied a course that is in a similar subject and offers are usually made in line with our published tariff point range.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
GCSE in English Language at grade 4 or C, or higher.
T Level
UCAS Tariff
About this course
- Develop as a critical film scholar and a gain a solid grounding for careers in TV, film and media
- Enjoy the freedom to study your favourite genres and periods of cinema while discovering lots of new forms, faces and fields within film
- Watch a lot of terrific films – and discuss and debate them at lively, interactive seminars
- Hone your creative writing skills and deepen your understanding of the craft of scriptwriting and screenplay development
- Take advantage of outstanding industry-standard facilities to learn practical film techniques and skills at our on-campus Multimedia Centre
Behind every film and TV programme is the creative mind that wrote the screenplay. Could that person be you? Is your dream to pen a Hollywood blockbuster, a BAFTA-winning TV drama, or a quirky, independent film? Our Film Studies and Screenwriting course is ideal for you if you are passionate about film and determined to produce creative work within the industry.
On our three-year degree programme you acquire the foundational knowledge with which to analyse film and film scripts within relevant and informing historical, cultural, national and institutional contexts
Watching, discussing and studying a wide spectrum of film genres, from Hollywood blockbusters to French art-house classics, gives you a deep appreciation of the creative process. By engaging critically with film texts, you deepen your appreciation of narrative structure, technique and aesthetics, and your understanding of how filmmakers represent class, race and sexuality. At the same time, analysing the art and practice of screenwriting develops your writing skills and capacity to critique the quality of your own work.
You undertake practical work which develops integrated knowledge of a wide range of theoretical concepts. It also gives you the ability to employ methodological skills and tools relevant to careers in scriptwriting, screenplay development and other creative text production roles in the media/film industry.
You are taught by a team of film specialists and industry professionals with different backgrounds, whose diverse research expertise is reflected in the breadth and scope of the curriculum.
In the first year, you take core academic Film Studies modules, such as Reading Film and Film Criticism, as well as core Screenwriting modules, including Creating Short Screenplays and Script Report Writing.
By Year 2, you are ready to deepen your understanding of the writing process with core modules on research skills, Screenwriting, and Scriptwriting for Mainstream Television. You also have the flexibility to choose five optional modules which may include Telling True Stories, Science Fiction and Fantasy, and Contemporary European Cinemas.
In the last year, you choose at least three Film Studies and three Screenwriting optional modules, as well as a subject for your dissertation. Film Studies options may include Film and the City, and Cult Film and Art Cinema. Screenwriting options may include Film Script Development, and Advanced Screenwriting.
Many of our graduates go on to creative careers in film or television, as writers and script editors. Others find work in production, journalism, teaching, and other professions requiring advanced communication skills.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
University of Winchester
School of Media and Film
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Creative writing
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Media studies
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Creative writing
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
The jobs market for this subject - which includes creative writing and scriptwriting courses - is not currently one of the strongest, so unemployment rates are currently looking quite high overall, with salaries on the lower side. But nevertheless, most graduates get jobs quickly. Graduates often go into careers as authors and writers and are also found in other roles where the ability to write well is prized, such as journalism, translation, teaching and advertising and in web content. Be aware that freelancing and self-employment is common is common in the arts, as are what is termed 'portfolio careers', having several part-time jobs or commissions at once - although graduates from this subject were a little more likely than many other creative arts graduates to be in conventional full time permanent contracts, so that might be worth bearing in mind.
Media studies
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Creative writing
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£16k
£20k
£22k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Media studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£18k
£20k
£25k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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