3-Term Pathway - Foundation Certificate in Humanities - Continue to Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Film Studies (Placement Year)

Program Description For students who've finished high school but don’t meet the entry requirements for university, a Foundation Certificate can help them gain entry to an undergraduate degree. After completing this pathway option students qualify for progression to the 1st year of an undergraduate degree at the University of Essex.

A student’s course length is determined mainly by their English language level (UKVI IELTS score). Students on all course lengths take a set of common or similar modules to gain a solid base of skills for university. Students taking a course longer than 2 terms, will take additional modules designed to improve one or more of their English language level, academic skills, and basic knowledge of particular subjects.

Bachelor of Arts (Honours) - Film Studies

At Essex students combine studying the history and theory of cinema with practical film production, so they don’t just critically examine cinema – they create it. Students’ production modules enable them to develop and apply their academic knowledge and understanding of film, refining and enriching their own practical work.

Students are given the opportunity to explore film across a broad range of genres, time periods, and regions, from Hollywood, world and independent cinema, to documentaries and television. Simultaneously, students gain hands-on experience in film production and production management, essential for careers in the film and television industry.

The Department nurtures the creative talent for tomorrow, developing filmmakers, scholars, and thinkers with a dynamic worldview:

• Students gain hands-on experience of camera work, sound recording, editing, lighting, and scriptwriting • Explore the formal aesthetics of film composition and structure in relation to different contexts of production and reception • Discover the history and social significance of film as a global medium • Understand the links between critical analysis and creative practice • Produce both group films and personal projects

By graduation they will have built up a fully rounded portfolio of work, enabling them to showcase their experience, versatility and creative potential to future employers.

The Department offers a varied, flexible and distinctive curriculum, focused on developing students’ abilities in film, and also enabling them to take options from the other courses within the Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies including literature, creative writing, journalism and drama.

They are ranked Number 1 in the UK for film studies (Dance, Drama and Cinematics, Times Good University Guide 2019).

* Please note that this delivery option of the course includes a placement year.

Students may decide to opt for a placement year, where they develop their professional skills and build a network of business contacts. A placement year can give students a career advantage by showing future employers that they are a dedicated and experienced professional.