Film and Screen Studies and Media Communications

As a student of our Film and Screen Studies and Media Communications degree at Bath Spa, you’ll develop practical skills in marketing, creative strategy, public relations (PR), social media management, production and direction, and visual communications theories and criticism. You’ll develop intellectual, analytical, research and creative skills that will help you to prepare for employment and have the opportunity to engage in practical filmmaking and media projects if you wish.

Over the course of your studies you'll have the flexibility to choose four optional modules in areas that are of particular interest to you, allowing you to build a degree tailored to your passions and career aspirations. You’ll look at the film industry through the lens of visual communication, and study media consumption and changing trends in the visual media.

In your final year, you’ll join The Studio, the University’s city-centre innovation hub for creative media technology. By collaborating across the region’s business and arts sector, you’ll realise your vision for a more inclusive world with strong knowledge of film production and cinema as an industry.

Year one
You’ll investigate film as a specific academic discipline, and be introduced to analytical tools to critique contemporary media. You’ll explore how meaning is conveyed in visual media and analyse how films are constructed. You’ll also learn project management skills and begin to look into the key theoretical and methodological issues involved in the study of cinema, and explore film as a commercial, cultural and aesthetic institution.

Year two
Understand the communications and film industries in greater depth. You’ll learn marketing practices, identifying opportunities to revolutionise how media creators communicate with audiences. You’ll learn web design skills, explore grassroots community media, practice cross-platform communication strategies, and increase your awareness of media ethics. You’ll also get the chance to work on film projects, both practical and theoretical.

Year three
Take your knowledge into the real world. Look at how you can shape the future of visual communication, through film and media, and develop new ways to communicate your passion for film, criticism and journalism.

You’ll be taught in a range of ways, including lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, which give you wide opportunities to learn progressively, stretch your capabilities, test your ideas and methods and interact positively with staff and other students in the department. You’ll be taught by a team of world-leading researchers and creative media practitioners, as well as award-winning film industry professionals. The course is practical and hands-on, and will get you thinking, discussing and debating topics with your coursemates.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement.

Assessment includes essays, research reports, journals, group presentations and portfolios. Your assessments are designed to help you build a portfolio that you can take into your career. On some modules you’ll produce digital media campaigns, podcasts and social media content, while elsewhere you’ll deliver presentations and work on group projects, computer-based simulations and business strategy reports.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

Visits may include tours of famous UK film studios such as Pinewood and key film centres such as the BFI.

Graduates from this course could expect to find careers in various roles including:

• Film criticism and film journalism
• Film promotion and marketing
• Media communications roles
• Vlogging and blogging
• Digital marketing
• Media buying and advertising
• Journalism
• Film production and direction
• Social media.

Some of our graduates have gone on to work at regional, national and international companies such as:

• Museum of Modern Art (New York)
• Marvel (Disney)
• Bath Netball Team
• House of Frankenstein
• House of Imagination
• Co.media
• Future plc.

Work placements are available within the programme through the second year Work Placement model. They can also be facilitated on an extra-curricular basis through members of the teaching team.

We encourage our filmmaking students to enter material for film competitions and festivals.

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

You'll be taught on our Newton Park campus, with access to a range of facilities including:

• Commons building
• Newton Park Library
• Our Virtual Learning Environment
• Studio and post-production facilities.