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Film Studies (Including Foundation Year)

Course details
  • BA (Hons)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-time including foundation year
  • 10/2026
  • Undergraduate
Course location
Colchester Campus

Course summary

Our four-year BA Film Studies (including foundation year), will be suitable for you if your academic qualifications do not yet meet our entrance requirements for the three-year version of this course and you want a programme that increases your subject knowledge as well as improves your academic skills in order to support your academic performance.

This four-year course includes a foundation year (Year Zero), followed by a further three years of study. During your Year Zero, you study three academic subjects relevant to your chosen course as well as a compulsory academic skills module, with additional English language for non-English speakers.

You are an Essex student from day one, a member of our global community based at the most internationally diverse campus university in the UK.

After successful completion of Year Zero in our Essex Pathways Department, you progress to complete your course with our Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies.

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

We give you 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, you gain hands-on experience in film production and production management, essential for careers in the film and television industry.

We nurture the creative talent for tomorrow, developing filmmakers, scholars, and thinkers with a dynamic worldview:

  • 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 you will have built up a fully rounded portfolio of work, enabling you to showcase your experience, versatility and creative potential to future employers.

We offer a varied, flexible and distinctive curriculum, focused on developing your abilities in film, and also enabling you to take options from the other courses within our Department of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies including literature, creative writing, journalism and drama.

We are ranked top 20 in the UK for film studies (Dance, Drama and Cinematics, Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021).

Modules

Many of our courses offer a choice of optional modules to tailor your learning experience. More information about these can be found on the University of Essex website.

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
W628
Institution code:
E70
Campus name:
Colchester Campus
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Foundation

International applicants

Please note that this course is not open to international applicants.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - 72 points

Offers will be made from a minimum of the equivalent of 2 full A-levels. We accept A Levels, BTECs, Access to HE Diploma, International Baccalaureate, T Levels, AAQs and most other qualifications within the UCAS Tariff. Whilst International A-levels and BTECs aren't on the tariff calculator, we assign them the same tariff points as their UK counterparts

Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

For our Essex Pathways courses we will consider your whole application before making a decision, regardless of your educational background and grades. If you need any advice please contact our Admissions team.

Learn more on the University of Essex website

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

77 Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)

89 Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
England£5760Year 1
Northern Ireland£5760Year 1
Scotland£5760Year 1
Wales£5760Year 1
Channel Islands£5760Year 1
Republic of Ireland£5760Year 1
EU£20475Year 1
International£20475Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Fees displayed are for the 2026-27 academic year. Fees may increase for each academic intake and each academic year of study.

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