What Will You Study
Lancaster’s degree in Film, Media and Cultural Studies, taught by the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts and the Sociology department gives you the opportunity to study film within the broader areas of communications and entertainment media and culture. Film at Lancaster is a stimulating and intellectually engaging course which provides a framework for the close analysis of individual films. You will study cinema history and the social significance of films and will develop a detailed understanding of the techniques of film production. You will also have the opportunity to produce short films in all three years of your study. You can choose from a range of specialist courses and will develop skills that can lead to postgraduate study and careers in the media, advertising and marketing. The Media and Cultural Studies programme at Lancaster is similarly theoretical and analytical but also contains practical components and skills embedded within the core curriculum. This programme is concerned with the critical study of media and culture and offers you the opportunity to examine historical and contemporary issues and debates. We will cover such themes as media history, politics and power, subcultures and marginal cultures, the role played by media in contemporary activist movements, the relationship between media, gender, race, ability, disability and body image, and making, reforming and hacking the public sphere. On this combined programme of study you will take the core modules from the Film Studies programme and the closely related Media and Cultural Studies programme. You can choose optional modules from a wide range of module topics including Consumer Culture and Advertising, Silent Cinema, Information Society and Virtual Cultures, New Hollywood Cinema, Media in the Global Age, Hong Kong cinema, Viral Video Production, Film and Comic Books, Gender and Media, European New Wave cinema, Film Theory, and Visual Media and Culture. In your final year, you will complete an independent research Dissertation, where staff will support you on a topic of your choice, and where you have the option to combine practical and written elements.
Modules
Year 1
Core
Optional
Year 2
Core
Optional
Year 3
Core
Optional
Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and others which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism. We divide academic study into two sections - Part 1 (Year 1) and Part 2 (Year 2, 3 and sometimes 4). For most programmes Part 1 requires you to study 120 credits spread over at least three modules which, depending upon your programme, will be drawn from one, two or three different academic subjects. A higher degree of specialisation then develops in subsequent years. For more information about our teaching methods at Lancaster please visit our Teaching and Learning section.
The following courses do not offer modules outside of the subject area due to the structured nature of the programmes: Architecture, Law, Physics, Engineering, Medicine, Sports and Exercise Science, Biochemistry, Biology, Biomedicine and Biomedical Science.
Information contained on the website with respect to modules is correct at the time of publication, and the University will make every reasonable effort to offer modules as advertised. In some cases changes may be necessary and may result in some combinations being unavailable, for example as a result of student feedback, timetabling, Professional Statutory and Regulatory Bodies' (PSRB) requirements, staff changes and new research.
Entry Criteria
Grade Requirements
A Level ABB
Required Subjects Film, Media or one other humanities subject considered desirable but not essential
IELTS 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in each component. For other English language qualifications we accept, please see our English language requirements webpages.
Other Qualifications
International Baccalaureate 32 points overall with 16 points from the best 3 Higher Level subjects
BTEC Distinction, Distinction, Merit
We welcome applications from students with a range of alternative UK and international qualifications, including combinations of qualification. Further guidance on admission to the University, including other qualifications that we accept, frequently asked questions and information on applying, can be found on our general admissions webpages.
Contact Admissions Team + 44 (0) 1524 592028 or via ugadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk
Careers
Recent Film, Media and Cultural Studies graduates have gone into production roles at the BBC, ITV and MTV, independent film production and jobs in advertising, marketing, media production, and other media and creative sectors.
Graduates are well placed to pursue postgraduate vocational training in media-related professions, such as broadcast and print journalism, or take their skills into promotional and marketing roles. Many of our graduates go on to further vocational training in film production, including the prestigious New York Film Academy and London Film School. Some graduates have gone into teaching, or pursued postgraduate study and research in Film, Media and Cultural Studies.
Lancaster University is dedicated to ensuring you not only gain a highly reputable degree, but that you also graduate with relevant life and work based skills. We are unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which offers you the opportunity to complete key activities such as work experience, employability/career development, campus community and social development. Visit our
Employability section for full details.
Studying
Teaching and Learning Methods
At Lancaster we offer a broad range of learning environments which include the traditional lecture-tutorial , interactive workshops, laboratory and practical activities, student-led seminars and web-based delivery.
The modules which make up a programme of study are assessed using a variety of different methods, enabling students to demonstrate their capabilities in a range of ways. Typical coursework assignments include laboratory reports, essays, literature reviews, short tests, poster sessions, group work assessment and oral presentations. Formal examinations include short answer questions, essays and data analysis. Students are supported in the production of final year project reports and dissertations. Details of the assessment methods for individual modules can be accessed via the university's online module catalogue.
In addition to these learning and teaching methods we encourage independent study, meaning you take responsibility for your own learning. For more information visit our Teaching Approach page.
Assessment Methods
We offer you a variety of stimulating and effective approaches to teaching, learning and assessment. This enables you and your tutors to explore the very latest thinking within your subject and develops your skills in problem solving, analysis and critical reflection, communication, application of knowledge and modern technologies.
As a University, we commit to providing all our undergraduates with a minimum number of contact hours per week, providing you with timely feedback on your work and a maximum number of 15 students per seminar group.
Fees
Our annual tuition fee is set for a 12-month session,
starting in the October of your year of study.
Our Undergraduate Tuition Fees for 2020/21 are:
| UK/EU |
Overseas |
| £9,250 |
£18,700 |
Tuition fees for programmes are set annually for all new and continuing students. If you are studying on a course of more than one year's duration, the fees for subsequent years of your programme are likely to increase each year. Such increases are normally calculated based on increases in the costs incurred by the institution, or in relation to UK government regulations which set the maximum fee for certain categories of student.
For the majority of undergraduate students, the most recent annual increase was 2.8%. Any change in fee rates will be communicated to students and applicants prior to the start of the academic year in question, and normally at least eight months prior to enrolment. Further details can be found in our Terms and Conditions.
Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
Some science and medicine courses have higher fees for students from
the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man. You can find more details here:
Island Students.
Funding
For full details of the University's financial support packages including eligibility criteria, please visit our fees and funding page
Students also need to consider further costs which may include books, stationery, printing, photocopying, binding and general subsistence on trips and visits. Following graduation it may be necessary to take out subscriptions to professional bodies and to buy business attire for job interviews.
