Film, Media and Cultural Studies

BA Hons

  • UCAS code PL36
  • Entry year 2025 or 2024
  • A level requirements ABB
  • Duration Full time 3 years

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • 2

    2nd for Communication & Media Studies

    The Complete University Guide (2025)

  • 2

    2nd for Film (Communication and Media Studies)

    The Complete University Guide (2025)

  • Access to cutting edge film equipment including Black Magic 4K cameras

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 topics (see Course Structure section in above menu).

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.

Careers

A Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts combined degree gives graduates the confidence and capability to produce work for themselves. Our graduates have become professional theatre practitioners including performers, directors, writers, dramaturgs, producers and technicians while others have chosen to work as community artists, arts administrators and managers. Film graduates have gone into TV production roles, independent film production and jobs in advertising, marketing and media production. The transferable skills gained through studying a LICA combined degree at Lancaster make our graduates extremely attractive to employers within different creative industries, including the media, broadcast and print journalism, public relations, personnel and the Civil Service. Many of our graduates also go on to further study often becoming academics, lecturers and teachers or further vocational training in theatre or film production, including the prestigious New York Film Academy and London Film School.


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.

Entry requirements

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

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Lancaster University offers a range of programmes, some of which follow a structured study programme, and some which offer the chance for you to devise a more flexible programme to complement your main specialism.

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. Not all optional modules are available every year.

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Optional

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Fees and funding

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 2025/26 are:

Home International
£9,250 £24,700

Fees and funding information

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Scholarships and bursaries

You will be automatically considered for our main scholarships and bursaries when you apply, so there's nothing extra that you need to do.

You may be eligible for the following funding opportunities, depending on your fee status:

Unfortunately no scholarships and bursaries match your selection, but there are more listed on scholarships and bursaries page.

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We also have other, more specialised scholarships and bursaries - such as those for students from specific countries.

Browse Lancaster University's scholarships and bursaries.

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2025/2026 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

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