- UCAS course code
- PQ32
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Bachelor of Arts (BA)
BA Film Studies and English Literature
- Typical A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
- Typical contextual A-level offer: ABC including specific subjects
- UK refugee/care-experienced offer: ACC including specific subjects
- Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 35 points overall with 6.6.5 at HL including specific subjects
Overview
Course overview
- Examine the development of film culture and explore how English language is used in film creation.
- Develop transferable skills for career opportunities in film education, distribution, exhibition, and curation.
- Explore the rich literary history and current creative scene of Manchester, recently designated UNESCO City of Literature.
- Study more than 1,000 years of writing in English, engaging with literary and cultural theory, studying texts in their historical contexts, and reflecting on different cultures and traditions.
- Ranked 1st in the UK for Film Studies by the Complete University Guide 2025.
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- Telephone
- +44 (0)161 509 2871
- ug-filmstudies@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- http://www.alc.manchester.ac.uk/subjects/drama/
- School/Faculty overview
-
See: About us
Courses in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of courses in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
A-level
AAB including A in English Literature or English Language and Literature.
Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.
Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.
A-level contextual offer
ABC including A in English Literature or English Language and Literature.
Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.
Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.
Contextual offers are available for applicants who:
- live in the UK and will be under the age of 21 on 1 September of the year they will start their course; and
- live in an area of disadvantage or with low progression into higher education; and
- have attended a UK school or college for their GCSEs or A-levels (or equivalent qualifications) that has performed below the national average over multiple years.
See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.
UK refugee/care-experienced offer
ACC including grade A in English Literature or English Language and Literature.
Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.
Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.
UK refugee/care-experienced offers are available for applicants who:
- have been looked after in care for more than three months; or
- have been granted refugee status by the UK government or have been issued a UK visa under one of the Ukrainian schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme or Ukraine Extension Scheme).
See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.
International Baccalaureate
35 points overall. 6,6,5 in Higher Level subjects including 6 in English Literature or English Language and Literature.
Applicants studying the International Baccalaureate Career Related Programme (IBCP) should contact the admissions team prior to applying so that their academic profile can be considered.
GCSE/IGCSE
Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 6 or B in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and and 4 or C in Mathematics. GCSE/IGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English Language.
Please note that if you hold English as a second language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the admissions team in your academic School/Department for clarification.
Other entry requirements
Other entry requirements exist for this course. You may view these by selecting from the list below.
Country-specific entry requirements
We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements including English language see accepted entry qualifications from your country
English language requirements
All applicants to the University (from the UK and Overseas) are required to show evidence of English Language proficiency. The minimum English Language requirement for this course is either:
GCSE/IGCSE English Language grade B/6, or;
IELTS 7.0 overall with 6.5 in each sub-test, or;
An acceptable equivalent qualification.
Please note that if you hold English as a second language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact the academic School for clarification.
If you need to improve your English language skills to meet the entry requirements for your academic course, the University Centre for Academic English (UCAE) summer pre-sessional courses can help. Check if your academic course offers the option of taking a pre-sessional course on the UCAE page .
The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that every student requiring a visa to study in the UK must show evidence of a minimum level of English Language (common European Framework (CEFR B2 level) to be granted a Student Route visa (previously known as a Tier 4 visa) to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level.
In addition, our academic Schools/Departments may require applicants to demonstrate English proficiency above the B2 level. Further information about our English Language policy, including a list of some of the English Language qualifications we accept, can be found here .
English language test validity
Fees and funding
Fees
Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.
Policy on additional costs
All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).
Scholarships/sponsorships
- Find out more from student finance
- Eligible UK students can apply for bursaries and scholarships
- Funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages
- Many students work part-time or complete a student internship
Application and selection
How to apply
Home-schooled applicants
If you are a student who has followed a non-standard educational route, e.g. you have been educated at home; your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course for which you are applying.
You will be required to demonstrate that you meet the specified academic entry requirements of the course.
We will also require a reference from somebody who knows you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education.
If you are a home schooled student and would like further information or advice please contact the academic School for your chosen course who will be able to help you.
Non-standard educational routes
Mature students are some of our most well-equipped learners, bringing skills and attributes gained from work, family and other life experiences.
Students come from a whole array of backgrounds, study every kind of course, undertake full-time and part-time learning and are motivated by career intentions as well as personal interest. There is no such thing as a typical mature student at Manchester.
The application process is the same as for other prospective undergraduates.If you require further clarification about the acceptability of the qualifications you hold please contact the academic School(s) you plan to apply to.
Further information for mature students can be found here .
How your application is considered
We do not expect you to have studied film before applying here, but weseek evidence in yourstatement that you have a sincere interest in film (even though you may not have already studied film formally, you might be involved in a local film society, write film reviews for your school magazine/websites or have worked on short films in your spare time) and, above all, that you have intellectual curiosity and a strong sense of socio-cultural openness.
Wewill introduce you to films and ways of thinking from different eras, countries and cultures, sowe need evidence that you are keen to have those conversations with us (this might be through involvement in voluntary/community activities, work experience or visits to other parts of the world).
Returning to education
Deferrals
We welcome applications for deferred entry and feel a gap year benefits many students.
We do ask applicants to let us know as early as possible if they are intending to defer. This helps us to adjust the number of offers we make, in order to achieve the required number of students in a given year.
Policy for applicants who resit their qualifications
Re-applications
Transfers
We will consider applications to transfer to Manchester from other universities and would normally ask for a letter explaining why a transfer was needed, relevant transcripts, a copy of the applicant's UCAS form and a confidential reference from one of the applicant's current university tutors.
We will consider applications to transfer from other degrees within the University of Manchester but applicants are required to have the A-level grades (or other qualifications) needed for entry to the degree programme for which they are applying.
Both of the above are subject to our having enough places to accommodate such applicants. Enquiries should be made to the admissions administrator for the subject (see contact details).
Course details
Course description
BA Film Studies and English Literature aims to develop your understanding and awareness of the rich possibilities of this creative medium and encourages you to approach the study of film from a range of historical and theoretical perspectives.
Film Studies
- You will expand your experience of film through taught units and screenings that focus on both classical and contemporary films, covering a wide range of film cultures from around the world.
- You will study mainstream and non-mainstream films in order to broaden your understanding of the history of film, as well as the debates and issues that are informing and generated by current practice in film and shaping its future.
- As you enhance your skills of close analysis, you will also develop an understanding of how film engages with socio-cultural and political concerns, placing the films you study in their historical context as well as thinking about current debates and future challenges for cinema as a medium.
- The course emphasises historical and theoretical approaches to studying film rather than practical production.
English Literature
- You will explore more than 1,000 years of literature and culture: from medieval romance to the postcolonial and postmodern.
- You can specialise in English Literature, American, Irish and post-colonial literatures, cultural theory, creative writing and film.
- You will engage with a range of literary/non-literary genres including film, music and texts, from Anglo-Saxon times to the present.
- Benefit from our research activity in English and American Studies, with more than 12 active research groups ranging from Anglo Saxon literature to 21st century writing and film.
- Enjoy creative writing course unit options in your second and third years of study.
Special features
- Apply your subject-specific knowledge in a real-world context through an optional placement year in your third year of study, enabling you to enhance your employment prospects, clarify your career goals, and build your external networks.
- Join The University of Manchester Filmmaking Society, which exists to provide a platform for aspiring filmmakers attending the university to meet, exchange ideas and create their own cinematic productions.
- Join The University of Manchester Drama Society, which is for anyone with an interest in drama, be that acting, directing, writing, filmmaking, costume, set building, stage managing or just watching. One of the largest in the Student Union, the society has links with many of Manchester's award-winning theatrical venues, including the Contact Theatre and the Royal Exchange Theatre. Each summer the society showcases at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.
- The English Society also puts on social and cultural events. Its annual programme usually includes talks, readings, parties, theatre visits, and a play production.
Teaching and learning
You will learn through lectures, seminars, tutorials, and practical group projects.
There's emphasis on attending film screenings, which are compulsory and designed to enable you to better understand the distinctive qualities of film as a medium.
There's also emphasis on close analysis which is designed to enable you to learn to interpret films and their discursive surround, including relevant paratexts (eg promotional material such as trailers and posters).
You will spend approximately 12 hours a week in formal study sessions.
For every hour spent at university, you will be expected to complete a further two to three hours of independent study. You will also need to study during the holiday periods.
Coursework and assessment
You will be assessed in various ways, including:
- written and oral examinations;
- coursework essays;
- research reports;
- practical tests;
- learning logs;
- web contributions;
- small-scale practical assignments;
- seminar presentations and participation;
- library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection.
Many course units are assessed through a mixture of techniques.
In your final year, you can choose to write a dissertation.
Course content for year 1
The Art of Film covers the core concepts and terminology in studying film. The unit addresses the distinctive properties of film as a medium and engages with debates about film's status as an art. Introduction to Early Film Histories covers the origins of cinema up to the 1950s. Introduction to World Cinema covers a range of film cultures from different countries with an initial emphasis on the various new wave movements, which began to emerge around the world in the 1950s and 1960s, addressing significant post-Second World War developments in the cinema of countries such as France and Japan.
This is alongside the core and optional English Literature course units, enriching your awareness and understanding of the work of English, American, Irish and post-colonial writers throughout history.
Course units for year 1
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
DRAM10031 | 20 | Mandatory | |
DRAM11111 | 0 | Mandatory | |
DRAM13331 | 20 | Mandatory | |
ENGL10021 | 20 | Mandatory | |
SALC11002 | 20 | Mandatory | |
ENGL10051 | 20 | Optional | |
ENGL10062 | 20 | Optional | |
ENGL10072 | 20 | Optional |
Course content for year 2
Course units for year 2
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
DRAM20041 | 20 | Mandatory | |
DRAM20032 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM20432 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM20632 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM20711 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM21091 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM21222 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM21261 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM21282 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM21291 | 20 | Optional | |
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Course content for year 3
Course units for year 3
The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.
Title | Code | Credit rating | Mandatory/optional |
---|---|---|---|
AMER30571 | 20 | Optional | |
AMER30811 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM30001 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM30002 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM30061 | 40 | Optional | |
DRAM30331 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM30842 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM30990 | 40 | Optional | |
DRAM31011 | 20 | Optional | |
DRAM31042 | 20 | Optional | |
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Facilities
Our comprehensive facilities include the Martin Harris Centre - home to the 150-seater John Thaw Studio plus the John Casken Lecture Theatre, which is fitted with 7.1 surround sound system - and workshops and rehearsal rooms fully equipped with industry-standard sound editing and video editing suites.
Manchester also hosts several film festivals with specialisms ranging from animation and horror to Spanish-language cinema.
One of only five National Research Libraries, The University of Manchester Library holds extensive, internationally renowned collections in the medieval, Victorian, and American literary fields.
The latter includes the Walt Whitman Collection and the Upton Sinclair Collection.
Holdings also include the archive material of the Manchester Poetry Centre.
American history is also well-served by several major research databases dedicated to topics such as the African American Experience, the nineteenth-century US press, and American religion.
The English and American Studies Film Library is another substantial and growing learning resource.
You will enjoy exclusive access to special collections of the John Rylands Library, including Shakespeare's first folio, and Elizabeth Gaskell and Ted Hughes' first archives.
Learn more about facilities
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
Study with us and you'll learn to interpret and critically analyse different forms of screen media, create original work for audio-visual production, and demonstrate a high level of transferable skills - especially in interpersonal communication, group work, leadership, and creative problem solving.
You'll find our graduates in a broad range of occupations - a fact that underlines their considerable adaptability and aptitude for collaborative work, effective communication, and negotiation.
These include roles in the theatre, film, television and radio, journalism, teaching, and applied theatre.
Some of our most recent graduates are currently pursuing further study in Film Studies, Creative Writing, and Screenwriting. Our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of industries, including positions in:
- applied theatre;
- television and radio;
- theatre;
- film and broadcast;
- journalism;
- teaching at schools, colleges, and universities;
- community arts and arts administration;
- law and business management.
Our award-winning careers service provides a wealth of tools, advice, development opportunities, and industry links.
You'll have access to dedicated, subject-specific support throughout your studies and for up to two years after graduation.
Our undergraduate courses are also designed to provide an easy transition into postgraduate study, if desired.
We offer a wide range of specialist master's courses within the University and even offer fast-tracked enrolment to high-achieving undergraduate students.
Our students can take part in our Stellify programme alongside their degrees, developing professional and leadership skills while contributing to their local and global communities through volunteering.
Our English Literature graduates have gone on to work in a variety of industries, including positions with the BBC, KPMG, Deloitte, Marks and Spencer, Aviva, Accenture and Barclays.
Regulated by the Office for Students
The University of Manchester is regulated by the Office for Students (OfS). The OfS aims to help students succeed in Higher Education by ensuring they receive excellent information and guidance, get high quality education that prepares them for the future and by protecting their interests. More information can be found at the OfS website.
You can find regulations and policies relating to student life at The University of Manchester, including our Degree Regulations and Complaints Procedure, on our regulations website.