Film Studies MA

Year of entry: 2026

Course length: 12 months Full-Time | 24 Months Part-Time

About the course

Our MA Film Studies course has been designed to provide considerable opportunities to study film theory, history and culture, as well as aspects of socially engaged practice. If you want to enhance your artistic or professional career, or if you’re planning to progress to doctoral study, this course is for you.

Our academics cover film, screen and media studies from form and theory to historical and cultural approaches, and from national cinemas to the politics of identity, gender and sexuality. Our department has a distinguished history of critically engaged practice and is a leader in practice as research.

This MA consists of three core units:

Film Theories, Debates and Approaches
Film Cultures: Research, Industries and Practice
Dissertation (Written and Practical)

Students can also do a range of optional units covering national cinemas, adaptation and comparative media, queer cinemas, audience and fan studies and documentary film practice. There are also opportunities for specialist placements giving you industry and cultural sector experience.

These are example course units based on 2025/26 options and are subject to change each year.

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Ranked 1st in the UK for Drama and Cinematics (Complete University Guide 2025)

Have the opportunity to study areas of film theory, history and culture, as well as aspects of socially engaged practice.

Learn from teaching and research active staff who work in close collaboration with cultural partners including HOME, Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology and North West Film Archive.

Where will your degree take you?

By teaching and developing a considerable range of transferable skills, this course opens doors to a wide range of career options. Previous MA students have gone on to take up PhD study, with many then progressing to academic and teaching careers in further and higher education institutions. Other graduates have gone on to work for the BBC, independent television production companies and as festival organisers, as well as in film education and other areas of the film and screen media industry.

Lilian Wang

Student Spotlight - MA Film Studies

"The MA Film Studies course was an intensive and highly enjoyable 12 months. I had come from a practical film and television background and wanted to expand my knowledge in film theories; I was not disappointed. The programme is structured in a way that gives you a strong grounding in film theories, while also allowing you the flexibility to select optional modules in specific areas of interest or to do a directed reading (or practice) module under the guidance of a supervisor.

I was able to explore many topics within film studies that were of interest to me. Additionally, I appreciated the international outlook of the syllabus, the ability to challenge conventional perspectives within film studies and the many opportunities for engaging discussions in seminars with lecturers and classmates."

Derrick Hodnett

Student Spotlight - MA Film Studies

"I’m a mature student (actually very mature as I’m in my 50s!). I had a successful career in IT but post-covid decided that I wanted to do something different. I’d always been a film fan and wanted to challenge myself to do something more formal, nothing against anyone who simply wants to retire early and play golf but that’s not me."

Marianne Knowles

Student Spotlight - MA Film Studies

"The practical options on the fantasy adaptation and directed practice modules gave me the chance to take my scriptwriting and film production skills to the next level. The inspirational lectures and expert tutorials opened my eyes to ground-breaking film works, theoretical knowledge and approaches to creative work which has transformed my practice.’’

Dr Victoria Lowe

Senior Lecturer in Film Studies and the Programme Director

Dr Victoria Lowe is a Senior Lecturer in Drama and Film Studies. Her interests are in film and television history, specialising in screen acting and the relationship between media in a British context.. She has a particular interest in archives and has used them extensively in her research and teaching. She is a contributing editor to the online journal Open Screens.