Film Study Grade 9
Geraldine Ferraiz
The information on this page is for 2024 entry. If you are considering applying for 2025 entry or later, some of these details may differ and we advise you to check the page again before you apply. To receive a notification of when applications open for 2025 entry, please register your interest.
The MA (Hons) in Film Studies offers a comprehensive study of global film cultures. Film studies uses a variety of critical, theoretical and historical approaches to examine one of the most significant cultural and artistic forms of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Film studies students can apply to participate in the University-wide St Andrews Abroad programme. You may also have the opportunity to participate in the School Abroad exchange programme. For information about study abroad options, please see the study abroad site.
The MA (Hons) in Film Studies is a four-year course run by the Department of Film Studies. Film studies is a dynamic and growing discipline, drawing in students with a variety of interests. Students will examine the forms and histories of film in all their artistic, documentary and experimental variants, from early cinema to virtual reality, and will cover a range of topics including stardom, ecocinema, as well as numerous film genres and screen cultures from across the globe.
During the first two years, you will take four film studies modules (one per semester). These provide the historical, theoretical and methodological frameworks you will need for the more specialised and challenging Honours courses.
Alongside film, in the first year of your studies, you will be required to study an additional two subjects. In the second year you will usually carry on at least one of these subjects, sometimes two. Find out more about how academic years are organised.
In third and fourth year, courses reflect the research expertise of the Department and allow you to develop your own interests within the discipline. The Honours programme examines a diverse range of film and media theories and practices covering genres, film sound, global cinemas, documentary, and various histories of the moving image. You work closely with the teaching staff and develop excellent intellectual, writing and research skills that are useful in a wide variety of professions.
If you decide to take film studies in your third and fourth years, you choose from a wide variety of advanced module options. These range from film theories covering gender, national and transnational cinema, and philosophical approaches to particular topics such as war and cinema, images and impact, and horror on screen. Students are encouraged to choose and develop their own specialisms and interests within the discipline of film studies.
In fourth year, students also undertake a 10,000-word dissertation on an advanced topic in film studies. This independent project enables you to develop key research skills which are desired by both prospective employers and by graduate schools offering postgraduate degrees.
Lectures are given by all members of the Department, enabling students to hear academics at the cutting edge of the discipline. Students receive the best and latest ideas and material to research and evaluate. Tutorials are an opportunity for students to discuss and develop their thinking in a small and friendly atmosphere, guided by a professional expert.
Teaching at Honours level moves away from large group lecturing. Class sizes vary between modules, but students typically meet in groups of about 5 to 17 students for longer classes in which they are expected to participate fully.
All sub-honours modules are assessed by a balance of coursework and written examinations. Examinations are held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand. Coursework includes:
Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please see the common reporting scale.
You will be taught by a research-led teaching team with expertise and knowledge of film studies. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of tutorials under the supervision of the module leader.
Discover Uni provides official statistics about higher education courses taken from national surveys and data collected from universities and colleges about all their students. You can use this data to compare information for different degree programmes to help you make a decision about what and where to study.
As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online.
A thriving cultural hub, with the oldest purpose-built cinema in the UK, Brighton is the perfect place to study film. We have close connections with several local film festivals such as Cinecity, and with cinemas across the region. At Sussex, you:
We take the EPQ into account when considering your application and it can be useful in the summer when your results are released if you have narrowly missed the conditions of your offer. We do not routinely include the EPQ in the conditions of your offer but we sometimes offer alternative conditions that include the EPQ. If you wish to discuss this further please contact us
We also recognise the High School Diploma from other provinces -including Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick- where we look for strong performance in grade 12 subjects, and the Diplome d'Etudes Collegiales (DEC) from Quebec.
We are also pleased to consider applications if you are following a recognised International Foundation Year or you have one or more years of Higher Education in China at a recognised degree awarding institution.
The Senior High School Graduation alone would not be sufficient for entry to our undergraduate degrees, but you may be eligible to apply for our International Foundation Year. If you successfully complete an International Foundation Year, you can progress on to a relevant undergraduate course at Sussex.
Where direct entry is unsuitable, we'll automatically consider you for one of our Foundation Years. Or you might want to apply to one of our International Foundation Years at the international Study Centre on Campus. Visit isc.sussex.ac.uk/our-courses/international-foundation-year or www.sussex.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/courses/foundation-years
You'll normally need to complete a Foundation year after taking Intermediate Certificate or the Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC). You might choose one of our International Foundation Years at the International Study Centre on campus.
We look at your full profile considering everything you are studying, including the High School Graduation Diploma, Grade 12 GPA, SAT tests and subject tests and/or ACT grades and AP tests. We expect to see a combination of these qualifications.
Alongside your High School Graduation Diploma, we would ideally like to see 3 good AP scores with either, a combined SAT test score (evidence-based reading and writing and mathematics) of 1300, or a combined ACT score of 26
If you are a national of one of the countries below, or if you have recently completed a qualification equivalent to a UK Bachelors degree or higher in one of these countries, you will normally meet our English requirements. Note that qualifications obtained by distance learning or awarded by studying outside these countries cannot be accepted for English language purposes.
You will normally be expected to have completed the qualification within two years before starting your course at Sussex. If the qualification was obtained earlier than this we would expect you to be able to demonstrate that you have maintained a good level of English, for example by living in an English-speaking country or working in an occupation that required you to use English regularly and to a high level.
If you don't have the required language skills for this course you could consider the International Study Centre. The ISC offers a range of foundation courses in combination with English language teaching.
Please be aware that some module details are missing from our prospectus information at the moment. This is due to a technical problem that we are working hard to fix. Please check these pages again later for full course details. Thank you.
As part of this degree, you explore subjects that are different to your course through electives and pathways that complement your main subject. Exploring different disciplines in four electives across Years 1 and 2 helps enrich your learning experience.
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