Queen's University Belfast - Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
BA in Film Studies and Production
Belfast, United Kingdom
BA
DURATION
3 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 20,800 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* England, Scotland or Wales: £4,750 | Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland: £9,250 | EU Other and International: £20,800
Key Summary
The Film Studies and Production degree at Queen’s offers a unique blend of critical thinking and filmmaking. Students will acquire advanced knowledge and skills in digital production, screenwriting, directing, cinematography and editing, as well as developing their understanding of film and moving image and broader film culture. Classes take place in the cinemas of the Queen’s Film Theatre and our dedicated Film Studio, which features full broadcast-quality LED lighting and green screen. Students benefit from our cutting-edge digital production and post-production facilities.
Students benefit from our cutting-edge digital production facilities including offline and online editing suites and use high-definition cameras, and lighting and grip kits for location work. Across the program practice-based learning is framed by the study of film concepts, critical contexts, and current industrial practices. This approach encourages our students to become creative and critical practitioners with highly developed audio-visual literacy. All of these skills enhance the employability of our graduates within the media and creative industries sector.
Film Studies and Production highlights
Professional Accreditations
Accredited as Avid Authorised Learning Partner for Education, the School of Arts, English and Languages offers industry accredited certification in Media Composer and Pro Tools, both industry leading software for film editing and sound postproduction. Preparatory work for these qualifications is embedded in the coursework of certain modules. Students will have the opportunity to attend an intensive short course and must pass the final exam to obtain the qualification.
Industry Links
Northern Ireland has one of the fastest-growing creative industry sectors in the UK economy. Film production teaching is regularly carried out and supervised by tutors who are actively involved in the film and media industry, providing invaluable opportunities to learn first-hand from film and media professionals.
Global Opportunities
Queen's University Belfast is committed to providing a range of international opportunities to its students during their degree program. Details of this provision are available through the university website.
Student Experience
We are an Authorised Avid Learning Partner for Pro Tools and Avid Media Composer, offering certified industry-approved training integrated into the degree.
Industry Links
Film at Queen’s has links with a range of independent and community-based film and media production companies (including).
Stirling Film and Television Productions, Double Band, Northern Visions, Green Inc.); as well as BBC (NI), UTV, the Belfast Film
Festival, NI Screen, Film Devour Short Film Festival, Docs Ireland, Respect Human Rights Film Festival, and the Prison Memory Archive (PMA).
Student Experience
We have a flourishing film community including Queen's Film Society, with Queen's Film Theatre at its heart, making studying Film at Queen's a unique proposition. Students also have an opportunity to attend talks, workshops, and Q&A sessions delivered by industry professionals, creative practitioners, and leading film scholars. These sessions run as part of taught classes and as additional events. Recent sessions have included masterclasses with producers, screenwriters, and directors, and we also regularly host the BBC and NI Screen.
We offer prestigious, competitive scholarships of up to 50% off tuition fees to new international students. You must have an offer to study a full-time course with us in 2024 to apply for a scholarship.
Year 1
Core Modules
- Introduction to Screenwriting
- Editing for Film and Television
- Introduction to Film Practice
- Introduction to Film Studies 2
- Introduction to Film Studies 1
Year 2
Core Modules
- Fiction Film Practice
Year 3
Core Modules
- Advanced Film Practice 1
- Advanced Film Practice 2
Studying for a Film Studies and Production degree at Queen’s will assist you in developing the core skills and employment-related experiences that are valued by employers, professional organisations and academic institutions. Graduates from this degree at Queen’s are well regarded by many employers and over half of all graduate jobs are now open to graduates of any discipline.
Film Studies and Production, with its practice and professional components, provides an excellent background for work in film, television and other broadcast media and creative industries. A degree in Film Studies and Production can lead to careers in education, training and arts administration as well as offering a wide range of career possibilities including postgraduate study.
Employment after the Course
- Our graduates have gone into a diverse range of careers, including the following:
- Mark McNally (Screenwriter. Credits include acclaimed feature film In the Land of Saints and Sinners (2023) Recipient of the Puttnam Scholarship and BBC Writersroom’s Belfast Voices Programme )
Lauren McGuigan (Assistant Editor, Yellow Moon) - Eddie McConville, Sales liaison assistant, NBCUniversal. Screenplay accepted as a finalist at 2023 Screamfest
- Rebecca Davis (Film director, she has directed six fully funded short films for Northern Ireland Screen, the BBC and RTÉ)
- Lauren L’Estrange (Editor, Ka-Boom Post-production, also working on her first feature film)
- Elsa Hunter-Weston (Production Manager, Walk on Air Films)
- James Hall (Assistant Programmer with Belfast Film Festival and Docs Ireland)
- Andrew Tohill (co-director of feature film The Dig and television series such as Castaways and Dalgliesh with his brother Ryan)
- Alastair Livesley (Sub-Editor at Virgin Media Presents)
- Stephanie Fitzsimons (Associate at PwC)
- Daniel McCabe (Sound Trainee, HBO)
- Niall McEvoy, (on-set VFX supervisor, HBO, Game of Thrones)
- Grace Sweeney (Camera Department, HBO, Game of Thrones)
- Maria Murphy (Assistant Producer, Below the Radar)
- Aaron Bell (Online Assistant at ‘Fifty Fifty Post’)
- Chris McGeown (Content Delivery Operator at BBC)
- Michele Devlin, (Director of The Belfast Film Festival)
- Genevieve Ewing (Business Consultant at CSG The Global Talent Experts)
Employment Links
Film Studies and Production, with its practice and professional components, provides an excellent background for work in film, television, and other media and creative industries. A degree in Film Studies and Production can lead to careers in education, training, and arts administration as well as offering a wide range of career possibilities including postgraduate study.
Professional Opportunities
Film at Queen’s has built up extensive industry partnerships with local film production companies, which have been experiencing significant growth in recent years. Industry placement forms an important component of the Single Honours degree at Level 3.
Prizes and Awards
Every year there are School prizes for the highest overall mark in this subject.
Students across the department regularly win Royal Television Society (RTS) and other student awards at both local and national levels.
The Anjool Malde award for the strongest documentary work by students.