Film and Media (BA): 4-year, part-time

Film and media studies addresses one of the most significant cultural and communicative landscapes of contemporary life. Film has been the dominant artistic and entertainment form of the twentieth century, and digital media have transformed how images, stories, and information are produced, distributed, and consumed in the twenty-first. Studying both together means engaging seriously with the history of cinema and moving image culture alongside the platforms, formats, and practices that define how media works today.

At Birkbeck College, this four-year part-time BA programme builds on the college's long tradition of evening and weekend teaching, making it accessible to students who are working or have other commitments during the day. The programme takes a scholarly approach to both film and media, drawing on a range of critical, theoretical, and historical methods to examine films and media texts from different periods and parts of the world. You will develop analytical skills in close textual reading alongside contextual knowledge of the industries, institutions, and technologies that shape what gets made and how it reaches audiences.

The programme also develops your creative practice skills in film and media content creation and screenwriting, giving you practical experience alongside the critical and theoretical formation.

Graduates from film and media programmes go on to careers in broadcasting, distribution, film programming, cultural journalism, screenwriting, digital content creation, arts administration, education, and media policy. The combination of critical knowledge and creative practice skills is valued across the screen and media industries, as well as in adjacent fields such as communications and public relations. Further study at postgraduate level in film studies, media studies, screenwriting, or cultural policy is a natural route for those who wish to develop specialist expertise.