Program Overview

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Are you impatient to develop a broad range of skills? BA Film and Journalism at Essex offers a creative, flexible degree with a strong foundation for employability. Your degree is balanced 50-50 between the disciplines of Film and Journalism, but there will be many modules where the two disciplines come together, for example in modules such as ‘Documentary Filmmaking’ and ‘Advanced Practical Journalism.’ On the Journalism side, you will become thoroughly grounded in the theory and practice of journalism, develop your craft of writing and broadcasting skills to a high level, and make sound editorial judgements. You will gain investigative and analytical skills, learning to work effectively on your own and in teams to produce the best journalism. In Film you will study the history and theory of film, and will have the opportunity to gain technical skills in camerawork, editing and film-making. You can also study directing, screenwriting and explore many aspects of screen media, from cinema to social media. In addition, you will gain transferable skills in research, essay-planning and writing, and you will be offered careers guidance and training. In the third year, a specialist option on film journalism, consolidating the two parts of the degree, will be available. Why we're great.

• Our teaching staff have a broad range of up-to-date, hands-on industry experience.
• You have access to HD cameras, extensive editing facilities, a film library and a dedicated cinema.
• You create and broadcast your own online content, radio and TV programmes using our on campus facilities.

Study abroad

Your education extends beyond the university campus. We support you in expanding your education through offering the opportunity to spend a year or a term studying abroad at one of our partner universities. The four-year version of our degree allows you to spend the third year abroad or employed on a placement abroad (see below). Studying abroad allows you to experience other cultures and languages, to broaden your degree socially and academically, and to demonstrate to employers that you are adaptable and mature. If you spend a full year abroad you'll only pay 15% of your usual tuition fee that year. You won't pay any tuition fees to your host university.

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Placement year

On a placement year you gain relevant work experience within an external business or organisation, giving you a competitive edge in the graduate job market and providing you with key contacts within the industry. The rest of your course remains identical to the three-year degree.

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Our expert staff

You will be led by industry active staff, who can share techniques and trends from their latest work on film sets and in their fields of journalism respectively. This also brings opportunities to be mentored by experts in your subject area of interest.

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Specialist facilities

As a journalism student at Essex, your material will be published on a dedicated website, but you will also spend time gaining on-the-job experience with a range of professional news operations, creating and publishing ‘real’ stories and building up a portfolio of published and broadcast work. You will work in a purpose-built newsroom with access to television, radio studios, and computer software that allows journalists to create and edit content across all media and platforms quickly and professionally. The university’s Media Centre is equipped with state-of-the-art studios, cameras, audio and lighting equipment, and an industry-standard editing suite.. You will have the opportunity to contribute to student journalism, which includes a magazine, a radio station and a television operation.. You can also benefit from our experience in film production and creative writing as well as our University’s wider expertise areas such as politics, sociology and human rights.. For your film production modules, you have priority use of industry-standard editing facilities, two state-of-the-art studios, and a range of cameras and other filmmaking equipment. You also gain experience using professional film production software including Avid and Final Cut; everything you will need to produce films to an expert standard.

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Your future

With this degree you are equipped to embark on any one of a number of career paths within the industries of film and journalism. You will compile an impressive portfolio of published work and complete a detailed multimedia project in your final year, allowing you to offer real evidence of your range and capabilities to future employers. You also develop knowledge of a specialist subject – such as business, politics, international affairs or sport – giving you a head start if you want to pursue a career in one of those areas. You will be multi-skilled, familiar with production techniques in television, radio, online and newspaper journalism, and with the option to gain advanced skills in specific areas in your final year.