Program Overview

Television Production BA Honours

Overview

Our Television Production BA is a practice-based course taught by broadcast industry professionals and media theorists, combining critical analysis with hands-on practical skills. Our course focuses on how television programmes are conceived, produced, commissioned and distributed in a digital broadcast and multi-platform environment.

Course Structure

Our course is taught through a mix of lectures, group tutorials and workshops, supporting the development of both practical and critical academic skills.

Year 1

You’ll receive a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of television production skills, including camerawork, editing, lighting, production management, scriptwriting and sound recording, and will apply these to creating your own documentary as well as learning how to operate a professional TV studio. You will also study the history and analysis of television genres, aesthetics, distribution, audiences and new media, and can choose an optional module from a wide range of subjects and specialisms.

• In the Studio
• Media and Communication Research 1
• On Location
• Self-Shooting for Documentary
• Switch On: Key Concepts in TV
• Tune In: Key Contexts in TV
• TV: Ideas, Identities, Issues

Year 2

Production modules offer you the experience of working in small and large teams, and in different genres of television, while theory modules further inform your reflective and critical analysis, enhancing your understanding of screen storytelling. A range of optional modules offer the opportunity to expand your learning experience and specialise in your chosen field.

• Breaking Boundaries in TV
• Celebrity Culture and the Media
• Drama: Storytelling for TV
• Going Live! - TV studio production
• Professional Life
• Screen 2: Camera and Lighting Skills
• Screen 2: Identities: Race, Class and Gender in Film and Television
• Screen 2: Short Form Film and Video
• TV: Adaptation and Invention
• TV Advertising and Branded Content
• TV Narratives: Traditions and Innovations
• Writing and Directing for TV Drama

Placement Year

If you choose to take the opportunity of a one-year work placement after Year 2, you must complete the TV Production Extended Work Placement module (120 credits) in order to achieve the award "with professional experience".

Year 3

In addition to continuing your experience of different genres and developing new technical skills, you’ll work on major projects from a choice of genres, deciding the content and managing the production and end distribution platform, as well as completing a dissertation or independent project of your own design.

• Broadcast News
• Dissertation (Television)
• Diversity and the Media
• Extended Research Essay (Television)
• Final Project (Documentary and Factual Production)
• Final Project (Scripted Production)
• Innovations in TV: Digital and Virtual Production
• Producing for Television
• Transforming Audiences
• Understanding Screen Performance

Programme Recognition

This course is delivered through a partnership with BAFTA albert Education, which provides staff and graduates with the tools and techniques needed to learn about environmentally responsible working practices and their professional relevance.

Programme Training Opportunities

This course is committed to health and safety training, and has partnered with the Mark Milsome Foundation to offer an optional online course for students wishing to develop their skills in this area.

Programme Membership

We are full members of CILECT, the International Association of Film and Television Schools (Centre International de Liaison des Ecoles de Cinéma et de Télévision), the prestigious global network of top-tier film, television, and animation institutions.

Entry Requirements

• A levels – CCC (96 UCAS Tariff points)
• T levels – 96 UCAS Tariff points
• International Baccalaureate – 96 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme
• BTEC Extended Diploma – MMM
• BTEC Diploma – DD
• Access – 96 UCAS Tariff points from the Access course

In addition to one of the above, you should have:

• GCSE English Language grade 4/C – IB grade 4 Higher level
• GCSE Maths Pass – IB Pass

If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS of 6.0 overall, with at least 5.5 in each component.

Fees and Funding

• UK tuition fee: £9,535 (Price per academic year)
• International tuition fee: £17,000 (Price per academic year)

Teaching and Assessment

Our undergraduate courses include a wide variety of assessments.

• Practical: examples include presentations, videos, podcasts, lab work, creating artefacts
• Written exams: end of semester exams
• Coursework: examples include essays, reports, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation

Facilities

The Television Production BA Honours course at Westminster is well equipped with professional standard equipment and facilities.

• Melvyn Williams Broadcast Suite
• Studio facilities at the University's Harrow campus

Student Work

Our students have the opportunity to work on a range of projects, including:

• Creating TV, radio and online content in conditions that closely match professional newsrooms in the UK and elsewhere
• Working individually or together in a variety of different ways, from creating graphic-led stories for social media feeds to live TV news programmes

Careers

Our Television Production BA students graduate with the skills to work in all areas of broadcast television and have a high employment rate in many different roles and aspects of the media.

• Advertising strategist and creative
• Cinematographer
• Director
• Documentary filmmaker
• Editor
• Media/audience researcher
• Producer
• Screenwriter
• Social media strategist and content creator
• Sound designer

International Opportunities

Many of our courses offer international study and work experiences, and the University provides other global opportunities that all students can apply for – so whatever you're studying, you'll have the chance to go abroad.

• Taking part in semester or year-long exchanges at institutions around the world
• Attending an international summer school or field trip
• Developing your CV through volunteering or work placements abroad

Course Leader

Natalie Walter is a Lecturer in Television Documentary Journalism, Production and Directing. She joined in 2023 and is a multi-skilled self-shooting Producer/Director and Edit Producer specialised in prime-time award-winning TV documentaries in factual and un-scripted content for major UK broadcasters.

Course Team

• Ged Maguire - Senior Lecturer
• Dr Christopher Hogg - Senior Lecturer

Why Study This Course?

• Learn in a stimulating environment
• Successful graduates
• State-of-the-art facilities

Student Testimonial

"The most rewarding aspect of my Westminster experience was building connections with people from diverse backgrounds and with varying interests." - Dominic Brown, Television Production BA - 2023

Get Involved with Student Radio

Boost your employability and kickstart your media portfolio by volunteering at our award-winning radio station, Smoke Radio. You'll learn how to produce, record and edit audio and video content on industry-standard equipment, along with picking up transferable skills like writing, podcasting, social media production, event organising and teamwork.

Learn New Skills

• Learn a new language
• Develop your entrepreneurial skills
• Gain extra qualifications

Supporting You

Our Student Hub is where you’ll find out about the services and support we offer, helping you get the best out of your time with us.

• Study support
• Personal tutors
• Student advice team
• Extra-curricular activities

Course Location

Harrow is our creative and cultural hub, home to most of our arts, media and digital courses. It houses state-of-the-art facilities for every discipline, including project and gallery spaces, film studios, creative labs, collaborative learning spaces, and the Westminster Enterprise Network.

Harrow Campus is based in north-west London, just 20 minutes from the city centre by train.