Program Overview

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BA Film Studies and Spanish

Overview

BA Film Studies and Spanish aims to develop your understanding and awareness of the rich possibilities of this creative medium and encourages you to approach the study of film from a range of historical and theoretical perspectives.

You will also develop a thorough grounding in the language and culture of the Spanish-speaking world as well as the opportunity to learn Catalan.

The Joint Honours in Film Studies provides you with a thorough grounding in film history and key theoretical approaches to studying film as well as the opportunity to develop specialist areas of interest.

Entry Requirements

A-level

• ABB including one essay based subject.
• We offer Spanish language at beginners or advanced level. If you are taking A Level Spanish we will require grade B and you will be placed in the advanced stream.
• Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.

A-level contextual offer

• BBC including one essay based subject.
• We offer Spanish language at beginners or advanced level. If you are taking A Level Spanish we will require grade B and you will be placed in the advanced stream.
• Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.

UK refugee/care-experienced offer

• BBC including one essay based subject.
• We offer Spanish language at beginners or advanced level. If you are taking A Level Spanish we will require grade B and you will be placed in the advanced stream.
• Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken.

International Baccalaureate

• 34 points overall. 6,5,5 in Higher Level subjects
• Applicants studying the International Baccalaureate Career Related Programme (IBCP) should contact the admissions team prior to applying so that their academic profile can be considered.

GCSE/IGCSE

• Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of Literacy and Numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade 6 or B in GCSE/IGCSE English Language and 4 or C in Mathematics. GCSE/IGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English Language.

Other entry requirements

• Other entry requirements exist for this course. You may view these by selecting from the list below.
• Scottish requirements
• Welsh Baccalaureate
• Foundation year
• Pearson BTEC qualifications
• OCR Cambridge Technical qualifications
• Access to HE Diploma
• T Level
• Extended Project Qualification (EPQ)

Fees and Funding

Fees

• Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.

Policy on additional costs

• All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application.

Scholarships/sponsorships

• Find out more from student finance
• Eligible UK students can apply for bursaries and scholarships
• Funding for EU and international students is on our country-specific pages
• Many students work part-time or complete a student internship

Application and Selection

How to apply

• Apply through UCAS

Home-schooled applicants

• If you are a student who has followed a non-standard educational route, e.g. you have been educated at home; your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course for which you are applying.

Non-standard educational routes

• Mature students are some of our most well-equipped learners, bringing skills and attributes gained from work, family and other life experiences.

How your application is considered

• We do not expect you to have studied film before applying here, but we seek evidence in your statement that you have a sincere interest in film and, above all, that you have intellectual curiosity and a strong sense of socio-cultural openness.

Course Details

Course description

• BA Film Studies and Spanish aims to develop your understanding and awareness of the rich possibilities of this creative medium and encourages you to approach the study of film from a range of historical and theoretical perspectives.

Special features

• We're ranked 2nd in the UK for drama research (Research Excellence Framework 2014).
• Your year abroad will offer the opportunity to gain first-hand experience of life in a Spanish-speaking country, and further develop your language skills.
• Join The University of Manchester Filmmaking Society, which exists to provide a platform for aspiring filmmakers attending the university to meet, exchange ideas and create their own cinematic productions.
• Join The University of Manchester Drama Society, which is for anyone with an interest in drama, be that acting, directing, writing, filmmaking, costume, set building, stage managing or just watching.

Teaching and learning

• You will learn through lectures, seminars, tutorials and practical group projects.
• There's emphasis on attending film screenings, which are designed to enable you to better understand the distinctive qualities of film as a medium.

Coursework and assessment

• You will be assessed in various ways, including:
  • written and oral examinations;
  • coursework essays;
  • research reports;
  • practical tests;
  • learning logs;
  • web contributions;
  • small-scale practical assignments;
  • seminar presentations and participation;
  • library research, linguistic fieldwork and data collection.

Course content for year 1

• In Year 1, you will take three compulsory course units that establish the conceptual building blocks of studying film before progressing into the various new wave movements and contemporary cinema.
• The Art of Film covers the core concepts and terminology in studying film.
• Introduction to Early Film Histories covers the origins of cinema up to the 1950s.
• Introduction to World Cinema covers a range of film cultures from different countries with an initial emphasis on the various new wave movements, which began to emerge around the world in the 1950s and 1960s.

Course content for year 2

• In Year 2, you take one compulsory unit - Screen, Culture and Society - which covers more advanced theoretical debates about the relationship between film and society.
• You will be able to select from a range of specialist study options on specific issues in Film Studies and focus on aspects of American, British, Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Russian or Spanish and Portuguese language cinema with a particular interest in questions of identity and representation.

Course content for year 3

• Your third year of study will be completed in a host university in a Spanish-speaking country.
• You will have the opportunity to gain advanced language skills and an in-depth knowledge of Spanish culture.

Course content for year 4

• Your remaining units in your final year are all optional and you can select from a wide range of units covering different countries, genres and issues.
• You can also choose to write a dissertation.
• You will continue your studies of the Spanish language you were exposed to in Years 1 and 2 and during your period abroad, perfecting your writing and oral skills.

Facilities

• Our comprehensive facilities include the Martin Harris Centre - home to the 150-seater John Thaw Studio plus the John Casken Lecture Theatre, which is fitted with 7.1 surround sound system - and workshops and rehearsal rooms fully equipped with industry-standard sound editing and video editing suites.

Careers

Career opportunities

• Study with us and you'll learn to interpret and critically analyse different forms of screen media, create original work for audio-visual production, and demonstrate a high level of transferable skills - especially in interpersonal communication, group work, leadership, and creative problem solving.
• You'll find our graduates in a broad range of occupations - a fact that underlines their considerable adaptability and aptitude for collaborative work, effective communication, and negotiation.

Employers

• Employers who have taken on graduates of our Spanish courses in the past include Amaze PR, Asos, Ernst &, Eversheds, Kinetic, NHS, Procter & Gamble, JD Sports, Future First, Northern & Shell, Goldstar Brand, Rolands Dransfield, Oxfam, Teach First, Majestic Wine, Greenpeace, Lakestar McCann, The Co-operative, Partel Law, Virgin, The Big Word, and IGA Securities.