About this course
Study Film and English at Southampton and discover how we tell stories across both art forms. You'll analyse writing, from early poetry to the present day, and learn how to see films with a critical eye. You can view literature and films in new contexts, including performance, music, science, philosophy and more. A year abroad will add another dimension to your university experience.
In Film, you'll study familiar classics alongside contemporary cinema, and genres including:
film noir
horror
science fiction
documentary
animation
You'll deepen your understanding and enjoyment of films and develop your critical thinking as part of a lively community.
Our English modules look at written English from across the world, in many social and cultural contexts.
You can examine both classical and popular novel adaptations in our specialised module. From Jane Austen to Harry Potter, you'll explore the close links between film and literature.
You'll spend your third year studying at one of our partner universities abroad. Your options include: South Korea, Sweden, Ireland or the Czech Republic – countries with their own distinctive film cultures.
As part of this course you can:
explore British, European and world cinema
take modules in scriptwriting and narrative non-fiction
join writing workshops at Nuffield Southampton Theatres
explore experimental writing at Entropics, hosted by the John Hansard Gallery
use a unique collection of rare books at Chawton House Library
submit your own film to a yearly film festival
You can download the course details, including modules, in the programme specificationPDF opens in a new window (PDF, 318.37 KB).
Location and awarding body
The course location is Avenue campus in Southampton. The awarding body is University of Southampton.
Entry requirements
A-levels
AAB to ABB including English Literature or a related subject*
A-levels additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking. *Related subject includes History, English Language and Literature, English Language or Drama and Theatre Studies.
Our preferred subjects are English Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, Film Studies, Law, Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies. Our lower offer is given to applicants studying one or more of these preferred subjects.
International Baccalaureate Diploma
Pass, with 32 points overall with 16 points at Higher Level, including 5 at Higher Level in English Literature or a related subject*
International Baccalaureate Diploma additional information
*Related subject includes History, English Language and Literature, English Language or Drama and Theatre Studies.
Our preferred subjects are English Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, Film Studies, Law, Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies.
Applications where Higher Level subjects have been studied without the full Diploma, will also be considered on a case by case basis.
BTEC
Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC National Extended Diploma plus A to B in A level English Literature or a related subject*.
Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC National Diploma plus A to B in A level English Literature or a related subject*
Distinction in the BTEC National Extended Certificate plus AA to AB to include A level English Literature or a related subject*
BTEC additional information
*Related subject includes History, English Language and Literature, English Language or Drama and Theatre Studies.
Our preferred subjects are English Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, Film Studies, Law, Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies. Our lower offer is given to applicants studying one or more of these preferred subjects.
Other qualifications
A-levels with Extended Project Qualification
If you are taking an EPQ in addition to 3 A levels, you will receive the following offer in addition to the standard A level offer:
ABB to BBB including English Literature or a related subject* and grade A in the EPQ
A-levels contextual offer
Students who are highlighted in this way will be made an offer which is lower than the typical offer for that programme, as follows:
ABB to BBB including English Literature or a related subject*
International Baccalaureate Career Programme (IBCP) offer
Please see the University of Southampton International Baccalaureate Career-Related Programme (IBCP) StatementPDF opens in a new window (PDF, 62.17 KB) for further information.
Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
BTEC (RQF) (reformed)
Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC Extended Diploma plus A to B in A level English Literature or a related subject*.
Distinction, Distinction in the BTEC Diploma plus A to B in A level English Literature or a related subject*
Distinction in the BTEC Subsidiary Diploma plus AA to AB to include A level English Literature or a related subject*
Access to HE Diploma
60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 39 must be at Distinction and 6 credits at Merit, to include 6 Distinctions in English Literature or a related subject*
OR
60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at Level 3, of which 30 must be at Distinction and 15 credits at Merit, to include 6 Distinctions in English Literature or a related subject*
Access to HE Diploma additional information
*Related subject includes History, English Language and Literature, English Language or Drama and Theatre Studies.
Our preferred subjects are English Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, Film Studies, Law, Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies. Our lower offer is given to applicants studying one or more of these preferred subjects.
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2017)
H1 H2 H2 H2 H2 H2 to H1 H2 H2 H2 H3 H3 including English Literature or a related subject*
Irish Leaving Certificate (first awarded 2016)
A2 A2 A2 B1 B1 B1 to A2 A2 B1 B1 B2 B2 including English Literature or a related subject* at B1
Irish Leaving Certificate additional information
*Related subject includes History, English Language and Literature, English Language or Drama and Theatre Studies.
Our preferred subjects are English Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, Film Studies, Law, Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies. Our lower offer is given to applicants studying one or more of these preferred subjects.
Scottish Qualification offers
Offers will be based on exams being taken at the end of S6. Subjects taken and qualifications achieved in S5 will be reviewed. Careful consideration will be given to an individual’s academic achievement, taking in to account the context and circumstances of their pre-university education. Please see the University of Southampton’s Curriculum for Excellence Scotland Statement (PDF, 111.01 KB) for further information. Applicants are advised to contact their Faculty Admissions Office for more information.
Cambridge Pre-U
D3 D3 M2 to D3 M2 M2 in three principal subjects including English Literature or a related subject*
Cambridge Pre-U additional information
*Related subject includes History, English Language and Literature, English Language or Drama and Theatre Studies.
Our preferred subjects are English Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, Film Studies, Law, Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies. Our lower offer is given to applicants studying one or more of these preferred subjects.
Welsh Baccalaureate
AAB to ABB from 3 A levels including English Literature or a related subject*
or
AA to AB from two A levels including English Literature or a related subject* and B from the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Skills Challenge Certificate
Welsh Baccalaureate additional information
Offers typically exclude General Studies and Critical Thinking. *Related subject includes History, English Language and Literature, English Language or Drama and Theatre Studies.
Our preferred subjects are English Literature, English Language and Literature, History, Philosophy, Film Studies, Law, Politics, Classical Civilisation and Religious Studies. Our lower offer is given to applicants studying one or more of these preferred subjects.
European Baccalaureate
80% overall including grade 8 in English Literature or a related subject*
OR
77% overall including grade 8 in English Literature or a related subject*
GCSE requirements
Applicants must hold GCSE English language (or GCSE English) (minimum grade 4/C) and mathematics (minimum grade 4/C)
English language requirements
All applicants must demonstrate they possess at least a minimum standard of English language proficiency. Applicants requiring a visa to study in the UK who do not offer GCSE English language (or GCSE English) at the required level will need to meet the following English language proficiency requirement. Find out more about the University’s English Language requirements.
Band C IELTS 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in all components
IELTS score requirements
- reading
- 6
- writing
- 6
- speaking
- 6
- listening
- 6
We also accept other English language tests.
Non-academic entry requirements
There are no additional requirements
International qualifications
Find a list of accepted international qualifications listed by country.
This is a list of the international qualifications that are recognised by the University of Southampton. If you are not sure that your qualifications meet the requirements of this course please contact our Admissions Teams.
Other ways to qualify
You might meet our criteria in other ways if you do not have the qualifications we need. Find out more about:
our Access to Southampton scheme for students living permanently in the UK (including residential summer school, application support and scholarship)
skills you might have gained through work or other life experiences (otherwise known as recognition of prior learning)
Find out more about our Admissions Policy.
Course structure
The main teaching format is a tutor-led lecture, followed by a seminar. Most film modules also have a screening each week that links to a particular topic or theme. You can access a vast array of films in our well-equipped libraries.
You're encouraged to keep an even balance between film and English modules. You can also take creative writing modules.
Each year, we offer a customisable course programme with a mix of compulsory and optional modules. You can also study topics from other subjects, including languages, philosophy and English literature.
Year 1
You'll take a module on Hollywood film and learn the basic principles of film studies, including narrative, style and criticism. You can also study European cinema, and its history, themes and styles.
You'll choose from English modules on topics including:
poetic language
a group research project, including options such as City Writing in the Nineteenth Century, Literature to Save the Planet, or Decadence and Decay at the Fin de Siècle
the novel
the history and practice of essay-writing
literary transformations (how writers adapt and renew stories)
Year 2
You'll take a module on early and silent cinema. You can also choose from a wide range of topics from film, English and other subjects, including:
scriptwriting
film and TV adaptations
20th century literature in New York
realism in film
women and Hollywood
the philosophy of art
A special module will help you plan your year abroad.
Year 3
You'll spend your third year at one of our partner universities in another country. You can study in English, but will also have the opportunity to develop your language skills.
You'll keep a monthly personal blog and write a year abroad report with support from an academic supervisor.
Year 4
You will take a module examining your experiences abroad. This will help you produce an enhanced CV.
You'll write a dissertation on a topic of your choice from English or Film. A supervisor with research expertise on your topic will support you
horror, science fiction and fantasy film
stardom
race, gender and sexuality in British cinema
contemporary American cinema
Jane Austen and the Regency world
language and the city
Holocaust literature
Shakespeare then and now
how the arts work (a module on programming in arts venues)
Want more detail? See all the modules in the course.
Modules
Modules year 1
Compulsory modules
You must take the following compulsory modules in year 1:
Optional modules
You can choose from the following optional modules in year 1:
Modules year 2
Core modules
You must study and pass these core modules in year 2:
Compulsory modules
You must take the following compulsory modules in year 2:
Optional modules
You can choose from the following optional modules in year 2:
- Aesthetics
- African Worlds
- Animation: Technology, Culture and Industry
- Arthurian Worlds
- Brief Encounters: Writing Short Stories
- Children's Literature
- Contemporary British Cinema
- Contemporary Chinese Cinema
- Decolonising Modernity
- Film Adaptation: Culture and Context
- Film Noir: Exile Filmmakers and 1940s Hollywood
- Film, Realism and Reality: representing the world, from revolution to the everyday
- From Black and White to Colour: A Screen History of Race, Gender and Sexuality in Post-War Britain
- Great Writers Steal: Creative Writing and Critical Thinking
- Images of Women
- Introduction to Nineteenth-Century British Literature
- Jane Austen's Playlist: Entertainment in Georgian Britain
- Jewish Fictions
- Making New York Modern
- Modernisms
- Puzzles about Art and Literature
- Queens, Devils and Players in Early Modern England
- Rakes to Romantics
- Scriptwriting
- Sweatshops, Sex workers, and Asylum Seekers: World Literature and Visual Culture after Globalisation
- The Life and Afterlife of the Vikings
- The Renaissance Body
- Victorian Feelings
- Vienna and Berlin: Society, Politics and Culture from 1890 to the Present
- Weimar Cinema
- Women Writers Remixed ca. 1850-1915
- Women and Hollywood
- Women, Writing and Modernity, 1770-1830
- World Cinema
Modules year 3
Compulsory modules
You must take the following compulsory modules in year 3:
Modules year 4
Compulsory modules
You must take the following compulsory modules in year 4:
Optional modules
You can choose from the following optional modules in year 4:
- American Cinema Since 1965
- American dreams? Monetized bodies, terror, and trauma in American Drama
- Animal Forms: poetry and the non-human
- Animation: Technology, culture, and industry
- Creative Writing in Schools
- Crime TV: Technologies of Detection
- Debates in Television Studies
- Eve and the Angels: Love, War, and the End of Epic in Milton's Paradise Lost
- Extra-Curricular Elective
- Fantasy Film and Fiction
- Framing the Past:Stardom, History and Heritage in the Cinema
- Holocaust Literature
- Horror on Film
- How the Arts Work: a practical introduction to cultural economics
- Humanities Undergraduate Ambassador Scheme Yr 3
- International Film Industry: Issues and Debates
- Inventing America
- Jane Austen and the Regency World
- Language and the City
- Literatures of Islands and Oceans
- Minorities and Migrants: Exploring Multicultural Germany
- Music in Film and Television
- Narrative Non-Fiction: The Interdisciplinary Art
- Narratives of Nineteenth-Century America
- Radical England: From Shakespeare to Milton
- Renaissance of German-Jewish Literature after the Holocaust
- Representing Race: Politics and Identity in American Culture
- Revolution and Romanticism: Literature of the 1790s
- Science Fiction Film after 1973
- Shakespeare Then and Now
- The Historical Novel
- Utopias and Dystopias in Literature and Culture
- Victorian Bestsellers
- Writing the Novel
Learning and assessment
The learning activities for this course include the following:
- lectures
- classes and tutorials
- coursework
- individual and group projects
- independent learning (studying on your own)
Support for your studies
You'll have your own personal academic tutor who will offer support and advice throughout your studies.
You'll have 3 to 4 learning support hours per week. Depending on your needs, they can include:
group work
one-to-one tutorials
practical workshops
screenings
specialist skills training
supervised study or conversation with your tutor
How you’ll spend your study time
Your scheduled learning, teaching and independent study, year by year:
Year 1
- Scheduled learning and teaching
- 19%
- Independent study
- 81%
- Placement
- 0%
Year 2
- Scheduled learning and teaching
- 23%
- Independent study
- 77%
- Placement
- 0%
Year 3
- Scheduled learning and teaching
- 0%
- Independent study
- 100%
- Placement
- 0%
Year 4
- Scheduled learning and teaching
- 15%
- Independent study
- 85%
- Placement
- 0%
Course leader
Shelley Cobb is the course leader.
How we’ll assess you
We’ll assess you using:
- blogs
- coursework, laboratory reports and essays
- dissertations
- essays
- individual and group projects
- oral presentations
Your assessment breakdown, year by year:
Year 1
- Written exam
- 0%
- Practical exam
- 6%
- Coursework
- 94%
Year 2
- Written exam
- 0%
- Practical exam
- 6%
- Coursework
- 94%
Year 3
- Written exam
- 0%
- Practical exam
- 0%
- Coursework
- 100%
Year 4
- Written exam
- 0%
- Practical exam
- 6%
- Coursework
- 94%
Careers
Film and English at Southampton gives you a strong foundation in skills that are attractive to all graduate employers:
written and verbal communication
analytical and critical thinking
presentation
research
organisation
project management
Our research staff and industry experts will help you gain a picture of the film and TV industries today.
Some modules include work experience. How the arts work, for example, shows you how to programme and manage a professional arts venue.
Humanities students can take employability modules to learn how to plan a future career. These consist of lectures and seminars given by experts, employers and alumni. They cover:
careers opportunities for humanities graduates, including digital jobs
entrepreneurial and start-up options
psychometric and skills assessment to help you discover hidden talents
Volunteering opportunities will help you improve your work-related skills. For example:
Union Films is our on-campus cinema where you can develop new skills, such as team leading, projection and digital design
our student film societies, FilmSoc and Wessex Films, where you arrange film screenings, help organise the University's Film Festival or take workshops to develop your skills
our radio and TV societies can give you hands-on experience of making television and radio shows
Some of our graduates go on to careers in film and media, including: film production, editing and post-production, distribution and marketing. Others continue into postgraduate studies or find employment in careers such as:
advertising, marketing and PR
arts based careers
charities
civil service
financial sector jobs
journalism
legal sector jobs
teaching
writer
Careers services at Southampton
We are a top 20 UK university for employability (QS Graduate Employability Rankings 2019). Our Careers and Employability Service will support you throughout your time as a student and for up to 5 years after graduation. This support includes:
work experience schemes
CV and interview skills and workshops
networking events
careers fairs attended by top employers
a wealth of volunteering opportunities
study abroad and summer school opportunities
We have a vibrant entrepreneurship culture and our dedicated start-up supporter, Futureworlds, is open to every student.
Work in industry
We can help you find placements and work with local, national and international employers. You could even spend a full paid year in employment.
Fees, costs and funding
UK/EU fees
You'll pay £9,250 in tuition fees for the academic year 2020 to 2021. This fee might change for further years of your course.
International student fees
You’ll pay £17,560 each year. This fee will stay the same throughout your studies.
What your fees pay for
Your tuition fees pay for the full cost of tuition and all examinations.
Find out how to:
Extra costs you might have to pay
- Printing and Photocopying Costs
- Textbooks
- Hardware
- Placements (including Study Abroad Programmes)
- Software Licenses
- Computer discs or USB drives
- Stationery
See the full list of extra items and costs in the programme specificationPDF opens in a new window 2020 to 2021 (PDF, 318.37 KB).
Accommodation and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees. Explore:
Bursaries, scholarships and other funding
If you're a UK or EU student and your household income is under £25,000 a year, you may be able to get a University of Southampton bursary to help with your living costs. Find out about bursaries and other funding we offer at Southampton.
If you're a care leaver or estranged from your parents, you may be able to get a specific bursary.
Get in touch for advice about student money matters.
Scholarships and grants
You may be able to get a scholarship or grant that's linked to your chosen subject area.
We award scholarships and grants for travel, academic excellence, or to students from underrepresented backgrounds.
Support during your course
The Student Services Centre offers support and advice on money to students. You may be able to access our Student Support fund and other sources of financial support during your course.
Funding for international students
Find out about funding you could get as an international student.
University life
The University offers a friendly, diverse and welcoming home for you while you study. You'll work, live and socialise with students from more than 130 countries.
Clubs, societies and facilities
Our campuses have:
cafes and restaurants
bars
health centres
banks
a post office
student shops
a hairdresser
Our sports facilities include a 25-metre swimming pool, a gym with 140 fitness stations, squash courts, a bouldering wall, outdoor pitches and much more. There are over 80 sports clubs you could join, and activity classes including yoga and spin.
We have an internationally known theatre, concert hall, art gallery and cinema showing everything from mainstream blockbusters to international arthouse classics. You could perform at a gig, concert or show, take part in an exhibition or join a writers’ workshop. Find out more about arts and culture at Southampton.
Whatever your passion or community, you can find like-minded people at one of the Students’ Union clubs and societies. There are more than 200 to join, and social activities in every hall of residence.
Support while you study
We aim to help you deal with any problems you might come across, so you can make the most of your time at university. We offer support with:
mental health, learning difficulties and disability
money and accommodation
childcare
computers and IT
How to apply
When you apply use:
UCAS Course Code: QW37
UCAS Institution Code: S27
What happens after you apply
We will assess your application on the strength of your:
- predicted grades
- academic achievements
- personal statement
- academic reference
We aim to respond to you within 2 to 6 weeks with a decision about your application.
We treat and select everyone in line with our Equality and Diversity Statement.