Film and Media Production MA

Study level: Postgraduate
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This course welcomes creatives with a passion for storytelling and who seek to engage new forms of the spectator within the context of remediated traditions of film and media practice.

Year of entry

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time
Part-time
Sandwich

Duration

1 year full-time
2 years part-time
Up to 2 years, with professional experience

Course code

AHT088

Start date

January 2025
May 2025


Course overview

Designed to develop the skills required for the ever-changing, fast-developing new media landscape, this exciting course fosters individuality, confidence and creativity.

  • You will have the option to apply for a ‘professional experience’ opportunity2, designed to further develop your skills and knowledge with the aim of maximising your employability prospects. See the ‘Modules’ section for more information.
  • You will experiment and develop new forms that take account of the analogue world and new digital tools that, when placed together, infer possibilities that are innovative, raise questions and have impact.
  • You have the opportunity2 to join our community of critical thinkers and makers, taught by staff who are themselves film-makers, authors and artists, who continually challenge traditional and emergent practices in their own work (staff may be subject to change).
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5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

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Ranked 11th Modern University in UK by the Times

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

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Ranked 8th for Overall Satisfaction in PTES

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2024

Why you should study this course

The course places emphasis on experiential learning and offers a creative space in which experimental and innovative ways of working can be accommodated. It is based on critical practice and invites you to respond to the problems of media production now and how it has been shaped by key historical practitioners.

  • All student work is outward-facing; productions from every semester are shown publicly using our state-of-the-art media base at The Tank.
  • These regular screenings and actions ensure real-life public reaction to the work produced that in turn, influences practice in progress.
  • You will have the chance to access professional equipment4 via our dedicated Media Loan Shop and studios. The Media Loan Shop has state-of-the-art equipment including GoPro camera kits, Canon and Nikon photographic and video cameras (inc. DSLR), Blackmagic Ursa Mini 4.6K EF camera collection Edirol recorders, and a range of photographic lenses, lighting and filters.

What you'll study

The course seeks to enhance your understanding of filmmaking and related media practice in the context of new forms of production and exhibition, including new screen practices, moving image in the gallery, 360 cinema and Go-Pro aesthetics.

Seen through the lens of traditional analogue formats, the emergence of new technologies has been seen to put these in crisis. However, the centrality of filmmaking and narrative storytelling in a culture of streaming, fragmented exhibition, and glitching visuality has never felt so strong.

The course will develop your skills through an exploration of the following themes: non-fiction as a critical media practice, documentary and exploratory cinemas, experimental sound and moving image in traditional and contemporary practice, and storytelling across traditional cinematic and contemporary media platforms.

Modules

With professional experience option

The professional experience opportunity2 enables you to apply for optional professional experience in semester 1. If your application is successful, it will extend the duration of your master’s to either 16, 20 or 24 months. The professional experience provides an opportunity for you to develop expertise and experience in your chosen field with the aim of enhancing your employability.

Please note that the optional professional experience modules incur an additional tuition fee3, which for one semester of professional experience is £1,333.33, for two semesters of professional experience is £2,666.67, and for three semesters of professional experience is £4,000.

Professional experience may also be subject to additional costs, visa requirements being met, subject to availability and/or competitive application. Professional experience opportunities are not guaranteed but you will benefit from the support of our Talent Team in trying to find and secure an opportunity. Find out more about the professional experience option.

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.


How you'll learn

You will engage with a series of different learning activities and resources which include:

  • Group critiques
  • Artist talks and lectures (subject to availability)
  • Masterclasses (subject to availability)
  • Seminars
  • Tutorials
  • Workshops

This course can be offered on a part-time basis. While we would like to give you all the information about our part-time offering here, it is tailored for each course each year depending on the number of part-time applicants. Therefore, the part-time teaching arrangements vary. Request further information about part-time study.


Teaching contact hours

The number of full-time contact hours may vary from semester to semester, however, on average, it is likely to be around eight contact hours per week in the first year. These will comprise seminars, talks and lectures, as well as workshops and skills training. As you develop your final major project these modules will become primarily tutorial-based. This course operates on a 'flipped classroom' basis, and you will be expected to undertake guided reading and preparation tasks ahead of classroom sessions.

Additionally, you will be expected to undertake significant self-directed study of approximately 300 hours each semester, depending on the demands of individual modules e.g. working on course assignments, group project activities, reading and maintaining your own public facing digital profile. This will be supported by skills sessions.

The contact hours may be made up of a combination of face-to-face teaching, individual and group tutorials, and online classes and tutorials.

As an innovative and enterprising institution, the university may seek to utilise emerging technologies within the student experience. For all courses (whether on-campus, blended, or distance learning), the university may deliver certain contact hours and assessments via online technologies and methods.

Since COVID-19, we have delivered our courses in a variety of forms, in line with public authority guidance, decisions, or orders and we will continue to adapt our delivery as appropriate. Whether on campus or online, our key priority is staff and student safety.


Assessment

A variety of assessment types are included on the course so as to facilitate your development into a professional world which may demand work to be presented, formatted, proposed or submitted in different forms. You will encounter a variety of coursework forms on the programme which may ask you to produce among other elements:

  • Artefact/Bodies of work
  • Contextual documents
  • Portfolios
  • Proposals
  • Presentations
  • Research books

The Coventry University Group assessment strategy ensures that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.


Entry requirements

Typical offer for 2024/25 entry.

Applicants to this master’s degree should normally possess an honours degree (2:1 or equivalent) in a relevant subject. If the degree is in an unrelated subject, applicants need to demonstrate appropriate industry knowledge and experience in their application documentation.

Candidates with professional/industrial experience, and/or other relevant training and experience may be admitted with lower qualifications.

Non-traditional entry students are welcome: applicants without formal qualifications but professional/industrial experience may be admitted on the basis of an interview and submission of supporting material.

Each application will be considered on its merits and the final decision will be made by the course director.

Portfolio

Each applicant will be required to include a short statement regarding their interest in studying on the Film and Media Production MA course at Coventry University (300-500 words) and are invited to include a link to an online portfolio so that the course team can get to know their practice. All applicants will be offered a video conferencing conversation as part of the application where they will have the opportunity to meet with a member of the course team and ask questions about the programme of study.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications; speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

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Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:


You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

Typical entry requirements

Applicants to this master’s degree should normally possess an honours degree (2:1 or equivalent) in a relevant subject. If the degree is in an unrelated subject, applicants need to demonstrate appropriate industry knowledge and experience in their application documentation.

Candidates with professional/industrial experience, and/or other relevant training and experience may be admitted with lower qualifications.

Non-traditional entry students are welcome: applicants without formal qualifications but professional/industrial experience may be admitted on the basis of an interview and submission of supporting material, which can be found in the UK entry tab.

Each application will be considered on its merits and the final decision will be made by the course director.

Portfolio

Each applicant will be required to include a short statement regarding their interest in studying on the Film and Media Production MA course at Coventry University (300-500 words) and are invited to include a link to an online portfolio in order that the course team can get to know their practice. All applicants will be offered a videoconferencing conversation as part of the application where they will have the opportunity to meet with a member of the course team and ask questions about the programme of study.

English language requirements

  • IELTS: 6.5 overall (with at least 5.5 in each component area)

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

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Fees and funding

2024/25 tuition fees.

Student Full-time Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man £11,200 | £15,200 (with prof. experience)   Request fee information
EU £11,200 | £15,200 (with prof. experience) per year with EU Support Bursary**
£18,600 | £22,600 (with prof. experience) per year without EU Support Bursary**
Not available
International £18,600 | £22,600 (with prof. experience)   Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees3 and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page.

We offer a range of international scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees3 cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

  • Any optional overseas field trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
  • Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.


Facilities

You will benefit from studying on our well-equipped, modern campus. Our aim is to offer you sector-leading facilities in a dedicated environment4. We have a well-stocked Media Loan Shop so you can borrow an extensive range of specialist professional equipment, including 4K and HD video cameras, DSLR cameras, tripods, audio equipment and lighting4.

television studio

Television Studio

Where applicable, you’ll have access to our on-campus TV studio The Tank, with its specialist TV studio equipment, including large cameras, mixing facilities and fibre-optic wiring throughout.

photography suite

Photography Suite

The photography suite is a superb facility that includes virtual drum scanning, photography studios, black-and-white print darkrooms, free black-and-white film processing, and a digital print bureau.

recording equipment

Media Loan Shop

As a student, you’ll have access to Coventry University’s specialist Media Loan Shop. This well-stocked facility offers an extensive range of specialist, professional photography and film equipment.


Careers and opportunities

Upon successful completion of the course you will be able to:

  • demonstrate the ability to work creatively and effectively within a range of emergent media forms
  • demonstrate the technical, organisational and creative skills required to function as an independent digital media practitioner in an international context
  • think critically and reflexively about the full range of factors that impinge upon creative activities within digital media
  • apply specialist knowledge in order to engage in new media practices in the field with communities of interest reflecting local, national and international concerns
  • engage in radically challenging media practice through continuing innovative approaches of engagement and impact
  • apply a continuing experimental approach to hybridity between conventional and new media forms to creatively interrupt entrenched conventions.

Preparing our master's graduates for onward careers is central to our approach to learning and teaching on the course. This includes developing authentic assessment, collaborative opportunities2, placements2, and advice and guidance for onward study on PhD programmes here and internationally (subject to availability).

Our three collaborative modules provide opportunities2 to work with students in photography, VR/AR, media management and media/communication studies. You will be able to take advantage of cross-school connections and collaborations, as well as placement and onward opportunities2 with the support of our Talent Team.

Where our graduates work

Our students have gone on to work in digital music services in the Netherlands as research posts at the Five College Women’s Centre, Massachusetts USA, in PR companies in Saudi Arabia, in government organisations and broadcasters in Africa, and as producers in TV stations in China. Our graduates also regularly go on to set up their own companies across the globe.

Further study

Recent graduates have gone on to doctoral study in the UK, Africa, China and America.


How to apply