Develop your passion for film by experiencing cinema in all its forms, with an initial foundation year to prepare for the course.
Develop your passion for cinema by learning from the experts.
Study films from around the world, and explore the changing nature of cinema.
Work on live briefs and an accredited work placement.
Benefit from our unique state-of-the-art cinema facilities specially designed to show films in a vast range of formats, including 35mm and DCP projection.
Join at the foundation year and develop your personal skills, awareness of resources and commitment to the subject.

This is one of the longest-established film studies courses in the UK. You’ll study films, filmmaking and the changing face of the cinema industry. You’ll have amazing opportunities to enhance your professional profile and employability prospects — specialising in fields ranging from film journalism and marketing to film festival management.

Find out more about out screenwriting and film courses, facilities and student projects on the SHU Screen website.

Live projects

You’ll collaborate with a wide network of industry, charity, and community partners — showcasing your knowledge and skills. You’ll work independently and in diverse teams at each stage of your study, bringing your ideas to life in response to real briefs. In the foundation year, you will undertake a series of projects that respond to real world debates.

Work placements 

In your second year you’ll curate and build your professional profile, by taking a credit-bearing placement in collaboration with one of our partners that connects your work with audiences.

Field trips

We run regular field trips to film festivals and cinema visits. Our students have visited Berlin Film Festival, Salford MediaCity, Bradford WideScreen Weekend, BFI Southbank, and participated in Doc/Fest, Celluloid Screams, Sensoria, and Festival of Debate. Trips start from the beginning of the foundation year and continue throughout your studies.

Networking opportunities

We work with nationally and internationally renowned festivals such as Doc/Fest, Celluloid Screams, and Off the Shelf, as well as bringing leading talent in film programming, film journalism, and film festival organisers to Sheffield to work with our students. You’ll benefit from regular networking opportunities and masterclass events, and get a head start into the creative industries.

We invite speakers from different cultural sectors to talk to our students about professional careers in film.

All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.

In the foundation year, you will start by developing a good base of knowledge, but also the personal skills and awareness of resources that will help you manage your studies effectively and be self-motivated.

Our modules include weekly screenings, either in our own cinema, The Void, or at Sheffield's leading art cinema, the Showroom, with whom we have a long-standing partnership.

You learn through

• lectures
• seminars
• film screenings 
• workshops
• essays 
• video essays
• presentations
• blogs 
• professional portfolios 

You may also be able to work or study abroad with the possibility of funding through the Erasmus+ programme (until 2023) or the Turing scheme.

This course prepares you for a career in

• film journalism
• teaching in film and media
• film programming
• audience development
• events management
• arts administration
• community development
• the cultural industries

Previous graduates of this course have gone on to work for

• Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival
• Queen’s Film Theatre Belfast
• Film Hub North
• Showroom Cinema
• Sky Sports
• Site Gallery
• Rotherham College

 

48 UCAS points, including 24 points from one A Level, BTEC or equivalent; prior learning options available for students that have been out of education for a number of years, but can show some commitment to the subject (e.g. evidence of some creative writing when applying to Creative Writing course). GCSEs – English Language at C, but no requirement for Maths.

If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills, or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider a Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.

Please note the University will only admit students who are aged 18 or over at the point of enrolment.

Important notice:

The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.

You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.

 

Year 1 Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Talent Accelerator	120	Coursework

 

Year 2 Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Cinema And Genre	20	Coursework
Cinemania	20	Coursework
Film Analysis	20	Coursework
Film Consumption	20	Coursework
Film Movements	20	Coursework
Thinking About Movies	20	Coursework

 

 

 

Year 3 Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
British Cinema	20	Coursework
Ideas Into Action	20	Coursework
World-Wide Cinema	20	Coursework

 

Elective modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
On The Box	20	Coursework
Rights, Camera, Action	20	Coursework
Screen Storytelling	20	Coursework
Show Business	20	Coursework Practical

 

Year 4 Optional modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Placement Year

 

Final Year Compulsory modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Film Dissertation	40	Coursework

 

Elective modules
Module	Credits	Assessment
Film Education	20	Coursework
Film Programming	20	Coursework
Framing Borders	20	Coursework
My Kind Of Movie	20	Coursework
Professional Film Writing	20	Coursework
Telly Visions	20	Coursework