Film Studies BA (International Hons) 2018 entry

The BA (International Hons) in Film Studies explores the interrelated fields of television, print, radio, and other media. This study of contemporary and historical media will show you how representation affects our understanding of gender, sexuality, national identity, racial and ethnic identities, and the influence of global markets and politics.

The BA (International Hons) is a joint degree delivered by both the University of St Andrews and the College of William & Mary in Virginia, USA. This joint degree allows you to spend two years at each institution.

Applications for 2018 entry for this course have now closed, see which courses are available for the upcoming academic year.

Course type

Bachelor of Arts (International Honours degree)

Course duration

Four years full time

  • Start date: 10 September 2018
  • End date: 30 June 2022

Entry requirements

The following entry requirements are for students applying to St Andrews. 

SQA Highers AAAB
GCE A-Levels AAA
IB points 38

How to apply

You can only apply for the programme through one institution, and each institution will honour the admissions decisions of the other. You must specify which subject area you wish to apply for on your application form.

If you wish to begin your studies at the University of St Andrews, you can apply through the St Andrews direct application form or the Common Application form.

If you wish to begin your studies at the College of William & Mary, you should apply through the William & Mary Common Application form.

International applicants

If English is not your first language you will need an overall IELTS score of 7.0, with a minimum score of 6.5 in each component (Reading, Writing, Listening and Speaking), or an equivalent English Language qualification.

Do I need to have studied this subject before?

No previous knowledge of this subject is required.

Faculty entry requirements

You must also meet the Faculty of Arts minimum qualifications. These vary depending on which qualifications you hold.

Other qualifications

Passes in other examinations at equivalent levels and subjects may be accepted by the Dean of the Faculty. More information on how to apply via other entry routes or accreditation of prior learning and experience can be found on the University’s entry requirements webpage.

Find out more about Faculty of Arts entry requirements.

Timetables

St Andrews students must meet with their Adviser of Studies at the beginning of Semester 1 in September to complete advising – a compulsory part of the matriculation process. After module choices have been decided, a timetable will be allocated indicating the dates and times of classes.

Reputation

The University of St Andrews as a whole was voted top in the UK for student satisfaction in The National Student Survey 2017 as 94% of St Andrews final year students gave the University top marks for the quality of the learning and teaching experience.

In 2017, the University received a TEF Gold award for the quality of teaching and the undergraduate experience.

Find out more about studying film at St Andrews.

Course information

The BA (International Hons) in Film Studies is a four-year course run jointly by the Department of Film Studies at St Andrews and the Department of Film and Media Studies at the College of William & Mary.

You will study for two years at both St Andrews and William & Mary, spending the first year of the programme at one institution and the second year at the other. You will then be able to choose where you wish to spend your third and fourth years of study and graduate from either university.

You will apply to the university where you intend to spend your first year, and then you will transfer to the other institution for your second year.

What you will study

The BA (International Honours) in Film Studies emphasises world cinema, and you will be able to select specialist courses offered at both universities such as:

  • cinemas of India
  • documentary
  • film and sexual identities
  • horror film
  • war and film.

You will also have the opportunity to develop skills in film production, programming and wider media at William & Mary.

The BA (International Honours) is a broadly based degree, and other combinations – such as joint Honours degrees – are not available with this programme. However, during the programme you will have opportunities to study a range of other subjects offered by both institutions. Find out more about the St Andrews – William & Mary joint degree.

Find out more about studying film at St Andrews.

The coat of arms for the BA (International Honours) programme which features crossed keys, gold diamonds, a rising sun, an open book, a griffin, and a lion rampant
The BA International Honours coat of arms represents each university's unique heraldry and symbols. Find out more about the coat of arms.

 

About the BA (International Honours) programme

The BA (International Honours) is a four-year undergraduate degree that combines the best of the Scottish and American educational experience.

The Film Studies programmes at St Andrews and William & Mary have much in common – a core grounded in the understanding of the form, history, and theory of the image, with an emphasis on “global” productions (i.e. outside of the USA or UK).

Both institutions offer courses in national (and transnational) cinemas, in film genre, and in the film industry; however, St Andrews offers a wider range of in-depth, film-specific courses at Honours level, including courses in areas such as archival research and the star system, while William & Mary offers more interdisciplinary courses in media studies and related disciplines, such as photography. 

The annual Global Film Festival hosted by William & Mary – a major international festival that incorporates important scholarly presentations – complements St Andrews’ important scholarship and publication series on film festivals.

The Centre for Film Studies at St Andrews provides opportunities for students to interact with visiting speakers and filmmakers and to participate in workshops and events. For example, over the past academic year, students at St Andrews have been importantly involved in the visits of Joe Russo, the director of Captain America: The Winter Soldier; Tom Engelman, producer at Dreamworks; and with scholars such as William Brooker and Maria Pramaggiore. St Andrews has also staged practical collaborative workshop on topics like “Film and Music”. 

Modules

Students studying the Film Studies BA (International Hons) will take the required modules at both institutions in their first and second years.

The following modules are those offered at St Andrews. Find out more about module requirements at William & Mary.

At St Andrews, the compulsory modules in first year are:

  • Key Concepts in Film Studies: examines key concepts and approaches that are relevant to the study of film.
  • Film History and Historiography: introduces key movements and moments in film history across the first 50 years of film.

At St Andrews, the compulsory modules in second year are::

  • Modern World Cinemas: introduces significant cinematic developments across the second half of the 20th century, providing exposure to the work of some of the most significant cineastes in the world.
  • Film Culture, Theory, Entertainment: explores a range of political, philosophical and cultural approaches to the cinema, centring on the key insights and breakthrough critical ideas that have informed the study of film and its role in society.

Students will spend either their third or fourth year in St Andrews. You will be able to choose from a wide variety of advanced options.

Here is a sample of Honours modules which have been offered at St Andrews in previous years:

  • Modernity and the Moving Image
  • Film and Fashion
  • Film Sound
  • Images and Impact: Uses of Film
  • British Cinemas: Conventions, Subversions, and Outsiders.

In fourth year, you will have the opportunity to work on an independent research project as part of your degree. If your fourth year is at St Andrews, you will undertake a 10,000-word dissertation on an advanced topic in Film Studies. If your fourth year is at William & Mary, you will have the opportunity to pursue an honours thesis or independent study.


The sub-honours modules listed here are the compulsory modules that students must take at St Andrews in order to graduate in this subject (depending on year of study). However, most students at St Andrews take additional modules, either in their primary subject or from other subjects they are interested in. For Honours level, students choose from a range of Honours modules, some of which are listed above. A full list of all modules currently available can be found in the module catalogue.

Teaching

Teaching format

Students at St Andrews for their first or second year will be taught through whole-class lectures (65 to 135 students), screenings and small group tutorials (5 to 12 students). Most teaching on film takes place in a lecture theatre equipped for the evening film screenings that accompany lectures.

Lectures at St Andrews are given by all members of the Department, enabling students to hear academics at the cutting edge of the discipline. Students receive the best and latest ideas and material to research and evaluate. Tutorials are an opportunity for students to discuss and develop their thinking in a small and friendly atmosphere, guided by a professional expert.

Extensive use is made of the University’s specialist library resources, including one of the best collections of international cinema on DVD, holding over 9,300 AV materials and including some extremely rare films and holdings.

In third or fourth year, teaching moves away from large group lecturing. Class sizes vary between modules, but students typically meet in groups of about 5 to 17 students for longer classes in which they are expected to participate fully.

In addition to these classes, students at St Andrews are expected to undertake substantial independent, but guided, work outside of the classroom. Typically, this will involve:

  • working on individual and group projects
  • undertaking research in the library
  • preparing coursework assignments and presentations
  • preparing for examinations.

At St Andrews, you will be taught by an experienced teaching team with expertise and knowledge of Film Studies. Postgraduate research students who have undertaken teacher training may also contribute to the teaching of classes and seminars under the supervision of the module coordinator. 

You can find contact information for all film studies staff on the Department of Film Studies website.

In addition to your studies in the School, optional academic support is available through practical study skills courses and workshops hosted within the University.

The University’s Student Services team can help students with additional needs resulting from disabilities, long term medical conditions or learning disabilities. More information can be found on the students with disabilities webpage.

Assessment

Modules in Film Studies at St Andrews are assessed by a balance of coursework and written examinations held at the end of each semester during a dedicated exam diet with revision time provided beforehand. Coursework includes:

  • research essays
  • class presentations
  • source analysis.

At Honours level, the modules are entirely assessed on the basis of coursework.

The Department of Film Studies provides feedback on every assessment, with a view to improving your performance in future, and aims to provide feedback on assessments and coursework within three weeks.

Undergraduates at the University of St Andrews must achieve at least 7.0 on the St Andrews 20-point grade scale to pass a module. To gain access to Honours-level modules, students must achieve the relevant requisites as specified in the policy on entry to Honours and in the relevant programme requirements. Please note that some Schools offer qualified entry to Honours, and this will be clearly specified in the programme requirements. To find out the classification equivalent of points, please visit the common reporting scale webpage.

Fees

Tuition fees for 2018 entry

Tuition feesGBP sterlingUS dollars
BA International Hons £29,190 $39,990

These figures were calculated using the exchange rate on 1 June 2018 (1 GBP = 1.37 US Dollars).

The tuition fee for all students on the BA (International Honours) is the same regardless of domicile, and will always be the pound sterling equivalent of the US dollar amount per year, as converted on 1 June preceding the start of each academic year.

If you commence your studies at the University of St Andrews, you will pay your tuition each year to St Andrews regardless of which institution you are studying at for that year.

Find out more about the cost of attendance.

Accommodation fees

Find out about fees and funding section for University accommodation in 2018-2019.

Funding and scholarships

The University of St Andrews offers a number of scholarships and support packages to undergraduate students each year.

Information about scholarships available to students on the BA International Honours can be found in the fees and funding section of the BA International Honours webpage.

Find out more about undergraduate scholarships.

Careers

Film Studies graduates are well placed to compete in today’s job market, having gained an extensive range of skills from written and oral communications to archival research and visual analysis.

A degree in Film Studies from St Andrews will provide an excellent foundation for a wide range of careers as well as for careers directly connected with cinema, such as:

  • film distribution and production
  • arts administration
  • cinema management
  • film festivals
  • advertising and public relations
  • journalism and media
  • publishing
  • education.

A degree in Film Studies will provide you with transferable skills that will equip you for a future career in many sectors. These skills include:

  • time management
  • project planning
  • group work
  • oral and written expression
  • focused research and presentation.

The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students to build their employability skills.

Student life

Students are fully involved in student life at both universities. Find out more about the student experience at William & Mary.

From the outset, the University of St Andrews offers an array of events and opportunities which result in a truly unique student experience. Students participate in a range of traditions, notably, the red academic gown and the academic family, where older students adopt first year students as ‘children’ and help guide them in a system of mentoring. These traditions and the choice of over 150 sports clubs and student societies to choose from ensures a community feel amongst students from first year onwards.

Students of Film Studies may be interested in joining the Film Society which holds weekly film screenings and regular pub nights.

The Department of Film Studies is centrally located in two buildings on North Street. These have been recently refurbished and boast bright office spaces and a well-equipped teaching room, as well as excellent screening equipment. For all Honours and Masters seminars, there are newly refurbished and specially equipped facilities (including 3D projection) at the Byre theatre. Lectures and screenings for the Department of Film Studies take place in the historical heart of the University in School 3, St Salvator’s Quad.

The Department is located next door to the local independent cinema, New Picture House, which screens popular films. Dundee, the closest city, boasts an excellent arthouse cinema at the Dundee Contemporary Arts centre.

The town of St Andrews itself has lots to offer. As the campus is located around town, walking around you encounter ancient and modern buildings and areas of greenery and seaside which provide a rich, beautiful backdrop to learning. If you want a change of scenery, St Andrews' position near surrounding towns and cities such as Anstruther, Dundee and Edinburgh make it ideal for getting to know more about Scotland.

Find out more about student life at the University of St Andrews.

"The programme enabled me to access both the New York and London markets, which helped introduce me to a career in finance and fashion. The programme is challenging while we navigate between Virginia and Scotland and meet the heavier academic requirements of both universities. The reward is double or triple: double the friendship, double the opportunities, and ultimately a stronger person than we would have been staying in one university for four years."

Zhu (Shenzhen, China)