Careers

What I did with the camera and how we edited it and put it on the screen, it made me go: ‘I can make anything happen if I put my mind to it’.

Michael Bruce, BA (Hons) Writing and Film graduate and filmmaker

Our optional modules allow you to explore your interests or specialise for a particular career in writing or film.

At the same time, our extensive local and national media contacts will help you gain experience on work placements and live briefs.

You’ll also develop skills in literacy, creativity, problem-solving, analysis and communication skills, which are in high demand in many different fields.

Where have other Writing and Film graduates worked?

Where have Writing and Film students found work experience?

How can ARU help with my employability and career development?

Teaching and modules

You’ll start off by developing essential knowledge and skills in writing, filmmaking, and film theory, which you’ll refer to throughout the course and beyond.

In years 2 and 3 you’ll tailor the degree to your own interests with a variety of optional modules, as well as learning the techniques and conventions of short fiction, poetry and dramatic writing, and exploring classical Hollywood cinema and film journalism.

Finally, you’ll complete an independent research project on a relevant writing or film topic of your choice.

Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Brian Butler was a local Sightsetter in one of Belfast’s main gun turrets.
Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Captain Parham was remembered by Belfast’s sailors as a very gentle and humane leader.
Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Bob Shrimpton was part of HMS Belfast’s ASDIC (sonar) equipment team.
Created by ARU Writing, Film Production, Acting and Drama students for the Imperial War Museum’s D-Day commemorations. Charles Simpson was one of Belfast’s five Engineering Lieutenants.
Royal Television Society East Student Awards Ceremony 2023
A film by students James Pearson and Martha Wallam.
Gonzalo - a film by student Eduardo Simon
A film by student Liz Michael.
A film by student Lauren Powell.
A film by student James Pearson.

What will I study?

Modules are subject to change and availability, and may vary by location. If you have the choice of optional modules, these are indicated with a *.

Year 1

Film Language and Concepts
Creative Moving Image
Introduction to Imaginative Writing
Screenwriting: The Short Film
Contemporary Publishing for Writers
Into ARU

Year 2

Writing Short Fiction
Classical Hollywood Cinema
Theorising Spectatorship
Writing for the Stage
Ruskin Module (15 credits)
Documentary Film Theory *
Filmmaking on Film: 16mm Filmmaking *
Film Criticism and Reviewing *
Independent Cinema: US and Beyond *
Non-Fiction Filmmaking *
From Script to Screen *
Writing Creative Non-Fiction *
Filmmakers on film *
Careers in Writing: Editing and Copywriting *
Photography *
Cult Media *
Anglia Language Programme (15 credits) *

Year 3

Writing Poetry
Film Journalism
Major Project Writing *
Special Topics in Film Studies *
Screenwriting: Writing and Selling the Feature Film *
Experiments in Film and Moving Image *
Professional Practice in Film *
Avant-Garde Cinema *
Gender and Popular Cinema *
Narrative in Global Cinema *
Research Project in Film and Media *
Worldbuilding 1 and 2 *
The Business of Being a Writer: Craft and Professional Practice *
Novel Writing: Long-Form Prose *
Anglia Language Programme (15 credits) *

Module details

To prepare you for university study, you can take a foundation year at the start of this course. Find out more about foundation years.

Year 1

Foundation in Humanities, English, Media, Social Sciences and Education

Module details

You can choose to take an optional placement year as part of this course. Placements typically happen in Year 3, and your course will take four years overall. Find out more about placement years.

Placement year

Work Placement - Cambridge School of Creative Industries

Module details

What happens on a foundation year?

What happens on a placement year?

How is Writing and Film assessed?

Who teaches writing and Film at ARU?

Read profiles of teaching and research staff on this course.

Dr Colette Paul
Associate Professor
Dr Nina Lübbren
Associate Professor
Dr Tina Kendall
Associate Professor
Dr Sarah Gibson Yates
Senior Lecturer
Dr Jon Stone
Lecturer
Dr Tim Jarvis
Senior Lecturer

Facilities

You’ll have access to all of our creative industries facilities including:

film studio with overhead lighting, tracks, dollies and green screen
multi-camera television studio with modular set panels and modern set dressing
full range of location kit including sound-recording equipment
editing suites with Da Vinci Resolve and Adobe Creative Cloud
finishing suite with audio monitoring and grading panels
Aaton cameras and Steenbeck editors for 16mm film production
motion capture equipment
podcast and video capture system.

ARRI Alexa camera
Media Service loans
Media Service loans
Media Service helpdesk
Film editing suite
Film editing suite
Film studio
Green screen studio
Screening room

Entry requirements

UK students

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

Other equivalent qualifications may be accepted for entry to this course; please email [email protected] for further information. Applicants to undergraduate courses can also check our information about undergraduate entry qualifications.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

We don't accept AS level qualifications on their own for entry to our undergraduate degree courses. However for some degree courses a small number of tariff points from AS levels are accepted as long as they're combined with tariff points from A levels or other equivalent level 3 qualifications in other subjects.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

Important additional notes

Our published entry requirements are a guide only and our decision will be based on your overall suitability for the course as well as whether you meet the minimum entry requirements.

You'll need a computer and reliable internet access to successfully engage with your course.

International students

English language requirements

Contextual offers

Fees and funding

UK students

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

If you start a course on or after 1 August 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £25,000. This is called repayment Plan 5. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £25,000. After 40 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

If you started a course on or before 31 July 2023, you won't repay anything until you earn more than £27,295. This is called repayment Plan 2. At this point, you'll repay 9% on everything you earn over £27,295. After 30 years (from the April after graduation), all remaining debt is wiped.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£9,535 UK students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

If you're a UK student, you don't need the money to pay for university now.

If you accept an offer to study at university, you can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan to cover your course fees.

Both full-time and part-time students can apply for a Tuition Fee Loan. Part-time students should be studying more than a quarter (25% intensity) of a full-time course each year.

You'll start repaying the loan in the April after you graduate.

For example for students who are on repayment Plan 5:

If you earn £25,500, you'll repay £45 a year or £3.75 a month
That's because £25,500 is £500 above the threshold, and 9% of £500 is £45.

What you repay depends on how much you earn after university. The more you earn, the more you pay back.

For more information about student loans, see our undergraduate student finance page.

This information also applies to:

Irish nationals living in the UK or Ireland
EU, EEA and Swiss nationals benefiting from citizens’ rights under the UK-EU Withdrawal Agreement.

£1,400 Placement year (2024-25)

International students

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

£16,700 International students starting 2025/26 (full-time, per year)

You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in two instalments. We will ask for a deposit of £4,000 or a sponsorship letter

Find out about paying your fees.

Placement year fee

Living costs

Bursaries, sponsorship and working

Apply for Writing and Film

Clearing places available

UK students, apply through Clearing for a September 2025 start

Apply through Clearing

Apply by phone

UK students, call our Clearing line

01245 686868

UK students

Apply through UCAS for 2026

Apply through UCAS

International students

Apply direct

Apply online

Writing and Film

Careers

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Student work

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Entry requirements

Important additional notes

Important additional notes

Important additional notes

International students

English language requirements

Fees and funding

Apply for Writing and Film

Clearing places available

Apply by phone

01245 686868

UK students

International students

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Writing and Film

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Careers

Teaching and modules

Student work

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Facilities

Entry requirements

BA (Hons)

Important additional notes

With foundation year

Important additional notes

With placement

Important additional notes

International students

English language requirements

Fees and funding

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

BA (Hons)

With foundation year

With placement

Apply for Writing and Film

Clearing places available

Apply by phone

01245 686868

UK students

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