MA Film*

Mode of study: Full-time or part-time
Study location: AUB Campus | ARTFX UK London Hub
How to apply: Apply directly to us

MA Film course information

MA Film at Arts University Bournemouth is designed as academically robust and industry-aware, with two complementary named awards: International Business and Film and Screen Studies.

Within the International Business pathway, the course aims to develop and strengthen your understanding across global film markets, distribution, sales, audience strategy and policy. Meanwhile, the Film and Screen Studies pathway will support research-led scholarship and practice-based inquiry through essay film, audiovisual criticism and critical/creative methodologies.

The course integrates deeply with Bournemouth Film School (BFS)’s production ecosystem, enabling you to develop your professional literacy in production workflows, creative development processes, and industry-standard pipelines, including areas that intersect with animation and visual effects. This reflects contemporary screen-sector convergence, where film, animation, and mixed-media storytelling share production, rights and IP frameworks.

The course follows a unique dual-campus model, between AUB's own campus in Bournemouth and the University's London Hub, offering meaningful industry engagement. You'll benefit from core teaching and research support in Bournemouth, and concentrated business and industry-facing activity in London. This structure gives you access to production facilities, archives, screenings, galleries, film festivals, specialist industry organisations and cultural venues.

Three reasons to study MA Film at AUB:

This course:

Enables you to prepare for careers in the global film and screen industries through specialist pathways that combine creative, academic and business perspectives.
Builds industry knowledge and professional networks through a unique dual-campus experience in Bournemouth and London, connecting study to real-world screen sector activity and opportunity.
Supports study within a leading, contemporary and collaborative film school environment, developing skills aligned with current production practices and industry discourses.

The MA Film (International Business) pathway responds directly to a rapidly growing demand for strategic, commercially literate professionals in the UK and international film industries. This new AUB pathway offers a distinctive specialism grounded in BFS’ production experience and AUB’s transdisciplinary creative environment.

With the UK’s screen industries experiencing sustained growth, reflected in the expansion of film and television revenue and rising international production spending, a postgraduate qualification combining film expertise with business strategies is well-positioned to attract applicants seeking roles in sales agencies, distribution companies, producing, production management, festival operations and studio business departments.

The MA Film (Film and Screen Studies) pathway addresses a different but equally important and popular dimension of contemporary film education. The sector reflects a strong demand for rigorous, research-driven film scholarship. AUB’s pathway distinguishes itself through its specific emphasis on practice-based research, particularly essay film, an approach that allows students to merge academic inquiry with creative methodologies – an area that BFS' current research staff are expertly positioned to deliver. This makes the course uniquely positioned within UK offerings, balancing scholarly analysis with creative exploration of the moving image.

Master's 1: Identification (Research and Contexts)

This unit introduces you to postgraduate study and establishes the intellectual and professional frameworks that underpin the course and sector. You'll identify an area of enquiry and develop an initial research proposal, which will be aligned with your professional interests, prior experience and future ambitions. Through shared seminars and pathway-specific sessions, the unit develops critical awareness of the contemporary screen sector, supporting you in situating your practice and research within relevant industrial, cultural and academic contexts.

International Business pathway:
You'll examine the structure of global film and screen industries, including markets, distribution systems, audience engagement and policy environments, developing an understanding of commercial and strategic contexts.

Film and Screen Studies pathway:
You'll explore key theoretical and methodological approaches to film and screen analysis, including critical frameworks, audiovisual scholarship and practice-based research traditions.

Master's 2: Exploration (Methods and Investigation)

You'll deepen your enquiry through individual research, experimentation and critical investigation. In this unit, you'll refine your focus through presentations, seminars and independent study, developing appropriate research methods and professional strategies. The unit emphasises analytical rigour, methodological awareness and the capacity to evaluate emerging ideas. Outcomes from this stage inform the development of a detailed proposal for the final major project.

International Business pathway:
You'll investigate specific areas of industry practice, such as festival strategy, financing models, distribution pathways, intellectual property management or emerging technologies, strengthening your capacity for strategic analysis and professional decision-making.

Film and Screen Studies pathway:
You'll undertake focused research using critical and creative methodologies, including essay film, audiovisual criticism, and archival or textual analysis, developing advanced skills in scholarly and reflective practice.

Masters 3: Resolution (Application and Evaluation)

You'll synthesise your learning through the completion of a substantial independent project, which will demonstrate advanced knowledge, professional capability and critical reflection. In this unit, you'll implement and evaluate your project in relation to your initial proposal, evidencing the ability to manage complex work, apply research findings and communicate outcomes effectively. The unit emphasises professional readiness, reflective evaluation and the articulation of future directions in employment or further study.

International Business pathway:
You'll produce an industry-oriented project, such as a market analysis, distribution strategy, business plan, policy report or professional case study, demonstrating applied understanding of the commercial and organisational dimensions of the screen industries.

Film and Screen Studies pathway:
You'll produce a major research-led output, such as an essay film, audiovisual research project or extended critical study, demonstrating the integration of theory, practice and original enquiry.