Film and Media Studies

Film and media studies is the critical and analytical study of moving image culture and the broader landscape of contemporary media, from cinema and television to podcasting, social media, and digital platforms. It asks how films and media texts are constructed for particular audiences, what techniques producers use to create meaning and emotion, and what social and cultural forces shape media production and consumption. Rather than simply watching and enjoying media, the discipline teaches you to take it apart, to understand how it works, and to situate it within the wider contexts of industry, history, politics, and culture.

At the University of Chester, this four-year, full-time degree includes a foundation year, providing a structured pathway for students who benefit from additional academic preparation before entering the main programme. You will engage with a wide range of media forms, including feature films, podcasts, television, and digital content, developing your analytical, critical, and written skills alongside a growing command of media theory and history. The programme is designed for students with a genuine passion for film and media and the desire to understand those forms as objects of serious study as well as sources of pleasure and entertainment.

Graduates of film and media studies programmes go on to work across the creative industries, including roles in television production, documentary making, film distribution and marketing, journalism, broadcasting, publishing, digital content creation, and media education. Many also pursue postgraduate study in film, media, communications, or a related field, or develop careers in cultural organisations, arts policy, and the digital economy. The critical and analytical skills the programme develops are also valued in roles well beyond the media sector, wherever the ability to interpret complex information and communicate clearly is at a premium.