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MA

Film (Documentary)

MA Film (Documentary) is all about telling human stories through film. Building on your existing skills, this course sharpens your techniques and deepens your expertise in documentary filmmaking. You'll specialise in your chosen area, preparing to create professional, high-quality films that reflect real-world narratives with confidence.

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Key Course Details

  • Start Date

    September

  • Location

    Cardiff

  • Campus Code

    B

Fees

  • Home students

    £10,800*

  • International students

    £16,900*

  • Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits.

You’ll work with top industry professionals and gain experience working at a factual production company. This course will provide you with skills essential to becoming a documentary filmmaker in today’s industry, including storytelling, research skills, self-shooting, single-camera filmmaking and film editing.

Designed for

The MA Film (Documentary) course is for students who want to tell real stories. Building on your skills, you will improve your storytelling and filmmaking knowledge and skills. You’ll explore real-life narratives, creating a strong portfolio of meaningful work through practical experience.

Career paths

  • Documentary director
  • Documentary cinematographer
  • Factual programme development
  • Video journalist
  • TV Researcher

Skills taught

  • Storytelling
  • Camera skills and techniques
  • Documentary production planning
  • Critical thinking and analysis
  • Industry collaboration and networking

We make a difference in practice, not just on paper. Our courses are designed by people who offer jobs - and taught by people who have real work experience.

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Course Highlights

ScreenSkills tick

Accredited by ScreenSkills as a course best suited to prepare people for careers in the screen industries.

Screen Alliance Wales

Build your dream career in 21st century screen industries through SAW opportunities.

Study in a Thriving Industry Hub

Study in Cardiff, home to BBC Wales and Seren Studios, where iconic shows like Doctor Who and Sherlock are filmed.

Pitch to real Industry Commissioners

Gain the opportunity to pitch your documentary ideas to actual commissioners from the BBC, and other networks.

Industry Masterclasses and Networking

Attend masterclasses, guest lectures, and gain work experience with Wales-based creative companies to enhance your portfolio and network.

Module Overview

The MA Film (Documentary) course offers hands-on experience and advanced documentary skills. Through industry placements, collaborative projects, and a final production, you'll develop a portfolio that meets industry standards. You'll gain expertise in storytelling, self-shooting, and production processes, preparing you for a career in documentary filmmaking.

Industry              

This module introduces work experience in your chosen field, guided by industry partners. Lectures cover industry entry and professionalism, film festivals and fundraising, followed by workshops to help you develop your online presence and CV/Showreel portfolio.

Specialist Craft Practice / Advanced Specialist Craft Practice     

Develop advanced skills in your chosen discipline through lectures, workshops, practical exercises and tutorials. You will build a portfolio that meets assessment criteria and industry standards for submission.

Film: Theory and Play                 

This module positions your learning where theory meets practice. You will collaborate with students from the other pathways, exploring concepts and techniques through a series of workshops and film exercises.

 

 

 

Collaborative Practice              

In this module, you will work with students from the other pathways in production groups, making a 6 – 9 minute film. You will learn how to work effectively in teams, understand production processes and hierarchies, meet deadlines and manage budgets.

Major Production Project       

In this final major project, you'll make a 12 – 15 minute film and supporting materials, either individually or through collaboration, with ongoing guidance and feedback.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

Typical qualification requirements:

A minimum 2:2 Honours degree in a relevant discipline or appropriate professional qualification; or an HND/HNC and relevant experience; or equivalent international qualifications. Those without such qualifications will be considered on an individual basis, where prior experience will be taken into account.

 

International applications welcomed:

We welcome international applications with equivalent qualifications of our entry requirements. For more details related to your country of residence, please view our dedicated country pages.

English language requirements

International applicants will need to have achieved an overall of IELTS 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component/TOEFL 72 overall and a minimum of 18 in reading, 17 in listening, 20 in speaking and 17 in writing or equivalent.

Equivalents can be located on our English Language pages.

If you have previously studied through the medium of English, IELTS might not be required, please visit our country specific page for further details. If your country is not featured, please contact us.

If you do not meet the English entry criteria, please visit our Pre-Sessional course pages.

Contextual offers

We may make you a lower offer based on a range of factors, including your background (where you live and the school or college that you attended, for example), your experiences and individual circumstances (as a care leaver, for example). This is referred to as a contextual offer, and we receive data from UCAS to support us in making these decisions.

USW prides itself on its student experience and we support our students to achieve their goals and become a successful graduate. This approach helps us to support students who have the potential to succeed and who may have faced barriers that make it more difficult to access university.

 

We're here to help

Whether you a have a question about your course, fees and funding, the application process or anything else, there are plenty of ways you can get in touch, and we'd love to talk to you. You can contact our friendly admissions team by phone, email or chat to us online.

 

Fees and Funding

UK Full-time Fee

£10,800

per year*
International Full-time Fee

£16,900

per year*

Further Information

Studying at university is one of the most significant investments you'll ever make. Whilst you’re studying, you’ll have two main financial obligations – tuition fees and living costs. There’s lots of financial help available from the University of South Wales and external funding sources, that may provide loans (which have to be paid back) and grants, scholarships and bursaries (that don't).

*Full-time fees are per year. Part-time fees are per 20 credits. Once enrolled, the fee is anticipated to remain at the same rate throughout the duration of your study on this course except as described below.

Please be aware that we may increase the maximum fee for home students on full-time undergraduate courses only where the Welsh Government increases the permitted level of inflation of fees. Fees for all students (including part-time, postgraduate and international students) may be amended in accordance with our applicable Fees and Debt Management Policy.  We will ensure that students are given clear, intelligible, unambiguous and timely information about our courses and costs in good time, ahead of the next academic year.

 

Fees and Funding Scholarships and Busaries Alumni Discount

Additional Costs

As a student of USW, you’ll have access to lots of free resources to support your study and learning, such as textbooks, publications, online journals, laptops, and plenty of remote-access resources. Whilst in most cases these resources are more than sufficient in supporting you with completing your course, additional costs, both obligatory and optional, may be required or requested for the likes of travel, memberships, experience days, stationery, printing, or equipment.

USW has computers available on campus and laptops for loan. However, it is highly recommended that you have your own laptop, capable of running Microsoft Office 365. Students can access a free copy of Microsoft Office and the  Adobe Creative Suite.

Cost: Up to £2000

It is recommended that cinematographers and documentary students buy their own SSD card. When you start the course, you will be advised which speed and capacity to buy.

Cost: Up to £40

It is recommended that students on the cinematography, directing, documentary & editing pathways buy their own external hard drives. MInimum 2GB, mechanical is fine but SSD if you can afford it.

Cost: Up to £120

Cost: £100

Media Loans

You can hire a range of equipment, for your assignments and practical work, for free from our Media Loans facility.

Media Loans

University Quality Assurance

At USW, we regularly review our courses in response to changing patterns of employment and skills demand to ensure we offer learning designed to reflect today’s student needs and tomorrow’s employer demands.

If during a review process course content is significantly changed, we’ll write to inform you and talk you through the changes for the coming year. But whatever the outcome, we aim to equip our students with the skillset and the mindset to succeed whatever tomorrow may bring. Your future, future-proofed.

Studying at USW

Our courses are designed with industry leaders and provide the practical skills and experiences industry demands. Our flexible courses reflect the need for life-long learning. If you value education in practice, not just in theory, then USW is for you.

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Postgraduate fees and funding
Exterior view of the University's Cardiff Campus.
Cardiff Campus
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Postgraduate Open Events

Course Highlights

How you'll learn

On the MA Film (Documentary) course, you'll learn through a mix of workshops, seminars, lectures, tutorials, and guest masterclasses led by industry professionals.

Your assessment will be based on practical tasks from live briefs and production projects (70%), along with written reflections and critical analysis of your work (30%).

Teaching staff

We’re a highly skilled team, with a vast range of recent industry experience. Our staff include award-winning filmmakers who continue to work in the industry, making sure that our curriculum remains current and forward-thinking across the degree. 

MA Film draws on our connections with current industry professionals through guest lectures, masterclasses, external visits, and consultation opportunities. 

Placements and work experience

We’re proud to collaborate with a wide range of industry organisations in Wales and beyond, including Channel 4, BBC Wales, BAFTA Cymru, RTS Wales, Film Cymru, and the Welsh Government. As an education partner of Screen Alliance Wales, you’ll gain access to work placements throughout your degree, ranging from Film festival volunteer roles to production positions on Film and TV shoots.

This course includes a unique work experience module with major local Film and TV employers, as well as many paid and unpaid shadowing and work opportunities with various screen industry companies.

Facilities

We offer industry-standard facilities at our Cardiff Campus which includes an on-site cinema where you can screen your work and play your favourite films. 

As a film student, you can benefit from our fully equipped film studio including Arri Alexa, Black Magic Ursa, and Sony cameras, a range of professional microphones, LED lights, tracks, dollies and grip equipment. Everything you need to practice filmmaking in a secure and safe space. 

We also offer state-of-the-art finishing suites for professional video editing, sound mixing, and colour grading. Including Adobe Creative Packages, Movie Magic and Final Draft.

Equipment

At our Cardiff Campus we have a vast range of equipment that you will be trained to use as part of your course. To help support your studies we have a Media Loans facility that allows you to hire the equipment, at no cost, for you to then use for your assignments and practical work.  We have both basic and high-end film and photography cameras, portable lighting and sound equipment as well as a range of professional studio recording microphones, instruments and associated equipment to use in our music studios or on location. The team of technical officers and instructors are also available to help you with any queries and technical issues.

Careers and Employability

Graduate careers

Serving as the stepping stone for your film career, many of our graduates take up roles as camera trainees, sound trainees, script supervisors and production runners, working for the BBC, Netflix, and Channel 4. Some graduates have also set up their own production companies.

With the transferable skills you’ll learn on our MA Film (Documentary) course, you can pursue a wide range of career opportunities including researcher, postproduction technician, screenwriter, director and editor.

Industry links

MA Film (Documentary) degree can provide you with the opportunities to hone the skills needed in today’s film and television industry. Our staff’s wide selection of contacts and as an education partner of Screen Alliance Wales, we provide opportunities for you to network with industry professionals and regularly advertise and update you on positions on upcoming productions. 

Careers support

We’re here to help you take the first steps in your film and television career. We know how competitive it can be, but you’re in the right hands. The film and television industry in Wales is growing rapidly, providing more and more opportunities. We’ll teach you how to tell your stories and make your films stand out. Through our industry partnerships not only will you experience working in a professional environment, you will also learn all about networking – a key skill for a career in film.

How to apply

There is an online application process for this course. Please choose the application form for your preferred start date and mode of study (i.e. full-time or part-time).

International admissions

Please see our international admissions advice for further information about how to apply as a prospective international student.

Next Steps

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