Film (Editing)
Our MA Film (Editing) course helps you develop the advanced skills and knowledge needed to succeed as a professional film editor. You'll gain hands-on experience, explore creative techniques, and sharpen your critical thinking to meet industry standards and make a real impact in film editing.
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Key Course Details
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Start Date
September
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Location
Cardiff
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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 directly with other students and industry professionals, sharpening your editing skills and gaining real-world experience through collaboration.
DESIGNED FOR
The MA Film (Editing) course is designed for aspiring editors who want to build a strong foundation in film and TV production while refining editing and colour grading techniques. You'll develop advanced skills, improve existing practices, and gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools, preparing you for working in the screen industry.
Career Paths
- Film editor
- Colourist
- Sound dubbing
- Digital Imaging Technician (DIT)
- Producer
Skills taught
- Avid editing skills
- DaVinci Resolve colouring skills
- Sound postproduction & design
- Planning, developing and research
- Collaboration
Course Highlights
Module Overview
The MA Film (Editing) course offers hands-on experience, advanced editing skills, and film theory. Through industry placements, collaborative projects, and a final major production, you’ll create a portfolio that meets industry standards. You’ll refine your techniques, learn production processes, and sharpen your attention to detail to prepare for a career in film.
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, 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
£10,800
per year*£16,900
per year*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 LoansUniversity 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.
Course Highlights
How you’ll learn
On the MA Film (Editing) 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%).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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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.
