BA Film & Television Studies and Media & Communications

From day one, you’ll dive straight into the tools, archives, and production spaces that media professionals actually use. The programme is designed so that theory and practice go hand in hand—whether you’re analysing a film through archival collections, experimenting in a lab on new media, or collaborating on a media project with your peers. Exeter supports you with dedicated spaces, specialist equipment, and opportunities to engage with real-world industry settings.

Here’s what you can expect in concrete terms:

• You’ll regularly work with The Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, a world-class resource on film and popular culture, giving you access to rare archives and visual collections that directly connect to your coursework.

• Exeter’s Digital Humanities Lab is there to help you explore and create digital media projects, letting you experiment with editing, visualization, and computational tools in a scholarly yet hands-on environment.

• Many modules involve group-based media projects, like producing a short film, a video essay, or a digital media campaign. These projects give you real experience in planning, collaborating, executing, and critiquing work—helping you build practical and professional skills across communications and media.

• You’ll be encouraged, and sometimes required, to take work placements or internships—especially if you choose variants like “with Employment Experience.” These placements give you the chance to build industry contacts and test out roles before you graduate.

• Some versions of the course offer study abroad options, letting you experience media production and communication cultures in another country.

• Exeter’s libraries and special collections are a huge support: they house major archives tied to literature and film, providing primary materials to research and inspire your creative work.

• The Communications, Drama, and Film department maintains state-of-the-art technical facilities, managed by a skilled technical team, so you’ll have access to professional equipment for audio, video, editing, and digital content production.

• You can also get involved in student-run media outlets, like Xpression FM, the campus radio station, where you can practice content creation, broadcasting, and media operations in a real-world context.

With these immersive opportunities—hands-on lab work, archive-based research, production projects, or placements—you won’t just study media and film; you’ll experience it firsthand.

Graduates of this programme typically move into creative, media, communication, or cultural industries roles. You’ll leave equipped with both practical skills and a critical understanding of media, making you well-prepared for roles in television and film production, digital media, or communications strategy.

Career Paths You Could Take Include:

• TV / Film Producer, Post-production Assistant, or Production Runner

• Digital Media / Content Strategist or Social Media Manager

• Communications / PR Consultant or Marketing Executive

• Research Analyst, Media Planner, or Cultural Programmer

What Exeter Offers You & What You Can Expect

University Services Supporting Employment:
Exeter’s Careers Service provides one-to-one guidance, mock interviews, CV reviews, mentorship, and access to employer networking events.

You can take part in the Exeter Award or Exeter Leaders Award, which includes employability workshops, volunteering, and practical projects to strengthen your career readiness.

The degree also offers a placement year option, during which the university provides support to help you secure a meaningful graduate-level work placement.

Employment Stats & Salary Figures:
Film graduates from Exeter are highly competitive in the job market. While exact starting salaries are not published, roles in film, media, and communications in the UK typically start around £23,000–£28,000, depending on the employer and location.

University–Industry Partnerships & Resources:
Exeter houses the Bill Douglas Cinema Museum, a unique resource for film archives and cultural research. Students can work directly with film artefacts and archival collections.

The Digital Humanities Lab, equipped with AV labs, sound editing suites, and maker-space facilities, allows hands-on, modern media production experience.

Exeter’s strong reputation means that many employers actively target the university when recruiting new graduates.

Accreditation & Long-Term Value:
The degree is backed by rigorous teaching and research standards, making it recognized and credible across academic, cultural, and commercial sectors.

As a research-intensive university, Exeter also provides strong credibility if you later pursue further study or move into adjacent fields such as communications, media studies, or cultural policy.

Graduation Outcomes:
You’ll graduate with a mix of theoretical and practical skills: critical thinking about media, visual literacy, research competence, communication skills, and experience with production tools.

Exeter graduates work across sectors such as TV production, digital media, publishing, marketing, communications, and media research.

Many alumni have gone on to MA programmes in Film & Cinema, Creative Writing, International Film Business, and related postgraduate areas.

Further Academic Progression:
After completing your BA, you have several options:

• Pursue a Master’s degree in Film Studies, Cinema & Media, Creative Writing, International Film Business, or Communications / Media Studies.

• Explore research degrees (MRes, PhD) in Film, Media, or Cultural Studies if you enjoy academic research.

• Undertake professional postgraduate training in screenwriting, film production, media policy, or digital marketing to build technical or niche expertise.