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The MA in Film (Film with Practice) at Kent is a creatively rich, practice-led programme that combines rigorous film scholarship with hands-on filmmaking. It’s perfect if you already make films or want to build serious production experience while grounding your work in theory and history.
Curriculum Structure
In the early stage, you’ll take Filmmaking 1: Skills & Fiction, where you’ll develop your technical and narrative filmmaking skills working on short fiction films, learning cinematography, sound design, editing, and more, all grounded in analysis of film form.
Next, Filmmaking 2: Project Development helps you craft a proposal for your final project (fiction or documentary), including practical tasks like scouting, casting, budgeting, scheduling, and contextualising your ideas in broader industry and festival frameworks.
At the same time, you pick from critical/theory modules for example, Advanced Screenwriting, Analysing Film, Concepts & Debates, Film Research Methods, or World Cinema History so you don’t just make films; you understand their cultural, aesthetic, and historical contexts.
Finally, you complete a Final Creative Project, supervised closely: you’ll produce and post-produce your film, write a critical reflective analysis, and contribute to your peers’ films in roles like producer, editor, sound engineer or researcher giving you a well-rounded, professional skill set.
Focus Areas
Fiction Filmmaking, Documentary, Screenwriting, Film Theory & History, Production Management
Learning Outcomes
You will emerge with the ability to plan, produce, and critically reflect on your own creative film project, apply advanced screenwriting and narrative techniques, and analyze film form and cultural context with academic depth.
Professional Alignment (Accreditation)
While there’s no external industry accreditation listed, this MA is closely aligned with professional filmmaking practice — you graduate ready to work in the film industry in various roles (director, producer, writer, editor, etc.) or continue with practice-led research.
Reputation (Employability / Research Strength)
Kent’s Film department is staffed by award-winning filmmakers and leading scholars, offering access to strong research in moving-image theory, history, and practice.
Students benefit from professional-level facilities in the Jarman Building, plus access to the Lupino Cinema for screenings enriching both creative and academic experience.
Graduates have gone on to careers across film production, heritage, journalism, and cultural institutions, including roles at Universal Pictures and the London Film Festival.
On the MA Film (Film with Practice) at Kent, you’ll dive deeply into hands‑on filmmaking while being supported by a research-led department. You get to produce your own creative film, learn from award-winning filmmakers, and benefit from Kent’s world-class resources — including professional editing and studio facilities in the RIBA‑award winning Jarman Building, plus weekly cinema screenings that keep you plugged into film culture.
Here’s how you’ll gain practical experience and develop technical and creative skills:
Filmmaking modules: In Filmmaking 1: Key Skills & Fiction, you’ll use Kent’s technical kit (cameras, grip, sound) to shoot short fiction or documentary films, reflecting on both creative and historical practices.
Project development: In Filmmaking 2: Project Development, you’ll pitch, plan, and pre-produce your final film (fiction or non-fiction), working on things like location scouting, casting, budgeting, storyboarding, and scheduling all inside realistic production workflows. Screenwriting & narrative craft: The Advanced Screenwriting module pushes you to refine your storytelling, characterisation, and structure, while reflecting on collaborative practices and writing for different kinds of film.
Final Creative Project: Under supervision, you’ll produce and post-produce your own film and write a critical analysis of it. You’ll also likely contribute to your peers’ projects in roles like editor, producer or sound engineer building a well-rounded professional portfolio.
Optional theory / research modules: You can choose from Analysing Film, Film Research Methods, Concepts & Debates, Innovation & Writing, or World Cinema History to deepen your understanding of film theory, history, or writing about cinema.
Rich screening culture: As part of the program, you can attend regular film screenings in Kent’s Lupino Cinema and Gulbenkian Cinema, giving you both inspiration and a critical lens through which to view films.
Library & research support: The Templeman Library offers a vast collection of specialist books, journals, DVDs, and Blu‑Rays, plus group or individual viewing facilities.
Research community: You can engage with Kent’s Centre for the Interdisciplinary Study of Film and the Moving Image, attend seminars, and receive supervision from researchers working at the intersection of film history, aesthetics, and practice.
Graduating from Kent’s MA Film (Film with Practice) equips you with both strong theoretical insight and real, hands‑on filmmaking experience — positioning you for roles such as film director, screenwriter, cinematographer, or film producer. With a polished creative portfolio (your final project film + critical analysis) and a network in both academia and industry, you're ready to contribute to the film world in multiple ways.
Here’s how the MA supports your career development:
University Services to Support Employment
You get access to Kent’s Careers & Employability team, who can help you with CVs, networking, and applying to industry roles.
Excellent studio and production facilities: the Jarman Building houses professional-level editing and studio spaces.
Screenings and networking through on-campus cinemas: Kent has the Lupino Cinema and Gulbenkian Cinema, giving you opportunities to show your work, attend film programs, and engage with a community.
Research events, symposia, and visiting speakers via the Centre for the Interdisciplinary Study of Film and the Moving Image, helping you build connections in both academic and creative sectors.
Employment Outcomes & Salary
According to Kent, arts (including film) postgraduates tend to earn £6,000 more per year than other graduates.
Graduates have gone into roles such as film journalist, theatre technician, editorial assistant, and web designer.
According to Prospects, this course is suited for those wanting to push further into both practice-led film roles and critical/academic film work.
University–Industry Exposure & Partnerships
The course is taught by award-winning filmmakers and internationally recognised scholars.
Staff are active practitioners: for example, Kent’s Richard Misek has made films that screened at major festivals and collaborated with the British Film Institute.
Through your final creative project and practical modules, you’ll develop contact with the film production process from budgeting and scheduling to distribution and festival positioning.
Long-Term Value & Academic Strength
The department is research-led, combining historical, aesthetic, and conceptual study with practice meaning your degree is academically rigorous and respected.
The Final Creative Project (your film) is paired with a critical component, so you graduate not just as a filmmaker, but as someone who can reflect and write about their practice.
Kent’s research infrastructure (including its dedicated research groups and postgraduate centre) ensures that you benefit from an intellectually vibrant and supportive environment.
Graduate Destinations & Impact
Kent alumni from arts / film go on to work in a variety of creative and cultural institutions including Universal Pictures and the London Film Festival.
Beyond production, your training in research and theory means you could work in film curation, programming, academia, or critique giving you real flexibility in your long-term career.
Further Academic Progression:
If you want to continue your studies after this MA, you could:
Apply for a PhD in Film (Practice as Research) at Kent, where you can further develop a research-led creative practice.
Enroll in specialist postgraduate programmes (for example, in screenwriting, digital media, or theoretical film studies).Seek practice-led fellowships or research grants to expand your final creative project into a feature film, documentary, or VR piece using the academic and creative network you build at Kent.
A first or second class honours degree in a relevant subject (or equivalent)Indian Applicants - UK 2:2, applicants must typically achieve a bachelor degree with an overall classification of third and a minimum of 55% /GPA 5.5 in the last year Indian Applicants - UK 2:1, applicants must typically achieve a bachelor degree with an overall classification of third and a minimum of 60%/GPA 6.0 or 65 % GPA/6.5 in the final year .USA Applicants - 2:1, we require for a final GPA of 3.2/4.0USA Applicants - 2:2, we ask for a final GPA of 3.0/4.0. Students from highly ranked universities may be accepted with a GPA of 3.0/4.0IELTS - 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component PTE Academic - 63 with a minimum of 59 in each sub-test TOEFL - 80 overall (with a minimum of 20 in R; 19 in L&W; 22 in S)Museum Positions And Teaching Roles To Film Journalists And Theatre Technicians
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