Film and English Literature (Placement Year)

BA Hons

  • UCAS code PQ34
  • Entry year 2026 or 2025
  • A level requirements ABB
  • Duration Full time 4 years
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We welcome applications from the United States of America

We've put together information and resources to guide your application journey as a student from the United States of America.

Overview

Top reasons to study with us

  • 2

    2nd for Film (Communication and Media Studies)

    The Complete University Guide (2025)

  • 6

    6th for Creative Writing

    The Complete University Guide (2025)

  • 7

    7th for English

    The Guardian University Guide (2025)

Studying Film and English Literature at Lancaster offers a comprehensive exploration of storytelling across different media, blending the critical study of film aesthetics, theory, and cultural impact with practical film production experience. By engaging with a wide range of texts, this programme provides a strong foundation in narrative forms and techniques, equipping you with a versatile skill set for careers in the creative industries, media, publishing, and more.

Why Lancaster?

  • Deepen your knowledge of global literature, film, aesthetics, and cultural significance, while gaining hands-on film-making experience
  • Create your own films using state-of-the-art equipment, with 24/7 access to editing suites, and cinema ready cameras
  • Learn from distinguished academics, published authors, and professional film-makers, and develop your skills in small seminar groups and workshops
  • Participate in Lancaster’s vibrant arts community, with student-run journals, literary and film events taking place on campus and in the city centre
  • Draw inspiration from Lancaster’s unique surroundings, from the historic cityscape to the scenic Lake District, a creative haven for writers and film-makers
  • Prepare for a career in the creative industries with a portfolio showcasing your storytelling voice across both page and screen

Creative storytelling

Combining an in-depth exploration of literary works with rich cinema history and practical film-making, this course expertly blends the study of literature with film.

Explore the fascinating world of film, covering topics from global cinema history, innovative storytelling strategies and influential movements to contemporary media practices. Through hands-on workshops, you’ll not only analyse film theory but also build on your practical film-making skills. You will study cinematography, editing, and sound, whilst exploring film-making styles such as narrative, documentary and experimental, providing you with the skills to create your own short films.

Through studying English Literature, you’ll explore a vast range of texts, from ancient myths to contemporary graphic novels, as well as a host of diffrerent voices, themes, and forms. This programme encourages active, transformative reading, connecting literature with broader themes such as politics, ecology, gender, theology, fashion, film, and philosophy.

This all makes ideal subject material for you to bring into your film-making. For example, former student Isobel Turner created a thought-provoking documentary, Femininity, that discussed the interaction between femininity and feminism from multiple perspectives, drawing on a range of film and literary sources to focus on the beauty of bodies.

Exceptional resources

You will have access to top-of-the-line production equipment so you can create your own original content. Make use of our cinema-ready digital cameras with prime lenses, DSLR cameras, versatile set lighting, grip equipment and full access to Adobe Creative Cloud in our acoustic editing suites. We have everything you need to learn the fundamentals of digital audio and camerawork in our specialist production facilities, ensuring you can put your ideas into practice. Whenever you need support, you can turn to our skilled technicians who are on hand to support your studies.

The university library is a favourite hangout spot for our students. With quiet, cosy corners and collaborative working spaces and – of course – books galore, both online and hard copy, it is one of many vitalising study spaces on campus.

Inspirational communities

Studying Film and English literature at Lancaster offers a rich, creative community that extends from our campus to the city’s Castle Quarter and beyond. Participate in our student-run cinema, where you can show your films, our vibrant student Film Society, or LA1TV – our Student Union television station.

The campus’s historic and scenic surroundings provide additional inspiration, with the Lake District nearby as a stunning creative backdrop. Take advantage of Lancaster’s city centre arts venue, The Dukes, that shows the latest independent and foreign films on our doorstep. In previous years, final year students have shown their own films here. You’ll also be close to mainstream cinemas in Lancaster and nearby Morecambe, and the city’s vibrant programme of annual literary and music events.

We host many free literary events both on campus and in spectacular locations such as the medieval Lancaster Castle, the awe-inspiring Priory, and the archive-rich Wordsworth Centre at Grasmere in the Lake District. These events include:

  • Talks from visiting scholars and authors
  • Student-led summer Shakespeare production
  • Study retreat day in the Lake District
  • Social events such as the October Lecture and May Gathering

You’ll also have opportunities to contribute to student-run literary journals — Lux, Flash, Cake, Errant, and Cut/To — enriching your literary network.

Students at work

You’ll be developing your practical skills in our film production modules by experimenting with narrative films or documentaries. We provide top-of-the-line production equipment so you can create your own original content.

Students filming in Morecambe Bay

Practical experience

You will have the opportunity to produce short films in all three years of your study.

Filming at the train station

Interesting surroundings

Make use of Lancaster’s stunning surroundings for the perfect film setting – cityscape, rural backdrop or coastal charm.

Film production

Gain practical film-making skills and an understanding of film production.

Production equipment

We provide top-of-the-line production equipment so you can create your own original content. Enjoy 24/7 access to our editing suites and specialist equipment, including cinema-ready digital cameras.

Showcase your films

Every year our final year students showcase their films in a major degree show exhibition, that is open to the public.

  • Wordsworth, Romanticism and the Lakes

    Being so close to the spectacular Lake District, home of the Romantic poets, we have world-class strengths in Romanticism. Our partnership with the Wordsworth Trust, at Grasmere, is long-established, and has a number of new benefits for all our students.

  • The Castle Quarter

    The Castle Quarter is both a wonderful place to enjoy, with many excellent places to eat and drink, and a wonderful resource for literary studies here at Lancaster. Our students have many opportunities to make the most of this resource.

Creative Arts Facilities at Lancaster University

Whatever creative arts subject you choose, you’ll find we have specialist spaces and equipment to inspire your studies.

Your Placement Year

Sometimes known as a year in industry, your placement year will take place between your second and final year of study and this will extend your degree to four years.

Placements and Internships

Hear from students and employers on how Lancaster University could support you to gain real-world experience and bolster your CV with a placement or internship as part of your degree.

A student working on a piece of stained glass.

A placement year is an excellent way to...

  • try out a role that you may be interested in as a career path
  • start to build your professional network (some placement students are offered permanent roles to return to after they graduate)
  • develop skills, knowledge and experience to put you ahead of the field when you graduate

You'll spend your third year...

in a graduate-level position, where you’ll work for between nine and twelve months in the type of role that you might be considering for after you graduate. A very wide range of companies and organisations offer placements across all sectors.

As a full-time employee, you’ll have a job description with specific responsibilities and opportunities to access training and development, the same as other employees.

A whiteboard showing a diagram of 'how to create a CV'

Our Careers and Placements Team...

will help you to search and compete for a suitable placement with expert advice and resources, such as creating an effective CV, and tips for applications and interviews.

You will still be a Lancaster University student during your placement and we’ll keep in touch to check how you are getting on.

Students drinking coffee in a campus coffee bar

The university will...

use all reasonable effort to support you to find a suitable placement for your studies. While a placement role may not be available in a field or organisation that is directly related to your academic studies or career aspirations, all offer valuable experience of working at a graduate level and gaining a range of professional skills.

If you are unsuccessful in securing a suitable placement for your third year, you will be able to transfer to the equivalent non-placement degree scheme and continue with your studies at Lancaster, finishing your degree after your third year.

Careers

Film and English Literature at Lancaster is designed to equip you with the skills needed to succeed in a wide variety of creative industries. As the worlds of film, media, and publishing continue to evolve, this programme prepares you to adapt to new roles and technologies in both traditional and emerging fields. Whether you’re interested in storytelling on screen, analysing literary texts, or exploring how visual and written narratives intersect, you will be well-prepared to make your mark in a dynamic job market.

Graduates from our Film and English Literature programme find success in a range of roles including:

  • Film and media producer
  • Publishing specialist
  • Print and digital editor
  • Advertising executive
  • Marketing executive
  • Broadcast and print journalist
  • Film programming curator
  • Script Supervisor
  • Screenwriter
  • Content producer
  • Arts Manager
  • Teacher

The programme also lays a strong foundation for further specialisation through postgraduate study. Many graduates pursue advanced training at esteemed institutions such as the London Film School, the Met Film School, and the National Film and Television School. Others continue with advanced academic research in areas such as film studies, creative writing, and literature, with Lancaster’s own MA programmes in Film Studies and English Literature providing ideal pathways.

Whatever your career aspirations, this programme provides you with both the theoretical grounding and practical experience to pursue a fulfilling path in the film, media, and literary landscapes.

Careers and employability support

Our degrees open up an extremely wide array of career pathways in businesses and organisations, large and small, in the UK and overseas.

We run a paid internship scheme specifically for our arts, humanities and social sciences students, supported by a specialist Employability Team. The team offer individual consultations and tailored application guidance, as well as careers events, development opportunities, and resources.

Whether you have a clear idea of your potential career path or need some help considering the options, our friendly team is on hand.

Lancaster is unique in that every student is eligible to participate in The Lancaster Award which recognises activities such as work experience, community engagement or volunteering and social development. A valuable addition to your CV!

Find out more about Lancaster’s careers events, extensive resources and personal support for Careers and Employability.

Explore Student Futures

Our graduates go on to a diverse range of careers from academics to celebrated poets, screen-writers and novelists. Others go into a host of other careers closely related to literary study, such as teaching, publishing, copywriting and advertising. A degree in literary studies can, though, lead to other, less obvious futures, such as psychotherapy, emerging markets consultancy, data analysis and finance.

Student Futures
Hello future careers logo

Careers

Find out about some of the careers our alumni have entered into after graduation.

Entry requirements

These are the typical grades that you will need to study this course. This section will tell you whether you need qualifications in specific subjects, what our English language requirements are, and if there are any extra requirements such as attending an interview or submitting a portfolio.

Qualifications and typical requirements accordion

Help from our Admissions team

If you are thinking of applying to Lancaster and you would like to ask us a question, complete our enquiry form and one of the team will get back to you.

We also have more details about other qualifications that we accept and information about how to apply and what happens after you've applied.

International foundation programmes

Delivered in partnership with INTO Lancaster University, our one-year tailored foundation pathways are designed to improve your subject knowledge and English language skills to the level required by a range of Lancaster University degrees. Visit the INTO Lancaster University website for more details and a list of eligible degrees you can progress onto.

Contextual admissions

Contextual admissions could help you gain a place at university if you have faced additional challenges during your education which might have impacted your results. Visit our contextual admissions page to find out about how this works and whether you could be eligible.

Course structure

Enhancing our curriculum

We continually review and enhance our curriculum to ensure we are delivering the best possible learning experience, and to make sure that the subject knowledge and transferable skills you develop will prepare you for your future.

We will publish more detailed information about the structure of this degree course for 2026-entry in June 2025, ahead of our summer undergraduate open days. This will include overviews of the core modules you will take and examples of optional modules which may be available to you.

Fees and funding

We set our fees on an annual basis and the 2026/27 entry fees have not yet been set.

As a guide, our fees in 2025/26 were:

Home International
£9,535 £24,700

Fees and funding information

Additional fees and funding information accordion

Scholarships and bursaries

Details of our scholarships and bursaries for students starting in 2026 are not yet available.

You can use our scholarships for 2025-entry applicants as guidance.

We are partners with the British Film Institute (BFI)

All our students have free access to BFI Player with hundreds of British, world and classic films, plus workshops and masterclasses.

Find out more: British Film Institute (BFI)
British Film Institute logo

Important information

The information on this site relates primarily to 2026/2027 entry to the University and every effort has been taken to ensure the information is correct at the time of publication.

The University will use all reasonable effort to deliver the courses as described, but the University reserves the right to make changes to advertised courses. In exceptional circumstances that are beyond the University’s reasonable control (Force Majeure Events), we may need to amend the programmes and provision advertised. In this event, the University will take reasonable steps to minimise the disruption to your studies. If a course is withdrawn or if there are any fundamental changes to your course, we will give you reasonable notice and you will be entitled to request that you are considered for an alternative course or withdraw your application. You are advised to revisit our website for up-to-date course information before you submit your application.

More information on limits to the University’s liability can be found in our legal information.

Our Students’ Charter

We believe in the importance of a strong and productive partnership between our students and staff. In order to ensure your time at Lancaster is a positive experience we have worked with the Students’ Union to articulate this relationship and the standards to which the University and its students aspire. View our Charter and other policies.

Undergraduate open days 2025

Our summer and autumn open days will give you Lancaster University in a day. Visit campus and put yourself in the picture.

Undergraduate Open Days
two students sitting and reading on some outdoor steps

  • Virtual tour

    Take five minutes and let us show you what Lancaster has to offer, from our beautiful green campus to our colleges, teaching and sports facilities.

  • Accommodation guide

    Most first-year undergraduate students choose to live on campus, where you’ll find accommodation to suit different preferences and budgets.

  • The city and beyond

    Our historic city is student-friendly and home to a diverse and welcoming community. Beyond the city you'll find a stunning coastline and the picturesque Lake District.