University of Portsmouth has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework.These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
Course summary
This is a Connected Degree Portsmouth is the only University in the UK with the flexibility to choose when to do an optional paid placement or self-employed year. Either take a placement in your third year, or finish your studies first and complete a placement in your fourth year. You can decide if and when to take a placement after you've started your course. Overview Blend your love of film with your passion for writing on our BA (Hons) Screenwriting degree course. You’ll explore theories and genres of film and writing through history, study how they might evolve in the future, and experience the craft of filmmaking both as critic and creator. This unique combination will support and prepare you to write short stories, create scripts, and produce screenplays. From your second year, you'll collaborate more widely and chose modules such as filmmaking, editing, and having your scripts brought to life on the main stage of the New Theatre Royal by fellow performance students. You'll develop skills on this degree course that will set up for a career in the creative sector, particularly the film industry. Other career paths include journalism, scriptwriting, marketing, public relations and teaching. Course highlights
- Take part in Portsmouth's annual Comic Con for the latest developments in creative writing and literature, popular culture, fan communities, and technology – course lecturers and students are panellists
- Get the opportunity to shadow theatre professionals and have your work performed on stage thanks to our links with Portsmouth's New Theatre Royal and other local theatres
- Deepen your learning from an experienced teaching team of published novelists and journalists, prestigious magazine editors, scriptwriters, academic researchers, and performance poets
- Build your writing portfolio by contributing to our course blog The Eldon Review and hyperlocal news zine Star & Crescent
- Gain valuable professional experience by taking an optional placement
- Experience another culture and way of learning by studying abroad for a year or a single semester
- Boost your lingual abilities by learning a language with our extra-curricular Institute-Wide Language Programme – and earn credits for it
- creative writing (prose, poetry, script)
- advertising and marketing
- arts and events management
- local and community broadcasting
- teaching
- stand-up comedy
- travel industry
- novelist
- poet
- playwright
- teacher
- copywriter
- journalist
- theatre manager
- editorial assistant
Modules
Year 1
- Telling Tales
- Tips, Tricks, Techniques
- Writing for The Film and TV Industries
- Film Craft
- Professional Development for Screenwriters
- Screen Debates
- Future Production
- British Cinema
- World and Transnational Cinema
- Fiction Film-Making
- Screenwriting
- Finding Form - Fiction
- Creative Writing for Film
- Institute-Wide Learning Programme (IWLP)
- Student Enterprise
- Creative Writing and Critical Thinking
- Professional Experience
- Engaged Citizenship Through Interdisciplinary Practice
- Factual Media Production
- Film and Ethics
- Film, Media and Communication Study Exchange (60 credits)
- Film, Media and Communication Study Abroad - Full Year (120 credits)
- CCI Work Placement - Full Year (40 credits)
- CCI Self-Employed Placement - Full Year (40 credits)
- CCI Placement Plus - Full Year (40 credits)
- Film, Media and Communication Study Abroad - Half Year (First Semester) (60 credits)
- Film, Media and Communication Study Abroad - Half Year (Second Semester) (60 credits)
- Dissertation (Creative Writing)
- Dissertation (Film and Media)
- Professional Industry Skills
- Self Promotion
- Gender, Sexuality and Cinema
- Advanced Screenwriting
- Media Fan Cultures
How to apply
31Jan
This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.
Application codes
- Course code:
- W810
- Institution code:
- P80
- Campus name:
- Main Site
- Campus code:
- -
Points of entry
The following entry points are available for this course:
- Year 1
- Year 2
- Year 3
Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)
We welcome applications for advanced entry. If you’d like to apply for advanced entry, you need to select the required year when you complete your UCAS application.
This course may be available at alternative locations, please check if other course options are available
Entry requirements
Qualification requirements
UCAS Tariff - 112 - 120 points
A level - BBB - BBC
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDM - DMM
Access to HE Diploma
Scottish Higher
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Certificate (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Advanced Higher
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 25 points
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017) - H3, H3, H3, H3, H4 - H3, H3, H3, H3, H3
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
GCSE/National 4/National 5
T Level - M
Additional entry requirements
Portfolio
Applicants without a relevant subject will be asked to provide a portfolio to support their application.
Other
A relevant subject or experience in English/Creative Writing/Journalism/Media or Film Studies is required.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.0 with no component score below 5.5. |
| PTE Academic | 54 | An overall score of 54 with a minimum of 51 in each skill. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 79 | 79 with a minimum of 18 in Reading, 17 in Listening, 20 in Speaking and 17 in Writing. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162. | |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE) taken after January 2015. An overall score of 169 with no component score less than 162. | |
| Trinity ISE | Pass | Trinity College Integrated Skills in English (ISE) Level III with a Pass in all 4 components |
Student Outcomes
Operated by the Office for Students
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
Go onto work and study
The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| EU | £9250 | Year 1 |
| England | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £9250 | Year 1 |
| Republic of Ireland | £9250 | Year 1 |
| International | £17200 | Year 1 |
Additional fee information
Students who are resident in EU countries: please note that the net fee is inclusive of the Transition Scholarship
Placement Year and Year abroad:
UK/Channel Islands and Isle of Man students – £1,385
EU – £1,385 (including Transition Scholarship)|
International (Non-EU) – £2,875.
Fees are accurate at the time of publishing and are subject to change at any time without notice.
Fees may also go up in later years, in line with inflation.
For more information about fees, go to port.ac.uk/ug-tuition-fees
Provider information
University of Portsmouth
University House
Winston Churchill Avenue
Portsmouth
PO1 2UP