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Writing and Film [with Placement year] at Anglia Ruskin University - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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Anglia Ruskin University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Open days

23Nov
ARU Peterborough - Undergraduate Open Day
Undergraduate
23Nov
Anglia Ruskin University - Undergraduate Open Day - Cambridge
Undergraduate
23Nov
Anglia Ruskin University - Undergraduate Open Day - Chelmsford
Undergraduate

Course summary

Develop your writing and filmmaking skills while learning about the films, writers and directors that have shaped the medium by studying for our BA (Hons) Writing and Film degree in Cambridge.

  • Join a course ranked 3rd in the UK for organisation and management in the National Student Survey 2024.
  • Learn to tell stories which engage audiences, whether you want to write poetry, drama, short fiction, or make films and documentaries.
  • Explore and develop specialist professional writing techniques related to film, including screenwriting and film journalism.
  • Get invaluable feedback on all your written work from professional writers, including our teaching staff and Royal Literary Fund fellows, as well as your fellow students.
  • Make your own short films in video, animation or 16mm format, with full training in camera operation, sound recording and editing from professional filmmakers.
  • Specialise in filmmaking for the chance for your final project to be screened at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse – and possibly the Cambridge Film Festival too!
  • Become part of a community of professionals with expertise in drama and performance, film, games development, journalism, publishing, and digital media.
  • Attend guest lectures by visiting authors, editors, agents, and other writing industry professionals, as well as events organised by our Cambridge Writing Centre, where you can showcase your writing and make new contacts.
  • Prepare for your future career – our Careers in Writing module helps you develop skills wanted by industry and the professional environment, while The Business of Being a Writer will help you understand the path to getting published.
You’ll get invaluable feedback on all of your creative writing work from professional writers, including our teaching staff and Royal Literary Fund fellows, as well as your fellow students. This will offer you the unique opportunity to consider a range of responses to your work, as well as sharpening your own critical skills. Investigating filmmaking practices from all over the world, and learning the language of film from the perspective of a filmmaker, you’ll make your own short films in video, animation or 16mm format, with full training in camera operation, sound recording and editing from professional filmmakers. If you specialise in filmmaking, you’ll put your well-practised skills to the test in a project that, once complete, will be screened at the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse. The best may also be selected for showing at the Cambridge Film Festival. You’ll learn to write knowledgeably and critically about film, giving you even more opportunities to get involved in Cambridge’s exciting arts scene. Our optional modules allow you to further explore your interests or specialise for a particular career. In Years 2 and 3, you can also learn a language on our Anglia Language Programme and what’s more, you can choose to study abroad as part of your course and expand your cultural horizons and apply for funding to cover the cost. Our links with local and national organisations will help you make contacts and find work placements in the industry. Our recent students have found internships and placements with companies such as the BBC, Cambridge Festival of Ideas, Film & Video Umbrella, Cannes Film Festival, Cambridge Film Festival, Watersprite Film Festival, CBBC, ITN Productions, London Studios, MTV, New York Film Academy, Pinewood Studios, StudioCanal UK (formerly Optimum Releasing) and Sight & Sound magazine. You’ll also have opportunities to take part in live briefs with our partner organisations. Our students recently worked with mental health charity Lifecraft, producing a series of short videos about the charity for their website and social media channels. You can attend events organised by our Cambridge Writing Centre, including guest talks and live lit jams, where you can showcase your own creative writing and make new contacts in the industry.

Modules

Year 1 core modules: Film Language and Concepts; Creative Moving Image; Introduction to Imaginative Writing; Screenwriting: The Short Film; Contemporary Publishing for Writers. Year 2 core modules: Writing Short Fiction; Classical Hollywood Cinema; Theorising Spectatorship; Writing for the Stage; Ruskin Module; Careers in Writing: Editing and Copywriting. Year 2 optional modules: Documentary Film Theory; 16mm Filmmaking; Film Criticism and Reviewing; Independent Cinema: US and Beyond; Non-Fiction Filmmaking; From Script to Screen; Writing Creative Non-Fiction; Anglia Language Programme; Filmmakers on film. Year 3: Work placement. Year 4 core modules: Writing Poetry; Film Journalism. Year 4 optional modules: Major Project Writing; Special Topics in Film Studies; Screenwriting: Writing and Selling the Feature Film; Experiments in Film and Moving Image; Professional Practice in Film; Avant-Garde Cinema; Gender and Popular Cinema; Narrative in Global Cinema; Research Project in Film and Media; Worldbuilding 1 and 2; The Business of Being a Writer: Craft and Professional Practice; Novel Writing: Long-Form Prose; Anglia Language Programme. Modules are subject to change and availability.

Assessment method

You’ll show your progress in a number of ways, reflecting the varied nature of your course. These will include writing portfolios, critical commentaries, presentations, journals and log books, critical essays, film reviews and analyses, internet, print and video production, and commissions. You’ll also take part in 'crits', in which you’ll present and defend your work.

How to apply

29Jan

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:
WP85
Institution code:
A60
Campus name:
Cambridge Campus
Campus code:
C

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

2025 entry requirements have been published using the current cycle information however, due to a current review these are subject to change. Please check back here for updates.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://aru.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/writing-and-film

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
70%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
90%
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

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

In the 2025/26 academic year, the placement year fee will be £1,500. https://www.aru.ac.uk/student-life/support-and-facilities/careers-and-employability/placements https://www.aru.ac.uk/study/tuition-fees https://www.aru.ac.uk/student-life/preparing-for-study/help-with-finances
Writing and Film [with Placement year] at Anglia Ruskin University - UCAS