Film and Literature BA
ABB at A level, A in English Literature or English Language and Literature; graduates earn a median £23,000 three years on.
Typical A level offer
ABB
A in English Literature or English Language and Literature · 85% of entrants came with A levels · 95% stay on after year 1 · Warwick course page, Discover Uni
Year 13 · applying
What do you need to get in?
ABBtypical A level offer; abb, including grade a in english literature or english language and literature (combined).
Typical offer — the grades most applicants are asked for. Contextual offer: BBB, for applicants from under-represented backgrounds.
Warwick course page, read 19 September 2026 · Discover Uni entry profile
- 1A in English Literature or English Language and Literature
Who actually got in: 85% with A levels, 15% with the IB. Based on 25 entrants.
Other qualifications4
| Qualification | Typical offer | Required subjects |
|---|---|---|
| IB | 32 points32 points overall including 6 in Higher Level English Literature or English Language and Literature (combined). | 6 in Higher Level English Literature or English Language and Literature |
| BTEC | DDWe welcome applications from students with other recognised qualifications. Applicants studying BTEC qualifications alongside at least one A level essential subject are considered on an individual bas | — |
| Advanced Highers | AAAA in two Advanced Highers including English and ABB/BBB in three further Highers subjects. OR AB in two Advanced Highers including grade A in English and AAB in three further Highers subjects. | English and ABB/BBB in three further Highers subjects; A in English and AAB in three further Highers subjects |
| Access | 45 Credits at Level 3, including Distinction in 33 Level 3 credits and Merit in We will consider applicants returning to study who are presenting a QAA-recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma on a case-by-case basis. Typically, we require 45 Credits at Level 3, including Di | — |
Years 1–3
What do you study?
6compulsory modules in year 1
Compulsory modules this year: arts & humanities 82% · transversal skills 15% · language & communication 3%.
Module — one course unit, usually a term or a year long; “core” means everyone takes it. One UK credit is about ten hours of study; a full year is 120 credits.
Warwick course page · optional modules vary by year
Year 1 · 6 core · 120 credits ≈ 1,200 hours
- Modes of Reading
What you learn (13)
- analyse a literary or cultural work through multiple theoretical lenses
- conduct bibliographic research on modern literary and cultural works
- discuss literature's role in society and institutional authority debates
- discuss a literary work using varied theoretical questions
- define literary theory and literary criticism as distinct fields
- explain the historical emergence of literary theory and criticism as disciplines
- apply research skills to literary study
- apply close reading techniques to literary texts
- carry out critical analysis of modern literary works
- conduct bibliographic research on modern cultural works
- debate the role of literature within society and institutions
- evaluate readiness to progress to advanced literary theory study
- choose suitable honours-level literary specialisations
- Film History
What you learn (3)
- describe key periods and developments in the history of cinema
- analyse films in relation to their production and exhibition contexts
- explain approaches used in film historiography
- Film and Television Criticism
What you learn (5)
- analyse film and television style and form in close textual analysis
- examine a range of published film and television criticism
- construct arguments linking critical writing to specific texts
- describe social, cultural, historical and political contexts of texts
- apply academic referencing and bibliography conventions
- Film and Television Analysis
What you learn (4)
- construct a reasoned interpretation of a film text
- apply audiovisual analysis techniques to film and television material
- evaluate the validity of existing critical interpretations of film texts
- apply standard academic referencing conventions in written work
- Film Theory
What you learn (8)
- identify key questions in moving image theoretical debates
- distinguish theoretical inquiry from other modes of inquiry
- apply theoretical terminology precisely in written argument
- analyse the logical structure of a theoretical argument
- critique a theoretical text's conceptual framework through close reading
- extend or challenge the premises underlying a theoretical text
- summarise the central ideas of a theoretical text in writing
- paraphrase key concepts from theoretical texts accurately
- Adaptation - From Page to Screens
What you learn (3)
- explain major debates in adaptation theory
- relate adaptation debates to specific intellectual traditions
- assess implications of adaptation theories for textual analysis practice
Year 2 · 4 core, 6 optional · 60 credits ≈ 600 hours
- World Cinema
What you learn (10)
- describe key critical debates on world cinema study
- analyse historical debates shaping world cinema scholarship
- describe how national cinemas are framed in international criticism
- analyse construction of national cinema identities in critical discourse
- describe global issues represented in specific filmmaking traditions
- analyse audience reception of world cinema representations
- describe concepts of genre, realism and authorship in film
- analyse how genre, realism and authorship apply to world cinemas
- describe definitions of identity used in world cinema studies
- analyse cultural specificity within world cinema texts
- Hollywood Cinema
What you learn (6)
- describe the stylistic conventions of Hollywood filmmaking
- identify key industrial structures shaping Hollywood cinema
- analyse ideological dimensions of Hollywood as a commercial industry
- explain political contexts that have shaped Hollywood cinema
- evaluate how film format and form inform critical analysis of screenings
- explain how audience reactions can influence film interpretation
- Film Aesthetics 2
What you learn (6)
- conduct academic research using scholarly sources
- compose structured academic writing on film topics
- identify key debates in the philosophy of art
- identify key debates in the sociology of art
- describe how philosophical and sociological debates relate to audiovisual media
- analyse the relationship between aesthetic judgement and other forms of judgement
- Film Aesthetics 1
What you learn (4)
- describe key debates in the field of aesthetics
- explain how aesthetic debates relate to audiovisual media
- analyse stylistic elements of film to support an interpretation
- evaluate film style to justify a critical judgement
6 optional modules
- Silent Cinema
What you learn (7)
- describe key developments in early film history
- discuss scholarly debates relevant to early cinema
- apply appropriate methodologies to analyse silent films
- explain the social factors influencing the rise of cinema
- explain the technological developments that enabled cinema's emergence
- explain the cultural context underpinning the rise of cinema
- present arguments clearly using academic writing conventions
- Audio-visual Avant-gardes
What you learn (1)
- identify key features of experimental film and video art texts
- Transnational Action Cinema (Year 2 Option)
What you learn (8)
- explain how action cinema has been defined across different historical periods
- explain how industrial and cultural contexts shape conceptions of action cinema
- evaluate approaches to transnational cinema studies applied to specific genres
- explain theoretical approaches such as phenomenology and affect theory in film studies
- apply philosophical and ethical frameworks to analyse action cinema texts
- evaluate the strength and persuasiveness of scholarly arguments in film studies
- construct a coherent written argument supported by textual evidence
- apply close analysis techniques to audio-visual texts across varied contexts
- British Screens
What you learn (5)
- analyse screen media using film, television and cultural studies methods
- explain how national identity is represented on screen
- explain how screen media construct notions of nationhood historically and culturally
- relate personal viewing experiences to course themes
- construct coherent written arguments from organised ideas and evidence
Year 3 · 0 core, 12 optional
12 optional modules
- The Practice of Film Criticism
What you learn (3)
- identify the features of an effective film review or essay
- produce a well-crafted written essay on film
- produce a well-crafted visual essay on film
- Screenwriting
What you learn (16)
- apply core dramatic writing techniques for screen
- revise a script in response to editorial feedback
- identify visual storytelling techniques in screen construction
- explain how action and imagery convey narrative without dialogue
- construct a scenario demonstrating basic dramatic structure
- identify dramatic functions of dialogue in screenplays
- explain risks of overusing dialogue in scriptwriting
- depict character traits through combined action-based writing exercises
- pitch a screenplay idea clearly to an audience
- adjust a pitch based on peer and tutor feedback
- give and receive constructive feedback on creative writing
- summarise a screenplay concept into a structured step outline
- identify appropriate and excessive uses of foreshadowing
- evaluate potential foreshadowing choices for a screenplay
- explain how to set up and resolve dramatic irony in a screenplay
- identify risks of overusing dramatic irony in scripts
- Film Production
What you learn (8)
- apply practical skills in directing short films
- apply technical skills in cinematography for short film
- apply sound recording and editing techniques to film production
- create a film treatment to guide production planning
- produce a short fiction film based on a treatment
- compose a reflective critical essay linking project intentions to learning experience
- relate film production skills to postgraduate study and career opportunities
- relate film production skills to postgraduate study and career opportunities
- Science Fiction: Theory as Film
What you learn (5)
- describe key theoretical approaches such as postmodernism and posthumanism
- evaluate critically the differences between theoretical approaches studied
- critique scholarly readings of selected science fiction films
- analyse aesthetic elements of science fiction such as the sublime
- relate theoretical frameworks to detailed analysis of films
- The Art of Animation
What you learn (7)
- describe the historical development of animation across media over 120 years
- identify key studios, movements and works in animation history
- explain how key animation moments relate to broader historical development
- identify different animation styles and techniques
- evaluate animated images using key theoretical debates on animation versus live action
- explain how socio-historical context shapes animation's representation and ideology
- situate animated film within the wider context of live action cinema
- Film Seriality and Franchising
What you learn (7)
- compare modes of film seriality within historical and industrial contexts
- apply critical concepts and methodologies to analyse franchise cinema
- evaluate serialised and franchise films using textual analysis
- explain how intertextuality shapes meaning within and across film series
- construct arguments about how film franchises evolve over time and across cultures
- present film analysis arguments clearly in written form
- present film analysis arguments clearly in oral form
- Screening Venice (15 CAT)
What you learn (14)
- evaluate historical debates on venice's role as a cinematic city
- evaluate theoretical perspectives on venice's cinematic identity
- apply knowledge experientially through collaborative on-site workshops
- extend subject knowledge through group discussion activities
- collaborate effectively within a fast-paced immersive learning setting
- reflect critically on personal learning experiences
- demonstrate inter-cultural awareness during fieldwork
- gather on-site audio-visual material using production techniques
- analyse collected audio-visual material critically
- retrieve and analyse documentation of on-site events
- apply critical and contextual thinking to real-life scenarios
- relate academic study to professional work situations
- apply filmmaking practices to study an urban-littoral environment
- develop a conceptually informed critical approach to film practice
Year not stated · 0 core, 2 optional
2 optional modules
- Dissertation
What you learn (4)
- work independently to conduct research and produce written work
- analyse a chosen topic in film and television studies in depth
- design a research project with clear aims and structure
- carry out a research project to produce a successful outcome
- Postcolonial Film
What you learn (4)
- explain how colonial history shaped national film industries
- discuss orally how films reinforce or challenge imperial and colonial narratives
- write a critical account of how cinema reflects or resists colonial legacies
- evaluate film texts in depth within the context of postcolonial debates
“What you learn” restates each module’s published learning outcomes in our own words, as short skill statements in the same form as the GCSE and A level curriculum, with the help of an AI model; fields of knowledge follow the twelve fields of the knowledge sphere. The university’s module page, linked from each title, is the authoritative description.
After graduating
Where does it lead?
£23,000median pay three years after graduating
Lower quarter£20k
Median£23k
Upper quarter£28k
Median — the middle earner: half earned more, half less. Pay is for graduates of this subject at this university who finished in 2016-18, not adjusted for inflation; based on 35 graduates.
Discover Uni dataset (HESA and Office for Students, CC BY 4.0, contains HESA data); earnings from the Longitudinal Education Outcomes data (Department for Education) · aggregation level 24, 14, 13, 23
Half of graduates earned between £20,000 and £27,500. Five years on, the median is £31,500. 85% were in work or further study 15 months after finishing; 85% of those in work were in professional or managerial jobs.
All outcome figures7
| Measure | Value | Based on |
|---|---|---|
| Continue after year 15% left | 95% | 25 |
| In work or study, 15 months on15% studying | 85% | 15 |
| Professional or managerial job | 85% | 15 |
| Pay 15 months on, median | £30,000 | 15 |
| Pay 3 years on, median | £23,000 | 35 |
| Pay 5 years on, median | £31,500 | 35 |
Money
What does it cost?
£10,050a year for UK students, 2027/28 entry
Tuition fee loan — paid straight to the university; repayments start the April after you leave, at 9% of income above the threshold. UK fees are capped by government and rise with inflation; placement and study-abroad years are usually charged at a lower rate.
Warwick fees page · source
About £30,150 in fees over 3 years, covered by a tuition fee loan you repay only when earning above the threshold.
National Student Survey 2025-26
What do students say?
75%agreed the course was good overall (question 26)
NSS — a yearly survey of final-year students at every UK university; 87% of this course’s final year answered. Small groups can swing a lot year to year.
National Student Survey, via Discover Uni · 20 students answered
Highest: 95% agreed on question 1; lowest: 55% on question 24.
All questions26
| Question | Agree |
|---|---|
| Question 1 | 95% |
| Question 2 | 85% |
| Question 3 | 90% |
| Question 4 | 90% |
| Question 5 | 85% |
| Question 6 | 85% |
| Question 7 | 90% |
| Question 8 | 85% |
| Question 9 | 75% |
| Question 10 | 85% |
| Question 11 | 85% |
| Question 12 | 85% |
| Question 13 | 90% |
| Question 14 | 75% |
| Question 15 | 90% |
| Question 16 | 80% |
| Question 17 | 85% |
| Question 18 | 89% |
| Question 19 | 90% |
| Question 20 | 95% |
| Question 21 | 74% |
| Question 22 | 90% |
| Question 23 | 70% |
| Question 24 | 55% |
| Question 25 | 72% |
| Question 26 | 75% |
Question texts are published by the Office for Students; the dataset carries only the question numbers.
Modules, entry requirements and fees are facts read from University of Warwick’s course page on 2026-09-19 and may change; the university’s page is authoritative. Descriptions are not reproduced. Outcome figures are from the Discover Uni dataset. University of Warwick is a trade mark of the university; sch.today is independent of it.