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A close-up showing someone editing a video on a computer Edinburgh College of Art

Undergraduate

Film and Television - BA (Hons)

BA (Hons)

Features

4 years
Full-time
Study abroad

Outline

Our programme ethos is about developing a combination of imagination and curiosity, underpinned by a professional skillset so that students are ready to enter the industry after graduation with a clear sense of their own filmmaking practice.

Our core courses cover lectures, seminars, film screenings, technical and practical workshops, masterclasses and production management support. In addition to course specific exercises and films, students build up their skills each year, working up from junior and assistant roles to acting Heads of Department on highly collaborative senior productions.

We encourage students to be inquisitive and questioning. We encourage students to experiment, to challenge convention. We encourage students to develop their own creative approaches to the film form. We do not just teach ‘how’ to push a button but ‘why’ to press it.

Our lecturers and visiting tutors work within the film and screen industries as writers, directors, producers, production managers, cinematographers, editors, sound recordists and designers and colour graders. Our lecturers also contribute to film research and journalism.

The Film and TV studio is a large flexible space used for technical workshops, as well as for small set builds and studio productions.

It is adjacent to the Film and TV equipment store, which provides a broad range of industry-standard digital cameras, lighting, and sound recording equipment, available for you to book out and use on course specific film projects, both in the studio and out on location.

There is also a range of editing suites equipped with both Avid editing and grading software.

You will be supported in the use of these resources and space by staff in the Technical Learning Services team.

Hear from our staff and students

Careers

Our programmes have strong industrial pathways to ensure the most successful and meaningful careers for graduates. You are encouraged to participate in national and international showcase events appropriate to your programme.

Why you should choose this programme

1

We believe in creative storytelling.

2

We support a wide range of screen-based work to reflect the range of current and developing opportunities outwith university including fiction, documentary, experimental and commercial projects.

3

We work very much as a community and students collaborate on film projects with other year groups from the beginning. We also encourage interdisciplinary collaboration with other departments at ECA.

4

All of our staff have worked within the industry and bring a wealth of expertise and practical experience to their teaching.

5

We are an industry-facing course with strong connections within the Scottish and UK audio-visual sectors.

Widening Participation

ECA works with the University of Edinburgh Widening Participation (WP) team.

Widening Participation for undergraduates at the University of Edinburgh

Find out about Access to Creative Education in Scotland (ACES), a Widening Participation programme for eligible S4 to S6 students at state secondary schools in the south-east of Scotland.

ACES website

How to apply and entry requirements

If you'd like to study on an undergraduate programme at Edinburgh College of Art, you must apply through UCAS, the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service. You can find out how to do this on the University of Edinburgh Degree Finder, where you'll also be able to

  • see the structure of the programme and what you will study each year
  • see detailed entrance requirements for each programme on the Degree Finder
  • get information on what to expect after you apply
  • find out about fees
  • find out where to go for further advice and guidance.

If you have any questions about the application process, your qualifications or deadlines, our Undergraduate Admissions Office will be happy to help you.

Email the Undergraduate Admissions Office: futurestudents@ed.ac.uk

Portfolio guidance

You can find information and guidance about submitting a portfolio for entry in 2025 on our undergraduate portfolio guidance page. 

Undergraduate portfolio guidance | Edinburgh College of Art

Get in touch

College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Undergraduate Admissions Office

futurestudents@ed.ac.uk
+44 (0)131 650 3565

Facilities and resources

Our alumni

Meet our staff