Film Studies - Theory & Practice

As a student on this programme you will experience small, intimate classes providing close interaction with lecturers and industry professionals. Classes are taught by leading film academics and practitioners who have made substantial contributions to their disciplines in Ireland and internationally. This programme is designed for students who want to deepen their knowledge of the world’s cinemas and the very latest approaches to studying them.



What will I study?



The programme will will train students in a wide range of film-related careers, including teaching, programming and exhibition, screenwriting, curatorial work, and arts journalism. There are also opportunities for graduates to undertake further research at PhD level. Furthermore, as a student at the Huston School you will be part of a collaborative creative community, working with students across a range of MA programmes to develop your understanding of film theory and practice. You will also have all the opportunities which come from studying at one of the world’s top Universities, including access to a range of seminars and high-profile guest speakers, who have in the past included Gabriel Byrne, Laura Mulvey, Seamus McGarvey, Stephen Rea, Lenny Abrahamson, Mark O’Halloran, Colin McArthur, James Cromwell, John Boorman, Evan Goldberg, Roddy Doyle, John Carney and Atom Egoyan.

Year 1 (90 Credits)

Optional FM6101: Ireland on Screen - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional DT6120: Ensemble Acting and Devising - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional FM500: Screen Writing Fundamentals - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional FM6115: Short Filmmaking for Advocates - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional FM521: Critical Theory I - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Required FM6123: American Cinema: History, Aesthetics, Ideology - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Required FM514: Minor Dissertation - 30 Credits - Semester 1

Optional FM6117: Sport and Film - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional FM6100: Film exhibition, administration and education - 10 Credits - Semester 1

Optional T6109: Applied Theatre - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional FM6125: Global Cinemas: Expanding Film - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional FM6119: Film, Politics, and Colonialism - 10 Credits - Semester 2

Optional FM502: Screenplay Development - 10 Credits - Semester 2

QQI Level 8 degree or equivalent, H2.2. GPA 3.0 or equivalent international qualification. Students who do not meet the honours degree requirement but have a Level 7 degree (Merit 1) may be admitted to the PDip course with the possibility of progressing to the MA if they receive a minimum of 60% in their course work during the year.

1 year full-time

2 years part-time

Next start date: September 2026

Graduates have gone on to further research at PhD level and have acquired positions as lecturers and researchers in third level institutions. Graduates have also found employment in a range of film festival, film and media production, and journalism roles, including university lecturer, television producer, publisher’s production assistant, film producer and director, newspaper editor, journalist, teacher, theatre administrator, and film festival programmer.