Bachelor of Arts (Film and Digital Media)

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Course Overview
Key Facts
Course Outline
Why Choose This Course?
Course Fees
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Entry Points (2022)

440

Course Overview

Launched in 2018, the BA in Film & Digital Media offers students a unique combination of theory and practice across the areas of film and digital media. The core focus of the programme is the development of students’ creative and critical skills, positioning graduates to become content creators across a range of media platforms and giving them the entrepreneurial skills and flexibility required to work in today’s rapidly changing media environment.

This course provides a comprehensive grounding in the theory and history of film and digital media as well as training in film practice, screenwriting, and digital development and design. Students become familiar with industry standard tools and techniques, in addition to developing the fundamentals for creative professional practice in applied art and design.

The course is located within the Huston School of Film & Digital Media, offering students the opportunity to become part of the Huston’s creative community and connecting them to the local and national media industries from within a world-renowned University environment. Established in 2003 under the patronage of the Huston family, our graduates include an Academy Award and Emmy nominee for screenwriting. The Huston School has developed a wide range of links with the media industry in Ireland and graduates from the School have gone on to work in film production and direction, screenwriting, game design, e-learning, film festival programming, and lecturing amongst other areas.

As a UNESCO City of Film, European Capital of Culture 2020 and the home of the Irish Film Board, Galway is situated at the heart of Ireland’s creative and cultural sector.

Watch our introductory video for Bachelor of Arts (Film and Digital Media) from our May 2021 Virtual Open Day

By the end of your course of studies in Film and Digital Media at NUI Galway, you will be:

Able to analyse, interpret, and critique films and media from a variety of theoretical perspectives.
Knowledgeable in the pre-production, production, and postproduction processes of film and digital media.
Able to apply design thinking processes to real world social and creative challenges.
Knowledgeable in the fundamentals of story structure and writing for the screen.
Trained in working collaboratively to produce a film or digital media projects.

Applications and Selections

Who Teaches this Course

Requirements and Assessment

Key Facts

Entry Requirements

Minimum Grade H5 in two subjects and passes in four other subjects at O6/H7 level in the Leaving Certificate, including Irish, English, another language, and three other subjects recognised for entry purposes.

Additional Requirements

Duration

4 years

Next start date

September 2023

A Level Grades (2022)

universityofgalway.ie/alevels

Average intake

QQI/FET FETAC Entry Routes

2 (More Info)

Closing Date

NFQ level

Mode of study

ECTS weighting

Award

CAO

GY127

Course code

Course Outline

The denominated BA degree in Film & Digital Media allows students to combine specialist knowledge of the area with a choice of two other subjects from the general Arts degree in the first year of study, and with one subject from the BA in years two and four.

In the first year, Film & Digital Media makes up half of the course, and students also choose two other subjects from the general Arts degree. In the second year, students study Film & Digital Media and one other subject carried over from first year. In the third year, the emphasis is on professional and practical development and giving students the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired in years one and two within real-world settings. In the final year, students continue their study of Film & Digital Media and their chosen Arts subject, taking both for their final degree.

Year 1
In the first year students take 4 modules, offering a mix of practical and academic approaches across film and digital media. Students are given an introduction to the study of Hollywood and world cinema as well as practical training in filmmaking and digital design.

Introduction to Film Studies
Digital Design
Beyond Hollywood Film
Introduction to Filmmaking

Year 2
Students undertake six modules, offering a mix of theory and practice in the areas of digital media content, filmmaking, screenwriting and film analysis.

Introduction to Film Theory
Digital Storytelling
Creative Media Design and Development
European Cinema
Screenwriting 1
Film Practice 1

Year 3
The third year of the programme gives students the opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge they have acquired in years one and two within real-world settings. Working under the supervision of course personnel, students will engage in a range of intensive professional activities in both semesters. These will include internships with media and arts organisations, service learning projects with community groups, and supervised research and creative projects. Students who wish to do so may also apply to spend part of the year studying at a university outside Ireland.

Year 4
The fourth year of the programme gives students the opportunity to focus on their areas of interest, whether this be film and media analysis or more practical areas of filmmaking or digital content creation. Students will undertake a final creative project or written dissertation in this year.

Core Modules

Creative Project/Minor Dissertation
Creative and Cultural Industries

Options Include

Screenwriting 2
Film Practice 2
Early and Silent Cinema
Irish Cinema
Introduction to Visual Culture
Creative Computing
Human Computer Interaction
Artificial Intelligence
E-Business Marketing

Curriculum Information

Curriculum information relates to the current academic year (in most cases).
Course and module offerings and details may be subject to change.

Glossary of Terms

Credits: You must earn a defined number of credits (aka ECTS) to complete each year of your course. You do this by taking all of its required modules as well as the correct number of optional modules to obtain that year's total number of credits.
Module: An examinable portion of a subject or course, for which you attend lectures and/or tutorials and carry out assignments. E.g. Algebra and Calculus could be modules within the subject Mathematics. Each module has a unique module code eg. MA140.
Subject: Some courses allow you to choose subjects, where related modules are grouped together. Subjects have their own required number of credits, so you must take all that subject's required modules and may also need to obtain the remainder of the subject's total credits by choosing from its available optional modules.
Optional: A module you may choose to study.
Required: A module that you must study if you choose this course (or subject).
Required Core Subject: A subject you must study because it's integral to that course.
Semester: Most courses have 2 semesters (aka terms) per year, so a three-year course will have six semesters in total. For clarity, this page will refer to the first semester of year 2 as 'Semester 3'.

Year 1 (60 Credits)

Year 2 (60 Credits)

Year 3 (60 Credits)

Year 4 (60 Credits)

Why Choose This Course?

Career Opportunities

This course prepares graduates for a career in the broad field of the creative industries, including film and television production, digital design and content creation, cultural administration, screenwriting and digital marketing. Employing over 6,000 people nationwide, and generating an estimated €550 million annually, the creative industries are central to Ireland’s economic and cultural achievements on the global stage. Digital production skills are key to these developments, whilst other sectors are increasingly seeking the unique contributions of creative thinkers and makers.

The core focus on creative entrepreneurship and critical thinking also offers key transferable skills beyond media, with leading employers across all industrial sectors describing these as key graduate attributes in the contemporary labour market.

This degree offers clear opportunities to pursue further study and research at postgraduate level, including the range of MA programmes at the Huston such as the MA in Film Production & Direction, the MA in Digital Media, and the MA in Film Studies: Theory and Practice.

Creative Community
As a student on the BA in Film & Digital Media you will become a member of the Huston creative community. Guest talks by industry practitioners, including Huston Adjunct Professor John Carney are offered to all students at undergraduate and postgraduate level. You will also become part of our network of students, past and present, who are working in the media industries locally and beyond.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Learning Outcomes

Transferable Skills Employers Value

Work Placement

Year 3 of the programme offers students the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge within real-world settings, including internships with media and arts organisations and supervised research and creative projects.

Study Abroad

Related Student Organisations

Course Fees

Fees: EU

€6,216 p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Tuition

€3,076 p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Student Contribution

€3,000 p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Student levy

€140 p.a. 2023/24

Fees: Non EU

€18,620 p.a. 2023/24

EU Fees are comprised of Tuition + Student Contribution Charge + Student Levy** €140. **Payable by all students and is not covered by SUSI. Further detail here.

Find out More

Dr. Conn Holohan

+353 (0)91 495686

conn.holohan@universityofgalway.ie

Charles Farrell | Second Year Student

Film & Digital Media at University of Galway is a unique and open-ended course which secures not only a strong foundation in film theory and the culture of cinema, but also lays the groundwork for practical film work and prepare students for the field. By watching and discussing films of all types and ages, this course brings students right from the ultimate basics to more advanced concepts and ideas. This work is complemented by Digital Media studies, ranging in topics from practical work in digital animation, to understanding modern media. With a mix of theory and practical work, this is a course I would recommend for any student with a passion for cinema, and who someday sees themselves in the industry.