Master of Arts - Documentary Film
- 1,5 years
- Duration
- 30,890 GBP
- Price
- September
- Start
- June
- Deadline
- Master
- Degree
- Campus
- Format
- London / United Kingdom
- Location
Program description
The MA Documentary Film programme at London College of Communication is a leader in exploring the documentary genre, integrating practice with theory to analyse filmmaking critically, historically, and conceptually. It empowers you to investigate pressing issues, reveal human experiences, and inspire change through the medium.
You will undertake key production roles - producer, director, camera operator, sound‑recordist, and editor - learning to self‑shoot, work in teams, and produce for broadcast, independent, and web media. For your Major Project, you can choose to author your work independently or collaborate with peers, developing characters, stories, and visual style to suit your creative vision.
Program structure
Autumn, term 1
- Documentary Development (40 credits)
- Documentary History and Theory (20 credits)
Spring, term 2
- Documentary Development (Continued)
- Documentary Ethics and Methods (20 credits)
- Collaborative Unit (20 credits)
- Major Project (60 credits)
Summer, term 3
- Documentary: Contemporary Discourses (20 credits)
- Major Project (continued)
Autumn, term 4
Price
Tuition fee:
- 30,890 GBP per education*
*Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.
You may need to cover additional costs which are not included in your tuition fees, such as materials and equipment specific to your course.
Requirements for applicants
An applicant will normally be considered for admission if they have achieved an educational level equivalent to an honours degree.
Applicants should have a proven interest in documentary films and a keen desire to make documentary films. You should know what kinds of documentary interest you and why you have an ambition to deepen your involvement in documentary film study and production.
Successful applicants have generally made their own videos and have some experience of filming, but we can also consider candidates without a production background who demonstrate exceptional film ideas and directing potential. We often have applications from mid-career photographers or producers in related fields.
Your experience is assessed as a learning process and tutors will evaluate that experience for currency, validity, quality and sufficiency. Your educational level may be demonstrated by:
- Honours degree;
- Possession of equivalent qualifications;
- Prior experiential learning, the outcome of which can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required;
- Or a combination of formal qualifications and experiential learning which, taken together, can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required.
Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases.
The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:
- Related academic or work experience
- The quality of the personal statement
- A strong academic or other professional reference
- OR a combination of these factors
Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.
Language requirements
- IELTS 7.0 (or equivalent) is required, with a minimum of 6.0 in each of the four skills.
About the university
The University of the Arts London (UAL) produces and encourages the creativity essential for a better future. Its colleges have been at the forefront of innovative education since 1842, creating work with a lasting impact on people and the planet, driven by curiosity, imagination, and purpose.
London is fundamental to UAL's identity, providing a vital context where the university connects and exchanges ideas with individuals from all walks of life. Globally, its creative network influences education, culture, business, and society.
Through innovative research and creative instruction, UAL's faculty and staff bring fresh perspectives to education. The university enables students to build the careers they desire by working with them at every level - from pre-degree to postgraduate, and from short courses to online learning.
UAL's colleges
Ranked second in the world for art and design, UAL comprises six distinct colleges:
- Camberwell College of Arts
- Central Saint Martins
- Chelsea College of Arts
- London College of Communication
- London College of Fashion
- Wimbledon College of Arts
Together, they form a community of creatives, innovators, trailblazers, and storytellers, united in their mission to reimagine the future.
Courses in the visual arts, animation, screen, communication, fashion, media, and performance are available at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
