Television Production BA (Hons)

UCA’s Integrated Foundation Year is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and more.

You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.

For our students coming from a non-UK educational background, UCA has launched an Integrated International Foundation Year, based at UCA Farnham to bring students from around the world to one hub of creativity.

This year of preparatory study is designed to give you the skills you’ll need to start your degree in the best possible way – with confidence, solid knowledge of creative practice, study skills and the English speaking and writing skills you’ll need to succeed.

You’ll explore a range of creative techniques and develop your portfolio, with your chosen subject in mind. We’ll work with you throughout the year to ensure you’re on the right track and give you the tools to achieve your highest potential on your degree.

If you opt to complete a professional practice year, this will take place in year three. You will undertake a placement within the creative industries to further develop your skills and CV.

While on your Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee for that year. This fee will be determined using government funding regulations. Based on current regulations, we expect this to be a maximum of 20% of the tuition fee rate that you are charged for your second year of study. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during this year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this as you approach your Professional Practice Year.

Please note: If you are an international applicant, you will need to enrol onto the course ‘with Professional Practice Year’. It will not be possible to transfer onto the Professional Practice Year after enrolment

You’ll focus your individual practice culminating in a final major project, produce a detailed pre-production document and a dissertation on a course-related subject of your choice.

Dissertation
You'll undertake a period of self-directed research on a subject related to the historical, theoretical, critical concerns of your discipline or professional area, and write a detailed piece on that subject. It may be related to a television genre, your chosen specialism or something else.

Pre-Production
You’ll produce a detailed preparational piece for a production, either for something you are going to make into a film in the final unit, or a hypothetical idea. This latter option is a popular choice for students who want to think of a larger-scale production. You can present this work as a package in any form you feel is appropriate.

Production
This final unit brings together all the creative experience of the course, challenging students to demonstrate innovative and sophisticated engagement with a major project. Working individually or in teams, and through discussion with your tutor, you and your fellow students will adopt specialist roles that align with your own practice and career aspirations, and are required to develop and produce an innovative project. This could take the form of a complete moving image production, or a detailed development of one aspect, such as a screenplay.

This course offers the opportunity to study abroad for part of your second year. To find out more about studying abroad as part of your course please see the Study Abroad section:

• Study abroad information

Tuition fees
The course fees per year for 2021 entry are:

• UK students - £9,250 
• EU students - £9,250 (see fee discount information)
• International students - £16,950 (standard fee)
• International students - £16,270 (full early payment fee)

The course fees for 2022 entry will be available here shortly. 

If you opt to study the Professional Practice Year, you will be required to pay a reduced tuition fee for that year. This fee will be set by the government in their funding regulations. Based on current regulations, we expect this to be a maximum of 20% of the tuition fee rate that you will be charged for your second year of study. You will also incur additional travel and accommodation costs during your Professional Practice year. The University will provide you with further advice and guidance about this.

Additional course costs
In addition to the tuition fees please see the additional course costs for 2021 entry. The details for 2022 entry will be available here in due course.

Further information
Find out more about our course fees and any financial support you may be entitled to:

• UK course fees
• International & EU course fees
• General additional costs for students

These fees are correct for the stated academic year only. Costs may increase each year during a student’s period of continued registration on course in line with inflation (subject to any maximum regulated tuition fee limit). Any adjustment for continuing students will be at or below the RPI-X forecast rate.

Television Production students are immersed in the professional world from the moment they walk through the doors of our course. Situated within one of leading television and media studios in the UK, our course offers you the chance to learn and work alongside some top film and television professionals on a daily basis.

Assisted by our dedicated work-placement coordinator, you'll be offered numerous hands-on work experience opportunities on the professional productions made at the studios and with external companies, which in the past have included:

• .. With Jools Holland (BBC)
• Take Me Out (ITV)
• Catchphrase (ITV)
• Sport Relief (BBC)
• Strictly Come Dancing (BBC)
• Frank Skinner's Opinionated (ITV)
• Draw It! (Channel 4)
• Let's Play (BBC)
• Blind Date
• Big Brother (Channel 5)
• The Door (ITV).

The course is taught by a number of film and television professionals with extensive industry experience, covering all genres and formats. It includes screenwriters, directors, producers, editors and camera persons, covering work for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, Discovery, Film4, Channel 5 and numerous independents.

90% of our graduates are now working in the creative media industry for a number of leading organisations, including:

• Video Editor for Formula One
• Junior Office Manager and Production Secretary at SpunGold TV
• Junior Researcher at ITV
• Runner at ITV
• Runner at The Maidstone Studios
• Studio Co-ordinator at QVC
• Programme Co-ordinator and EA to Head of Production at Channel 4
• Production Assistant at Gogglebox Entertainment
• Editor at Motion Postproduction
• Camera Assistant at Sound Credit TV
• Digital Content Officer at Kent Fire and Rescue Service
• Production Assistant at Telly Juice Ltd
• Producer at Times Media Group.

Students who graduate from this course can go on to set up their own production companies, or work in roles such as:

• Screenwriter
• Director
• Producer
• Editor
• Production assistant
• Researcher
• Digital content manager
• Camera assistant
• Sound assistant.

You may also like to consider further study at postgraduate level.

The standard entry requirements* for this course are:

One of the following:

• 112 new UCAS tariff points, see accepted qualifications
• Pass at Foundation Diploma in Art & Design (Level 3 or 4)
• Distinction, Merit, Merit at BTEC Extended Diploma / BTEC National Extended Diploma
• Merit at UAL Extended Diploma
• 112 new UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma in appropriate subject
• 27-30 total points in the International Baccalaureate Diploma with at least 15 IB points at Higher level, see more information about IB entry requirements.

And four GCSE passes at grade A*-C and/or grade 4-9 including English (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2).

Other relevant and equivalent Level 3 UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.

*We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios, as well as their grades -  in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important.

To view the equivalent entry requirements for your country please select it in the list below.

• Non-UK equivalent qualifications
• English language requirements

For this course, you’ll be required to submit an online portfolio via your UCA Applicant Portal. You don’t need to have previous experience of video making, but we do want to see evidence of creativity and original thinking. This can be in the form of one or more of the following: videos, photographs, scripts, creative writing, sound recordings, journalism, online content and general media work. Further information on how to compile and upload your portfolio will be provided once you have applied. If you receive an offer, you’ll be invited to attend an Offer Holder Webinar where you can meet the course team and learn more about the course.

More portfolio advice