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University of Cumbria

UCAS Code: CW37 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A

Access to HE Diploma

P:45

60 credits, 45 must be passed at Level 3

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

PPP

Scottish Higher

D,D,D,D

T Level

Pass (D or E)

UCAS Tariff

48

Potential to succeed can be measured in a number of ways including academic qualifications and skills obtained outside academic study such as work experience. You can find out more about the tariff and qualification options from the UCAS tariff table. Please check selection criteria for any additional entry requirements.

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

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Present a portfolio

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About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2026

Subject

Cinematics

Do you have a passion for wildlife and the natural world? Are you interested in photography and filmmaking, and wondering how to become a wildlife photographer or filmmaker?

If you don't quite meet the entry criteria for our three-year programme, this wildlife media foundation degree is the course for you. We’ll combine your interest with technical expertise and scientific knowledge. You'll learn the fieldcraft and naturalist skills to identify and track wildlife, together with the lens craft expertise to create sophisticated wildlife photography and film. Your foundation year will give you the skills, knowledge and experience needed to progress onto the full BA (Hons) Wildlife Media programme.

**Course Overview**
You will study wildlife biodiversity, habitat, and behaviour, alongside the theory and practice of film and photography. You will benefit from opportunities to work with leading industry professionals in a biodiverse World Heritage Site with regular field trips and visits.

Our foundation year will help you reach the right level for taking the rest of the degree, building a solid foundation of skills from which to expand upon.

This degree will both challenge and support you to produce your own short experimental films; plan photography exhibitions; film, edit and create your own documentaries; and plan and manage an expedition to a destination of your choice. Throughout your learning you will grow in confidence, developing and enhancing your personal skill set, working towards specialisms that match your interests and career ambitions.

**On this course you will**
- Explore the world beyond the classroom through field trips and project work. Learn more about a wide variety of species, habitats and behaviours in the wild.

- Master complex technical and practical skills and develop sophisticated natural history knowledge, within the supportive and vibrant context of an arts institute community.

- Work with industry professionals, with strong links to employers locally, nationally, and globally. This includes Cumbria Wildlife Trust, RSPB, WWT, SSSI’s, and AONB to name a few.

- Develop a portfolio of work to display during public showcases e.g. online gallery exhibitions and the Vallum Gallery on campus. Engage in Degree Shows to celebrate the progress of your work.

**What you will learn**
We'll help you reach the right level for taking the rest of the degree, building a solid foundation of skills from which to expand upon. We'll hone your skills in a diverse range of media, including photography, documentary film making and writing for wildlife media.

You’ll learn to create polished, professional wildlife documentaries charting the relationship between humans and the natural world. Capture the stories of animals across different environments when you explore bushcraft and wildlife survival skills. Immerse yourself in their world and capture your experience using top-quality photographic and filming equipment.

You'll develop your film and photo editing skills to suit a brief or chosen goal. Celebrate your success through showcases and presentations where you will learn how to develop a professional portfolio for exhibition and receive feedback for your work.

Modules

Year one
Your foundation year will see you build the skills and knowledge that will put you in the strongest possible position to excel academically and professionally.
Media in Context
An introduction to key theoretical frameworks and debates relating to modern media texts and media based practice.
Professional Practice
Develop an understanding of the structures applicable to a range of media organisations, fully exploring their diversity and viability.
Media Narratives
Explore approaches to fiction and non-fiction narratives in reference to a variety of media forms.
Published Media Products
Develop conceptual, practical and technical awareness, at an introductory level, of the production phases for print and online material.
Student Initiated Photographic Project
An introduction into, and the experience of, using traditional and contemporary technical photographic processes.
Biodiversity and Habitat for Media
An introduction to factors that have shaped Britain and it natural history, with a framework for interpreting the natural world from both a scientific and cultural perspective.

Year two
In your second year, you will develop the solid technical and academic skills required to understand and successfully capture the environment.
Media Craft Skills
Develop a working knowledge of a range of key technical skills in the media production making process.
Developing Photography Practice
An introduction to, and the experience of using, technical photographic processes to illustrate natural history.
Cultural Contexts
An introduction to the cultural, historical and social contexts in which creative work from a range of disciplines will be considered.
Naturalist Skills
An introduction to the relevant natural history based skills required for a career in wildlife media production.
Communicating the Natural World
Develop skills as a communicator conveying key conservation messages and engender positive change and activism.
Collaborative Brief
Work with other students to explore and practice the skills involved in creative collaboration.

Year three
Going into your third year, you will further develop and enhance your personal skill set working towards specialisms that match your interests or proposed career path. You'll explore and reflect on key wildlife and media-related issues, together with developing critical analytical skills.
Documentary
Develop a critical understanding of documentary and non-fiction practice whilst developing an informed perspective on the genre.
Interpreting Animal Behaviour for Media
Learn to interpret the animal behaviour you will encounter in practice.
Wildlife Photography
Develop the principles of independent practice in wildlife photography through self- initiated project work with an individual approach looking at the natural world.
Natural History Filmmaking
Prepare to research, plan and execute a natural history documentary.
Professional Development
Review career attributes, ambitions, and trajectory within the context of an evolving ‘professional development portfolio’.
Theory & Research Methods
Prepare to undertake and successfully complete a Research Project.

Year four
In your final year, you will take charge of your own chosen research project, working towards your major final work. This could be a substantial piece of journalism, a set of photos or a film.
Graduate Project
Use practical and conceptual skills developed throughout the programme to complete a final year project.
Minor Project
An opportunity to bring together the various theoretical and practical skills learnt to produce a self-directed practical piece.
The Application of Media in Conservation
Explore the ways in which to deliver conservation-based theory and how this can be applied to media.
Festival and Exhibition
Perfect the skills necessary to identify and successfully engage with the media industries post-graduation.
Research Project
An investigation into a relevant research topic towards submission of a research output.

Assessment methods

Throughout your degree, you will take part in a range of summative and formative assessments to monitor your progress, receive feedback on your work, and equip you with the skills you need to work within a brief. Additionally, you will be asked to demonstrate your ability to critically deconstruct and evaluate.

A wide range of authentic assessment types are used in order to develop a full range of work-related skills e.g. photographic displays, short films, websites, magazine articles, portfolios etc.

The Uni

Course location:

Carlisle - Brampton Road

Department:

Science and Environment

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if the overall teaching satisfaction score here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

82%
Cinematics

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Cinematics and photography

Teaching and learning

78%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
74%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
70%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

85%
Library resources
77%
IT resources
89%
Course specific equipment and facilities
56%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

98%
UK students
2%
International students
44%
Male students
56%
Female students
64%
2:1 or above
15%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
D
C

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Cinematics and photography

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£21,000
low
Average annual salary
80%
low
Employed or in further education
40%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

22%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
17%
Other elementary services occupations
15%
Artistic, literary and media occupations

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Cinematics and photography

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£15k

£15k

£18k

£18k

£20k

£20k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

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Course location and department:

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here