MA Cinematography

A degree, in a relevant subject (2.2 minimum), plus a portfolio demonstrating recent engagement and creative activities in your intended study area. Accreditation of professional experience may be possible for practitioners without a first degree. Your degree subject should be in media/film/television production practice, with existing knowledge of camerawork and operation.

A minimum IELTS score of 6.5 overall with at least 5.5 in any component (or equivalent) is required for those whose first language is not English.

For country specific qualifications, please visit our your country page.

If you do not have the required level of English for entry, our academic English courses can help you to achieve this level.

Your portfolio should include at least two completed short films in which you have taken a lead role — camera operation, or cinematography is preferred. Short films can be fiction or documentary, but not music videos, promos, commercials, or amateur productions. We recommend you visit us to see if we are right for you - we hold open days where you can often meet relevant staff and view the facilities.

A personal statement outlining why you want to pursue your chosen master's course at the University of Hertfordshire, reflecting on your current skills and experience, and detailing your ambitions for your future career.


Institution code	H36
Course length	Full Time, 1 Years
Location	University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

Employability

Careers

Would you like to graduate with a strong portfolio of professionally produced film work that demonstrates your creative vision and technical expertise behind the camera? The MA Cinematography at the University of Hertfordshire offers industry-structured production projects, where you’ll gain experience working in collaborative filmmaking environments that reflect real-world practice, preparing you for both freelance and employed roles within the screen industries. You’ll also have the option to progress into further academic or professional study.

Career opportunities are wide-ranging; you could work as a cinematographer, camera operator, focus puller, camera assistant or lighting camera operator, or move into related technical or creative roles within film and television production. Many graduates also go on to work as independent filmmakers, building sustainable careers across a variety of screen-based projects.

Professional Accreditations

The MA Cinematography course at Herts is professionally accredited by BAFTA albert, recognising its commitment to sustainable filmmaking practices. You’ll achieve BAFTA albert accreditation as part of the core module Screenwriting and Film Production Techniques, gaining practical training in environmentally responsible production that reflects current industry standards.

About the course

MA Cinematography at Herts will enable you to:

Develop your cinematography practice across pre-production, production and post-production, working on professionally structured film projects
collaborate within a postgraduate film production environment, working across disciplines to reflect real-world industry practice
refine your visual storytelling through hands-on cinematography practice, integrating camera, lighting and narrative decision-making
build confidence working in professional production teams, preparing you for industry or advanced academic study.

Why choose this course?

Do you want to develop the creative and technical skills needed to shape how stories are told on screen through cinematography? Cinematography sits at the heart of visual storytelling, shaping narrative, emotion and meaning through visual language. On the MA Cinematography course you’ll deepen your creative voice while developing the advanced technical and collaborative skills needed to work at a professional level in film and television. You’ll study cinematography as an integrated practice, learning how camera, lighting, colour, sound and movement work together across pre-production, production and post-production to support storytelling.

You’ll be based within a specialist postgraduate film production environment, working alongside students in directing, producing, screenwriting and editing. This shared filmmaking culture encourages sustained collaboration across disciplines and mirrors how productions operate in the industry. Rather than treating cinematography as a standalone technical skill, you’ll develop your work within professionally structured productions that reflect current industry workflows and expectations in the UK and internationally.

Practical filmmaking is central to the course. You’ll undertake intensive hands-on study supported by academic research and industry-informed teaching, culminating in a major project in Cinematography, where you act as the cinematographer or department lead on a substantial film production. Alongside this, you’ll gain BAFTA albert–accredited training in sustainable production practices, embedded within the core curriculum, ensuring your work aligns with contemporary professional standards.

Throughout the course, you’ll build professional networks through collaborative production projects and engagement with visiting industry professionals. Designed for graduates ready to refine their craft and progress into the screen industries or further study, MA Cinematography equips you with the creative confidence, technical expertise and industry awareness to succeed in a competitive and evolving field.

What will I study?

The MA Cinematography course is delivered full-time over one academic year, combining intensive practical filmmaking with academic research and industry context. You’ll study across two teaching days per week through a mix of lectures, seminars, workshops, tutorials and independent study, with learning delivered primarily face to face alongside some hybrid or online activity where appropriate. Assessment is 100% coursework, allowing you to demonstrate your skills through practical projects, presentations, written work and reflective commentary.

In the early stages of the course, you’ll develop advanced cinematography skills while building a deeper understanding of film production practice. Core modules in screenwriting and film production techniques, industry and cultural research, and major project development support your growth as a visual storyteller. You’ll explore visual language, lighting, camera movement, colour, sound and narrative, while applying research, planning and collaboration skills within a professional production environment.

The final project allows you to bring together your creative, technical and collaborative skills, producing work that reflects current industry standards and forms a key part of your professional portfolio.

Level 7

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Screenwriting and Film Production Techniques	60 Credits	Compulsory
This module explores the dual aspects of film storytelling in the written script and in its translation to the visual medium of film, through production practices. You will consider a range of screenwriting and storytelling methods, and see how these translate from script to screen, as well as how actors and directors interpret written direction. Screenwriters learn about how to write for the screen, while filmmakers learn how to adapt a script into a moving image. Additionally, the module introduces you to the environmental impact of global and national production methods, regulations and policy, and ways in which to reduce the carbon footprint of productions with the accredited BAFTA albert certification training and assessment.
Investigative Minds: Culture, Industry, Research	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module aims to equip you with a range of research skills which can be deployed in academic and professional contexts within your chosen area of discipline. Focusing on both academic and industry research and presentation, key skills addressed include those of research management, critical evaluation, academic conventions, research methodologies, and a range of modes of contextual analysis. The module provides an opportunity for you to engage with a cross-section of people and environments from throughout the creative industries, seeking an understanding of how your own practice may be located within these contexts, locally, nationally or globally.
Finding the Story: Major Project Development and Planning	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module explores and applies the skills required to plan and prepare to work on and participate in the completion of a professional film production (documentary or fiction) or feature length script in readiness for application in one of the following Semester C modules: 7CTA2011 Major Project in Film Producing 7CTA2012 Major Project in Screenwriting 7CTA2076 Major Project in Film Editing and Post Production 7CTA2101 Major Project in Factual and Documentary 7CTA2102 Major Project in Cinematography 7CTA2103 Major Project in Directing It provides an overview of scheduling and budgeting for a professional film production, as well as protocols of working with cast/contributors and crew, story outlines and script planning (including synopses, treatments and beat sheets), scheduling, production management and budgeting, casting, preparing to direct and how a director works with their creative team, pre-production cinematography and lighting design, post production and editing considerations, post workflows, marketing and delivery, post-completion sales and the value chain. A pre-production pack, aimed to inform the writing of a feature script or production of a short film, is typically created in readiness for the major study.
Major Project in Cinematography	60 Credits	Compulsory
This module enables you to realise a sustained film project (usually 10-15 min in length) in collaboration with others, having negotiated and planned for the work to be undertaken in the 7CTA2010 Finding the Story module prior to this. Typically – supported by a mentor staff member – you will receive a number of one-to-one tutorials and mentoring sessions during the various stages of the production and post-production process, in order to assist you in generating independent, self-managed project work at an advanced level. The Major Project offers a setting in which you can increase your confidence in creative decision making, whilst expanding awareness of the requirements of film style and technologies, the marketplace and audiences. With tutor supervision, you are expected to work independently and with a team to manage the challenge of the Major Project.

Further course information

Programme specifications
MA Cinematography - Full Time, Sem A	Download

Additional information
Sandwich placement or study abroad year	n/a
Applications open to international and EU students	Yes

Student experience

At the University of Hertfordshire, we want to make sure your time studying with us is as stress-free and rewarding as possible. We offer a range of support services including; student wellbeing, academic support, accommodation and childcare to ensure that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying and having fun.

You’ll study in the award-winning FMM (Film, Music and Media) building on the College Lane campus, with access to high-spec computer labs and industry-standard facilities. You’ll edit and complete post-production work in the Walter Murch Post Production Lab, use the Mike Newell Sound Stage for film production, and develop your camera skills in the Doug Milsome Cinematography Lab, which is also used for film screenings. You’ll also have access to professional software and hardware through the Learning Resource Centre. If you’re a home student, you can access parts of the course remotely, while overseas students study on campus in line with visa requirements. All students are welcome on campus five days a week.

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Funding and fees
Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Fees 2026
UK Students
Full time
- £10320 for the 2026/2027 academic year
EU Students
Full time
- £17950 for the 2026/2027 academic year
International Students
Full time
- £17950 for the 2026/2027 academic year
*Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University's Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed "When tuition fees change"), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.

View detailed information about tuition fees

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

Read more about additional fees in the Programme Specification.
How to apply

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Apply through our international/EU application portal

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

2026
Start Date End Date Year Location Link
21/09/2026 30/09/2027 1 UH Hatfield Campus Apply online (Full Time)
2027
Start Date End Date Year Location Link
21/09/2027 30/09/2028 1 UH Hatfield Campus Apply online (Full Time)

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MA Cinematography

Careers

Professional Accreditations

About the course

Why choose this course?

What will I study?

Further course information

Student experience

Other financial support

Fees 2026

UK Students

Full time

EU Students

Full time

International Students

Full time

Living costs / accommodation

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

2026

2027