Film Studies, B.A.
The subject of film studies is the history, aesthetics and theory of film or visual media as well as their conditions of origin and effect, to which the interdependence of different aesthetic (literature, painting, dance, music, etc.) and cultural systems belongs. At the Department of Film Studies at Freie Universität Berlin, the four areas of film history, film analysis, film aesthetics, and art and media theory are examined. They are explored under historical, analytical, theoretical, aesthetic and comparative perspectives. The degree program Film Studies at the Free University of Berlin focuses on the theoretical and historical-critical orientation, i. it will create a basic theoretical, analytical and conceptual understanding of elementary forms of audiovisual culture and its historical evolution.
Programme facts
| Degree | Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) |
|---|---|
| Duration | 6 semesters, 120 ECTS |
| Language of instruction | German |
| Required German | C1 |
| Study mode | Full-Time |
| Start | Winter semester |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.07 |
| Admission | Admission restriction (NC): a competition of school grades |
| Tuition fee | €0 per semester for international students |
| Semester contribution | €376.80 per semester |
What the tuition fee consists of
Will I get in
The programme has an admission restriction: the average grade of your certificate, converted to the German scale, decides. The cut-off changes every year — last year's value shows the order of magnitude, not a promise.
How the selection works and how strong the competition is — we go through it against your certificate when we select programmes for you.
Programme selection →About the programme
The degree program does not provide artistic-technical education as offered at film colleges and academies. The research at the seminar for film science focuses on u.a. with the theory and history of space and time formation in cinema as a synaesthetic experience as well as with the media history and theory of emotions.
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The 60 LP module offer does not cover the entire topic of the study (see Study Structure).
What you study
Film Science is combined as a core subject with a 60 LP module offering or two 30 LP module offerings. As a 60 LP module offering, film science combines with a 90 LP core subject.
The full curriculum and the programme's parameters are part of programme selection: we compare them with your profile.
Pick programmesCareer
Undergraduate graduates have scientific and practical skills that qualify for a professional or postgraduate degree. If Film Studies is studied as a module offer in the context of a combination Bachelor study program, the selected core subject shapes the professional qualification.
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The program qualifies beyond general basic scientific education for the most diverse professions in the field of audiovisual media culture, as they have emerged and evolved in the film and television industry, the advertising industry and in journalistic, artistic and scientific fields. In particular, it enables the evaluation, analysis and conceptual development of audiovisual forms of presentation in scientific, journalistic, editorial, cultural and knowledge-providing fields of work. Possible employers may be (film) libraries, (film) archives, universities, art societies, publishers, film studios, television and radio stations, theaters, opera houses, but also public or private administration, employing film scholars in various positions can be.
For executive work or employment in research and teaching, a master's degree and possibly the doctorate is required.
Cost of study
| Tuition fee of the federal state (Berlin), international students | €0 |
|---|---|
| Semester contribution | €376.80 |
Requirements and application
| Previous education | A school certificate that gives access to university in Germany — directly or after a Studienkolleg. |
|---|---|
| Language | German C1 — confirmed by a certificate when you apply |
| Application | Via uni-assist, winter semester until 15.07 |
The procedure and the set of documents depend on your certificate. We check the university's requirements against your documents and give you a list: what to submit, how to certify and translate it, where and when to apply.
Check the requirementsHow to get into this programme
- 1Check your certificate and its recognitionDirect admission, a year at a university at home, or Studienkolleg first — this decides the whole plan.
- 2German up to C1 and a certificateDSH or TestDaF has to be passed before you apply.
- 3Documents and translationsCertified translations of the certificate and transcript, an APS if required. 3–4 weeks.
- 4Application via uni-assist until 15.07uni-assist checks documents for 4–6 weeks — send them well before the deadline.
- 5Admission, visa, movingPlan 2–3 months for the visa and the blocked account in parallel.
How to apply
You can submit the application yourself or with our help — the university decides on admission in both cases.
Applications go through the university's portal or uni-assist. Typical mistakes:
- ×incorrectly made certified copies and translations
- ×a wrong set of documents
- ×the application submitted the wrong way
- ×errors or gaps in the application form
- ×the application submitted at the wrong time — too early or too late
An incomplete or incorrectly prepared application is excluded from the selection — it can no longer be corrected after the deadline.
StudyInFocus does not represent the university and does not influence the admission decision. We do not sell study places and do not guarantee admission — this is a service for preparing and submitting documents on the applicant's side.
If your level is not enough yet
The two most common stoppers are a language level below the requirement and a certificate without direct admission. Both can be solved, but they take months — plan them now, not after a rejection.
Questions about this programme
How much does the programme cost?
What language level do I need?
When do I need to apply?
Don't postpone the application
The deadline is 15.07.2027 (274 days left). Language, translations and the document check take months, not weeks. In 30 minutes we will build a plan backwards from the deadline and tell you honestly whether you can make it.