Course Overview
Course summary
Our Television Production BA is a practice-based course taught by broadcast industry professionals and media theorists, combining critical analysis with hands-on practical skills.
Our course focuses on how television programmes are conceived, produced, commissioned and distributed in a digital broadcast and multi-platform environment.
You’ll work across a digital workflow supporting single-camera and multi-camera studio production modes and produce programmes across all genres, from documentary and drama series to TV commercials and studio entertainment shows.
As well as learning practical skills in editing, camera operations, sound recording, lighting and graphics, you’ll study critical analysis of the ever-changing global broadcast and digital media industries.
You’ll work with industry-standard facilities and equipment, while being taught by experienced industry professionals and practitioners, including documentary filmmakers, directors, producers and screenwriters. We also host a range of visiting lecturers and guest speakers, from sound designers to investigative journalists and social media strategists.
Our course is designed to prepare you for the challenge of a multi-skilled, mixed-portfolio career, and our graduates leave equipped with the knowledge, skills and mindset necessary to thrive in the creative industries.
Our course capitalises on the benefits that London has to offer, particularly through our connections with the many production companies based in the city, with links that include ITV studios, Disney and London Live. Our students have undertaken work experience with a range of employers, including the BBC, Endemol and ITV.
Based at our vibrant Harrow Campus, just a 20-minute train ride from central London, you’re ideally placed to take up a range of exciting opportunities as you begin your professional career.
Top reasons to study with us
- Westminster is ranked top 20 among UK institutions for Communication and Media Studies in the QS World University Rankings 2024. The University is also ranked in the top 15 in the Complete University Guide 2024 for 'Student Satisfaction' in Communication and Media Studies
- Industry connections and employability – We have an excellent reputation for our skilled and creative graduates, and you’ll be supported in gaining work experience and networking with industry professionals throughout your degree
- State-of-the-art facilities – We're exceptionally well equipped with professional-standard equipment and facilities, from our range of cameras to our broadcast-standard multi-camera television studio
- Creative possibilities – You’ll create a broad range of content, from promotional shorts to drama pilots, game shows to documentaries. You can make hard-hitting documentaries, experimental art pieces, sitcoms, magazine shows, digital media and much more
- Teaching expertise – You’ll learn from industry professionals and media academics, who'll support you in becoming an informed and forward-thinking media practitioner
- Alumni success – Recent graduates have won Royal Television Society awards in the Entertainment and Documentary categories, and have gone on to work at major broadcasters and production companies including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Disney, IMG, Endemol, Sky Sports and Turner Broadcasting
Course structure
Our course is taught through a mix of lectures, group tutorials and workshops, supporting the development of both practical and critical academic skills.
The following subjects are indicative of what you will study on this course.
You’ll receive a comprehensive introduction to all aspects of television production skills, including camerawork, editing, lighting, production management, scriptwriting and sound recording, and will apply these to creating your own documentary as well as learning how to operate a professional TV studio. You will also study the history and analysis of television genres, aesthetics, distribution, audiences and new media, and can choose an optional module from a wide range of subjects and specialisms.
Subjects of study include:
- In the Studio
- On Location
- Self-Shooting for Documentary
- Switch On: Key Concepts in TV
- Tune In: Key Contexts in TV
- Media and Communication Research 1
- TV: Ideas, Identities, Issues
Credit Level 4
Production modules offer you the experience of working in small and large teams, and in different genres of television, while theory modules further inform your reflective and critical analysis, enhancing your understanding of screen storytelling. A range of optional modules offer the opportunity to expand your learning experience and specialise in your chosen field.
Subjects of study include:
- Drama: Storytelling for TV
- Going Live! - TV studio production
- Professional Life
- TV Narratives: Traditions and Innovations
- Breaking Boundaries in TV
- Celebrity Culture and the Media
- Screen 2: Camera and Lighting Skills
- Screen 2: Identities: Race, Class and Gender in Film and Television
- Screen 2: Short Form Film and Video
- TV Advertising and Branded Content
- TV: Adaptation and Invention
- Writing and Directing for TV Drama
Credit Level 5
Professional experience or study abroad year
If you choose to take the opportunity of a one-year work placement after Year 2, you must complete the TV Production Extended Work Placement module (120 credits) in order to achieve the award "with professional experience".
If you choose to take the opportunity to spend one academic year after Year 2 studying overseas at one of our exchange partner institutions, you must complete the TV Production Study Abroad module (120 credits) in order to achieve the award "with international experience".
Find out more about the costs involved in taking a study abroad or placement year.
In addition to continuing your experience of different genres and developing new technical skills, you’ll work on major projects from a choice of genres, deciding the content and managing the production and end distribution platform, as well as completing a dissertation or independent project of your own design.
Subjects of study include:
- Dissertation (Television)
- Extended Research Essay (Television)
- Final Project – (TV Production)
- Innovations in TV: Digital and Virtual Production
- Broadcast News
- Diversity and the Media
- Producing for Television
- Transforming Audiences
- Understanding Screen Performance
Credit Level 6
Programme recognition
This course is delivered through a partnership with BAFTA albert Education, which provides staff and graduates with the tools and techniques needed to learn about environmentally responsible working practices and their professional relevance. The partnership will help students develop knowledge about sustainability, carbon footprinting and planet placement in programmes.
Programme Training Opportunities
This course is committed to health and safety training, and has partnered with the Mark Milsome Foundation to offer an optional online course for students wishing to develop their skills in this area. The Mark Milsome Foundation Skillset Production Safety Passport course ensures that students are equipped with essential safety knowledge, as they venture into careers in the film and TV industry. Created in memory of Mark Milsome, the course provides a Level II Production Safety Passport valid for 5 years from ScreenSkills. This additional course is available free of charge to University of Westminster students studying this Undergraduate course.
For more details on course structure, modules, teaching and assessment Download the programme specification (PDF).
To request an accessible version please email [email protected]
Get your copy of the University of Westminster prospectus and browse the range of courses on offer.
Contact us for general course enquiries:
+44 (0)20 7911 5000 EXT 65511
(Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm GMT)
Live chat with us
(Mon–Fri, 10am–4pm GMT)
Open days
Join us at an open day online or on campus. Get a feel for student life at the University of Westminster and talk to course leaders and our support teams.
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Careers
Our Television Production BA students graduate with the skills to work in all areas of broadcast television and have a high employment rate in many different roles and aspects of the media, including children's television, drama, music video production, sports broadcasting, studio entertainment productions, TV commercials, the film industry and the corporate television sector.
Our graduates also frequently find employment in the music and film industries, and many others remain in academia or progress to the National Film School.
Graduates in work or further study
90% of our Television Production BA students are in work and/or further study 15 months after graduation.
(Source: Discover Uni - site accessed in November 2020)
Graduate success
We currently have two graduates directing on Good Morning Britain, one of whom secured the role within two years of graduating.
Employers around the world
The University’s Careers and Employability Service has built up a network of over 3,000 employers around the world, helping all our students explore and connect with exciting opportunities and careers.
Industry links
We have connections with many production companies based in London, with links that include ITV studios, Disney and London Live.
You’ll be taught by experienced industry professionals and practitioners, including documentary filmmakers, directors, producers and screenwriters.
We also host a range of visiting lecturers and guest speakers, from sound designers to investigative journalists to social media strategists.
In the past, students have been offered regular opportunities to attend Master Classes run by The Royal Television Society and Creative Skillset.
Work experience
Our students have undertaken work experience with a range of employers, including:
- BBC
- Endemol
- ITV
On graduating, almost all of our graduates have begun work as runners with television or media companies in the past, usually in roles secured through our active work experience programme.
Job roles
This course will prepare you for roles such as:
- Advertising strategist and creative
- Cinematographer
- Director
- Documentary filmmaker
- Editor
- Media/audience researcher
- Producer
- Screenwriter
- Social media strategist and content creator
- Sound designer
Graduate employers
Graduates from this course have found employment at organisations including:
- Applause Store
- BBC
- Channel 4
- Disney
- Endemol
- Fremantle
- Global
- ITV
- London Live
- Premier League
- Sky
- Syco
- Tortoise Media
- QVC
International Opportunities
Many of our courses offer international study and work experiences, and the University provides other global opportunities that all students can apply for - so whatever you're studying, you'll have the chance to go abroad.
Opportunities could include:
- Taking part in semester or year-long exchanges at institutions around the world
- Attending an international summer school or field trip
- Developing your CV through volunteering or work placements abroad
International experience broadens horizons, boosts self-confidence, and improves global understanding, alongside being fantastic for your career.
Find out more about our international opportunities, including funding options and where you can go.
Course Leader
Natalie Walter
Lecturer
Natalie is a Lecturer in Television Documentary Journalism, Production and Directing. She joined in 2023 and is a multi-skilled self-shooting Producer/Director and Edit Producer specialised in prime-time award-winning TV documentaries in factual and un-scripted content for major UK broadcasters. Natalie is highly experienced in complex editorial and compliance-heavy observational documentaries with sensitive access including Directing on fixed-rig returnables like 24 Hours in Police Custody (Channel 4) and Ambulance (BBC One), as Series Director on the Popular-Factual series A Very British Country House (Channel 4), Specialist-Factual series Claridge’s The Mayfair Hotel Megabuild (BBC Two) and shooting single documentary films like Sue Bourne’s A Time To Live (BBC Two).
A successful career in television requires skills in adaptability, communication, collaboration, and innovative thinking. You will develop all of those skills here with us.
Why study this course?
Learn in a stimulating environment
Based at our Harrow Campus – home to the School of Arts and the School of Media and Communication – you’ll work alongside students from film, photography, music, fashion and journalism, in a creative and collaborative environment.
Successful graduates
Graduates from this course have won Royal Television Society awards in the Entertainment and Documentary categories, and have gone on to work at major broadcasters and independent production companies including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Disney, IMG, Endemol, Sky Sports and Turner Broadcasting.
State-of-the-art facilities
We're exceptionally well equipped with professional standard equipment and facilities, from our range of cameras to our broadcast-standard multi-camera television studio.
Student Work
Entry Requirements
A levels – CCC (96 UCAS Tariff points)
T levels – 96 UCAS Tariff points
International Baccalaureate – 96 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme will be considered on a case-by case basis
BTEC Extended Diploma – MMM
BTEC Diploma – DD
Access – 96 UCAS Tariff points from the Access course
In addition to one of the above, you should have:
GCSE English Language grade 4/C – IB grade 4 Higher level, GCSE Maths Pass – IB Pass
If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS of 6.0 overall, with at least 5.5 in each component.
We also welcome applications from students who are taking a combination of the qualifications listed above. For further information, please contact Course Enquiries.
View more information about our entry requirements and the application process
- International Baccalaureate – 96 UCAS Tariff points from all components of the Diploma Programme. International Baccalaureate Career-related Programme will be considered on a case-by-case basis. You can refer to the UCAS calculator to determine your point score
- We accept a wide range of international high school level qualifications. Please see information on Country-specific entry requirements
- We work in partnership with Kaplan International College London who provide International Foundation Certificate courses for students who don’t meet our entry requirements. Upon successful completion, you can progress to your chosen degree at the University of Westminster. Find out about a range of university preparation courses that are accepted for entry.
English language requirements
- If your first language is not English, you will need an IELTS of 6.0 overall, with at least 5.5 in each component. Please note we accept a wide range of English language qualifications and assessments. Find out more at English language requirements.
- If you don't meet the English language requirements yet, then we offer online and on campus pre-sessional English programmes to help develop your English language skills to the required level before you start your course. Find out more about our pre-sessional English programmes.
More information
Facilities
The Television Production BA Honours course at Westminster is well equipped with professional standard equipment and facilities.
Melvyn Williams Broadcast Suite
As part of this course, you will have access to our Broadcast Suite. Opened in 2022 with a £1.2+ million investment, the suite is a multifunctional space designed to meet the needs of modern multi-platform journalism.
As well as functioning as a classroom for workshop activities, the suite comprises a TV-style set, a green screen area, a TV gallery and a podcasting area, as well as Macs on every desk. It is fitted with industry-standard software and hardware throughout, allowing students to create TV, radio and online content in conditions that closely match professional newsrooms in the UK and elsewhere.
The space allows students to work individually or together in a variety of different ways, from creating graphic-led stories for social media feeds to live TV news programmes.
Our Television Production BA course utilises studio facilities at the University's Harrow campus.
Our Television Production BA course utilises studio facilities at the University's Harrow campus.
The University's multifunctional Broadcast Suite opened in 2022 following a £1.2+ million investment.
The University's multifunctional Broadcast Suite opened in 2022 following a £1.2+ million investment.
Our Television Production BA course utilises studio facilities at the University's Harrow campus.
Our Television Production BA course utilises studio facilities at the University's Harrow campus.
Our Television Production BA course utilises studio facilities at the University's Harrow campus.
What our students say
Dominic Brown
Television Production BA - 2023
The most rewarding aspect of my Westminster experience was building connections with people from diverse backgrounds and with varying interests.
Get involved with student radio
Boost your employability and kickstart your media portfolio by volunteering at our award-winning radio station, Smoke Radio. You'll learn how to produce, record and edit audio and video content on industry-standard equipment, along with picking up transferable skills like writing, podcasting, social media production, event organising and teamwork.
We've won Best Student Station in the UK twice in the last few years. As part of our prize in 2019, our students had the opportunity to take over three early breakfast shows on BBC Radio One, producing and presenting over five hours of radio for a UK and global audience.
Check out our Smoke Radio page to see how you can get involved.
Learn new skills
Learn a new language
From Arabic to Spanish, you can learn a new language alongside your degree with our Polylang programme.
Develop your entrepreneurial skills
Our award-winning Westminster Enterprise Network offers industry networking events, workshops, one-to-one business advice and support for your startup projects.
Gain extra qualifications
We provide access to free online courses in Adobe and Microsoft Office applications, as well as thousands of specialist courses on LinkedIn Learning.
Fees and Funding
UK tuition fee: £9,250 (Price per academic year)
When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
Find out how we set our tuition fees.
Funding
As well as tuition fee loans, there is a range of funding available to help you fund your studies.
Find out about undergraduate student funding options.
Scholarships
The University is dedicated to supporting ambitious and outstanding students and we offer a variety of scholarships to eligible undergraduate students, which cover all or part of your tuition fees.
Find out if you qualify for one of our scholarships.
Additional costs
See what you may need to pay for separately and what your tuition fees cover.
International tuition fee: £17,000 (Price per academic year)
When you have enrolled with us, your annual tuition fees will remain the same throughout your studies with us. We do not increase your tuition fees each year.
Find out how we set our tuition fees.
EU Qualifications Welcome Award Scheme
If you are an international student accepted on an undergraduate programme starting in September 2024 or September 2025 at level 3 (Foundation) or level 4 (first year) on the basis of an eligible EU qualification only, you will be awarded a tuition fee reduction which will align your fee more closely to the one for UK students. For more information, see the EU Qualifications Welcome Award Scheme.
International student funding
Find out about funding for international students.
Additional costs
See what you may need to pay for separately and what your tuition fees cover.
Teaching and Assessment
Below you will find how learning time and assessment types are distributed on this course. The graphs below give an indication of what you can expect through approximate percentages, taken either from the experience of previous cohorts, or based on the standard module diet where historic course data is unavailable. Changes to the division of learning time and assessment may be made in response to feedback and in accordance with our terms and conditions.
How you'll be taught
Teaching methods across all our undergraduate courses focus on active student learning through lectures, seminars, workshops, problem-based and blended learning, and where appropriate practical application. Learning typically falls into three broad categories:
- Scheduled hours: examples include lectures, seminars, practical classes, workshops, supervised time in a studio
- Placement: placement hours normally include placement opportunities, but may also include live projects or virtual activity involving employers
- Independent study: non-scheduled time in which students are expected to study independently. This may include preparation for scheduled sessions, follow-up work, wider reading or practice, completion of assessment tasks, or revision
How you'll be assessed
Our undergraduate courses include a wide variety of assessments.
Assessments typically fall into three broad categories:
- Practical: examples include presentations, videos, podcasts, lab work, creating artefacts
- Written exams: end of semester exams
- Coursework: examples include essays, reports, in-class tests, portfolios, dissertation
Data from the academic year 2023/24
Supporting you
Our Student Hub is where you’ll find out about the services and support we offer, helping you get the best out of your time with us.
- Study support — workshops, 1-2-1 support and online resources to help improve your academic and research skills
- Personal tutors — support you in fulfilling your academic and personal potential
- Student advice team — provide specialist advice on a range of issues including funding, benefits and visas
- Extra-curricular activities — volunteering opportunities, sports and fitness activities, student events and more
Course location
Harrow is our creative and cultural hub, home to most of our arts, media and digital courses. It houses state-of-the-art facilities for every discipline, including project and gallery spaces, film studios, creative labs, collaborative learning spaces, and the Westminster Enterprise Network.
Harrow Campus is based in north-west London, just 20 minutes from the city centre by train.
For more details, visit our Harrow Campus page.
Contact us
Call our dedicated team on:
+44 (0)20 7911 5000 ext 65511
Opening hours (GMT): 10am–4pm Monday to Friday
Opening hours (GMT): 10am–4pm Monday to Friday
More information
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