Film, Exhibition and Curation MSc
Awards: MSc
Study modes: Full-time, Part-time
Funding opportunities
Programme website: Film, Exhibition and Curation
This degree programme offers the opportunity to work and learn along an incomparable teaching staff that is caring, passionate and dedicated to each student. With an emphasis on self-development through reflective practice, the programme, carefully curated by its teachers, provides time, space and tools to cultivate your personal curatorial practice.
One of the first universities in the world to offer a programme of study in this field, Edinburgh is pioneering in its development of an active learning and teaching environment for the study of film, exhibition and curation.
Our taught Masters programme combines rigorous critical thinking with experiments in creative practice, deepening your understanding of film and the ways in which it communicates with many audiences.
As a Film, Exhibition and Curation student, you’ll explore a series of approaches to the often neglected consideration of film’s movements and migrations within the context of the rich and varied festival, gallery, archive and exhibition cultures of Scotland, the UK and beyond.
You’ll work on imaginative curatorial projects, both independently and collaboratively, with input from industry partners. Assignments range from pitches to programming, and you’ll be assessed in ways that support you in producing experimental work and discovering yourself as a reflective professional.
Our community
Study with us and you’ll be part of a close-knit, international community of film enthusiasts under the guidance of two dedicated Programme Directors - Susan Kemp and Jane Sillars - who combine industry experience with teaching excellence, gaining them multiple Teaching Awards nominations.
Our School is a highly creative environment in which you’ll also meet students of Film, Intermediality, Creative Writing, literatures, and many languages.
Based in a world-renowned festival city, filled with independent cinemas, galleries and venues, we host visiting professionals throughout the year, and regularly collaborate with two of the UK’s largest film festivals, the Glasgow Film Festival and the Edinburgh International Film Festival.
We have excellent links with a range of industry partners in Scotland, the UK and internationally. There is a lively and growing network of FEC graduates working around the world.
Your future
You’ll leave with a portfolio of projects that demonstrates both rigorous academic and professional skills, as well as your ability to work independently and with others. Previously awarded the Students’ Association’s Teaching Award for Developing Student Employability, we were one of the early contributors to ‘Making the Most of Masters’, a cross-university initiative which won the Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Employer Engagement.
Our students come from a range of backgrounds and have gone on to careers across film exhibition and curation, in cultural mediation, in communications, research, and the arts, forming a connected international graduate community of engaged professionals. As the programme matures, this has led to a number of collaborations, both between alumni and between current and former students.
Over the duration of the programme, you’ll take three core courses, and choose an optional course from a wide range of subjects.
As well as studying film exhibition practice from a range of perspectives, and the relationships between the moving image and its audiences, your core courses will involve a research-led, project-based, 40-credit course in Applied Exhibition and Curation. This will help you develop the research and planning skills required for your final, 60-credit project where you will apply and critically engage with the concepts explored across the programme.
To enable you to develop a specific area of professional and/or academic competence, you’ll choose from a range of assessment designs and programme outcomes for your final project. Currently, these are:
- an individual dissertation
- an individual or collaborative applied research project
- a collaborative curatorial project
- producing an individual or collaborative video essay and written reflection
You will be supported in your final project through close individual supervision through the latter months of the programme.
Find out more about compulsory and optional courses
We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.
| Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Film, Exhibition and Curation | 1 Year | Full-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
| MSc | Film, Exhibition and Curation | 2 Years | Part-time | Programme structure 2024/25 |
On completion of the programme you will be equipped with the insights and skills essential for a career in film programming, festival organisation and related professional activities.
You will have gained the knowledge of film curation and exhibition required for further academic research or professional practice.
You will also have a transferable skill set that can be applied to any career you decide to pursue, including skills in:
- communication
- research
- collaborative working
- project management
Meet our graduates
These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.
A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent.
Multidisciplinary and comparative approaches are key aspects of film studies and we therefore welcome students coming from areas of study other than film.
We may also consider your application if you have relevant work experience; please contact us to check before you apply.
Students from China
This degree is Band C.
International qualifications
Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:
English language requirements
Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
- IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
- TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
- C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
- Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
- PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 65 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
- Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 7 in each component.
Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:
We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Find out more about our language requirements:
| Award | Title | Duration | Study mode | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MSc | Film, Exhibition and Curation | 1 Year | Full-time | Tuition fees |
| MSc | Film, Exhibition and Curation | 2 Years | Part-time | Tuition fees |
Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.
Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:
borrowing money
taking out a loan
family support
personal savings
income from work
employer sponsorship
- scholarships
Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study
Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Admissions Office
- School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- 50 George Square
- Central Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9LH
- Programme: Film, Exhibition and Curation
- School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
Applying
Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.
MSc Film, Exhibition and Curation - 1 Year (Full-time)
MSc Film, Exhibition and Curation - 2 Years (Part-time)
Due to high demand, this programme operates a gathered field approach to admissions, with two application deadlines as noted below.
Each application round has a decision deadline, also listed below, but note that we may make offers to the strongest candidates on an ongoing basis, in advance of the published decision deadline.
We strongly recommend that you apply as early as possible, especially if you intend to apply for funding. Applications may close earlier than published deadlines if there is exceptionally high demand. If you are considering applying for our pre-sessional English Language programme, please make sure you apply in Round 1.
Please note that for an application to be reviewed, it must be a complete application by the application deadline with all supporting documentation uploaded, including references and transcripts. If you already have evidence that you meet the English language entry requirements e.g. via an approved English language test, please upload this evidence at the time of your application. If you have not already met your English language requirements, please upload that evidence as soon as you have it.
Selection deadlines
| Round | Application deadline | Places awarded by |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 January 2025 | 17 April 2025 |
| 2 | 29 May 2025 | 30 June 2025 |
Deadlines for UK/Scotland fee status
After Round 2, if there are still places available, applications will remain open only to applicants who are eligible for the UK/Scotland fee rate, including the EU/EEA Pre-settled Scotland fee status. Applications will remain open no later than 30 June 2025 and may close earlier than this if the programme becomes full, so we strongly recommend you apply as soon as possible.
If you apply with another fee status after 29 May 2025, your application will be rejected.
(Revised 17 October 2024 to add application deadlines and selection process information)
You must submit one reference with your application.
The online application process involves the completion of a web form and the submission of supporting documents.
Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:
Further information
- Phone: +44 (0)131 650 4086
- Contact: College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences Admissions Office
- School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- 50 George Square
- Central Campus
- Edinburgh
- EH8 9LH
- Programme: Film, Exhibition and Curation
- School: Literatures, Languages & Cultures
- College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences