What is it about?
Art and technology meet in the Master's study program in Film. In order to really understand filmmaking, it is important to deal with both historical and new forms and working methods.
Profile of the study program
Film deals with questions such as
- What is film? What does cinematic storytelling mean? What audio-visual means are needed to take viewers on an emotional journey?
- How can the cinematic space be expanded through the interplay of sound, image, editing and staging?
Audiovisual storytelling
You will approach your subject via the traditional varieties of documentary film, feature film and short film and deal with the fundamental questions of film art.
Dortmund is part of one of the largest urban agglomerations in Germany. This results in a unique everyday reality, which is reflected in many of the subject areas of the course. You will learn comprehensively how modern audiovisual storytelling works and can be implemented.
Together with the consecutive Master's degree program in Film, the Bachelor's degree program in Film & Sound enjoys the status of a film university education in the international association CILECT.
Processing complex reality in an interdisciplinary way
The three-semester course is unique because students work on several film projects for a wide variety of platforms. Over the course of three semesters, you will realize a film project from conception to production and post-production.
At the same time, you will analyze and discuss new aspects of technology, aesthetics, production, financing and distribution in the digital production methods lab. The projects are realized in cooperation with the Institute for Moving Image Studies at the Dortmunder U. The learning objective is a "design of the real" that approaches reality in different ways and preserves its complexity and contradictions.
The study programs in the Faculty of Design work closely together. We offer interdisciplinary seminars that combine the fields of film, photography, communication design as well as object and spatial design. In the Master's study program in Film, you will acquire all the skills you need to start your career. These include film studies, interdisciplinary design and social and communication skills.
Master of Arts, which qualifies you to manage film projects
After successfully completing the course, you will be awarded a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree.
You will be able to initiate and implement projects in a managerial capacity.
Specializations in the study program
Film offers in-depth studies in the following areas:
- Film: direction, camera, editing, production, screenplay, dramaturgy, acting, film studies
- Sound design: design, technology, audio-visual science, music
Course of study
This is a thematic overview of the course content. Detailed information on the exact names of the courses, information on ECTS or semester hours per week can be found in the examination regulations and in the module handbook.
| 1st semester | Film conception, planning and financing |
New production and distribution strategies | Key competencies: Creative Leadership |
| 2nd semester | Film production | New production and distribution strategies | Film theory/film history |
| 3rd semester | Film post-production | Thesis & colloquium | Key competencies: Business start-up in the creative industries |
Why study at Fachhochschule Dortmund?
What makes Fachhochschule Dortmund special? What should you know about the city and the region? How is Fachhochschule Dortmund positioned in terms of internationality and what counseling and support do we offer you? Find out more about Fachhochschule Dortmund.
Who is it for?
Desirable subject-specific and interdisciplinary knowledge
The Master's study program in Film suits you if you have already helped to create several films and you have both practical and theoretical knowledge of the film industry. If you enjoy developing your own projects, discussing your fellow students' projects and are open to new ideas, Film may be the right study program for you. You should be prepared to deal with all development phases of film projects, from financing to content and technology.
It is also helpful if you have already familiarized yourself with the basic working techniques of film technology and studios. If you are creative, artistic and able to work independently, this is also an advantage for a successful course of study.
Prospects after graduation
Career prospects
Graduates work, for example
- in the areas of screenwriting, production, directing, camera, sound or post-production
- in film, TV and advertising projects, moving image recordings and cinematic integrations
- as a leading employee in the initiation, project planning and management of film projects, moving image recordings and cinematic integrations in various formats and contexts
Cooperative doctorate
The Master's degree is the basis for a doctorate. Graduates who wish to gain further academic qualifications have the opportunity to study for a doctorate at a university. This is possible via a cooperative doctorate, in which the university of applied sciences is a cooperation partner of a university.
Stay abroad possible during your studies
What do I need?
1. required degree
Prerequisite for admission to the program is
- proof of completion of a diploma or Bachelor's degree in film or a comparable design course at a university or completion of a corresponding accredited Bachelor's degree course at a vocational academy with curricular components of film as a major field of study with a practical component of more than 50%. Furthermore, the study programs must contain at least 210 credit points according to the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS).
If the study programs only comprise 180 ECTS credit points, applicants can prove the missing 30 credit points by successfully completing an internship or several internships or practical projects lasting 20 weeks. Further details are regulated by special regulations of the Faculty of Design. Proof of a corresponding internship can also be provided when applying for admission to the degree program.
In case of doubt, a committee elected by the faculty council will decide whether the requirements have been met. The commission consists of lecturers in the Master's study program in Film, at least two of whom are professors.
2. aptitude test
An additional requirement for admission to the course is proof of artistic and creative aptitude for the course.
The artistic and creative aptitude is determined in a separate procedure upon application and on the basis of the evaluation of the applicant's work samples by a commission appointed by the Faculty Council of the Faculty of Design. The procedure is carried out once a year for applicants who wish to take up a Master's degree program in Film in the Faculty of Design.
Admission to the procedure requires an application, which must be submitted to the Dean of the Faculty of Design at Dortmund University of Applied Sciences and Arts by January 15 of each year with the required documents. The application is usually made online on the Fachhochschule Dortmund website using a form to be completed by the applicant with personal details and information about their first degree.
The Faculty of Design will inform applicants in writing of the committee's decision on the results of the procedure. The results are communicated as passed or failed . They must be accompanied by information on legal remedies.
With the result " passed", applicants are awarded the course-related artistic and creative aptitude.
3. register now!
The study program starts annually in the summer semester and is admission-free. However, enrolment for the study program is only possible after recognition of aptitude and fulfilment of the other admission requirements!
Who can help me?
We will be happy to answer any questions you may have about the study program and Fachhochschule Dortmund.
Central Student Advisory Services (ZSB)
Student advisory service
Admissions Office for Student Affairs
Registration office team
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