If you’re thinking about studying film, this list is for you.
Whether you’re a school-leaver, a mature student, a film watcher or a filmmaker, our exhaustive list of degree and diploma film courses currently available in Ireland will help you find the right course.
For an insider’s guide to Ireland’s film colleges, read Charlene Lydon’s article ‘How to Choose the Right Course for You’ in Film Ireland’s Summer Issue.
Of course, full-time education is not for everyone. Filmbase provides a range of film and video training courses for new and emerging filmmakers as well as the more experienced film professional. Course lengths vary from 1-day or weekend courses to courses run over 8 to 10 weeks. Click here for a list of courses available at Filmbase.
Film Courses:
Click on the website/course for further information.
Bray Institute Further Education, Wicklow
Performing Arts Acting Foundation Year – Certificate – 1 Year
Intensive production-led course which develops self-confidence, focus, concentration, flexibility and imagination for students who would like to advance in theatre performance.
Performing Arts Advanced Acting for Stage & Screen – Higher National Diploma – 2 Years
This course is designed to help students progress to a top-up degree. The course covers performance skills and production skills as well as some academic study.
Animation & Interactive Media – Higher National Diploma – 2 Years
Familiarises students with animation technology and project management skills with project work in 2D and 3D animation.
TV & Film Production – Diploma – 1 Year
This course aims to give students extensive experience in making short films, documentaries and TV programmes.
TV/Film/Moving Image – Higher National Diploma – 2 Years
Students gain extensive practical experience in camera, sound, vision mixing, editing, lighting, direction, producing, screenwriting, research methods, production management.
Ballyfermot College of Further Education, Dublin
Animation – Advanced Diploma In Animation/Ba (Hons) Animation – 2 Years
The course is composed of both practical and theoretical modules including Production, Life Drawing, Research and Development, Historical and Theoretical Analysis.
Animation – Higher National Diploma In Classical And Computer Animation – 2 Years
This course takes students through various styles of animation through practical work and also teaches history and theory of design.
Animation Drawing Studies – Certificate – 1 Year
A comprehensive foundation course with a particular emphasis on the development of strong drawing skills whilst offering a broad introduction to animation.
Cinematography – Certificate – 1 Year
An exploration of the roles and functions of the camera department through practical projects using a range of 16/S16mm film cameras.
Television & Digital Film – Certificate – 1 Year
This is an introductory course which teaches the skills necessary to pursue a career or further education in the field of media or film.
Film – Higher National Diploma – 2 Years
This programme combines an emphasis on the art of filmmaking and the visual representation of story with the development of technical, organisational and production skills.
Carlow Institute of Further Education
Media Production & Photography – Certificate – 1 Year
This is an introductory course which teaches the skills necessary to pursue a career or further education in the field of media, photography or film.
Multimedia Production & Digital Movie – Certificate – 1 Year
Multimedia Production merges digital filmmaking, internet, publishing and photography in a broad and varied introduction to digital communication.
Cavan Institute
Performing Arts – Theatre – Certificate – 1 Year
This is a practical course designed to develop students’ understanding of Drama and Theatre Studies.
Colaiste Dhulaigh, Dublin
Film Production – Higher National Diploma – 2 Years
Film Production offers a thorough study of film through both practical and academic avenues.
Communication & Media Production – Higher National Diploma – 3 Years
Students can gain ‘hands-on’ skills with an emphasis on production of high quality media. Access to modern equipment enables students to reach professional production standards.
Dublin City University
Multimedia – B.Sc. in Multimedia – 3 Years
This course gives a grounding in the tools usedfor developing the many multimedia products that are increasingly central to the communications and media sector.
Film & Television Studies – M.A. – 1 Year f/t, 2 Years p/t
As well as dealing with textual criticism, style and meaning in films, this programme brings such critical perspectives into line with recent major developments in film studies.
Dublin Institute of Technology
This course gives students a broad range of modules which include practical and theoretical studies, along with a language (French, Gaelic, German).
Applied Media Studies – M.A. – 2 Years
The programme equips individuals to make media interventions in civil society through media literacy education, advocacy and research.
Dundalk IT
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Video & Film Production
Allow’s graduates of the existing Level 7 BA in Video and Film Production in DKIT (and other similar programmes elsewhere) the opportunity to progress to a related Level 8 BA.
Postgraduate Diploma/M.Sc. in Future Communications in Creative Technologies
Create new products, new systems, new approaches, setting new standards and developing new thinking on how people and society may evolve as communicators in the digital age.
Bachelor of Arts in Communications in Creative Multimedia
This three-year course aims to produce graduates with skills in both conventional and new media, through combining traditional communication and media production skills with high-level training in multimedia production.
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Communications in Creative Multimedia
Creative & digital media is at the forefront of the knowledge-based economy, and the exploitation of digital content within the media and entertainment sectors is seen as an important strategic opportunity for economic development in Ireland.
Bachelor of Arts in Video and Film
Subjects on offer include practical subjects involving camera work, editing and sound, also you will learn to analyse film content, style and history. Film is a cultural industry, and this course aims to ensure that graduates are aware of industry needs and demands, as well as how to create entertaining and thought-provoking film and television.
Institute of Technology, Dublin
Creative Digital Media – M.A. – 1 Year (f/t), 2 Years (p/t)
This is an introductory course which teaches the skills necessary to pursue a career or further education in the field of media, photography or film.
Galway Community College
Acting & Theatre Performance – Certificate – 1 Year
This course is designed to provide professional training to enable the student with strong acting techniques and performance skills to pursue a career in theatre, television and film, or continue to further education at third level.
TV & Film Production – Certificate – 1 Year
This course is designed to give students the skills and knowledge to pursue careers in the TV and Film sector. Students also create a visual portfolio for third level colleges.
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Film and Television – BA – 3 Years
This programme will provide a specialised knowledge of the history, theory and practical working of video and filmmaking.
Galway Technical Institute
TV & Film Production – Certificate – 1 Year
This course provides the opportunity for students to build a visual portfolio within the areas of Television, Photography and Digital Film Production.
Griffith College, Dublin
Applied Digital Media (HETAC) – M.Sc. – 1/1.5 Years
The course takes students through the steps needed to produce professional media work to a high standard. The relevant professional applications will be used by the students who ‘learn by doing’.
Journalism and Visual Media (HETAC) – B.A. – 3 Years
This honours degree programme will inspire an intellectual capacity for self-expression and objective enquiry, while developing the practical skills necessary for media production.
Media Techniques: TV and Media – Diploma – 1 Year
This is a hands-on course which teaches various aspects of Media Studies along with practical skills and project work.
Inchicore College of Further Education, Dublin
Costume Design & Make-Up – Certificate – 1 Year
This two-year, full-time course equips students with the necessary skills to express themselves through the medium of visual communication in theatre or film as a costume, designer, make-up artist or wardrobe person.
Institute of Technology, Carlow
Visual Communications and Design – B.A. – 4 Years
Students will create projects in design (graphics, illustration, branding, advertising, editorials/magazines and signage), digital media (websites, mobile devices and games) and the moving image (video and animation).
Kinsale College of Further Education, Cork
Drama Theatre & Arts – Certificate – 2 Years
This course provides comprehensive actors training covering the following areas: improvisation, characterisation, mime and physical theatre, dance, voice skills, script study, audition technique, and performance experience.
Multimedia Production (Incorporating T.V. & Film Production) – Certificate – 1 Year
This course provides the opportunity for students to build a visual portfolio within the areas of Television, Design and Digital Film Production.
Liberties College, Dublin
Media Production – Higher National Diploma in Media – 2 Years
With a focus on practical programme making and job seeking skills, this course affords individuals the opportunity of developing pathways to direct employment in the media and progression to degree studies.
Performance Foundation/Development – Certificate – 2 Years
This is a course in Acting & Musical Theatre which emphasises the value of live performance in the development of an actor. Formal training to a high standard is provided alongside rehearsal and production schedules.
Performance Advanced/Professional – Diploma – 2 Years
This is an advanced course for applicants with previous training. The full-time programme is entirely production oriented. Participants work as a performing company and are in production throughout the period of training.
Marino College, Dublin
Television, Film & Radio Production – Certificate – 1 Year
The emphasis during the delivery of this course is on providing students with the time and space to acquire a strong hands-on experience of the various elements of media technology.
Theatre Performance – Certificate – 1 Year
This is a performance-based course in which students have opportunities to perform in Theatre in Education plays written by the Marino College writer-in-residence, student-devised work, movement pieces, film, puppet shows and a classical play.
Advanced Certificate in Theatre Performance – Certificate – 2 Years
This is an advanced practical course in Performance which is designed to develop a wide range of drama and theatre skills.
Monaghan Institute of Further Education
Media Production – Certificate – 1 Year
This is an introductory course which teaches the skills necessary to pursue a career or further education in the field of media, journalism or film.
Theatre Studies – Certificate – 1 Year
This is a broad introductory course that aims to give students a basic knowledge of the many elements necessary to begin a career in theatre.
National Film School/DLIADT, Dublin
Model Making, Design and Digital Effects – B.A. – 4 Years
The practice of model making requires a unique combination of conceptual, technical and creative competencies. This programme concentrates on these skills by focusing on the key areas of computing, design and drawing/sculpting.
Design for Stage and Screen – B.A. – 4 Years
Students will learn the process of designing for Stage and Screen through working on joint projects alongside other students at IADT. You will have the experience of the collaborative practice associated with being a member of a Film Production Team.
On this programme you will explore the production of animation projects and appreciate the full complexity of the animation process. You will develop the creative, theoretical and technical skills appropriate to gaining an animation degree.
Film & Television Production – B.A. – 4 Years
This programme provides a challenging and exciting opportunity for anyone wishing to broaden their knowledge of Cinema and Television culture and production practices.
Screenwriting for Film and Television – M.A. – 1 Year f/t, 2 Years p/t
This programme is intended to give writers the opportunity to explore, experiment and learn the craft of screenwriting, in conjunction with the development and writing of a full-length screenplay.
Digital Media – M.A./M.Sc. – 2 Years
This programme may enhance job opportunities in work areas such as instructional learning, business management, advertising and media communications.
NUI Maynooth
Media Studies – B.A. – 3 Years
This programme will help you to prepare for a career in this sector through applied training in radio and television production, and a thorough grounding in the academic study of media in society.
This dynamic programme encompasses the twin challenges of learning to use media technologies creatively and learning to analyse the impact of new media on society and individuals.
NUI Galway
Film Studies/Theatre & Performance – B.A. – 4 Years
Either course may be studied as part of NUI Galway’s Arts programme and these subjects may be combined with other, varied possibilities.
Digital Media – M.A./Postgraduate Diploma – 1 Year
The course teaches technological tools and techniques to enable students to express themselves creatively using both traditional and unconventional technologies.
Drama & Theatre – M.A. – 1 Year
The aim of the one-year programme is to combine professional-quality courses in the history of drama with performance-oriented courses in theatre arts.
Film Studies (Film, Culture and Society) – M.A. – 1 Year
This programme emphasises the relationship between film and society while viewing the medium as a unique point of contact between culture, politics and social life.
Production & Direction – M.A. – 1 Year
The M.A. in Production and Direction offers advanced training in filmmaking integrated with courses in film history and analysis.
The M.A. in Screenwriting offers advanced training in screenplay writing integrated with courses in film history and analysis.
Film, Television, Digital Media – PhD
This course encourages a contribution to knowledge and understanding in Film, Television and Digital Media by means of enquiry conducted through practice-based research methods.
This four-year structured PhD aims to promote research that integrates theoretical discourses on the impact of digital media on cultural and social expression with practical concerns and the media industries.
Ormond College of Further Education, Kilkenny
Media Studies – Certificate – 1 Year
This is a one-year, full-time course that affords students the opportunity to become familiar with the various aspects of the field of print and broadcast journalism, advertising, photography and image processing.
Pulse College, Dublin
Film Production – Diploma – 2 Years
Students will learn the technical skills necessary for a career in TV, Film and Media. This course also offers certified classes in ProTools, Motion Graphics and Final Cut.
Film Production (Part-time) – Diploma – 2 Years
Students will learn the technical skills necessary for a career in TV, Film and Media. This course also offers certified classes in ProTools, Motion Graphics and Final Cut.
Southern Regional College, Newry
This course teaches practical skills and knowledge that will enable students to pursue a career in Media, Film and Television.
Performing Arts – Diploma – 1 Year
This well-rounded course teaches a number of elements necessary in pursuing a performance career in theatre, film or television.
Performing Arts – HND – 3 Years (p/t)
This well-rounded course teaches a number of elements necessary in pursuing a performance career in theatre, film or television.
St. John’s Central College, Cork
Film, TV & Video Production – 2 Years
Candidates for the Film, TV and Video Production Award learn and explore production techniques and work practices inherent in the Film and Television industries with an emphasis being placed on ‘a hands-on’ approach
St. Kevin’s College, Dublin
Film and Documentary Production – Higher National Diploma – 2 Years
This very practical programme offers advanced technical skills and training in the areas of Film and Documentary Production, Design and Print & Broadcast Journalism.
Media Production – Advanced Certificate – 2 Years
This very practical programme offers advanced technical skills and training in the areas of Film and Documentary Production, Design and Print & Broadcast Journalism.
Media Production – Certificate – 1 Year
This very practical programme offers advanced technical skills and training in the areas of Film and Documentary Production, Design and Print & Broadcast Journalism.
Stillorgan College of Further Education, Dublin
Media Foundation – Certificate – 1 Year
One of the main aims of the course is to prepare a comprehensive portfolio that will help students in progressing to higher education.
Advanced Media Production – Certificate – 1 Year
One of the main aims of the course is to prepare a more advanced body of work and experiences which will help students in the future. It can also provide students with a level of knowledge to gain entry into junior roles in the industry or work on a freelance basis.
Trinity College Dublin
Drama & Theatre Studies – B.A. – 4 Years
This course provides the basis for the practical exploration of theatre and other types of performance which is both theoretically and historically informed.
Theatre & Performance – M.Phil – 1 Year
The course offers a study of contemporary strategies of analysis in theatre and performance, with special consideration of the practices of Irish theatre, involving input from the professional field.
Irish Film, Music & Theatre – M.Phil – 1 Year
This one-year course is designed to bring together the three disciplines of Irish film, music and theatre for the first time.
Film Studies and another subject – B.A. – 4 Years
The course covers the history and critical framework of film production and consumption from the 1890s to the present day.
Film Theory & History – M.Phil – 1 Year
This course offers a unique opportunity for the advanced study of film theory and history, which may in turn provide a platform for further study at PhD level.
University College Cork
Drama & Theatre Studies – B.A. – 3/4 Years
This course provides students with an opportunity to become proficient in the history, theory and practice of drama and theatre as art forms, but to do so within a context where they are also pursuing another Arts subject.
This M.A. course is designed to provide a knowledge of the history, theory, and aesthetics of international film that is simultaneously extensive, eclectic and in-depth.
English – American Literature & Film – M.A. – 1 Year
Students will explore a wide range of film, literature and related texts from the nineteenth century intellectual foundations to contemporary representations of American culture.
French – Creativity/Literature/Film – M.A. – 1 Year
The course aims to promote creative forms of critical response to primary texts in French, and to explore the nature of different forms of creativity and the links between them.
University College Dublin
Drama & Performance Studies – B.A. – 3 Years
This course provides students with an opportunity to become proficient in the history, theory and practice of drama and theatre as art forms, but to do so within a context where they are also pursuing another Arts subject.
Drama & Performance Studies – M.A. – 1 Year
This course offers students a number of pathways for progression, with opportunities to engage with contemporary theatre practice and criticism through seminar and studio work, productions and individual projects.
Film Studies – M.A. – 1 Year (progresses to M.Litt & Ph.D)
This M.A. course is designed to provide a knowledge of the history, theory, and aesthetics of international film that is simultaneously extensive, eclectic and in-depth.
English with Drama Studies or Film Studies – B.A.(hons) – 3 Years
This course combines the study of English with either Drama Studies or Film Studies which combine to allow students a broad range of skills and knowledge in these areas of study. Postgraduate courses are also available in all disciplines.
Waterford Institute of Technology
Higher Diploma in Arts in Television Production
The Higher Diploma in Arts in Television Production, developed by WIT and Nemeton Television in partnership with Udarás na Gaeltachta, has been successfully preparing new media talent since 2006. This year-long course is designed to provide students with the essential practical skills in order to work as professionals in the television and digital video industry