MA Documentary
- Entry year:
- 2025/26
- Start date:
- September
- Study mode:
- Full-time
- Course duration:
- 1 year
- Campus:
- Mount Pleasant
About this course
This dynamic and practical Documentary MA from LJMU will develop your creative storytelling and multi-media production skills.
- Explore documentary making via a variety of platforms and media
- Develop skills in entrepreneurship and internationalisation
- Work with award-winning documentary makers and experienced journalists
- Undertake a placement with a professional media company
- Attend the UK's premier documentary festival, Sheffield DockFest
- Access to industry-standard technology and equipment
Develop the core skills required to become a successful documentary maker on this new Masters course. Through the exploration of practical camerawork skills, including sound recording, editing and interviewing, you will gain confidence in your craft, while the journalism modules will develop your skills in storytelling, interviewing and journalistic principles. You will also study and understand the laws which impact responsible journalism, including the latest media law and ethics.
Recently, a group of MA Documentary students accompanied Prof Serge Wich and MSc Wildlife Conservation and Drone Applications students for a trip of a lifetime, to use their expertise to document a wildlife conversation trip to the jungles of Tanzania. Prof Wich has dedicated his career to tracking animals in the region, including how to collect data on animal behaviour and the density of animals, mapping threats to various species, and mastering complex drone data collection skills. Watch a short promotional film produced by the MA Documentary students below.
The degree is taught by two departments in Liverpool Screen School: Media Production and Journalism. The collaborative nature of the degree means you will receive the best learning support, access to the latest techniques, academic research and opportunities to engage with key external partners including the BBC, ITV; Northern Lights Partnership; Nine Lives Media; Blakeway North; Lime Pictures; and the BAFTA award-winning companies Hurricane Films and LA Productions.
"I really enjoyed the MA Documentary, and am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to further develop the technical and storytelling skills learnt on the course. Using immersive technologies, my PhD will design and develop a toolkit aimed at reducing the risk of suicide attempts. Ever since the day I joined the University, LJMU has provided the platform for a very strong guidance system. Where students have the will, the tutors here make the way."
Salma Shalaby, student, awarded an LJMU VC Scholarship to study at PhD level
Tanzania field trip with MA Wildlife Conservation and Drone Applications
MA Documentary showreel
Watch this year's student showreel to see the breadth, depth and quality of the work MA Documentary students work on during their studies.
Course modules
Discover the building blocks of your programme
Further guidance on modules
Modules are designated core or optional in accordance with professional body requirements, as applicable, and LJMU’s Academic Framework Regulations. Whilst you are required to study core modules, optional modules provide you with an element of choice. Their availability may vary and will be subject to meeting minimum student numbers.
Where changes to modules are necessary these will be communicated as appropriate.
Core modules
Professional accreditation
The Liverpool Screen School is a BAFTA albert Education Partner and proud to be working with albert to arm students with the sustainability knowledge they’ll need when joining the screen industries. BAFTA albert is the leading screen industry organisation for environmental sustainability.
Your Learning Experience
An insight into teaching on your course
Study hours
The majority of seminars, workshops and practical sessions take place on Tuesdays, with an intensive period at the start of semester one to kick start your learning.
Teaching methods
You will be taught by professional, experienced and enthusiastic academic staff and practitioners from the media industry. Each tutor offers extensive and current practical industry experience in radio, television, interactive media, online journalism and documentary-making.
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
Assessement is mixed with practical modules usually based around portfolios of work including tasks aimed at the assessment of specific skills. Written assessments may include essays, reviews and reports.
You will have the freedom to produce your own Masters documentary project for a media platform of your choice.
Where you will study
The School is based in the Redmonds Building, in the heart of the bustling Mount Pleasant Campus and Liverpool's growing Knowledge Quarter. Redmonds is shared by two Schools within the Faculty of Arts, Professional and Social Studies Liverpool Screen School and the School of Law - and Liverpool Business School, making for a rich blend of student learning experiences. The building is home to high quality lecture theatres and seminar rooms, broadcast studios, news rooms, media production suites, social spaces and a café. It is only a short walk from LJMU's Aldham Robarts Library, which contains all the resources you will require for your studies, and is open seven days a week.
Course tutors
Camilla Affleck
Senior Lecturer
You will receive the best learning support, access to the latest techniques, academic research and opportunities to engage with key external partners.
You will receive the best learning support, access to the latest techniques, academic research and opportunities to engage with key external partners.
Dror is a documentary filmmaker, cinematographer and editor. He studied cinematography in the "Konrad Wolf" Film University in Germany, and has worked on many various productions in different roles, mostly in the camera department. Since his graduation he focuses his practice on documentaries as well as short video productions, especially for social campaigns and activists groups. His research interests are the political elements and readings of documentary film, participatory and collaborative filmmaking and the potential of media production for social change.
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Lecturer/Senior Lecturer -
Lecturer/Senior Lecturer
Career paths
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
This MA will help you to develop into an adaptive, creative and self-reflective story-teller, with industry-relevant craft skills and the ability to produce documentaries for a variety of audiences, in a range of media forms.
I chose to study the MA Documentary because I wanted to work towards a career that could be both creative and make a difference. To me, that's what documentary making is all about."
Saoirse Crean, student, now working as a documentary producer in network TV
Tuition fees and funding
- Full-time per year:
- £8,965
Fees
The fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.
Financial Support
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages. The University offers a range of financial support for students. You'll find all the information you need on our specialist financial support pages including details of the Student Support Fund and other activities to support with the cost of living.
Additional Costs
In addition to fees, students should also keep in mind the cost of:
- Accommodation
- Travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU
- Stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire
Entry requirements
You will need:
Qualification requirements
How to apply
Securing your place at LJMU
To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form. You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
When you submit your completed LJMU online application form, you will also need to submit your academic transcript or equivalent and an academic reference.
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The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.