Master of Film and Television

2025 Deakin University Handbook

Year	2025 course information
Award granted	Master of Film and Television
Deakin course code	A706
Faculty	Faculty of Arts and Education
Campus	Offered at Burwood (Melbourne)
Duration	2 years full-time or part-time equivalent
Course Map - enrolment planning tool	The course map for new students commencing from Trimester 1 2025 will be available soon. Course maps for commencement in previous years are available on the Course Maps webpage or please contact a Student Adviser in Student Central.
CRICOS course code	0100300 Burwood (Melbourne)
Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) recognition	The award conferred upon completion is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework at Level 9
NOTE: The Master of Film and Television requires students to be on-campus for discipline specific equipment, software and assessment activities.

Course sub-headings

Course overview

Prepare yourself for the diverse challenges of the film and TV industry with our new Master of Film and Television. From finding roles that match your interests to pitching your ideas and, ultimately, bringing your stories to life on screen and develop industry-focused expertise, build highly sought technical skills in world-class facilities, and gain practical knowledge about the business side of the entertainment industry. You'll graduate with an impressive portfolio guaranteed to impress your future employers and industry peers.

Are you an emerging screen practitioner wanting to take your career to the next level?

Through the new Master of Film and Television, you’ll develop extensive practical expertise, your own unique style of storytelling across different platforms, and expand your network and experience with internships.

Hit the ground running in year one with a group project on a short digital series developed in a writer’s room – the heart of many TV and film productions. Collaborate and receive feedback in a supportive environment before diving into production and learning to write with the camera. Additionally, you’ll get to make your own short documentary and trailer in the post-production unit, where you’ll also develop editing and colour grading skills.

Year two centres on an individual project: writing a script and making a short film. Here, you’ll hone your business skills - from pitching stories and managing timelines, to understanding audience, distribution and promotion. You may even like to submit your own produced and directed films to film festivals.

Learn with our world-class academics, who are practising creative professionals, and master your craft in our industry-grade facilities. You’ll gain access to Deakin Studios (Burwood); a virtual production, TV, and film studio, where you’ll get hands-on experience in grading and editing rooms, using professional equipment and the very latest technologies.

Along with technical skills, you’ll also develop transferable skills crucial for success in media industries, like collaboration, problem-solving and personal organisation.

Plus, if you choose to undertake an internship you’ll have the opportunity to expand your network and gain real-world experience before you graduate.

Study our Master of Film and Television and get ready to enter the workforce with a range of highly sought-after technical skills and an extensive creative portfolio.

Career opportunities

Join a growing industry: film, television, radio and stage director job opportunities are expected to grow 11.1% by 2028 (Jobs and Skills Australia).

Exciting roles that may lie ahead for you include:

cinema and festival programmer
corporate content producer
director
editor
colourist
environmental artist
film critic
post-production coordinator
production manager
sound designer
videographer
writer

For more information go to DeakinTALENT.

Participation requirements

Reasonable adjustments to participation and other course requirements will be made for students with a disability. More information available at Disability support services.

Compulsory learning experiences

International students studying online may not be granted a visitor visa to complete mandatory components of the course at a campus.

Elective units may be selected that include compulsory placements, work-based training, community-based learning and collaborative research training arrangements.

Mandatory student checks

Any unit which contains work integrated learning, a community placement or interaction with the community may require a police check, Working with Children Check or other check.

Alternative exits

Graduate Certificate of Film and Television (A506)
Graduate Diploma of Film and Television (A606)

Course Learning Outcomes

Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes	Course Learning Outcomes
Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities	Acquire advanced and integrated understandings of contemporary production practices and contexts of Film and Television making. Acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to undertake a film or television project or to devise a new, cross disciplinary hybrid. Reflect on practice, situating it within the emerging media forms and opportunities.
Communication	Use specialist Film and Television technologies and skills to interpret and communicate complex ideas to a range of audiences in academic and non-academic contexts. Formulate ideas and engage in discussion of the creative decision-making processes and relevant contemporary ideas in film or television production. Develop and communicate research ideas and proposals using written, oral and digital communication.
Digital literacy	Develop high level skills in the use of digital technologies to produce, document, present, publish and research in Film and Television.
Critical thinking	Use expert and specialist knowledge in Film and Television to design and evaluate proposals for projects. Evaluate and interpret complex ideas through Film and Television practice.
Problem solving	Identify evaluate and resolve theoretical and methodological challenges in designing and executing Film and Television productions.
Self-management	Acquire the knowledge, skills and initiative to participate in the production of film or television. Use advanced skills and knowledge to lead production in Film and Television projects.
Teamwork	Acquire advanced interpersonal skills and experience in collaborating with colleagues, technicians and others to successfully complete film or television projects.
Global citizenship	Identify, interrogate and communicate the relevance of the ideas and issues in Film and Television practice for communities and cultures and in a global context.

Course rules

To complete the Master of Film and Television students must pass 16 credit points and meet the following course rules to be eligible to graduate:

DAI001 Academic Integrity and Respect at Deakin (0-credit-point compulsory unit) in their first study period
14 credit points of core units
2 credit points of course electives selected from the Master of Communication, Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) or Master of Creative Arts

Students are required to meet the University's academic progress and conduct requirements. See the enrolment codes and terminology to help make sense of the University’s vocabulary.

Course structure

Year 1

ACF700

Writing with the Camera

ACF712

Studio 1: The Writer's Room (2 credit points)

ACF705

Documentary Production Practice

ACF717

Post Production

ACF713

Studio 2: Production (2 credit points)

Plus 2 credit points of electives from:
The Master of Communication, Master of Arts (Writing and Literature) or Master of Creative Arts

Year 2

ACF718

Screen Business

ACF714

Studio 3: Essay and Screenplay (2 credit points)

ACF716

Motion Graphics and Titles

ACF708

Studio 4: Production (2 credit points)

ACC700

Communication and Creative Arts Internship

Course duration

Course duration may be affected by delays in completing course requirements, such as failing of units or accessing or completing placements.

Assessment methods

Assessment will take place at the unit level and has been designed to ensure successful attainment of all 8 Course Learning Outcomes and corresponding Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes over the duration of the course. In particular, assessment of the core units focuses the application of skills and knowledge to produce work that reflects industry practices and standards.

Further information

Student Central can help you with course planning, choosing the right units and explaining course rules and requirements.

Contact Student Central

Other learning experiences

Completion of this course requires students to apply the knowledge and skills they have obtained in the production of a film or television work that can be recognised across industry as professional. Students will also prepare for an internship through a Unit that requires them to investigate work opportunities in their field and then undertake 1 credit point of internship. Students can also undertake ACA715 Creating Your Arts Business in which students learn skills for sustainable futures in the arts.

Research and research-related study

This course requires students to execute a substantial piece of research across three credit points of capstone project.

Fees and charges

Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study, and their study discipline or your study load.

Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.

Estimate your fees

For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current students website.