Course details

Bachelor of Screen Arts - Film Major
NZQF Level 7

About the course

Enrol in the Bachelor of Screen Arts Film Major and join a creative team dedicated to crafting rich storytelling experiences. You'll be part of a community that values collaboration and creativity-driven solutions. Develop practical filmmaking skills from script to release, focusing on audience-centred storytelling. You'll work on both solo and collaborative projects, gaining a wide range of skills and experiences to prepare you for a rewarding and creative career in the film, television, and screen industries.

SIT now offers the Screen Arts programme in a HyFlex ('Hybrid-Flexible') format, combining face-to-face and online learning.

The Bachelor of Screen Arts is a three-year programme that allows you to express your creativity using the latest digital technology. 

It will develop your creativity and technical abilities that are well sought after in this rapidly changing industry. You will be encouraged to develop individual projects which have distinctive conceptual, aesthetic and technical outcomes.

The Film major focuses on developing your creativity and technical skills with filmmaking and story telling.You will learn:* Production

  • Film Crew
  • Cinematography
  • Screenwriting
  • Editing
  • Directing
  • Camera Crew
  • Colourist
  • etc In ten years’ time, the technology we use today will be obsolete, however skills in storytelling, character development, research and critical thinking, are enduring, irrespective of future technology.

Other majors in the Bachelor of Screen Arts:

Entry requirements

School Leavers

University Entrance - NCEA Level 3 - three subjects at Level 3, made up of:

14 credits each, in three NZQA University Entrance approved subjects, and

Literacy – 10 credits at Level 2 or above, made up of five credits in reading and five credits in writing, and

Numeracy – 10 credits at Level 1 or above, made up of specified achievement standards through a range of subjects, or a package of three numeracy unit standards (26623, 26626, 26627 – all three required)

Mature Applicants

Be at least 20 years of age when the programme begins and provide evidence of aptitude or appropriate work or other experience; or completion of an external or overseas qualification which is considered to be the equivalent of any of the above qualifications, as approved by the Head of Faculty.

Special Admission

Notwithstanding the above admissions categories, in exceptional circumstances, an applicant below the age of 20 who can show evidence of ability to succeed in the programme may be considered for admission, provided the applicant has successfully completed an approved course or programme which is deemed to prepare graduates for the required academic standard for entry.

An applicant who does not meet academic criteria, may be provisionally admitted to enrol in one or more Year One papers, provided he or she meets the requirements above. Upon successful completion of the papers, the student may apply for special admission or admission by mature entry.

Additional Criteria - Portfolio Requirements

Applicants are required to submit a portfolio of their work with their application as follows:

  1. A paragraph introducing yourself and your interests in your chosen field.
  2. A link or digital samples of your creative work, for example:
  1. 5-10 pieces of digital or traditional artwork, or 
  2. a short film, or animation,  or game you have worked on, or
  3. Photographs of a small garment collection or design spec sheets.
  1. You may be asked to do a short interview with the programme manager or appropriate staff member.

English Language Requirements

Applicants, whose first language is not English, or who come from a country where the language of instruction in schools is not English, are required to provide evidence of having achieved one of the following:

NCEA Level 3 with University Entrance, or

an International Baccalaureate Diploma or Cambridge A- level qualification for which the teaching and assessment was conducted in English, or

Cambridge Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA),or Trinity College London Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CertTESOL), or

Successful completion of all primary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand primary school years 1 to 8) and at least three years of secondary education (being the equivalent of three years from New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States one of the countries listed in Rule 18.5 where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction, or

Successful completion of at least five years of secondary education (being the equivalent of New Zealand secondary school years 9 to 13) at schools in either New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States where the student was taught using English as the language of instruction, or

Successful completion of a Bachelors' Degree, Graduate Certificate, Graduate Diploma, Bachelor Honours degree, Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, Masters' Degree or Doctoral Degree, the language of instruction of which must be in English and which must be from a tertiary education provider from New Zealand, Australia, Canada, the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the United Kingdom or the United States, or

Successful completion of one of the following internationally recognised proficiency tests listed below to the level required of the programme of study and with all scores achieved in a single test during the two years preceding the proposed date of enrolment:

IELTS test - Academic score of 6 with no band score lower than 5.5 
TOEFL Paper based test (pBT) - Score of 550 (with an essay score 5 TWE) 
TOEFL Internet based test (iBT) - Score of 60 (with a writing score of 18) 
Cambridge English Examination - B2 First or B2 First for schools or C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a score of 169. No less than 162 in each skill. 
OET - Minimum of Grade C or 200 in all sub-tests 
NZCEL - Level 4 (Academic) 
Pearson Test of English (Academic) - PTE (Academic) score of 50 with no band score lower than 42 
Language Cert - C1 Expert International ESOL Written (LRW) PASS with no less than 25/50 in each skill and Spoken (S) PASS 
Trinity ISE - ISE II with no less than distinction in any band

*This course is not available to international students.

About the provider

Southern Institute of Technology (SIT) provides quality tertiary education and training across a wide range of subjects and qualifications. From certificates to postgraduate studies, we offer NZQA programmes for students to learn at a level and pathway that suits them.

We are home to the Zero Fees Scheme and are the only tertiary provider in New Zealand to offer a no tuition cost education to domestic NZ students for every year of study, at all levels.

We offer SIT programmes at campuses in Invercargill, Queenstown, Gore, and online through SIT2LRN Distance Learning.

We also have a specialised faculty in rural education at Telford in Balclutha, South Otago.

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