TU Dublin & Screen Ireland | B.A (Hons) in Screen Industry Practice | ESF+ 2026

THIS PROGRAMME IS CO FUNDED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF IRELAND AND THE EUROPEAN UNION (EUFUNDS.IE)


A collaboration between Cultural & Creative Industry Skillnet, Screen Ireland & TU Dublin this programme is offered to creative professionals at a special CCIS partnership rate of €500 (normally the fee for this course would be €3,333 in 2026).

Programme Overview

• Minimum 3 semesters
• Flexible learning paths can be agreed with programme coordinator
• Online and in-person delivery
• 60 ECTS credits, of which 10 are chosen from a wide range of electives

18 Month Pathway

Mandatory (compulsory) modules

• The Reflective Practitioner and Professional Learning (10 credits)
• Contemporary Themes in Screen Industry Practice (5 credits)
• Contemporary Debates in Screen Industry Practice (5 credits)
• Research Methods (5 credits)
• Major Project (25 credits)

Sample module content

Contemporary Themes in Screen Industry Practice

• Greening the Screen
• EDI in the Screen Industry in Ireland
• New Identities & Cultural Representation in Modern Irish Cinema & Television
• The Emergence of the Irish Animation Sector.
• The Documentary Form and Investigating Ireland.
• Film Narration: Time, space and story.

Elective Modules Include

• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
• Media and the Natural World
• Creative Industries Governance
• Narratives of Race, Exclusion and Identity
• Sustainability for Business
• European Cinema
• Introduction To Immersive Audio

Major Project

• 25 Credits
• Individual project
• Theme developed by the learner themselves, related to critical reflection upon, and enquiry into, their own career
• The form of the project will be led by the form of practice (e.g. Department) but will normally include a substantial written component
• Demonstration of critical and reflective skills
• Major project offers a chance to reflect on own career but also to reflect on the changes in, and potential future direction of, the wider sector
• Situates own experience in context and reflects upon it with reference to the state of the art
• An original portfolio which includes critical, reflection on previous professional work and identifies potential future developments. The form of the project will be led by the form of practice (Department) but will normally include a substantial written component.

Time Commitment

• 4-8 contact hours per week, plus “self-directed learning”.
• Expectation of 100 hours of “effort” for each 5 credits––this includes contact time, self-directed learning, assessments etc.

Participant profile/Who can apply/Eligibility

Course Applicants must have a minimum of 7 years cumulative work experience in screen industries as well as evidence of volume, depth and breath of experience, mapped onto the relevant competency framework and be able to:

• Identify significant workplace learning milestones in their career
• Map own learning to relevant industry Competency Framework
• Develop and write a personal statement
• Articulate their own motivation for applying for further qualification
• Write clearly and objectively about their own experience
• Compile a portfolio of evidence of own prior learning
• Select and present representative example from portfolio

Evidence of holding a previous Level 7 qualification does not guarantee a place on the programme, as participants must also demonstrate evidence of work-based learning via a portfolio and meet selection criteria.

Recognition of Prior Experience & Learning

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL)

Applicants are encouraged to take advantage of:
PORT 1000, Screen Industry Portfolio Preparation
to help in Identification and Documentation of
evidence of prior learning.

Assessment of RPL

Applicants will be expected to:

• Present evidence of sustained and substantial work-based learning
• Identify significant workplace learning milestones in their career
• Map own learning to relevant industry Competency Framework
• Present a clear personal statement outlining their learning to date and their expectations for future learning
• Articulate their own motivation for applying for further qualification
• Write clearly and objectively about their own experience

Certification

• Assessment is based on evaluation of Documentation, including a personal statement and evidence of experience, with reference to Competency Frameworks.
  
• Once on the programme, if the learner successfully gains 60 ECTS credits, Certification will take the form of a full Level 8-degree award, encompassing the prior learning and the new skills, knowledge, and competencies achieved on the programme.

Selection

Once the candidate has demonstrated that they have achieved the required level of work-based learning, selection will be informed by

• Evidence of a desire to engage in reflective learning
• Evidence of an interest in life-long learning
• Evidence of an interest in contextualising own experience in order to contribute to the future development of the screen industries or wider society
• Willingness to engage with the challenge of academic study

CCIS Membership Support

Who Qualifies:
INDIVIDUALS

• Sole traders or Freelancers who are Resident in the ROI are eligible as Member Companies.
• Private company (SME) or Enterprise employees.

COMPANIES

• Private Enterprise & SMEs based in the Republic of Ireland.
• Commercial semi-state companies providing that income contributed to a Network is not sourced from the public purse (must provide a letter).
• Social enterprises that trade as commercial social enterprises, and are companies registered with the CRO

Who Does Not Qualify:

INDIVIDUALS

• Applicants who are not Resident in the Republic of Ireland
• Applicants who are Unemployed and in receipt of Unemployment Benefit
• Applicants participating on a CE Scheme
• Applicants in receipt of a BURSARY, SCHOLARSHIP OR GRANT AID toward fees for this course from another government agency or programme.

COMPANIES

• Skillnet Ireland funding is not available to public sector bodies or organisation that are publicly funded such as community-based not-for-profit companies or charities.
• Social enterprises that are solely constituted as charities do not currently meet the eligibility criteria.

All programmes are provided without discrimination. This includes discrimination based on gender, race or ethnic origin, religion or belief, disability, age, or sexual orientation. An inclusive environment that welcomes participants from diverse communities is promoted.

Location

TU Dublin has campuses in Dublin City Centre in Grangegorman, Aungier Street and Bolton Street, and one each in Blanchardstown and in Tallaght.
The University supports one of the largest cohort of students of business, media, culinary arts, and the creative and performing arts in Ireland.

Costs/fee

The fee for this course is €500.00 (Normally €3033.00)
Payment will be due in full before the course commences

There is an additional TU Dublin course application fee of €175 which will be payable directly to TU Dublin.

Application process

This is a 3 x step application

1. Complete the Special Category Data Participant Questionnaire below (Scroll to the QR Code or Link)
2. Fill out the Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet membership application form below (Green ‘Apply’ button)
3. If your CCIS Membership application is successful, you will be notified and given access to the TU Dublin Course application link if you have not already applied via the TU Dublin website. If your TU Dublin Course Application is successful you will be notified by TU Dublin and given access to a CCIS Registration/Payment Link.

CCIS membership application deadline

CCIS Membership Application Deadline: Rolling

If you experience any difficulties with your CCIS membership application please contact creativeskillnet@furthr.ie with a Subject Heading of: TU Dublin | CCIS Application | [Course Name]

Important: All Course Applications To Be Made Separately via TU Dublin. Application opens June 20th 2026.

This course is part funded by ESF+

ESF+ stands for European Social Fund Plus. It is a European fund that focuses on lifelong learning through improving employment and education opportunities.

In addition to the CCIS support application, Cultural & Creative Industries Skillnet is required by Government to collect ‘Special Category Data‘ from those who wish to avail of ESF+ supports for this programme. Given the sensitive nature of this data, strict controls over access have been implemented.

Your Rights and Choices
The mandatory form will ask for general and special category data about you. You can choose if you want to share the special category information in questions 13 to 18. If you do answer these questions, we will handle answers with utmost care.

You have the right to access your data, get us to correct it if we get your details wrong, and ask us to delete your data. You can also choose to opt out or withdraw at any time (*I Do Not Consent). However, if you withdraw, we will not be able to provide you with access to the BA Screen Industry Practice course until you reapply.

At the end of this questionnaire, we will also ask you to declare that the information you have provided is true. If you would like to take part in the ESF+ course, you must answer all the questions even if they do not apply. 

Further data will be collected at the following milestones.

• certification date
• 6 months post certification

If you wish to use your rights to access or change your information, or are concerned about anything on your participant form, please email dpo@skillnetireland.ie. 

For more information on ESF+ data processing and your rights, please see the ESF+ Data Privacy Notice.  You can find this on the Skillnet Ireland website or email your postal address and we will post it to you. 

Special Category Data Questionnaire

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS FORM OR ACCESS VIA THE QR CODE BELOW.

Note: Refunds cannot be considered once the course has commenced.