Film Studies PhD

We offer graduate research programmes in both critical and creative practice. These are designed for students who wish to conduct research into historical and/or broader theoretical issues in film, media, and screen cultures, or those who are interested in pursuing their PhD qualification through practice research. We encourage cross-disciplinary projects, especially those involving other areas within the School of Arts, English, and Languages.

There are two Programme routes: • PhD in Film and Visual Studies (Critical Practice): This route offers students the opportunity to undertake advanced, original research in one of our current areas of specialisation, for example: animation studies; British cinema and television; censorship and regulation; documentary; film and sound; impact of new screen technologies; political film; screen industries; and world and comparative film studies. • PhD in Film and Visual Studies (Creative Practice): This route involves the production of a body of supervised creative work, accompanied by a written critical treatment contextualising this work with the broader field of film and screen cultures. Recent successful creative practice PhDs have focussed on: documentary filmmaking; experimental film practice; fiction storytelling and direction; screenwriting; and sound design. Mode of study/duration: Registration is on a full-time or part-time basis, under the direction of a supervisory team appointed by the University.

You will be expected to submit your thesis at the end of three years of full-time registration for PhD, (or part-time equivalent).