Program Overview

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Film Studies and Media Studies MPhil, PhD

Overview

Our PhD research programmes will allow you to join one of our research projects or explore your own interests in Film Studies and Media Studies, supported by the expertise of our staff.

Full Description

You will be allocated two supervisors with additional staff members available if necessary. Our supervisors are experienced in most areas of film, media and popular culture, with a strong focus on digital media theory and practice, network culture and media research, cinema and sexuality, violence and spectatorship, contemporary European cinema, television genres, and popular music.

You will conduct your research in a collaborative interdisciplinary environment with strong links to research networks in our University and the wider community, including the Cambridge Arts Picturehouse, Kettle's Yard, and the University of Cambridge's Centre for Research into Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CRASSH).

We host and take part in many research-oriented events for staff and postgraduate students, including regular Faculty and departmental research seminars, book launches, gallery events, film screenings and international conferences. Our seminars will give you the chance to present papers in a supportive setting.

We are also key contributors to the Faculty’s Anglia Research Centre in Media & Culture (ARCMedia) and the StoryLab Research Group, who organise many events that you are welcome to attend, or even contribute to.

These networks, along with our online environment, will help you connect with other research students from a range of disciplines.

You could also benefit from financial support – we allocate a substantial sum every year towards postgraduate travel and conference expenses, as well as some bursaries.

All your subject-specific studies will be enhanced and supported by our University-wide training sessions, where you will gain important research expertise in areas like ethics, presentations, intellectual property and digital scholarship.

Completion Times

• MPhil: full-time 1-3 years, part-time 2-4 years.
• PhD via progression from MPhil, including that period: full-time 2.5-5 years, part-time 3.5-6 years.
• PhD: full-time 2-4 years, part-time 3-6 years.

PhD Project Opportunities

• World-leading research at ARU
• StoryLab
• ARCMedia
• Anglia Ruskin Centre in Media and Culture
• English & Media research

Supervision and Support

Our permanent supervisory staff members are recognised experts in their field, and have produced a number of influential books, journal articles and practice-based research. Our expertise includes:

• Dr Patricia MacCormack, BA, PhD: continental philosophy (Deleuze, Guattari, Foucault, post-structuralism, feminism); sexuality, gender and queer theory.
• Dr Sean Campbell, BA, MA, PhD: popular music/culture; migration/ethnicity; Irish studies.
• Dr Simon Payne, BA, MA, PhD: experimental video practice; digital video aesthetics.
• Dr Tanya Horeck, BA, MA, PhD: feminist film theory; representations of sexuality and violence in contemporary cinema; crime narratives.
• Dr Tina Kendall, BA, PhD: materialist film theory; spectatorship and cinematic unpleasure; the new extremism in European cinema.
• Dr Nina Lübbren, PhD: nineteenth-century and early-twentieth-century art, art and the fantastic, Bollywood cinema, visual narratives.
• Dr Mareike Jenner, PhD: Television Genre, Television Studies, Gender and Television, Video-on-Demand, Postmodern Television, Contemporary Television, American Television.
• Jennifer Nightingale, MFA: Artists' Film and Video, Experimental Animation.

Where You'll Research

• Cambridge School of Creative Industries
• Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Education and Social Sciences

Specialist Facilities

• University of Cambridge Library
• British Film Institute
• Campus library
• Television studios
• Multi-media studios
• Video, animation and 16mm editing suites
• PhD room

Fees & Funding

• UK students, 2024/25 (per year): £4,786
• UK students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year): £2,392
• International students, 2024/25 (per year): £15,900
• International students, 2024/25 (part-time, per year): £7,950

Bench Fees

• In some cases extra costs known as bench fees will be charged for a postgraduate research degree. These are to cover additional/exceptional costs directly related to a specific research project.
• We charge bench fees in bands. They may apply for every year of your course.
• For 2024/25 the bench fee bands are:
  • £500
  • £1,200
  • £2,200
  • £4,500
  • £8,900

PhD by Published Work

• Initial registration: £1,500
• Full registration: £4,500

Writing Up Fees 2024/25

• £1,200

How Do I Pay My Fees?

• You can pay your fees upfront, in full or in instalments – though you won't need to pay until you've accepted an offer to study with us.

Funding

• For advice on the Doctoral Loan and other sources of funding, including ARU scholarships, visit our finance guide for postgraduate researchers.
• You might also find The Alternative Guide to Postgraduate Funding helpful.

ARU Research

• ARU's academic excellence was recognised in 2021, as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF), an exercise which assesses the quality of academic research.
• Sixteen areas of our work were classed as generating world-leading research.
• The results showed that we're making a significant impact on the societies we live in.

Careers

• We will provide you with many opportunities for career development and training, in areas like writing up a paper for publication; placing an academic article; giving a conference paper; the doctoral writing style; updates on research methods and literature searches; internet training; editing skills for doctoral research; subsequent monograph publication; and dealing with festivals, agents, and publishers.
• You might also be able to take on teaching responsibilities in the department, or organise research events like seminars and conferences.

Entry Requirements

• MPhil or PhD with progression from MPhil: You’ll need a Bachelors degree or equivalent with first or upper second class honours, in a related subject area.
• PhD: You’ll need a Masters degree or equivalent in a related subject area.
• Please note we consider candidates for PhD with progression from MPhil in the first instance. If you want to be considered for direct entry to the PhD route then this can be discussed at interview if you are shortlisted. Please note you’ll also need to provide academic justification for this request.
• If English is not your first language, you'll require a minimum IELTS score of 6.5, with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (or equivalent test). If you don't meet our English language requirements, we offer a range of courses which could help you achieve the level required for entry.