Program Overview

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Film Studies Research MPhil/PhD

Key information

Award: MPhil, PhD Study mode: Full time, Part time Campus: Strand Campus Duration: Expected to be PhD (initial registration for MPhil), three years FT, four-six years PT. October to October, February to February or June to June.

Study environment

The department's training programme covers methods and issues in presentation, illustration and referencing both written or oral communication in film studies, as well as support for formulating topics, reviewing the field and preparing for vivas and conferences. You will have access to the lectures, seminars and special events held under the auspices of the University of London Screen Studies Group.

King's has made a major commitment to refurbishing its multimedia infrastructure for the study of film and related media. This includes building a significant collection of print and DVD/VHS materials, new facilities for group teaching in 35mm, video, and DVD modes on the Strand Campus, and substantial new information technology resources.

Joint PhDs

You can choose to do your PhD jointly with Hong Kong University or the National University of Singapore.

Hong Kong

The Film Studies Department at King's sees a close affinity with the research interests and directions of Hong Kong University’s (HKU) Comparative Literature Department with its growing interests in global, inter-regional and cross-cultural exchanges in the study of film theories and histories, postcolonial discourses, gender and sexualities, race, ethnicities and other forms of sociopolitical identities, as well as interdisciplinary approaches to contemporary media.

HKU Comparative Literature is a world-renowned programme with a strong emphasis on the comparative studies of literature, film and media. It is also considered the hub of East Asian colonial and postcolonial studies and cultural theories, which bring together an interdisciplinary dialogue and cutting-edge debate that reposition Euro-American critical scholarship, generate new ideas specific to East Asia, and reconfigure the existing discourses in Europe and North America.

Singapore

Film Studies is part of a larger intellectual environment in the Department of Communications and New Media at the National University of Singapore, which offers undergraduate and graduate programmes that examine communication with a focus on new media, and cultural studies in Asia. These programmes focus on media and cultural studies, communication management and interactive media design.

It has research and PhD supervision expertise on cultural studies including queer and Asian film studies, East Asian media cultures, critical technology studies, health communication, media psychology and computational communication.

Entry requirements

UK requirements

• Bachelor's degree with 2:1 honours and Master's Degree with Merit, with minimum 10,000 word M.A. dissertation involving substantial historical and/or theoretical research.
• A degree in film studies, or a subject in which film or media plays a significant part, is an advantage, although candidates from other disciplines and those returning to study will be considered on their own merits.
• Applicants with a Master of Fine Arts may be considered, although a substantial writing sample will still be required.

Equivalent International qualifications

• Select a country to view equivalent international qualifications.

English language requirements

• English language band: C
• To study at King's, it is essential that you can communicate in English effectively in an academic environment. You are usually required to provide certification of your competence in English before starting your studies.
• Nationals of majority English speaking countries (as defined by the UKVI) who have permanently resided in this country are not usually required to complete an additional English language test. This is also the case for applicants who have successfully completed an undergraduate degree (of at least three years duration), a postgraduate taught degree (of at least one year), or a PhD in a majority English speaking country (as defined by the UKVI) within five years of the course start date.

Fees or Funding

UK Tuition Fees 2024/25

• Full time tuition fees: £6,168 per year (MPhil/PhD, Film Studies)
• Part time tuition fees: £3,084 per year MPhil/PhD, Film Studies)

International Tuition Fees 2024/25

• Full time tuition fees: £24,786 per year (MPhil/PhD, Film Studies)
• Part time tuition fees: £12,393 per year (MPhil/PhD, Film Studies)

UK Tuition Fees 2025/26

• Full time tuition fees: £6,600 per year (MPhil/PhD, Film Studies)
• Part time tuition fees: £3,300 per year MPhil/PhD, Film Studies)

International Tuition Fees 2025/26

• Full time tuition fees: £27,100 per year (MPhil/PhD, Film Studies)
• Part time tuition fees: £13,550 per year (MPhil/PhD, Film Studies)

How to apply

1. Approach the department

• Admission to our research programmes is dependent partly on the availability of requisite research expertise, so before applying please visit the department staff pages to determine if there is a suitable research supervisor amongst our staff for your project.
• Candidates should have a good Master’s degree (or its equivalent) in a relevant discipline. If this is the case, you should send a research project outline of approximately 1,500 words with your graduate application form.

2. Personal statement and supporting information

• After you have discussed with a potential supervisor, you will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:
  • Research Proposal
  • Previous Academic Study
  • Reference
  • Writing Sample
  • Travel Plan (Joint programme only)
  • Other (Optional)

3. Application closing date

• We encourage you to apply as early as possible so that there is sufficient time for your application to be assessed.
• The final application deadlines are detailed below; on these dates, the programme will close at 23:59 (UK time) and we will open for the corresponding intake in 2026 soon after the same intake has passed in 2025.