Film Studies and Media Studies

Entry requirements

• MPhil or PhD with progression from MPhil: You’ll need a Bachelor degree or equivalent with first or upper second class honours, in a related subject area.
• PhD: You’ll need a Master 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.

Months of entry

January, April, September

Course content

Explore your research interests in communication, film and media, supported by the expertise of our staff, on our PhD programme in Cambridge.

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

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 Institute, 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.

Fees and funding