Research a topic of your choice or work on an extended creative project. Boost your professional practice and develop high-level skills and knowledge to progress your career.

You’ll benefit from an experienced team of research-active scholars and industry practitioners who can offer supervision across a range of topics. Staff specialisms include:

• cult film and TV
• documentary film
• screenwriting
• experimental cinema
• digital archives
• digital storytelling

STUDY STYLE

You’ll have the opportunity to choose between a research-based or practice-based project. For example, write a thesis of 80,000 words for the research-based PhD or, for the practice-based option, create a piece of content or stage a multi-media event and accompany it with a much-shorter written component. As a practice-based student, you’ll have access to our state-of-the-art studios and equipment.

Students who haven’t already completed a relevant Master’s degree are normally required to complete two research-methods modules: Philosophy and Approaches to Research, and Methodologies and Methods. These sessions and their related assignments will help you lay the critical foundations for your project.

This research contributes to the research priority area Being Human: Past, Present and Future and Creative Practice as Research.

• MA or MSc by Research/MRes

  • At least a 2.1 honours degree or equivalent qualification in a relevant subject area

• PhD

  • A master’s degree or equivalent in a subject area relevant to the proposed research topic.

• PhD by portfolio or publication

  • We’re happy to receive applications for students wanting to do their PhD by portfolio or publication. You’ll need to submit materials from your practice (film, composition, exhibition etc) and books or chapters in anthologies, between 6-12 months after registering. You’ll also need to write a supporting commentary of 6,000-10,000 words, which clarifies your work’s coherence, significance and contribution to knowledge.

• Applications from a range of diverse backgrounds

  • We actively encourage applications from students from a range of diverse backgrounds who demonstrate appropriate research experience and achievement.

• IELTS 6.5 (6.0 writing, 5.5 all other components)

  • EU and international students need IELTS 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in any other component) or equivalent.

• Research proposal

  • Please provide a copy of your research proposal. This should be 1,000 words (excluding references and appendices) following the structure outlined in this research proposal guide.

    Please note; we’re unable to process applications without a proposal for the School’s consideration. Not supplying one will delay the processing of applications.