Film and Screen Media

Program Overview

It provides a stimulating research culture with seminars, lectures, workshops, and access to extensive research resources. Graduates develop advanced research skills and expertise in film and screen media, preparing them for careers in academia, research, or related fields.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

• Overview: This program invites you to submit a research proposal on the history, development, and interaction of film, television, and other screen media.
It's an advanced postgraduate research degree that culminates in a substantial dissertation.
• Objectives:
• To offer an environment where film and screen media research flourishes in an interdisciplinary context.
• To provide a program of seminars, lectures, conferences, workshops, and reading groups for building research skills and fostering intellectual community.
• To offer training sessions at all levels of the College, including the Birkbeck Graduate Research School (BGRS).
• Description:
• The program features research clusters focusing on cultural policy, creative labour, curatorial practice, digital aesthetics, digital politics, essay film, film exhibition, journalism and democracy, media reform, mediated spaces, and television studies.
• It offers an exceptionally stimulating environment for research with a strong interdisciplinary focus.
• The program fosters a sense of intellectual community through dialogue and mutual support.
• Both MPhil and PhD theses are assessed through a viva voce examination.

Teaching:

• Teaching methods:
• Seminars
• Lectures
• Conferences
• Workshops
• Reading groups
• Individual supervision meetings
• Faculty: Experienced academics with expertise in various areas of film and screen media.
• Unique approaches:
• Practice-based research opportunities, particularly through the Derek Jarman Lab.
• Participation in the BIRMAC, a space for interdisciplinary research and conversation on media and culture.
• Access to extensive research resources, including the Birkbeck Library, Senate House Library, University of London libraries, the British Library, and specialist collections in central London.

Careers:

• Potential career paths:
• Academic positions
• Research roles in various industries and organizations
• Filmmaking and media production
• Cultural policy and management
• Journalism and communication
• Curatorial practice
• Opportunities: Research scholarships, funding options, and involvement in research projects.
• Outcomes: Graduates equipped with advanced research skills, critical thinking, and expertise in film and screen media, preparing them for successful careers in academia, research, or related fields.

Other:

• Highlights:
• This program includes research studentships funded by UK Research and Innovation, charities, government, and external partners.
• The award-winning Birkbeck Cinema plays a central role in research culture.
• Students can participate in the Essay Film Festival and attend events with free admission.
• BIRMAC provides a unique platform for interdisciplinary research and dialogue on media and culture.
• Students have access to numerous libraries and research collections in central London.
• Birkbeck's research excellence in Art and Design has been acknowledged in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
• Entry Requirements:
• A good degree in a relevant field such as film, television, media studies, cultural studies, or social sciences and humanities.
• A 2000-word research proposal.

• Part-time home students: £2,539 per year
• Full-time home students: £4,786 per year
• Part-time international students: £7,525 per year
• Full-time international students: £14,885 per year
Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. Fees and finance PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £26,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs. We offer a range of studentships and funding options to support your research.