English-and-Film-Studies-Cropped

Faculty of Arts, Cultures and Education

Film Studies research degrees

Postgraduate - Research

PhD MA by Thesis

Looking for a funded PhD?

Check out our current PhD scholarship opportunities now

PhD Scholarships

About our programmes

Film studies at Hull is a dynamic new teaching and research unit, which offers PhD research degrees in a range of fields, including television, American cinema, animation, horror and adaptation studies. Our research degrees are supervised by academic staff who are experts in their field. Film Studies staff contribute to television and radio programmes on film, and have spoken at the National Film Theatre, and at universities across Europe and North America.

The unit runs a regular programme of film and media research seminars throughout the year and has hosted an international conference to celebrate 75 years of Ealing Studios. The University recently invested £9.5m in transforming Middleton Hall into a world class entertainment venue which includes one of the region’s most advanced cinemas with state-of-the-art surround sound. The investment brings some of the best facilities of their kind in the UK to the University of Hull, including a surround-sound cinema, concert hall, an ambisonic sound studio and industry-standard recording and rehearsing facilities. The refurbishment includes a new entrance and café with the 400-plus seater cinema and concert hall forming the centre-piece of the development. The versatile space is ideal for cinema screenings, as well as music and theatre. 

There is a student Film Society, at which a wide variety of films are screened and discussed. The city also benefits from events held at the local arthouse cinema, Hull Screen.

Apply for research programmes in Film Studies

Details

Open for admission in 2022/23

Full time Part time
PhD 3 years* 5 years*
MA by Thesis 1 year* 2 years*

* plus writing-up time

Start in January, May or September

Get in touch

Admissions +44 (0)1482 466850 International Enquiries

Research

Our experts welcome applications for postgraduate research across a broad range of topics, particularly:

  • adaptation of literature for the screen
  • American cinema
  • animation studies
  • authorship
  • film history
  • gender issues and film
  • horror cinema
  • narration, style and aesthetics
  • television history
  • television studies
  • Horror and apocalyptic cinema
  • Animation studies
  • British television, national cinemas (in particular British and German cinema), costume drama, adaptation
  • Film and television narration, style, analytical philosophy and authorship, characters and point of view in fiction

The Postgraduate Training Scheme

It is now widely recognised by employers, professional bodies and research funding agencies that specialist expertise alone is not sufficient preparation either for research or a subsequent career. With this in mind, the University of Hull requires all its postgraduate research students to follow a research training programme relating both to their particular field of study and to generic skills; for example, information technology and communication skills.

Postgraduate Training Scheme

Fees and funding

  • Home: £4,500 (full-time) 
  • Home: £2,250 (part-time)
  • EU/International: £15,000 (full-time)

These fees are for all research degree programmes on this page. For courses lasting more than one year, small annual increases may apply. For more information, please visit the fees and funding page.

The standard length of a full-time PhD programme is three years, or five years part-time, plus 'writing-up'.

For full-time students, writing up typically takes about three months but may be extended to one year without further paperwork. For part-time students, writing up typically takes one year, but may be extended to two years without further paperwork.

There is a small continuation fee to be paid for the writing-up period. The continuation fee is partly reimbursed if you submit in less than one year (full-time) or less than two years (part-time).

Doctoral Loan

UK students who haven’t secured a scholarship can take out a Doctoral Loan to help with tuition fees and living costs. They provide up to £26,445 for full-time and part-time PhDs in all subject areas.

EU students starting a course on or after 1 August 2021 must have settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme to get student finance. Irish citizens do not need to apply for a visa or to the EU Settlement Scheme.

Additional costs

There are some extra costs that you may have to pay, or choose to pay, depending on your programme of study and the decisions you make. The list below has some examples, and any extra costs will vary:

  • Student visas (international students).
  • Books (you’ll have access to many books through the University library, but you may want to buy your own copies).
  • Optional conference/field/archive/library trips (Faculties support some travel and conference attendance financially. Details vary. Please check with the Department/School to which you are applying).
  • Laptop (you’ll have access to laptops and PCs on campus, but you may want to buy your own).
  • Printing and photocopying (There is a printing allowance in place for all students, currently £20 a year. Some Faculties grant PGR students access to printing and photocopying as staff. Please check with the Department/School to which you are applying).
  • Professional-body membership.
  • Graduation (gown hire and photography).

Remember, you’ll still need to take into account your living costs. This could include accommodation, travel and food – to name just a few. 

For information about bursaries and how to fund your studies see our money page, or take a look at our PhD scholarships page for specific funded PhD opportunities.

Watch: find out more about postgraduate study at the University of Hull.

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The University’s Postgraduate Training Scheme (PGTS) provides a range of generic and discipline-specific modules to support research students through their programme.

Find out more

The library has an exclusive lounge for postgraduate research students and a dedicated Skills Team to provide a wide range of study and research skills help.

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The Doctoral College provides support to postgraduate research students. Offering skills development opportunities and dedicated facilities, the school is here to help you achieve your potential.

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Research at Hull tackles big challenges and makes an impact on lives globally, every day. Our current research portfolio spans everything from health to habitats, food to flooding and supply chain to slavery.

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Entry requirements

You should normally have, or expect to obtain, at least 2:1 Honours degree (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject or related Arts or Humanities subject.

You should submit a sample of your written work in the relevant subject of at least 4000 words (for MA by Research) and at least 10,000 words (for PhD).

With your application, you should also submit a research proposal that should be tailored to your research area and should include the following:

  • project title,
  • project synopsis (of c. 500 words),
  • series of research questions,
  • discussion of research context,
  • consideration of the research methods and methodology to be employed,
  • bibliography

Research proposals should not exceed 1500 words in length (excluding bibliography). 

International students

If you require a Tier 4 student visa to study or if your first language is not English you will be required to provide acceptable evidence of your English language proficiency level.

This course requires academic IELTS 6.0 overall, with no less than 5.5 in each skill. See other English language proficiency qualifications accepted by this University.

If your English currently does not reach the University's required standard for this programme, you may be interested in one of our English language courses.

Visit your country page to find out more about our entry requirements.