Film Studies

University of Surrey has a diverse mix of subject specialities means that they host a vibrant and imaginative community with plenty of opportunity for intellectual exchange. We have research-active staff in English literature, creative writing, film studies, translation studies, theoretical and applied linguistics, and literary and cultural studies

The University of Surrey University of Surrey film researchers work on a range of specialist areas within the areas of cinema studies and visual studies, including issues of gender, the connection between music and the cinema, documentary film and media, genre cinema, cognitive analysis of the moving image and animation studies.

Career opportunities

This PhD in Film Studies Film Studies will train you in critical and analytical skills, research methods, and knowledge that will equip you for your professional or academic career. It normally takes around three or four years to complete our full-time PhD. You’ll be assigned a primary and secondary supervisor, who will meet with you regularly to read and discuss your work and make sure that you’re on track. For us, writing is essential for understanding and developing new perspectives, so you’ll be submitting written work right from the start of your course. In your first year, you’ll refine your research proposal and plan the structure of your work with the guidance and support of your supervisors. As you go into your second and third year, you’ll gradually learn to work more independently, and your supervisors will guide you on how to present at conferences and get your work published. As a doctoral student, you’ll receive a structured training programme covering the practical aspects of being a researcher, including grant-writing, publishing in journals, and applying for academic jobs. Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination by a panel of one or more external examiners as well as an internal examiner. You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.

Research themes

• Environmental humanities

• Animation

• Documentary

• The film industry and popular film/culture.