Postgraduate taught courses

The department has recently redeveloped its Masters programme in order to place more emphasis on research and research training. The Department offers MAs by Research in:

• Film Studies
• Theatre Studies
• Television Studies

Your Masters degree will equip you with the essential academic competence to develop your special interests in film, theatre or television. You will be taught by tutors who have internationally recognized expertise and are enthusiastic about guiding you in your work, especially supporting you as you complete your dissertation.

In the setting of a lively inter-disciplinary department these degree courses involve you in those critical and practical debates essential to the effective study of, and engagement with, your chosen medium – film, theatre or television. You will follow a series of taught courses designed to thoroughly prepare you for conducting extensive subject-specific research, leading up to the writing of a dissertation. These term-long taught courses focus on close textual analysis, relevant theoretical concerns and methodological approaches to your discipline. They provide you with the skills to become an independent researcher. Throughout the process of developing your dissertation you will be supported by an individual supervisor with whom you can engage in sustained dialogue about your work. We welcome applicants interested in developing practice-as-research projects and indeed have a strong tradition of supporting the integration of theory and practice within postgraduate-level projects.

Structure

Compulsory modules

• Research Methods
  a taught module on research methods for students on all three degrees, designed to prepare students for their dissertation and further study.
• Critical Debates
  a taught module for students on all three degrees, exploring current issues and debates that are relevant across the three media of film, theatre and television.
• Theatre Performance Analysis OR Film Analysis OR Television Analysis
  a taught module focusing on the methods and theories of detailed analysis of either film, theatre or television programmes.
• Dissertation
  a dissertation of approximately 20,000 words; it is also possible for students with suitable prior practical experience in an academic context to incorporate theoretically-informed practical work into the dissertation.

Duration:

• Full-time 12 months
• Part-time 24 months

Assessment

Written examinations, assignments, and/or practical presentations.

Entry requirements

You are expected to have obtained a UK upper second class honours degree, or the equivalent. Students whose first language is not English are expected to have obtained a 7.0 score on IELTS test, 600 in written TOEFL or at least 250 in computer-based TOEFL, with no significant weakness in any area.

Careers

Graduates of this course are working in a diverse range of roles within the film, theatre and television industries. In addition, many apply the extensive transferable skills gained on the degrees in other professions. A significant number of our students go on to study for higher research degrees.

Come and meet us

Please contact us if you would like any further information, or would like to pay us a visit. We can arrange a one-to-one meeting for you with one of our programme directors and you can enjoy a tour of our beautiful parkland campus and excellent facilities.