University degrees: Postgraduate
Course length: 3 years
Course city: Los Angeles
The UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television’s Cinema and Media Studies program is designed for the scholarly exploration of film, television and digital media both as significant forms of art and as social communication. The Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Cinema and Media Studies programs offer an unusually extensive range of graduate seminars in film, television and media history that embrace films from many genres and national cinemas. Aesthetics and popular culture, the history and production cultures of the film and television industries and the increasing impact of digital media are examined. Courses that develop analytical skills by utilizing digital media tools are also offered. We are at the center of the discipline’s engagement with diversity. Not only do our faculty and student body hail from a diversity of backgrounds, but the robust address of issues of race, class, gender, generation, and sexuality in the curriculum is longstanding. The Ph.D. program is designed to encourage a small number of highly qualified, motivated students to refine their research skills and interests within the context of an individualized plan of focused study. The primary goal of the doctoral program is to inspire and train students to carry out original research of the highest quality. Doctoral students generally seek and find teaching and research positions at the university and college level. Cinema and Media Studies students enjoy unique research opportunities through the resources of the UCLA Film & Television Archive, 35mm classroom screenings, and access to emerging digital technologies for the production of digital scholarship as a part of their studies.
THE CMS Ph.D. PROGRAM – AT A GLANCE
The Ph.D. program is intended primarily for students who wish to build a career around excellence in university teaching and research. The Ph.D. program requires successful completion of a minimum of seven core courses and at least seven elective courses (not counting those completed at the masters level) and successful completion of the Intellectual Statement, Third Quarter Review, Sixth Quarter Review, Comprehensive Exam, Prospectus Review, Foreign Language Requirement at level three or higher, and successful submission and defense of the Dissertation.
Year One/Academic Year: Four Core Courses, the Intellectual Statement and Third Quarter Review
Year Two/Academic Year 2020-2021: Two Core Courses, the Sixth Quarter Review and Completion of the Ph.D. Study Plan
Year Three/Academic Year: 1 Core Course, the Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam, the Prospectus Review, Nomination of Doctoral Committee and Advancement to Candidacy
Ph.D. PROGRAM REMINDERS
Required During Years One-Three: 7 Elective Graduate Seminar Courses. A maximum of two elective courses may be taken outside of CMS. Additional permitted by petition.
Required During Years One-Three: Language Requirement Courses & Petition. Completion of level 3 language training or higher (as determined by Dissertation Committee) must be provided prior to student Advancement to Candidacy.
Recommended During Years One-Three: Colloquium. Students are encouraged to enroll in or attend Colloquium during all quarters to participate in screenings, research presentations and discussions. May be repeated for credit.
Year 3 and Beyond: Dissertation Research
