Course information

The MLitt in Film Studies is a one-year taught programme run by the Department of Film Studies. The programme approaches the study of film through a varied intellectual approach, exploring cinema in a global context. You will discover filmmaking cultures outside the canon and examine classic film through new cultural, theoretical and historical perspectives.

Highlights

• Film study approaches the study of film through a varied intellectual approach, exploring cinema in a global context. You will discover filmmaking cultures outside the canon and examine classic film through new cultural, theoretical and historical perspectives.
• Film Studies receives regular visits from high-profile film scholars, critics and film industry personalities. Most recently, acclaimed film director Joe Russo held a workshop open to all students in December 2015.
  
• Students have the opportunity to present their work at the annual postgraduate student colloquium in May, at which a visiting professor provides them with feedback on their work. The Film Studies postgraduate community mixes MLitt and PhD students in friendly and collaborative ways.
  

Teaching format

The MLitt degree involves the completion of 120 credits of taught modules (from September to May), which are assessed through essays and a dissertation. The taught element of the programme consists of one compulsory module, which focuses on training in research methods and covers a range of crucial topics in Film Studies, plus two specialist modules; all modules which provide students with the opportunity to transfer and apply theoretical knowledge and research skills to a concrete level of intellectual investigation, focusing on the creation of meaning and aesthetic value in the context of global dynamics of cultural production and distribution.

Individual study and research is encouraged through small seminars of four to ten students and tutorials of one-to-one supervision. Classes and screening take place mostly at the Byre Theatre.

Further particulars regarding curriculum development.

Modules

Each module typically comprises:

• weekly two-hour seminars, plus film screenings
• 100% coursework assessment

For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2016–2017 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2017 entry. 

Compulsory module

• Theory and Practice of Research in Film Studies: knowledge and skills training in both theoretical and methodological orientation which aims at teaching students to correlate adequately conceptual frameworks and research designs.

Optional modules

Students choose two optional modules to complete their studies. The specialist modules vary annually and reflect current staff research interests (see the University's position on curriculum development). Sample optional modules include:

• Digital Cinema: explores the impact of digital media on the production, distribution, consumption and collecting of moving images. 
• Film and the Archive: provides students with both a theoretical framework for archival research and practical experience in engaging with archival materials.
• Sensory Cinema: considers the sensory qualities of cinema, a subject which engages variously with the film-as-object, film form and the spectator as active participant.
• Stars: explores the aesthetic, cultural, ideological and industrial sides of film stardom, featuring close study of individual stars from the silent era to the present.
• Documentary Cinema: surveys the history of documentary film (technological, stylistic, etc.), while taking up the theoretical debates around cinematic claims to truth and representations of reality.
• Film Technologies and Aesthetics: the ways in which the emergence of new technologies – such as sound, colour, cameras and camera mounts, varying screen dimensions, and lighting systems – affect aesthetic issues in global cinemas.
• Film Sound: utilises innovative ways of thinking about sound to help students gain a detailed understanding of the different elements of sound in film.

The modules listed ran in the academic year 2016–2017 and are indicative of this course. There is no guarantee that these modules will run for 2017 entry. Take a look at the most up-to-date modules in the module catalogue.

Dissertation

The final three months of the course are focused on writing the final assessment piece, a 15,000-word dissertation. Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation must be submitted by a date specified in August.

If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will finish your degree at the end of the second semester of study and receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.

Conferences and events

Film Studies students are closely involved in the variety of events taking place at St Andrews including seminar series, workshops and conferences. Specialist training sessions are organised periodically.

The Reel Film Society is an annual student-led screening series. Each season comprises approximately eight events with films from around the world accompanied by live music, expert introductions and lively student-led discussion.

Students can become an active part in film-related activities by writing for the online journal Frames Cinema Journal and participating in the annual 60 Hours Film Blitz filmmaking competition, which includes a gala evening and prizes.

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Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our Admissions policy.

Curriculum development

As a research intensive institution, the University ensures that its teaching references the research interests of its staff, which may change from time to time. As a result, programmes are regularly reviewed with the aim of enhancing students' learning experience. Our approach to course revision is described online. (PDF, 72 KB).

Tuition fees

The University will clarify compulsory fees and charges it requires any student to pay at the time of offer. The offer will also clarify conditions for any variation of fees. The University’s approach to fee setting is described online. (PDF, 84 KB).