IMACS: International Master in Audiovisual and Cinema Studies (MLitt) 2021 entry
This two-year MLitt degree offers a unique opportunity to gain comprehensive training in film and media studies while participating in a network of 15 leading programmes in Europe and Canada.
Students enrolled in the programme spend two semesters at St Andrews, and the remaining two semesters at partner institutions.
Key information
Course type
Postgraduate, leading to a Master of Letters (MLitt)
Course dates
- Start date: 6 September 2021
- End date: 30 September 2023
Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.
Course duration
Two years full time
Entry requirements
- A good 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline.
- If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
- English language proficiency. See English language tests and qualifications.
- Proficiency in at least one relevant language beyond English (Class C1 on European Framework).
The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.
Tuition fees
Home: £18,150
Overseas: £37,345
This is the full programme fee for a two-year programme.
Application deadline
Wednesday 11 August 2021. Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships and for international visa purposes.
Application requirements
- CV or résumé. This should include your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date.
- sample of academic written work in English (1,000 - 3,000 words)
- two original signed academic references
- academic transcripts and degree certificates
- evidence of English language proficiency (required if English is not your first language)
- covering letter (optional).
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
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Course information
The International Master in Audiovisual and Cinema Studies (IMACS) MLitt is a two-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 film through new cultural, theoretical and historical perspectives.
This is the only international MLitt in Film and Media Studies in Scotland and one of only two in the UK. The IMACS programme gives students access to 15 (including St Andrews) of the top film and media programmes in Europe and the top film studies programme in Francophone Canada.
The other institutions involved in this programme are:
- Birkbeck College London
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
- Ruhr-Universität Bochum
- Universidad Pompeu Fabra Barcelona
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
- Università degli Studi di Udine
- Università degli Studi Roma
- Université Charles-de-Gaulle Lille
- Université de Liège
- Université de Montréal
- Université de Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense
- Universidade Federal de Juiz de For a
- Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris
- Universiteit van Amsterdam.
Highlights
- IMACS offers a unique opportunity to obtain comprehensive training in film and media studies, while spending two semesters at institutions with strengths targeted to students' interests.
- Film Studies receives regular visits from high-profile film scholars, critics and film industry personalities, ranging from Joe Russo to Jean-Michel Frodon, Patricio Guzmán to Gina Marchetti.
- The Film Studies postgraduate community mixes MLitt and PhD students in friendly and collaborative ways.
- Students collaborate closely with staff as all modules adopt research-led teaching, exploring the latest developments and research within the discipline.
Teaching format
The MLitt degree involves completing a number of taught modules within St Andrews and in two other institutions.
All modules provide students with the opportunity to transfer and apply theoretical knowledge and research skills to a concrete level of intellectual investigation through close analysis, research and discussion of films and texts.
Individual study and research is encouraged through small seminars, project work and one-to-one discussions. All modules are taught by members of staff in the Department.
Modules
Students enrolled in the IMACS MLitt spend their first semester at St Andrews, their second semester at one partner institution, their third semester at a second partner institution, and the fourth semester back at St Andrews.
Semesters 1 and 4 are held at St Andrews while Semesters 3 and 4 are held at partner institutions.
For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the latest module catalogue which is for the 2020–2021 academic year; some elements may be subject to change for 2021 entry.
- Skills, Methods and Approaches in Film Studies: training in the essential skills of close analysis, key methods of historiographical research and salient approaches to film studies scholarship.
- New Directions in Film Studies Research: introducing students to new research directions represented within the department.
Students choose two optional modules to complete their studies at St Andrews. Sample optional modules for Semester 1 include:
- Colonial Cinema: explores the transnational developments in cinema, and examines the integral role that cinema played in the control, organisation and governance of the British Empire.
- 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.
Or, there is the option for students to take a fourth year undergraduate module, such as
- 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 Sound: challenges our critical focus on the film image and explores the expressive contribution of sound to film.
In the second semester at St Andrews, students can choose from the same optional modules.
Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered; some may only allow limited numbers of students (see the University's position on curriculum development).
In Semester 3, students will begin to work with a supervisor in St Andrews to map out their dissertation project, typically 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 receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.
The modules listed here are indicative, and there is no guarantee they will run for 2021 entry. Take a look at the most up-to-date modules in the module catalogue.
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.
Students can become an active part in film-related activities, whether contributing to the online journal Frames Cinema Journal or participating in the annual 60 Hours Film Blitz filmmaking competition.
Funding
The University of St Andrews offers a 10% discount in postgraduate tuition fees to students who are eligible to graduate or who have graduated from St Andrews within the last three academic years and are starting a postgraduate programme with the University of St Andrews.
After the MLitt
Research degrees
In addition to the MLitt, the School offers a two-year Master of Philosophy (MPhil) degree option in Film Studies.
Many of our graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews or elsewhere.
Careers
A Film Studies degree opens doors to many careers including academia, creative industries, development, distribution, film festival and cinema programming, arts administration, media management, film and TV research, journalism, publishing, advertising, cultural entrepreneurship, non-governmental organisations, marketing, public relations and education.
Recent destinations include:
- Adjunct Instructor, State University of New York at Oswego
- Consultant for Propel London Media
- European Tour Productions, IMG Media
- Junior Assistant Producer.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students on a taught postgraduate course and offers a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.
Contact
Department of Film Studies
University of St Andrews
99 North Street
St Andrews
KY16 9AD
Phone: +44 (0)1334 46 7473
Email: pgpafs@st-andrews.ac.uk
Policies
Admission to the University of St Andrews is governed by our admissions policy.
Information about all programmes from previous years of entry can be found in the archive.
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.
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.