Media Studies

Entry requirements

Candidates must normally have completed a UK Masters degree or equivalent at a recognised university.

Months of entry

September

Course content

The Centre for Global Media and Communication SOAS has an exciting doctoral research programme with a number of students working on an exceptionally wide range of topics, both theoretical and empirical, concerned with different aspects of communication and practices in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. The programme places emphasis on the acquisition of critical theoretical skills and in-depth regional, political, social and cultural knowledge of global media in all its forms and practices in relation to these regions and their diasporas.

The Centre stresses interdisciplinarity and a non-Western centric focus on research in order to enhance de-colonial approaches to addressing the dynamics between communication, politics and culture as understood by and experienced by the peoples of the regions we study. This is reflected in the research undertaken by our graduates and our current cohort. Given the focus on interdisciplinarity, the centre draws upon expertise across SOAS and encourages students to approach other departments to enhance their experience and knowledge.

The PhD Programme is suited to researchers who wish to engage in detailed study of media in Asia or Africa and to those who wish to combine media and communication studies with other disciplines, ranging from the study of language and culture through the humanities to politics, law and international relations in the social sciences.

We consider research students as central to enhancing our reputation and encourage them to take part in research seminars and give papers at national and international conferences. Some publish in academic journals.

Our research in film and media has been ranked in the top 20 in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, with more than a third of our research publications assessed as 4* (world-leading). See Centre for Global Media and Communications

Information for international students

For details, including English language requirements, please see SOAS website

Fees and funding

For details of postgraduate fees, please see SOAS website