The Department of Theatre, Film and Television Studies’ international reputation for conducting cutting-edge quality research makes Aberystwyth an ideal place to pursue Doctoral research (either at MPhil or PhD level). The Department’s large and vibrant postgraduate community is viewed as a key component of the Department's research and teaching excellence.

Facilities:

4 Fully equipped studio theatres
Digital, high definition television studio
3 Rehearsal rooms
36 Digital video editing, recording and viewing rooms
Computerised lighting systems
Digital sound studio with digital effects processing and multi-track recording facilities
Research student study suite with dedicated computers, editing software, printer and telephone.

Our research degrees:

We currently have some 40 PhD and MPhil research students working with us, who have come to us from across the UK, Europe and further afield. The range of topics and methodologies employed is exceptionally wide, covering textual, archival, historical, practice-based, empirical and philosophical studies. Research projects include work in English and Welsh, and across the whole range of theatre and drama, performance studies, scenography, media and communication, and film and television studies.

Key Facts

An important part of any doctoral provision is the wider research culture in which students are embedded. We offer an annual programme of research seminars, with high-profile visiting speakers and performers; a series of methodology postgraduate forum seminars, designed to strengthen both specific and generic skills in all postgraduate students; and an annual three-day research conference, attended by staff and all postgraduates, in which we share ideas and problems intensively.

Overview

The Department offers opportunities for full-time or part-time MPhil or PhD study. Supervision and research training is offered in both English and Welsh, and supervisory expertise is available in topics such as: aesthetics, politics and social engagement; site-specific performance; ecology and performance; Welsh and minority-language theatre, film, television and online media; contemporary British and Irish theatre; documentary and verbatim theatre; theatre and philosophy; performance historiography and archiving; national and trans-national processes of production and contexts of reception; film, press and broadcasting structures; histories and regulatory policies; alternative, avant-garde and experimental theatre and film; television drama, genres and aesthetics; scriptwriting; media fandom; reception and audience studies; documentary film and television; horror, fantasy and cult film and television; film stardom and performance; social media and multi-platform media; British cinema; Russian cinema and theatre.