About us

 The Media Arts department at Royal Holloway is distinguished by its commitment to the highest standards in both the study and practice of screen media.

The BA Media Arts is among the few degree programmes in the country that places equal weight upon the acquisition of production expertise, the creation of content and the development of critical and analytical skills.

Our BA Film Studies offers the opportunity to concentrate on the critical and historical analysis of film and television.

Our exciting new joint degree in English and Film Studies brings together two internationally renowned departments and enables the detailed study of literature and the moving image.

Our courses are taught by a staff of internationally recognised academics, working media professionals and dedicated technicians who offer insight and expertise across the whole spectrum of contemporary media theory and practice.

Working in a supportive atmosphere, students have the opportunity to acquire a deep knowledge of a variety of international film and television cultures whilst pursuing a focused programme dedicated to exploring a number of creative pathways. We maintain an excellent staff/student ratio which ensures a close focus on the intellectual and creative needs of our students.

We pride ourselves on the quality of our research| Over three-quarters of our research was rated as ‘internationally excellent’ in the last UK Research Assessment Exercise while over a quarter of our research outputs were regarded as ‘world-leading’. With twenty full-time academic staff we offer specialist PhD supervision in a variety of subjects, including practice-based research, as well as a wide range of postgraduate and |undergraduate| courses.

Our staff are experts in the fields of European and World cinema with particular strengths in British and American film and television. Our practice-based programmes benefit from close links with senior figures working in the media and creative industries and courses.

Our MAs in Documentary, |Producing|and Screenwriting for Film and TV| enjoy a strong international reputation and are taught by experienced media professionals with outstanding credentials.

As a postgraduate student you will be part of a vibrant, international community of currently 55 M.A. and around thirty PhD students who are working on both theoretical and practice-based topics.

Our Media Arts Centre| provides a professional working environment for the development of media practice skills and creativity. We offer our students access to a digital television studio, a comprehensive stock of professional location recording equipment, twelve editing rooms, two media labs, and two sound studios. Students are encouraged to use these facilities throughout their time at Royal Holloway to pursue individual projects in addition to those required by their courses.

The department’s research and teaching is also sustained by substantial library provision at Egham (which includes an extensive collection of audio-visual material) and Senate House as well as a wide range of electronic resources. The location of the College also permits students to make extensive use of national research resources, including the British Library, the BFI Library, the National Film and Television Archive and the BBC Written Archives Centre.

Our graduates leave with highly developed analytical and creative skills applicable to the Media world and beyond. They have experienced working independently and taken part in a number of creative team exercises. Career coaching and a competitive work placement scheme school them in the challenges of the outside world. As Media skills expand into all walks of life, students find their degrees applicable to an ever increasing number of career pathways.