University of Chicago · Department of Cinema and Media Studies

PhD in Cinema and Media Studies

PhDDoctor of Philosophy in Cinema and Media StudiesFully funded (conditions apply)

Overview

A PhD in cinema and media studies that typically lasts six years, with seventeen courses, a modern foreign language requirement, fields examinations in the third year, a dissertation and teaching through a pedagogical training plan. Admitted students receive full tuition, an annual stipend, health insurance and the student services fee for the duration of the program.

Official program name: PhD in Cinema and Media Studies
Awarded degree: Doctor of Philosophy in Cinema and Media StudiesPhD · Doctor of Philosophy
Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
School: University of Chicago — Department of Cinema and Media Studies
Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Location: Chicago, IL
Delivery: On campus
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Required attendance: Regular campus attendanceStudents attend classes on campus throughout the program.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Study intensity: Not published
Duration: Typically 6 years
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Required credits: Seventeen courses
Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Start: Autumn
Source: artshumanities.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Fields of study

Field	Classification	Evidence
Film Studies	Dedicated degreeThe degree itself is in this field.	Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Why this degree is listed

Dedicated PhD in cinema and media studies.

Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

We list verified film degrees only — no certificates, workshops or generic degrees with a few film electives. Eligibility rules

Research, dissertation and faculty

Language requirements: Proficiency in one modern foreign language (High Pass on a reading exam or A/A- in a graduate course); may be a programming language.
Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Dissertation

DissertationDissertation proposal and dissertation; from the class matriculating in Summer 2027 students must reach candidacy by the end of year 4.

Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Published areas of study

Required courses: Methods and Issues in Cinema Studies, Methods and Issues in Media Studies, and History of International Cinema I and II.
Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Language requirements

Proficiency in one modern foreign language (may be a programming language).
Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Examinations

Fields examinations in the third year.
Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Teaching opportunities

Teaching as TA, BA preceptor or graduate student lecturer counts toward the Pedagogical Training Plan.
Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other

A joint PhD with Theater and Performance Studies can be requested at admission; other joint degrees by petition after one year.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Faculty listed by the program

Allyson Nadia Field — Department Chair
Maria Belodubrovskaya — Director of Undergraduate Studies
James Chandler — Professor
Patrick Jagoda — Professor
Thomas Lamarre — Professor
David Levin — Professor
Rochona Majumdar — Professor
Daniel Morgan — Professor
Jacqueline Stewart — Professor
James Lastra — Associate Professor

As listed on the program's official page on October 12, 2026. Listing does not mean a faculty member is teaching or supervising new students in a given year.

Source: graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Admissions

Each submission item is shown exactly as the school states it. Anything not listed is not verified — never “not required”.

Portfolio and submission materials

Material	Status	Instructions as published
Academic writing sample	Required	Writing sample of approximately 20 pages, such as an undergraduate thesis, research paper or MA thesis section.Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Other requirements

Statement of purpose: RequiredStatement of purpose describing intellectual issues to explore.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Recommendation letters: Required3 letters — Three letters of recommendation.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Application fee: Required$90 — Application fee of $90; fee waivers available for financial hardship.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Transcripts: RequiredTranscripts from all previous colleges and universities.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
International applicants: Not verifiedApplicants whose primary language is not English may be required to submit TOEFL or IELTS scores no more than two years old.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Tests

Test policy: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

We do not publish acceptance rates or estimate competitiveness. Build an application checklist

Deadlines

Dates are shown with the year and intake the school printed. A past date is marked passed and is never carried into a new cycle.

Application deadline
December 1, 2026 · for Autumn 2027
Source: artshumanities.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Upcoming

Tuition and fees

Each amount keeps its applicant category, academic year and basis. Per-credit, per-year and whole-program figures are not comparable with each other. Production costs are listed separately above.

Tuition: not verified. We publish this only when the school states it on an official page.

Funding

Tuition coverage and a stipend are offered to all admitted students, subject to conditions the program publishes (for example satisfactory progress). “Fully funded” never means every personal or production expense is covered. How we classify funding

Fully funded (conditions apply)Policy year: Autumn 2023 matricul

Published stipend: $37,000 (year)

Funding guarantee: Guaranteed funding support for the duration of the program (students matriculating Summer 2020 and after).
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Tuition coverage: Full tuition coverage.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Stipend: Stipend of $37,000 for students matriculating in Autumn 2023, paid monthly.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Mandatory fees: Graduate student services fee covered.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Health insurance: Annual student health insurance premiums paid.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026
Renewal conditions: Yearly renewal depends on satisfactory academic progress.
Source: cms.uchicago.edu · verified October 12, 2026

Sources and verification

Every fact on this page comes from the official pages below. Last verified October 12, 2026.

graduateannouncements.uchicago.edu/graduate/departmentofcinemaandmediastudies/ — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
artshumanities.uchicago.edu/admissions — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
cms.uchicago.edu/graduate/admissions — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
cms.uchicago.edu/graduate/funding — Official funding / aid page, verified October 12, 2026
cms.uchicago.edu/graduate/program-overview — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026
cms.uchicago.edu/graduate/program-timeline — Official program page, verified October 12, 2026

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