About PhD Program,
The PhD in Film and Media Studies with English as the Associated Department is an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental degree that stresses the history, theory, and aesthetics of international cinema, video, television, and new media. While the student will earn a PhD in Film and Media Studies (granted by the Film and Media Studies Program), he or she will also be a full member of one of six associated departments (in this case, English) and will fulfill its requirements (many of which will overlap with those of Film Studies). English will appear as the official Area of Concentration on the student’s transcript. Thus, the student graduating with a PhD in Film Studies will be doubly qualified: in film studies as well as in a secondary area.
PhD Program Degree Eligibility with GPA,
- GPA eligibility: Full admission to any of our graduate programs requires an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or a significant amount of graduate work at 3.0 or higher. Admits and students cannot be awarded a TA/TF/GSA or Dietrich School Arts and Sciences Fellowship with a GPA below 3.0. If an applicant has a GPA between 2.76 and 2.99, the applicant can only be admitted on provisional status. Because all students admitted on provisional status are ineligible for funding from the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences, these students would not be eligible for the departmental funding typically offered to 1st-year students. Provisional students must complete at least 12 credits (3 courses) of graduate course work with a grade of B or higher before their provisional status will be removed.
- Only students who apply for the PhD and the Master of Fine Arts (MFA) program are eligible for departmental funding. The English Department is not able to fund students seeking the Master of Arts (MA) at this time. We can only consider applicants to the Master of Arts (MA) program who have an external source of funding, such as the employee tuition benefit given to University of Pittsburgh staff, in addition to meeting the admissions committee’s academic criteria.
PhD Funding Coverage,
PhD students in Film and Media Studies with English as their Associate Department will receive funding through the Department of English. See the funding page for more information.
All PhD students making satisfactory progress as students and teachers receive funding in the form of non-teaching fellowships in their first year and, for four or five subsequent years, appointments as Teaching Assistants and Teaching Fellows. These fellowships and TA and TF appointments provide full tuition remission and a stipend, and the TA and TF appointments include medical benefits. A number of competitive non-teaching dissertation fellowships are also available to advanced graduate students.
PhD students making satisfactory progress as students and teachers are typically eligible for summer grants after their second and fourth years in the program and summer teaching after they have completed at least three years in the program.
Application Requirement,
These materials must be submitted as part of the application:
- Online Application
- Detailed Statement of Purpose
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- Unofficial Transcripts
- Writing Sample
- Application fee (for a fee waiver, see the Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences website here: https://www.asgraduate.pitt.edu/admissions/application-fee-waivers)
Application Deadline,
Dec 10, 2024
Application Fee,
The application fee is $75.00, and can be paid by credit card through Liaison GradCAS. The fee is the same for US citizens and international students.
