University of St. Andrews
Established in 2004, the Department of Film Studies at the University of St Andrews brings together some of the UK’s leading academics in Film Studies. Our department was ranked first for Film and Media Studies in the UK on the 2025 Guardian’s annual Good University Guide.
Our MLitt programme is designed to cover a variety of different topics and methods in the study of film and other media, giving in-depth engagement with the history, present and future of the discipline. Modules feature research-led teaching on cutting-edge topics in the field, such as ecocinema and environmental humanities, feminist and decolonial media histories, media archaeology and archives, political cinema and non-fiction film. Modules are taught by Department staff who are internationally-recognised scholars, and who regularly bring their collaborations and connections into their teaching, whether through filmmaking workshops or specialist guest speakers from archives, film and television industries or festivals.
Particular research strengths include:
- Global film cultures (including work on film festivals, industry, cinephilia, film societies, etc.)
- Film and media history (including media archaeology and non-theatrical film traditions)
- Work on audio-visual environments (including sensory cinema, sound studies and artist’s installations)
- Non-fiction and documentary media (including histories of useful cinema and activist film and media)
The department maintains a lively research environment of conferences, events, and screenings, undergirded by two research centres, a regular speaker series and a robust PhD programme (ca. 12-15 students).
IMACS students take courses together with our regular MLitt (Masters) cohort, which currently numbers around 6-8 students per year. All visiting IMACS students must enrol in a total of two modules (courses) during their semester at St Andrews in order to meet the university’s full-time enrolment requirements. Typically, visiting IMACS students would take the following courses during their stay:
Fall semester
- FM5002 (Skills, Methods and Approaches to Film Studies), module co-taught by several permanent staff members
- One single-taught elective module on offer (e.g. Colonial Cinema, Film Technologies and Aesthetics, etc.)
Spring semester
- FM5003 (New Directions in Film Studies), module co-taught by several staff members
- FM5105 (Film Cultures)
Film Studies is centrally located in two buildings on North Street. The Department works closely with the Byre Theatre, including as a key partner for Sands International Film Festival of St Andrews as well as with other organisations and institutions in Scotland, such as Dundee Contemporary Arts, an excellent arthouse cinema and gallery in Dundee, V&A Dundee, the National Library of Scotland and LUX Scotland.
Opportunities
Students can gain professional experience working with the Sands: International Film Festival, including programming, curation, and publicity. In S1 (or S2 in the IMACS calendar), students can apply to be part of the SANDS curatorial team (competitive). In S2 (or S3 in the IMACS calendar), students can organize an event for the SANDS festival (optional but guaranteed).
Note on Student Accommodation
We will invite visiting students to apply for university accommodation as soon as their application to study abroad has been received, reviewed, and an offer made. Once a student has accepted an unconditional offer, Accommodation Services will send out their room allocation. More information can be found on the Global Office and Accommodation Services webpages.
Instructor Profiles
The department currently consists of ten permanent staff members, all leaders in their respective fields. Our research profiles can be consulted here.
Necessary Language Skills
The requested language proficiency is Profile 5-D, which is meant to be equivalent to B2 on the CEFR. Please make sure to include your language certificate to your motivation letter when you apply for your mobility at the University of St. Andrews.
Applying to St. Andrews
Applying to the IMACS PGT programme through St Andrews
At St Andrews, you can become part of a vibrant film and media culture with regular events including screenings, conferences and talks with international academic and industry speakers.
Comprehensive information for those wishing to apply for IMACS through the University of St Andrews can be found here.
IMACS visiting students
IMACS students applying to St Andrews for a semester at St Andrews must still apply directly to the Global Office, following the steps listed at the Global Office website here. Please check the website early and respect the posted deadlines. For detailed questions, you should contact the Global Office directly as some information might change from year to year.
For your application, you’ll need to submit the following documents:
- A completed application form. You will find the application form on the Global Office website.
- Evidence of English Language Proficiency. Visiting IMACS students must demonstrate English language proficiency in one of two ways: a) through submission of a qualifying test score (Film Studies’ English language test requirements are available under Profile 5-D, which is based on an equivalency to B2 on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) or b) through submission of a letter issued by the student’s home institution, usually from their academic supervisor, which confirms its confidence that the student’s English language abilities are sufficient to operate within a postgraduate environment at St Andrews in lieu of an English language proficiency test. More information available here (see “Postgraduate Taught” for test requirements).
- Personal Statement. You must provide a personal statement outlining your motivation to come to St Andrews and your goals for the semester. This can be adapted from the statement you submitted to IMACS.
Detailed Guidelines for the Application Form (Postgraduate Taught):
1.1. Programme details → Choose “Postgraduate taught exchange programme”.
1.2. Academic year → Fill out as appropriate (e.g. 2021-22).
1.3. Duration of study → Choose “Semester One (September entry)” or “Semester Two (January entry)” as appropriate.
1.4. Home institution → Your home university
1.5. Select the total number of years completed in higher education, include both undergraduate and postgraduate study.
2.1. To which School are you applying? → “Film Studies”.
2.2. Please list some modules of interest below → Follow this link to the course catalogue and provide a few Film Studies courses (starting with FM5____). You should only include courses at the 5000-level (e.g. FM5102, FM5103, etc.). Normally, 2 of these courses will be listed, which you can use to fill in this answer. Note: the course catalogue provides details on modules available in the current/most recent academic year; some elements may be subject to change in future years.
2.3. Postgraduate research → This is only for visiting PhD students. You can leave it blank.
3.1-6.2 → Fill in the requested personal details and background information.
7.1-7.3 → This is asking for the scores from your English-language test (see above). Leave this blank if you are submitting a letter from your supervisor in lieu of a test.
8. Personal Statement → Insert your personal statement here.
9.1 How will programme fees be paid → IMACS students pay tuition fees only to their home university. Select “Home institution (exchange agreement)”.
9.2 Accommodation fees → State how you will cover your living expenses while in St Andrews.
10.1-10.3 → Fill in as appropriate.
11. Referee Details → Give details of the person writing your reference letter.
12. Declaration → You must check all the boxes here.
13. Application submission → Your completed application, transcripts, reference letter, and English language proficiency test results/ English language letter of confidence should all be sent to studyabroad@st-andrews.ac.uk.