Application deadline
Thursday 7 August 2025
Applicants should apply as early as possible to be eligible for certain scholarships.
“IMACS is a truly international course, as it offers unique opportunities for travel and collaboration with various countries and institutions. It has provided me with an enriching global academic and personal experience. ”
- London, England
Entry requirements
- A 2.1 Honours undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline. If you studied your first degree outside the UK, see the international entry requirements.
- English language proficiency.
- Proficiency in at least one relevant language beyond English (Class C1 on European Framework).
The qualifications listed are indicative minimum requirements for entry. Some academic Schools will ask applicants to achieve significantly higher marks than the minimum. Obtaining the listed entry requirements will not guarantee you a place, as the University considers all aspects of every application including, where applicable, the writing sample, personal statement, and supporting documents.
Application requirements
- CV outlining your personal details with a history of your education and employment to date
- covering letter or personal statement
- sample of your own, single-authored academic written work in English (2000 words)
- two original signed academic references
- academic transcripts and degree certificates
For more guidance, see supporting documents and references for postgraduate taught programmes.
English language proficiency
If English is not your first language, you may need to provide an English language test score to evidence your English language ability. See approved English language tests and scores for this course.
Course details
The International Master in Audiovisual and Cinema Studies (IMACS) MLitt is a two-year taught programme run by the Department of Film Studies.
The programme approaches the study of film through a varied intellectual approach, exploring cinema in a global context. You will discover filmmaking cultures outside the canon and examine film through new cultural, theoretical and historical perspectives.
This is the only international MLitt in Film and Media Studies in Scotland and one of only two in the UK. The IMACS programme gives students access to 17 (including St Andrews) of the top film and media programmes in Europe and Brazil and the top film studies programme in Francophone Canada.
The other institutions involved in this programme are:
- Birkbeck College London
- Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main
- Ruhr-Universität Bochum
- Universidad Pompeu Fabra Barcelona
- Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore
- Università degli Studi di Udine
- Università degli Studi Roma 3
- Université Charles-de-Gaulle Lille
- Université de Liège
- Université de Montréal
- Université de Paris Ouest Nanterre La Défense
- Universidade Federal de Juiz de For a
- Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris
- Universiteit van Amsterdam
Highlights
- IMACS offers a unique opportunity to obtain comprehensive international training in film and media studies, spending two semesters at partner institutions across Europe, Brazil and Canada with strengths targeted to students' interests.
- Film Studies receives regular visits from high-profile film scholars, critics and film industry personalities, ranging from Joe Russo to Richard Dyer, Laura Mulvey to Gina Marchetti.
- Students can gain professional experience working with the SANDS International Film Festival, including programming, curation, and publicity.
- Research-led teaching allows students to work closely with the current research projects and interests of staff members, exploring the latest developments and research within the discipline.
Modules
The modules published below are examples of what has been taught in previous academic years and may be subject to change before you start your course. For more details of each module, including weekly contact hours, teaching methods and assessment, please see the module catalogue.
Students enrolled in the IMACS MLitt spend their first semester at St Andrews, their second semester at one partner institution, their third semester at a second partner institution, and the fourth semester back at St Andrews.
- Skills, Methods and Approaches in Film Studies: training in the essential skills of close analysis, key methods of historiographical research and salient approaches to film studies scholarship.
- New Directions in Film Studies Research: introducing students to new research directions represented within the department, while also providing students with the requisite skills to undertake the MLitt dissertation.
Students choose two optional modules to complete their studies at St Andrews. Sample optional modules include:
- Colonial Cinema: explores the transnational, historical developments in cinema, and examines the integral role that cinema played in the control, organisation and governance of the British Empire.
- Film Cultures: focuses on the context in which film exists: production conditions and trends, distribution and circulation practices, and the ever-changing models of exhibiting cinema on all sizes of screens.
- Film Technologies and Aesthetics: the ways in which the emergence of new technologies – such as sound, colour, cameras and camera mounts, varying screen dimensions, and lighting systems – affect aesthetic issues in global cinemas.
Optional modules are subject to change each year and require a minimum number of participants to be offered; some may only allow limited numbers of students (see the University's position on curriculum development).
In Semester 4, students will work with a supervisor in St Andrews to map out their dissertation project, typically a 15,000-word dissertation.
Student dissertations will be supervised by members of the teaching staff who will advise on the choice of subject and provide guidance throughout the research process. The completed dissertation must be submitted by a date specified in April.
If students choose not to complete the dissertation requirement for the MLitt, there is an exit award available that allows suitably qualified candidates to receive a Postgraduate Diploma. By choosing an exit award, you will receive a PGDip instead of an MLitt.
Teaching
The MLitt degree involves completing a number of taught modules within St Andrews and in two other institutions.
All modules provide students with the opportunity to develop and apply theoretical knowledge and research skills through close analysis, research and a discussion critical examination of films and texts.
Individual study and research is encouraged through small group discussion seminars, project work and one-to-one discussions.
All modules are taught by members of staff in the Department.
Events
Film Studies students are closely involved in the variety of events taking place at St Andrews, including seminar series, workshops and conferences. Specialist training sessions are organised periodically.
Students can become an active part in film-related activities, whether contributing to Frames Cinema Journal, attending and participating in research events and conferences, or participating in the annual Sands: International Film Festival.
Fees
Home
£22,060
Overseas
£46,145
Application fee
Before we can begin processing your application, a payment of an application fee of £50 is required. In some instances, you may be eligible for an application fee waiver. Details of this, along with information on our tuition fees, can be found on the postgraduate fees and funding page.
Funding and scholarships
The University of St Andrews is committed to attracting the very best students, regardless of financial circumstances.
15% Recent Graduate Discount
If you have graduated from the University within the last three academic years, you may be eligible for a 15% discount on postgraduate taught tuition fees. Terms and conditions apply.
After your degree
Careers
A Film Studies degree opens doors to many careers including academia, creative industries, development, distribution, film festival and cinema programming, arts administration, media management, film and TV research, journalism, publishing, advertising, cultural entrepreneurship, non-governmental organisations, marketing, public relations and education.
The Careers Centre offers one-to-one advice to all students as well as a programme of events to assist students in building their employability skills.
Further study
Many of our graduates continue their education by enrolling in PhD programmes at St Andrews or elsewhere.
Postgraduate researchWhat to do next
Information sessions
Meet our staff, learn more, and ask questions about how our courses can work for you.
Contact us
- Phone
- +44 (0)1334 46 2206
- filmdopgt@st-andrews.ac.uk
- Address
- Department of Film Studies
101a North Street
St Andrews
KY16 9AD