Digital Media Arts PhD
Key information
Part-time - 8 years
Start dates
July 2022Full-time - 4 years
Start dates
July 2022Why choose this programme
On our vibrant and expanding Digital Media Arts PhD programme, we embrace subjects that include: film, animation, visual effects, computational arts, video games, immersive media, digital acting, mediatised theatre, motion graphics, movement interfaces, performance capture, machine vision and interactive cinema. This provides you with an opportunity to undertake profound and meaningful practice-based and theoretical postgraduate research in these fields, where creativity and technology collide. Your skills and talents as a media practitioner, alongside intellectual curiosity, collaborative spirit, technical proficiency and sense of adventure, all come into play as you make use of the state-of-the-art facilities, great work spaces and dedicated multi-disciplinary supervision. You will also benefit from our extensive connections to the creative industries through our wide-range of partners within film production companies, animation houses, VFX facilities and studios. locally, nationally and globally.
Our Guildford location is a short train journey from central London and a town which is home to some of the most well-regarded games developers, immersive media producers and web design agencies, including:
- Supermassive
- MediaMolecule
- Electronic Arts
- Figment Productions
- BlueGFX
- Criterion
and many others.
We regularly enjoy visits and engagements with the London production and VFX community, which includes:
- Framestore
- Moving Picture Company
- Blue Zoo
- Nexus
- Milk VFX
- KeyFrame Studios
and many more.
We also maintain close links with the British Film Institute, BAFTA, Animation UK, Visual Effects Society, SIGGRAPH London, UKIE and plenty of other industry networks crucial for you to connect with.
On campus, we share a building and closely collaborate on a daily basis with the prestigious Guildford School of Acting. We also work closely with colleagues from Surrey’s Engineering programmes and have found touchpoints in nearly every other department Surrey has to offer. In addition to this, we are actively building relationships with other institutions close at hand and around the world, as we have found that collaboration and sharing is the only way forward for our precious arts, culture and technology communities.
Surrey’s multi-disciplinary Doctoral College will cater to your academic and institutional needs and is a great way of linking you with fellow postgraduate researchers from Surrey’s wide variety of other disciplines.
What you will study
This is a programme which will take you beyond the bounds of mere study. You will undertake your own ground-breaking artistic practice into exciting and emerging fields such as virtual production, digital performance, pervasive filmmaking, contemporary animation, immersive audio-visual, experiential installation, digital art, creative computing and AI-based media production. We will also help you develop your contextual and theoretical knowledge in these and related fields. As a contemporary media practitioner and theorist, you will be fully encouraged to engage with topical research on current artistic and media practices, diversities, accessibilities and cultural impacts.
We will also facilitate training in the latest tools and technologies to assist your creative development and enable you to create profound and impactful outputs.
If you have a proposal which you feel may match our supervision capabilities and expertise, or you are interested in the general areas we cover, please get in touch with us for an informal discussion. by contacting j.weinbren@surrey.ac.uk in the first instance
Assessment
Your final assessment will be based on the presentation of your research in a written thesis, which will be discussed in a viva examination with at least two examiners. You have the option of preparing your thesis as a monograph (one large volume in chapter form) or in publication format (including chapters written for publication), subject to the approval of your supervisors.
Research support
The professional development of postgraduate researchers is supported by the Doctoral College, which provides training in essential skills through its Researcher Development Programme of workshops, mentoring and coaching. A dedicated postgraduate Careers and Employability team will help you prepare for a successful career after the completion of your PhD.
Research themes
- Emerging media
- Practice research
- Creative production
- Art, science and technology interactions
- Virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality
- New immersive experiences
- Visualisation and serious games
- Interactive storytelling
- Virtual cinematography
- Spectatorship, participation and play
- Interactive cinema
- Digital poetry
- Narrative and character portrayal in video games and interactive media
- Acting and performance for animation, games and film
- Embodied media
- Digital aesthetics
- Post-narrative theory
- Media psychology
- Generativity.
Our academic staff
See a full list of all our academic staff within the Department of Music and Media.
Schools and departments
Research areas
Research facilities
As a Digital Media Arts PhD student, you’ll gain access to a wide range of professional film, audio, video, and interactive production facilities, including:
- High Performance GPU based computing facilities
- Fibre Connected Film and Television Studios
- Motion/Performance Capture
- 4K Cine Cameras and Lenses
- Lighting, Sound and Grip Equipment
- Set Building Facilities
- Photogrammetry
- Film and Sound Editing
- State of the Art Production Software
- Extensive Fast Media Storage
- VR/AR/MR/XR Head Mounted Displays
- Projection
- Multiple GPU Compute.
Entry requirements
Applicants are expected to hold a good honours degree and usually a MA in a relevant Arts subject or appropriate professional experience.
Candidates submitting proposals that include practice-based research will be required to provide evidence of appropriate experience and expertise.
International entry requirements by country
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 6.5 or above (or equivalent) with 6.0 in each individual category.
View the other English language qualifications that we accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
Selection process
Selection is based on applicants meeting the expected entry requirements, assessment of application, successful interview and suitable references where required.
Fees
Start date: July 2022
Part-time
UK £2,250
Overseas £8,800
Full-time
UK £4,500
Overseas £17,600
Start date: October 2022
Part-time
UK £2,298
Overseas £9,100
Full-time
UK £4,596
Overseas £18,100
Start date: January 2023
Part-time
UK £2,298
Overseas £9,100
Full-time
UK £4,596
Overseas £18,100
Start date: April 2023
Full-time
UK £4,596
Overseas £18,100
Part-time
UK £2,298
Overseas £9,100
For fees payable in 2022/23, these will increase by 4 per cent, rounded up to the nearest £100 for subsequent years of study. Any start date other than October will attract a pro-rata fee for that year of entry (75 per cent for January, 50 per cent for April and 25 per cent for July).
Overseas students applying for 2022 entry should note that annual fees will rise by 4% rounded up to the nearest £100.
View a complete list of all fees for our research programmes.
Additional costs
There are additional costs that you can expect to incur when studying at Surrey. Find out more.
Funding
A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course.
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Course | Status |
---|---|
Digital Media Arts PhD Full-time, July 2022 | Applications open Closing date: Friday 20 May 2022 |
Digital Media Arts PhD Full-time, October 2022 | Applications open Closing date: Friday 22 July 2022 |
Digital Media Arts PhD Full-time, January 2023 | Applications open Closing date: Monday 21 November 2022 |
Digital Media Arts PhD Part-time, July 2022 | Applications open Closing date: Friday 20 May 2022 |
Digital Media Arts PhD Part-time, October 2022 | Applications open Closing date: Friday 22 July 2022 |
Digital Media Arts PhD Part-time, January 2023 | Applications open Closing date: Monday 21 November 2022 |
How to apply
If you are applying for a studentship to work on a particular project, you should enter the details of the specific project that you wish to apply for rather than your own research proposal.
Code of practice for research degrees
Surrey’s postgraduate research code of practice sets out the University's policy and procedural framework relating to research degrees. The code defines a set of standard procedures and specific responsibilities covering the academic supervision, administration and assessment of research degrees for all faculties within the University.
Download the code of practice for research degrees (PDF).
Terms and conditions
When you accept an offer of a place at the University of Surrey, you are agreeing to comply with our policies and regulations, and our terms and conditions. These terms and conditions are provided in two stages: first when we make an offer and second when students who have accepted their offers register to study at the University. View our offer terms and conditions and our generic registration terms and conditions (PDF) as a guide as to what to expect.
Please note: our offer terms and conditions will be available in the September of the calendar year prior to the year in which you begin your studies. Our registration terms and conditions will vary to take into account specifics of your course.
Disclaimer
This online prospectus has been prepared and published in advance of the academic year to which it applies. The University of Surrey has used its reasonable efforts to ensure that the information is accurate at the time of publishing, but changes (for example to course content or additional costs) may occur given the interval between publishing and commencement of the course. It is therefore very important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read more.
Course location and contact details
Campus location
Stag HillStag Hill is the University's main campus and where the majority of our courses are taught.
- Phone: +44 (0)1483 682 222
University of Surrey
Guildford
Surrey GU2 7XH