The Screen Cultures Ph.D. program at Northwestern University is a leading doctoral program that conducts and mentors innovative research in the history, theory, and criticism of film, television, digital, and sound media. Integrating interdisciplinary opportunities both within Northwestern’s Department of Radio/Television/Film and departments across campus, the Screen Cultures program provides an exceptional humanities-based course of study.

Students work with interdisciplinary faculty across Northwestern and Chicago, including internationally known scholars in film, television, digital media, and sound studies. Students may opt to take courses from a variety of disciplines within the School of Communication and the Weinberg College of Arts & Sciences, including Sociology, English, German, French and Italian, Art History, Comparative Literature, Music Studies, African American Studies, Gender and Sexuality Studies, Performance Studies, Theatre, and Communication Studies.

In addition to core subjects in the history and theory of film, television, digital, and sound media, students can enroll in specialty seminars with topics such as: Feminist Media Studies; African American cinema; TV, Video, and Media Arts; Postcolonial Cinema, Screen Technologies; Cultural Theory; Media Places; Media and the Environment; the Video Essay; and numerous author and genre courses.

The program attracts visiting speakers and artists through its speaker series and colloquia, exposing students to celebrated researchers and media makers. State-of-the-art production and viewing facilities allow for screenings of the latest media and lively discussions with preeminent scholars.

The rich and rigorous experiences found within the Screen Cultures program will prepare you for the academic job market and mentor you in the art of writing for scholarly publications, while creating exciting intellectual exchange.