Digital Media Arts PhD

at University of Surrey

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.

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.
 

• 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. 

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.
 

To apply for one of our postgraduate courses that require a UK 2:1, you must achieve at least 60% or 65% in the final two years of your undergraduate study depending on the institution you have completed your degree.

To apply for one of our postgraduate courses that require a UK 2:2, you must achieve at least 55% or 60% in the final two years of your undergraduate study depending on the institution you have completed your degree.

For courses that require a UK first-class degree to be eligible for a scholarship, you must achieve at least 65% or 70% in the final two years of your undergraduate study depending on the institution you have completed your degree.

IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall with 5.5 in each element.

Full-time
 

• UK          £4,596
   
• Overseas     £18,100

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.