Program Timeline

The doctoral program in Cinema and Media Studies typically lasts 6–7 years, and up to 12 years. It involves a minimum of two years of coursework, fulfilling a language requirement, comprehensive examinations in three fields, a dissertation prospectus, and a dissertation. Following their coursework, students also learn to teach by serving as a course assistant for faculty-taught undergraduate courses, taking the department’s pedagogy course, and serving as the instructor of record in their own undergraduate course. After advancing to ABD status, students will focus on researching and writing their dissertation. A breakdown of this timeline can be found below.
 

Students are expected to complete seventeen courses during their scholastic residency, of which a minimum of twelve courses must be listed or cross-listed in the Department of Cinema and Media Studies. All courses taken to fulfill requirements must be taken for a quality grade – courses taken Pass/Fail will not be counted towards requirements. 

• CMST 40000: Methods and Issues in Cinema Studies
• CMST 40001: Methods and Issues in Media Studies
• CMST 48500: History of International Cinema, Part I
• CMST 48600: History of International Cinema, Part II 
• CMST 69900: Pedagogy: The Way We Teach Film (offered in alternating academic years) 
• Five electives courses that either originate in or are cross-listed with CMS
• Three advanced-level CMS seminars (60000-level)
• Four electives courses that can originate in other departments and may or may not cover cinema related subjects.
   

A sample program (also outlined below) for students entering the department without previous graduate study in Cinema and Media Studies would consist in the following:

1. Year 1: Students should take between seven (7) and nine (9) courses, and are required to take CMST 40000, CMST 40001, CMST 48500, and CMST 48600.  A minimum of two elective courses should originate in or be cross-listed with CMS, and students should complete least one 60000-level course.
   1. Students should aim to fulfil their language requirement by the start of year 2.
2. Year 2: Students should take a minimum of four (4) elective courses originating in or cross-listed with CMS, and should try and fulfil the required number of 60000-level seminars. In years that CMST 69900 Pedagogy is offered, students must enroll in Autumn Quarter.
3. Year 3: Students should complete coursework requirements during Autumn Quarter; students must take CMST 69900 Pedagogy if it was not offered in their second year. Students should also look to enroll in courses and workshops offered by the Chicago Center for Teaching (CCT).

Given the highly international nature of cinema studies, students must demonstrate proficiency in one modern language in addition to English. The language should be relevant to the student's area of research and may be a programming language. If a student is working primarily on English-language media, they are encouraged to gain proficiency in French and/or German. This requirement can be fulfilled either through coursework or University-administered language exams. Students interested in fulfilling this requirement through a programming language should get in touch with the Director of Graduate Studies. Language courses are not counted toward fulfilling coursework requirements and must be completed before a student will be permitted to complete their Fields Examinations. 
 

By the end of the third year of the program, each student should have taken their Fields Examinations. All coursework and foreign language requirement must be completed prior to taking the fields examinations. The purpose of these examinations is to ascertain a student’s readiness to proceed from advanced formal coursework to devising a dissertation project, and they are comprised of five parts – three written exams (one for each field list), a syllabus for an undergraduate course, and an oral exam.
 

Upon successful completion of all coursework requirements, the relevant language requirements, and the comprehensive examinations, each student will organize a dissertation committee and prepare a dissertation prospectus. Upon approval of the prospectus by their committee, the student formally advances to the status of PhD Candidate and ABD status.