The Doctor of Philosophy degree is conferred for advanced studies in which the student demonstrates outstanding original scholarship. It signifies the student can conduct independent research and has both a broad basic knowledge of all areas of his or her field and a comprehensive knowledge of one field in particular.

A doctoral candidate must complete all requirements no later than ten years from matriculation or seven years from the time of his or her matriculation if the candidate holds a master’s degree.

Course of Study: Students must complete 36 points of course work in addition to their M.A. degree (which will be assessed at 36 points) for a total of 72 points; three qualifying exams; a foreign language requirement; an oral defense of a dissertation proposal; a doctoral dissertation; and a dissertation defense open to faculty and students. Students are permitted to take up to two classes outside the department or as independent study. A student interested in independent study must obtain approval from a full-time faculty member after submitting a statement of purpose and a proposed bibliography.

Summary of Ph.D. Program

First Year
Fall semester: two courses and first qualifying exam.
Spring semester: three courses and second qualifying exam.

Second Year
Fall semester: two courses and third qualifying exam.
Spring semester: two courses and language requirement. Dissertation seminar/proposal. Oral defense.

Third and Fourth Years
Dissertation writing.

Internships: It is possible for Ph.D. students to receive independent study credit for work at various film libraries, associations, and archives (such as the Donnell Library, the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers, and the Museum of Modern Art). Permission from a liaison at the institution and from a faculty adviser is required for such work.

Incompletes: The department strongly discourages grades of “incomplete.” Any incompletes granted must be made up before the end of the next semester. Outstanding incompletes may render a student ineligible for assistantships and financial aid. See the GSAS guidelines for completion deadlines for incompletes. The dissertation defense cannot be scheduled if outstanding incompletes exist.

Qualifying Examinations: Each student must pass three exams: one in the field of film/culture/media theory, one in the field of film/media history, and one in a third area drawn from the existing exam offerings or drawn up in consultation with the student’s faculty adviser as a special area of study that relates to the student’s proposed dissertation topic. The theory exam areas include gender, sexuality, and representation; race, nation, and representation; cultural theory; media theory; theory of narrative and genre; theory of sound and image. The history/historiography exam areas include the following options: American film—1895 to 1929, American film—1927 to 1960, or American film—1960 to the present; history of French film; history of Italian film; history of Japanese film; history of Soviet and post-Soviet film; history of German film; history of the international avant-garde; history of documentary film; history of Latin American film; history of British film.

All exams are take-home exams. The take-home exam consists of six questions, of which three are to be answered in the form of a 10-page essay per question. The student has one week to complete the take-home exam. Each subject area is offered for examination once a year either in the fall or spring semester. A schedule of the areas offered in a particular semester is available from the department at the beginning of each academic year. Exams are graded by three faculty members. The student receives a grade of high pass, pass, or fail. If a student fails an examination, the exam in the same subject area must be taken the next time it is offered. Upon failing an exam in any one area twice, the student must leave the Ph.D. program. Students sit for their qualifying exams in their first, second, and third semesters of course work.

Foreign Language Requirement: A student must demonstrate proficiency in one foreign language. Six languages are accepted toward fulfilling the Ph.D. language requirement: Chinese, French, German, Italian, Russian, and Spanish. Students already proficient in a language other than English may request an exemption from this requirement from the director of graduate studies. Language proficiency may be demonstrated by any of the following: (1) passing the foreign language proficiency examination given by the Graduate School of Arts and Science; (2) passing a departmental examination; or (3) completing, or having completed not more than two years before matriculation, a full or final intermediate-level college course in the language with a transcript grade of B or better. School of Continuing and Professional Studies (SCPS) courses do not satisfy this requirement; however, students with no previous knowledge of a foreign language or those who wish a review are encouraged to enroll in the SCPS special reading courses for graduate degree candidates. For information, call the SCPS Foreign Language Program, 212-998-7030.

Students who have met the language requirement in another graduate school no more than two years before matriculating in the department may request that such credentials be accepted by the department.

Formal application for the Graduate School foreign language proficiency examination (not the department’s) must be filed on the appropriate form in the Degree and Diploma Office of the Office of the University Registrar no later than five weeks before the examination date. Please consult the current calendar for examination dates and application deadlines.

The departmental examination is administered once during both the fall and spring semesters. For further information, contact Elaine Bajana at 212-998-1600.

Ph.D. Dissertation Adviser: Ph.D. students are advised by the director of graduate studies or chair of the department until such time as they select their dissertation adviser. Ph.D. students should select their dissertation adviser no later than their fourth semester of Ph.D. course work. The committee chair must be a full-time faculty member of the Department of Cinema Studies or, in the exceptional case, an affiliated NYU faculty member approved by the chair.

Doctoral Committee: Each student must select two faculty members to serve as members of the core committee alongside his or her adviser. Students must select two additional readers for the examining committee soon after their core committee is in place. The examining committee consists of five members: the student’s core committee and two additional readers. At least three members of the examining committee must be graduate faculty of New York University. Advance approval by the dissertation adviser and the Graduate School of Arts and Science is necessary for any non-NYU member.

No student should begin the final draft of the dissertation until he or she has consulted (in person, except in extraordinary circumstances) with all three of the core members of his or her dissertation committee. Where possible, core members should receive a copy of each chapter of the dissertation as it is drafted.

Dissertation Seminar and Proposal: All Ph.D. students must take Dissertation Seminar in their fourth semester of Ph.D. course work. This seminar is used to develop the dissertation proposal that is defended in the Ph.D. oral defense. The dissertation proposal consists of a document of no more than 20 pages that outlines in detail the candidate’s proposed area of study. It should include (1) an outline of the research to be undertaken; (2) a statement of the project’s contribution to the field in the context of a brief review of the literature; (3) an outline of the method to be used; (4) a statement of how the candidate intends to complete the research; and (5) a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of the project. A 250-word abstract and a bibliography and filmography must be attached to the proposal.

Ph.D. Oral Defense: In the latter part of their fourth semester of Ph.D. course work, students sit for an oral defense conducted by a faculty evaluation committee. In this defense, students are questioned on their dissertation proposal and other academic progress. If a student fails the oral defense, she or he will have the opportunity to sit again for it in the next semester. The oral defense must be successfully completed before a student may begin writing the dissertation and in order for a student to be eligible to receive a dissertation award. All students must have their dissertation proposal approved by their adviser and two oral defense committee members to be eligible to receive a dissertation award. Approval should be certified by having the adviser sign and date the front page of the proposal. This process usually takes place at the conclusion of the Ph.D. oral defense. The signed copy should then be submitted to the department office to be filed. Completion of all course work, comprehensive examinations, and the language requirement is also necessary to obtain this dissertation award.

Oral Defense of Dissertation Chapter(s): In the second semester of the student’s third year, an oral defense of at least one complete chapter of the dissertation is scheduled and conducted by a faculty evaluation committee. The student is questioned on the work and on plans for continued research and writing. If a student fails the review, he or she must rewrite, resubmit, and obtain approval of the chapter before the start of the next academic year.

Doctoral Dissertation: A dissertation title card and a preliminary outline of the dissertation are kept on file in the candidate’s department. The dissertation must show the ability to follow an approved method of scholarly investigation and evidence of exhaustive study of a special field. It should add to the knowledge of the subject or represent a new, significant interpretation. Every dissertation should contain a clear introductory statement and a summary of results. The dissertation must include an analytical table of contents and a bibliography and, when submitted to the Degree and Diploma Office of the Office of the University Registrar, must meet formatting requirements and be accompanied by an abstract. When the final draft of the dissertation has been approved by the core committee, the student works with her/his adviser and department administration to establish a date for the dissertation defense and submits the final draft to the additional examining readers. The date of the dissertation defense must be set at least three weeks after all committee members have received the final draft. Following the defense, the examining committee votes on whether or not to accept the dissertation; the committee has the option of passing the dissertation “with distinction.”

The candidate is required to submit one copy of the officially submitted dissertation to the department.

A doctoral candidate must complete all requirements no later than ten years from matriculation into the M.A. program or seven years from the time of matriculation into the Ph.D. program if the candidate already holds the master’s degree.

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