PhD Communication, Cultural and Media Studies

Ulster University pioneered the development of Communication and Media Studies in higher education, introducing one of the first communication and media studies degrees in the UK and Ireland in 1978. For over forty years Ulster scholars of Media and Communication have been at the forefront of pioneering research-led learning in the field and have played a significant and direct role in establishing the first RAE panel in the subject in the mid 1990s, as well as in subsequent research exercises in the 2000s. In 2003, our researchers were awarded a £3.1 million grant from SPUR (Support Programme for University Research) to set up the Centre For Media Research (CMR) and, since 2016, all research across media and communication at Ulster is conducted through the CMR, located within the School of Communication and Media. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), we ranked as the tenth best research department in the UK. In the 2014 REF, the research profile for Media Studies shows that 60% of all work has been judged as being of ‘international excellence’; within this proportion, 21% is judged as having the highest accolade: ‘world leading’.

PhD graduates are recognised by employers to hold valuable transferrable skills, as the nature of the degree trains candidates in creativity, critical inquiry, problem solving, negotiation skills, professionalism and confidence. The most recent Ulster survey of PhD graduates found that 92% had secured employment within the first year since graduation (HESA Destination of Leavers Survey 2015), and while two thirds end up in the Higher Education or Research sectors, the range of skills acquired equips the remainder for employment in a wide range of contexts.