General entry requirements

Minimum requirements

2:1 undergraduate degree and Master's degree (or equivalent) in a related subject.

English language requirements

You can find out more about our English language requirementsLink opens in a new window. This course requires the following:

• Band B
• IELTS overall score of 7.0, minimum component scores of two at 6.0/6.5 and the rest at 7.0 or above.

International qualifications

We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications.

For more information, please visit the international entry requirements pageLink opens in a new window.

Additional requirements

There are no additional entry requirements for this course.

Our research

• Media and Creative Industries 
• ]Management and Creativity
• Intellectual Property and the Creative Economy
• Digital Cultural and Digital Love
• Global Media Industries and Policies
• Creative Enterprise and Cultural Work
• Arts, Media and Sustainable Development
• The Value of Culture and Cultural Taste
• Cities, Spaces and National Identities
• Museums and Galleries Sector
• Transnational Screen Media
• Media Policy and the Environment

Full details of our research interests are listed on the Centre for Culture and Media Policy StudiesLink opens in a new window website.

You can also read our general University research proposal guidance.Link opens in a new window

Find a supervisor

Find your supervisor using the links below and discuss with them the area you'd like to research.

For students interested in the PhD by Media and Communication route, see our Staff Research Directory where you will be able to search by research area. Additional supervision areas can be found under the Centre for Interdisciplinary Methodologies.

You can also see our general University guidance about finding a supervisor.

Research proposals

Application procedure

• Step one: In the first instance, you must identify a member of staff whose research interests and expertise are within the general area your proposed project intends to explore, and who you think would be in a good position to act as your supervisor. Please familiarise yourself with the work of the member of staff who you think would be the most suitable supervisor for you.
• Step two: Please make contact with your desired supervisor to introduce yourself and to send a short summary of your intended project. If the prospective supervisor is interested in pursuing your application further, you will be asked to submit a fully developed research proposal, a CV and a cover letter. More information on what these documents need to contain can be found below.
• Step three: If your prospective supervisor thinks your project shows real potential and that you are a strong candidate, you will be invited to Warwick to discuss the details of your project with your prospective supervisor and another member of staff. Depending on your performance, you might be informally offered a place and invited to submit a formal, online application to the University. Please do not fill in the online application form before this stage.

Please note that a PhD is a significant commitment of time and resources, both for you and your prospective supervisor. A face-to-face meeting is therefore an important step in ensuring a good match between candidate and supervisor, and we will therefore normally expect you to be available to come to Warwick for an interview as part of the application process.

The research proposal and cover letter

If you are invited to submit a full informal proposal, please make sure your documentation meets the following requirements:

The research proposal should articulate your research questions and proposed methodology; it should contain a brief literature review and position your project within your chosen area of the broader cultural policy field. Your proposal should be no longer than 1500 words.

Your cover letter should contain a statement as to why you think the Centre is the ideal place for you to conduct your research, and how your project will contribute to developing the research areas already cultivated by Centre staff.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees are payable for each year of your course at the start of the academic year, or at the start of your course, if later. Academic fees cover the cost of tuition, examinations and registration and some student amenities.

Find your research course fees

Fee Status Guidance

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Students will be classified as Home or Overseas fee status. Your fee status determines tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available. If you receive an offer, your fee status will be clearly stated alongside the tuition fee information.

Do you need your fee classification to be reviewed?

If you believe that your fee status has been classified incorrectly, you can complete a fee status assessment questionnaire. Please follow the instructions in your offer information and provide the documents needed to reassess your status.

Find out more about how universities assess fee status

Additional course costs

As well as tuition fees and living expenses, some courses may require you to cover the cost of field trips or costs associated with travel abroad.

For departmental specific costs, please see the Modules tab on the course web page for the list of core and optional core modules with hyperlinks to our Module Catalogue (please visit the Department’s website if the Module Catalogue hyperlinks are not provided).

Associated costs can be found on the Study tab for each module listed in the Module Catalogue (please note most of the module content applies to 2022/23 year of study). Information about module department specific costs should be considered in conjunction with the more general costs below:

• Core text books
• Printer credits
• Dissertation binding
• Robe hire for your degree ceremony

Scholarships and bursaries

Centre for Cultural and Media Policy Studies

We are internationally renowned for our excellence in the teaching and research in the policy, management, development, enterprise and industry of culture, media communication and creativity. Our approach is based on a critical engagement with both the practical realities of working in the cultural sector and the ideological and conceptual questions which lie behind them.

Find out more about us on our website.Link opens in a new window

Our Postgraduate Taught and Research courses

• Arts, Enterprise and Development (MA)
• Creative and Media Enterprises (MA)
• Cultural Policy Studies/Creative Industries/Media and Communication (MPhil/PhD)
• Global Media and Communication (MA)

How to apply

Applications are now open for courses that start in September and October 2025.

For research courses that start in September and October 2025 the application deadline for students who require a visa to study in the UK is 2 August 2025. This should allow sufficient time to complete the admissions process and to obtain a visa to study in the UK.

How to apply for a postgraduate research course