You will become part of the Media and Cultural Studies team contributing to a vibrant learning community. During your studies you will have the opportunity to present papers at conferences, write articles for academic journals and contribute articles to edited collections alongside other publications. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to enrol on a nationally recognised Teaching in Higher Education qualification, allowing you to host undergraduate and postgraduate seminars.

We are a leading research unit at Newcastle University with a strong PhD culture. Our research environment supports world-leading, internationally excellent scholarship. Our approach is distinct and interdisciplinary, focusing across theoretical and applied areas.

Our research is characterised by a critical cultural studies approach, with PhD supervision normally available in the following research areas:

• journalism work in transition; the political economy of local media; new understandings of 'local'; widening diversity in the news workforce; journalism education (Mr David Baines)
• social media; intimacy and changing social relationships; changing media technologies and personal life; gender, media and culture (Professor Deborah Chambers)
• public relations; corporate social responsibility; ePR (Ms Laurel Hetherington)
• journalism; discourse; ideology; political communication; media theory; national identity; war, politics and propaganda (Dr Darren Kelsey)
• critical discourse analysis; discourse analysis of new (social) media; national identity; political discourse analysis; ethnicity and immigration; international politics; the Middle East (Dr Majid Khosravinik)
• financialisation; the political-economy of Britain since the 1970s; political and financial elites; the UK Treasury; political rhetoric and its construction; the rhetoric of economics; heterodox economics (Dr Catherine Walsh)
• data journalism; infographics; news values; newswork ethnography; online journalism; search engine optimisation; social media (Murray Dick)

Delivery

This programme is taught on the Newcastle campus. Attendance is flexible and agreed between you and your supervisors depending on the requirements of the research project.

Find out more about our tuition fees, including how to pay them and available discounts.

EU students starting at Newcastle in 2018 and 2019 will pay the UK (Home) tuition fee for the full duration of their course.

Funding opportunities

If you have lower English Language scores, you may be accepted onto a pre-sessional English course. 

You need to submit a research proposal with your application. This should be linked to the work of a supervisor or research group at the University. Read our guidelines for producing a research proposal (PDF: 41.5KB) from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science Graduate School.

When making your online application, please insert one of the following programme codes on the 'Programme of Study' page:

• 8834F (PhD, full time)
• 8836P (PhD, part time)
• 7018F (MPhil, full time)
• 7019P (MPhil, part time) 

Then select 'PhD Media, Culture and Heritage' and the 'Research Area' Journalism and Public Relations.

Start dates

There are usually two possible start dates, although in some circumstances an alternative start date can be arranged:

• September
• January

There is no application closing date for this course, but specific deadlines for funding may apply.

We suggest international students apply at least two months before the course starts. This is so that you have enough time to make the necessary arrangements.

Deposit

If you live outside the UK/EU you must:

• pay a deposit of £1,500
• or submit an official letter of sponsorship

The deposit is payable after you receive an offer to study at Newcastle University. The deposit is non-refundable, but is deducted from your tuition fees when you register.