In 2003, Media Studies was awarded a £3.1 million grant from SPUR (Support Programme for University Research) to set up the Centre for Media Research and research is now conducted through the CMR. These research activities include historical studies and practice-related research in film, TV and photography; media policy and regulation in Ireland, the UK and internationally; the press in Ireland, Britain and internationally; archives and archiving; digital media and the internet. Study Media Studies at Ulster University in the United Kingdom. Ulster University has pioneered the development of Media Studies in higher education, introducing one of the first media studies degrees in the UK and Ireland in 1978. Media Studies has also been at the forefront of research during the last thirty years and in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), it was ranked as the tenth best Media Studies 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’. The unit also scored highly in the Impact section of the REF, with 100% of its impact case studies scored at 4*/3*. The University would welcome applicants interested in researching audio-visual archives; media and post-conflict issues; public space; media production studies; journalism and the public sphere; photographic history; media and information technology; Irish/Northern Irish media, and film, television & popular culture.

Although academia is considered to be the most obvious path for any PhD holder, with around two thirds of our graduates remaining in the Higher Education or Research sectors, the degree also paves way for a career in industries centred on research and innovation. 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).