Film and Visual Studies
Questions about these requirements? See the contact information at the bottom of the page.
The Program
The graduate program in Film and Visual Studies (FVS) leads to a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). The core emphasis of this research degree is the theory and history of media in relation to the visual arts—an emphasis that is often called "visual studies." Since 2024, the program in Film and Visual Studies is also offering a pathway of “Dissertation with Artistic Practice,” in which students with a substantial artistic practice continue to develop their film or studio work as an integral part of their dissertation research.
The program does not admit candidates who seek a terminal AM degree. Students may apply for a master’s degree after advancing to PhD candidacy. A master’s degree may also be offered to students unable to complete the PhD. The expected timetable for completion of the doctoral degree is five to six years.
For graduate students in other departments pursuing serious research in audiovisual and related media, including visual art, who wish to have their work validated by this program, a secondary field in Film and Visual Studies is offered.
Residence and Academic Standing
Two years of enrollment for full-time study are a minimum requirement, as well as at least 14 courses with no grade lower than B.
Courses
- A minimum of 14 courses must be completed by the end of the second year. Normal progression would include eight courses in the first year and six courses in the second.
- Of these 14 courses, 1 is required—AFVS 272: Proseminar Film and Visual Studies.
- At least 7 of the 14 courses must be at the 200 level.
- In addition, at least seven of the courses must be chosen from a list of courses approved for credit by the Committee on Film and Visual Studies or as approved by the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).
- The remaining courses (including courses in other departments or transferred from other schools) may be either at the 200 or 100 level.
- One of the non-200 level courses may be taken as a 300-level course (ordinarily one AFVS 320 Directed Study), but not before the second term of residence. Other 300 level courses will be permitted in exceptional circumstances and with confirmation from the professor that the work is essential to the student’s program and not offered elsewhere in the existing curriculum.
Credit for Work Done Elsewhere
Students entering Harvard Griffin GSAS who have done graduate work elsewhere may apply for transfer of credit at the end of one full term of satisfactory work.
The amount and kind of credit shall be decided by the DGS with the advice and consent of the Committee on Film and Visual Studies, but in no case will it exceed 4 courses (16 credits). The decision will be partially based on the nature of students' work done elsewhere and on their record in their first year at Harvard.
Language Requirements
Advanced reading knowledge of one foreign language is required. This language must be relevant to the student’s program of study and confirmed as such by the DGS. Students must provide evidence of language skills comparable to two full years of university study in one of the following ways:
- earning a grade of B or better on a proficiency examination administered by the relevant language department
- successfully completing (with a grade of B or better) a full second-year or higher course of study taught in a foreign language.
First- and second-year language courses do not count toward the FVS course requirements.
Incompletes
No more than one incomplete may be carried forward at any one time. Students must complete the work of the incomplete course before the end of the following term, even if the student’s registration status during that term is "leave of absence," unless they are given an earlier deadline by the instructor. This policy includes courses in the student’s plan of study taken outside of Film and Visual Studies. Normally, additional incompletes will be considered “permanent” and may not be completed at a later date.
Additional courses will need to be taken in place of any permanent incompletes unless or until the required number of courses has been completed.
Delay in completing the 14 courses will necessitate the postponement of the student’s general examination to the following academic year. A student who is still unprepared to take the examination at that time will not be permitted to continue in the program.
Students may not take an incomplete in any course during the second term of the second year.
(Non-Terminal) Master of Arts (AM)
To receive the AM in Film and Visual Studies, students must meet the following requirements:
- Complete at least eight four-credit courses in Film and Visual Studies.
- Maintain a minimum GPA of 3.5 (B+) in all classes.
- Complete AFVS 272, Proseminar Film and Visual Studies.
- Complete as many 200-level courses as 100-level courses.
- Count no more than one reading course (AFVS 320, Directed Study) for credit.
- Fulfill the language requirement.
Advising
In the first year of graduate study, students will be advised primarily by an assigned pre-general exam advisor. After the first year students begin to determine their advising committees, initially their general exam committee and then their dissertation committee.
Advancement to Candidacy
Advancement to candidacy for a PhD in Film and Visual Studies consists of three components: a qualifying paper, a written general examination, and an oral examination. The examinations are designed to test the students' command of their scholarly fields and their ability to write a dissertation. They will normally take place together in November of the third year of study and will be supervised by an examination committee appointed each year from members of the Committee on Film and Visual Studies.
Qualifying Paper
The qualifying paper is required of all students, including students who have completed a master's thesis elsewhere. It is ordinarily developed from a seminar paper, research paper, or portion of a master's thesis. It is approximately 5,000 to 10,000 words in length, including notes. The paper should demonstrate the student's independence of thinking and research, their ability to use primary source materials, and their proficiency in writing and presentation. Following close consultation with their field advisors, students at the beginning of their third term of residence will submit to the DGS the proposed topic of the paper and a timetable for its completion. The paper should be submitted two weeks before the general examination.
Written and Oral Examinations and Syllabi
The general examination tests students’ knowledge of film, media, art, and visual studies in two areas: Film and Visual Studies, and Special Topics of the student’s choice (e.g., performance, documentary, media archaeology, sound art, animation, etc.) that should be related to their prospective dissertation topic. The Film and Visual Studies general exam must be field-defining. Not simply historiographical. Specifically, it should allow students to demonstrate command of the discipline, broadly conceived, and to develop their own profile in relationship to it. Both sections of the general exam, "Film and Visual Studies" and "Special Topics," must also include an annotated syllabus for a course you would be prepared to teach on the subject.
By the end of the fall semester of their second year, students select two faculty readers to supervise preparation in each of these areas. Ordinarily, Film and Visual Studies readers will be members of the Committee on Film and Visual Studies; the Special Topics reader may but need not be. The two readers constitute the committee and will administer the written and oral components of the examination. One of them will serve as chair of the committee. In addition to the reading lists (which must be approved in advance by the two readers), students are expected to be familiar with a corpus of visual material related to the exams (including but not limited to works of art, films, etc.).
Scheduling the Examinations
Students are required to select their two readers list by the end of the fall semester of the second year. First versions of their Film and Visual Studies and Special Topics exam lists are due on May 30th of their second year of study. Ordinarily, the written examination takes place in November of the third year, and the oral examination one to two weeks after the written examination in late November or early December.
The written examination (two days): Students will be asked to respond to questions prepared by the examiners; they are ordinarily given at least three essay questions for each bibliography from which they choose one. The first day of the written exam covers the Film and Visual Studies section of the exam. The second day of the written exam covers the Special Topics section of the exam. Normal standards regarding originality and citation apply; please see the Harvard Griffin GSAS Handbook for information regarding these standards.
Oral examination (two hours): Students will be asked to review, clarify, and defend arguments presented in the written examinations as well as their syllabi. Candidates should also expect to present and discuss preliminary ideas and research for their proposed thesis topic. Students whose performance on the examination is not satisfactory will be given one opportunity to repeat all or a portion of the examinations.
The Dissertation
The Dissertation Prospectus
After the successful completion of the general examinations, students are expected to constitute a dissertation committee and choose a topic for the dissertation.
By the time of deciding on their General Exam Readers (fall semester of their second year), students begin to identify and have conversations with potential dissertation advisors and committee members. Ideally, their two General Exam Readers will serve on their Dissertation Committee (either as advisor or committee member), but this is not guaranteed unless the student explicitly approaches a faculty member to serve in this role. Two committee members must be faculty members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), and the advisor and one of them should be a faculty member from the Committee on Film and Visual Studies. A third member may be FAS emeriti (including research professors) and faculty members from other Schools at Harvard who hold appointments on GSAS degree committees are authorized to serve on dissertation advisory committees as FAS members The Dissertation Advisor is someone with whom the student has had significant contact in coursework or otherwise and who has the expertise to guide their research.
The prospectus is normally written during the spring of the third year of study and is due to the dissertation advisor and committee members by March 1. It should include a narrative of between 2,500 and 3,500 words in length, a bibliography and an imagography. The narrative should have the concision and rhetorical precision of a grant application. Students with an approved prospectus are required to participate in the FVS Prospectus Colloquium where they present the project to the community. The colloquium is held annually at the end of April.
To sustain satisfactory progress toward the degree, students will be expected to have their prospectus approved within four months after completion of the general examination.
The Dissertation
After the dissertation prospectus has been approved, candidates work closely with their dissertation advisor and readers. The PhD dissertation is expected to be an original and substantial work of scholarship or criticism. The program will accept dissertations on a great variety of topics involving a broad range of approaches to film, media, art, and visual studies. Ordinarily a dissertation in Film and Visual Studies will be 250 to 300 pages (including notes and bibliography). An image appendix may be submitted separately with the dissertation. For students pursuing the Dissertation with Artistic pathway, different guidelines apply for the artistic and written components of their dissertation. These are detailed in the Film and Visual Studies handbook.
In order to ensure timely progress toward the doctoral degree, students are expected to complete at least one dissertation chapter (or significant artistic progress, as discussed with their committee) each year by April 15, beginning with the G4 year. Copies of chapters should be submitted by the deadline to the members of the thesis committee as well as to the graduate coordinator.
Students in G4 and above must meet annually with their dissertation committee in the spring term of each year to share and evaluate their progress on the dissertation. Students should contact their committee members, cc-ing the graduate coordinator, to set up this meeting, and should confirm in advance the date and hour of the meeting with graduate coordinator.
Program students are strongly encouraged to apply for a Dissertation Completion Fellowship (DCF) in the January/February application cycle of their fifth year. To qualify for the DCF, students will need to have completed two chapters at the time of application. Students planning on applying for the DCF should be sure to meet in advance of the deadline with their dissertation advisor as well as the DGS.
Teaching
Students begin teaching in their third year. Ordinarily, they teach discussion sections in art, film, and visual studies courses. Students interested in serving as teaching fellows in studio or film/video courses are encouraged to take classes with faculty members with whom they envision teaching in the future. Students are also encouraged to directly reach out as early as possible to faculty in the studio and film/video areas to express their interest. Preparation for a teaching career is a required part of each student’s training, and teaching fellows benefit from the supervision and guidance of department members. Teaching fellows are also encouraged to avail themselves of the facilities at the Bok Center for Teaching and Learning.