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Objectives
Admission requirements
Programme
Master’s thesis and requirements for graduation
Objectives
Film and Photography are at the centre of interest today. Photography museums have been
established in Rotterdam, The Hague and Amsterdam, and art museums are paying more
attention to their own photo collections. There are now specialised photography galleries,
and articles on film and photography regularly appear in the art pages of leading newspapers. As
a result of this increasing notice – both national and international – there is a growing
need for well-trained individuals with specific knowledge who can approach and analyse
film and photography both as an independent medium and in relation to other disciplines and
media. There is no other programme that focuses so specifically on film and photography while
maintaining interdisciplinarity, as well as providing academic (intellectual) and curatorial
(practical) training, as the Master’s in Film and Photographic Studies at Leiden University.
The Master’s in Film and Photographic Studies aims to give students a broad academic and
social orientation on film and photography. Particular areas of attention are the interdisciplinary
methods in the academic study of film and photography; art historical theories and theories of
film and photography; the significance of film and photography as a means of communication and a mass
medium with specific underlying strategies; the interconnections among film and photography,
visual culture and other forms of visual art; the forms of presentation for photography
(exhibitions, internet, publications, reviews, etc.); film and photographic practice as research;
and strategies in the field of collecting, conservation and management. As a result of the
increased interest in film and photography and the growing role that film and photography play in society,
there are ever more environments (‘photography worlds’) in which film and photography can be
investigated. Recent developments such as digital film and photography and new media are also
dealt with in the programme.
The topics listed above will be addressed during lectures, seminars and as part of
independent study, based on various types of objects such as films, photographs and
photographic objects; historic and contemporary film and photographic sources; the history of
film, photography and photo criticism. The outcome of this study will be reflected in term
papers and other written projects, discussions, case studies, portfolios, exhibition and
website proposals.
This foundation of knowledge, skills and insight will enable the student to formulate
and seek answers for new questions, and to function with academic integrity within
the professional field (for instance as a film and/or photo historian, curator, photographer, visual
historian, critic, film and photo-agency manager, picture editor, or exhibition maker).
The Master’s in Film and Photographic Studies has the following objectives:
broadening and deepening of knowledge, insight, skills and use of methodology in the
areas addressed by the Master’s in Film and Photographic Studies;
furtherance of academic training;
preparation for an academic career and/or post-graduate education;
preparation for a professional career as a film and or photo historian, visual historian, curator,
critic, photographer, photo-agency manager, editor or exhibition maker.
Admission requirements
The Master’s in Film and Photographic Studies is intended for students who have a degree from
an arts academy (BFA or MFA) or a university bachelor’s degree in art history, cultural
studies, visual anthropology, media studies or a related academic discipline .
It is expected of aspiring students that they have insight into the medium, that they are
able to deal with information in a scholarly fashion, and that they have some personal
experience with photography.
See for the admission requirements our website.
For more information, please contact the study coordinator.
