MA/MS in Media Studies: Film and Photographic Studies

Leiden's Film and Photographic Studies master's traces how film and photography have developed historically and how they have been theorised, set within the wider context of visual and other media, taking an interdisciplinary approach to lens-based media that includes photography, film, and video. It is intended for students who already hold a first degree connected to the field, or who bring relevant professional experience instead, and prepares graduates for work in cinema, photography, or media art. Across the year, students explore the theories and histories of these media from the nineteenth century onward, through a combination of seminars, hands-on workshops, field trips, and lectures, taught by established scholars from Leiden's Faculty of Humanities alongside practising artists, critics, and curators. Access to Leiden University Library, home to one of the oldest photography collections in the Netherlands, supports research throughout the programme, connecting historical material directly to coursework on visual media.