Institute for Media and Creative Industries Research

PhD: 3 years full-time; 6 years part-time
MPhil: 2 years full-time; 4 years part-time

Entry Requirements: An honours degree [2:1 or above] or equivalent overseas qualification.

Students undertaking a PhD programme with the Institute for Media and Creative Industries will undertake theoretically informed research that aims to impact the policies and practices of the media and communications industry, the government and the third sector.

As a PhD student with us, you will become part of the vibrant, interdisciplinary research community, and will benefit from high-quality research training delivered by our world-class academics.

The Institute incorporates an interdisciplinary team of researchers with a shared interest in the growth and impact of media and the creative industries. Our research focuses on four key areas of media development and delivery: Infrastructure, Labour, Output and Audiences.

“As part of an established research-led university, Loughborough University London places significant emphasis on developing a pioneering research portfolio realised through its very unique and exciting six highly specialised institutes.”

Professor Ahmet Kondoz, Associate Dean for Research

Research has the ability to provide individuals, businesses and organisations with the right resources to transform an idea into a reality. What's more, any product that exists in a rapidly changing world requires research to continue and develop its success.

Research at Loughborough University London

Loughborough University London continues Loughborough's success as one of the country's top research-led universities; bringing benefit to local and international communities through applied research and sociocultural, interdisciplinary thinking.

Students who undertake a research programme with us will have the opportunity to work with top researchers and industry leaders, and gain first-hand experience of industry centred problem solving. You will be actively encouraged to engage with research communities across the globe and you will become part of a talented research community within the University.

Our PhD students are linked to major companies, have access to extensive research and computing facilities, and participate in large scale international collaborative projects, providing them with exceptional postgraduate research experience.

Students undertaking an MRes in Media and Creative Industries will become part of a vibrant research community on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, and will gain specialised knowledge on media context and practices, as well as critical perspectives on different media platforms and industries.

Research areas

The Institute for Media and Creative Industries boasts a talented, close-knit research community, with a shared passion for the growth and impact of research on communication and media content, technologies and structures.

The Institute maintains a strong interest in the relationships between media and communication and technological, social and cultural change. Current research considers the implications of technological transformations and social change, including social, cultural, political and economic relationships and movements, as well as social media and activism in contemporary and historical contexts.

Much of the research in the institute is collaborative and interdisciplinary, connecting to local and global communities and organisations. The Institute also works with community groups, cultural institutions and global agencies to explore the applications of their latest research.

The Institute has a particular strength in ethnography, participatory approaches, oral histories, archival research and textual analysis. The Institute explores the application of these methodological approaches to critical studies of gender, sexuality, identity, race and ethnicity. The Institute is also interested in notions of mobility (people and technologies), place, creativity and labour, and the communication practices and infrastructures that connect and disconnect, enable and constrain.

Our academics cover a range of research interests including legacy and new media and communication structures, regulations and practices. We have experience of conducting empirical research across the globe and are particularly interested in global perspectives on media, communications and social life.