Distance Learning PHD in some form of cinema studies?

First off, I want to say how much I have enjoyed this message board!! I'm definitely on the hunt to try and figure out where and what I want to get my Masters in. This post isn't about me though.

My boyfriend just received his Masters in Library Science from the University of North Texas and he is currently a school librarian. He was a high school English teacher before that. His dream job though is to teach some form of film studies at the college level. We are on the hunt to see if there are any distance learning Doctorate of Philosophy in Film Studies or the like out there. It would need to be low residency or if it was something where he would need to be there, he would only be able to go during the summer.

Any help would be appreciated!

 

This is a field where an MFA might work. The MFA is a terminal degree and it isn't uncommon to find the entire faculty of certain arts departments (theater, for example) to not have doctorates in favor of the MFA.

In an interesting tie-in, I was just speaking to a co-worker last week about her son, who has a Master of Music (M.M.) and a Master of Library and Information Science (M.L.I.S.) who was kind of bouncing around for a while before finding work as the archivist at a large record label.

Sounds like it was a case of stepping in a big pile of luck if you ask me. But I think it highlights how a library graduate degree can open some interesting doors when coupled with another masters degree.

The first few online MFA degrees in film that I found were the Academy of Art University, the Vermont College of Fine Arts (low residency), and Regent University.

The downside is that many of these programs are going to be applied. So they would want you to actually make films or write scripts. They aren't truly "cinema studies" or "film studies." The only online degree programs in "Film Studies" I found were M.A. (not MFA) which may not be of interest. Though, in many situations, it would likely be sufficient for many adjunct roles at the CC or two year college level. I can imagine a number of smaller four year colleges that have limited film studies offerings also hiring someone with a Masters.

I haven't found any online PhD programs in film/cinema studies. But there may be a PhD in Interdisciplinary Studies out there that meets your needs. That may even be one that isn't offered via DL but can be completed locally.

 

Most "Film Studies" programs top out at the Masters level. There are some Doctoral level programs but so far I can't see that any of them are DL programs. I've linked to a list and you can easily run down and probably in an hour determine if any of them will work. Also, I suggest that during your search you broaden your search terms to include "Media Studies" or even "communications" Best of luck/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_film_schools_in_the_United_States

 

Sometimes, when resources are scarce, people are willing to consider less popular option such as going outside the US

Media Research, Degrees & Courses, La Trobe University

 

Ph.D. of Communications - Online and On Campus - Regent University

I have a friend who got this PhD with an emphasis in film and teaches film and broadcasting as a tenured professor.