Welcome to the Cinema Studies Institute.
A leader in undergraduate instruction of film for over 40 years, CSI has placed its graduates in advanced programs at universities throughout North America and Europe, including New York University, UCLA, UW-Madison, University of Chicago and Harvard. We are proud to now offer a full range of undergraduate and graduate degrees at the Institute as a result of the M.A. program introduced in 2007 and the launch of a comprehensive doctoral program in Fall 2013.
The M.A. Program consists of one intensive year combining a core curriculum of three courses with a selection of innovative topical seminars. The final stage of the MA degree entails completion of a major research paper (MRP) or a supervised internship.
The Ph.D. Program consists of a combination of required core course work, elective seminars, qualifying examinations and a doctoral thesis.
The calibre and size of the M.A. cohort facilitates a collegial environment, where students benefit from small seminar classes, and enjoy regular consultation with faculty members. Our core faculty of 14 cinema and media specialists have received recognition for both their teaching and scholarship. Another 20 faculty members from other departments add their expertise to CSI as affiliate members. The library and media holdings of the University of Toronto are the most extensive in Canada and the Media Commons Special Collections offers unique research resources. And, with its impressive range of film, art, and media festivals; repertory cinemas; and the celebrated programming and resources of the Toronto International Film Festival group (including the TIFF Cinematheque and the Film Reference Library), Toronto offers one of the most sophisticated cultural scenes in North America.
Degree Regulations
- School of Graduate Studies Calendar
- Satisfactory performance in a graduate degree program requires the completion of every course taken for graduate credit with a grade of at least a 'B-'. If a student fails to complete a graduate course in a satisfactory manner and, as a result, receives a grade of FZ (F), the graduate unit may recommend that SGS terminate the registration of that student. The student does have the option to withdraw voluntarily from the program. If the student is permitted to continue, he or she must repeat the relevant course (if it is a core program course) or an alternate course approved by the Associate Director, Graduate Studies and obtain a satisfactory grade. Both the grade for the course that was not completed in a satisfactory manner, as well as the grade for the repeated course will appear on the student's academic record.
Application Deadlines
Please see our application information page.
Due to multiple factors, we will not be able to consider any international MA applications between 2022-2025, and re-evaluate the decision in 2025.
Collaborative Specializations
Collaborative specialization emerge from cooperation between two or more graduate units, providing a student with a broader base from which to explore a novel interdisciplinary area or some special development in a particular discipline. Applicants who wish to enrol in the collaborative specialization must apply to and be admitted to both the collaborative program and the M.A. in Cinema Studies.
Should you be interested in a collaborative specialization, please consult the department offering the collaborative specialization first, regarding its offerings and separate requirements.
Cinema Studies participates in the following collaborative specialization:
For more information concerning graduate studies at the Cinema Studies Institute, please contact:
Tony Pi
Graduate Program Assistant
Room 232E, 2 Sussex Avenue
416-978-5809
gradcinema.studies@utoronto.ca
Please note that this program is dedicated to the critical study of cinema rather than training in filmmaking as a practice.
Online Application System: apply.sgs.utoronto.ca