Postgraduate study
Edinburgh: Extraordinary futures await.

Intermediality: Literature, Film and the Arts in Dialogue MSc

Awards: MSc

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

In an era where the interplay of media is at its prime, Intermediality enables you to identify and analyse the various manifestations of such collaborations. Couple that with an enthusiastic team and constant guidance in articulating your ideas; this MSc will leave you wanting more! Besides what better place to practice, study, and observe intermediality than the home of iconic festivals that celebrate all things media and arts?

Irene Intermediality MSc graduate, 2022

As the first UNESCO World City of Literature, home of the Edinburgh International Festival and a major cultural hub, Edinburgh is the ideal place for the study of intermediality, that is, the interrelations between different art forms and their signification.

Our taught Masters programme draws on world-class teaching and research expertise across media, from literature to film, music, painting, photography and visual culture more widely.

The programme will make you conversant with intermedial theory and equip you with the critical tools and historical background for understanding and analysing a wide range of intermedial phenomena across different periods and cultures, with an emphasis on the modern and contemporary period.

You will be encouraged to develop your own area of interest and expertise, with specially-designed option courses offering a detailed focus on the interplay between different art forms in, for instance:

  • film adaptation
  • photo-literature
  • film and the other arts
  • the graphic novel
  • modern screen cultures

This leads to a final dissertation or a practice-based project accompanied by a reflective essay, pursuing your research interests further and developing your research skills.

Based in a world-leading festival city, our MSc draws on the expertise of research-active teaching staff from across the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures (LLC) and Edinburgh College of Art (ECA). Literature and the arts have been taught here for over 250 years and we are exceptional in having a leading international art college within the University of Edinburgh.

You will be part of a friendly, international community of staff and students from a range of disciplines and backgrounds, each with their own perspective on literature and the arts, with lots of opportunities to discuss and present your work. LLC and ECA have excellent links with cultural partners in the city and organise a regular series of talks and events.

Combining core courses with optional courses, training in research methods, and a dissertation or practice-based project, will help you understand the theory and practice of intermediality, as well as developing your independent research skills to publication standard. Many of our graduates have gone on to complete PhDs.

You will have access to a wide range of resources, including:

  • the University of Edinburgh Library
  • the National Library of Scotland
  • Scottish Poetry Library

There are also numerous theatres, museums, galleries and cinemas, including:

  • the Traverse Theatre
  • National Galleries of Scotland
  • Stills Gallery (Scotland’s Centre for Photography)
  • Cameo Picturehouse

Check out the Intermediality blog

You can take the MSc Intermediality: Literature, Film and the Other Arts over one year, full-time, or two years, part-time.

Over the duration of the programme, you will take four core courses, and two optional courses. Each course is worth 20 credits.

The core courses are in Theories of Intermediality, and Research Methods in Intermediality, moving from general research skills to specific research problems, theories and methods, preparing you for your dissertation or practice-based project.

We make recommendations for optional courses based on their intermedial element, but there are a broad range of subjects to choose from every year. Typically, they include (but are not limited to):

  • Film and the Other Arts
  • Literature and Photography in the 20th century
  • Filming the Canon: Adaptation, Authorship, Alterity
  • Decadence in European Art and Literature, 1857-1914
  • Italy by Design: Materiality, Intermediality, and Commodification from Leonardo to the MAXXI
  • The Graphic Novel: Narrative in Sequential Art
  • Global Shakespeare across Media: Performance, Cinema, Digital Cultures
  • Film, Literature, and Race: Postcolonialism, Decoloniality, and Critical Race Theory

Please note that all option courses are subject to availability and that some may have limited spaces. Further details, based on the current academic year, are available on the University of Edinburgh course catalogue,

The final element of the programme (worth 60 credits) is:

  • your dissertation, a piece of independent research of 15,000 words, OR
  • a practice-based project accompanied by a 5,000-word reflective essay

You will receive the advice and support of a designated supervisor and, if you choose to do a practice-based project, you will either work alone or in a group of a maximum of five students.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScIntermediality: Literature, Film and the Arts in Dialogue1 YearFull-timeProgramme structure 2023/24
MScIntermediality: Literature, Film and the Arts in Dialogue2 YearsPart-timeProgramme structure 2023/24

On completion of the programme you will have gained:

  • a thorough understanding of intermediality, as a subject and as a practice
  • knowledge of a number of theories and different approaches to the study of intermediality, and the ability to use them for analysis of literary texts, films and other art forms
  • the ability to focus in detail on the interactions between different art forms and to analyse a range of art works from an intermedial perspective
  • transferable skills such as critical thinking, analytical and interpretative ability, communication and writing skills

This interdisciplinary programme will give you the skills and experience to develop your independent research interests in a broad range of fields.

You may decide to concentrate on an academic career or use your acquired skills in art institutions such as museums, galleries or cinemas. You may also choose to pursue a career in media companies, education or in cultural policy and administration.

The discipline and confidence you will develop from a range of activities - from evaluating, comparing and analysing texts and other media, to writing and speaking about your work - are invaluable in a range of professional roles.

I cherished my time in this program. Intermediality is perched at the cutting edge of media studies and is a haven for interdisciplinary dreamers.

Kay, Intermediality MSc graduate, 2022

Read posts from our students, browse a cultural map of intermedial venues in Edinburgh, and get updates about our research strand, including events held in Edinburgh and Tokyo.

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in a relevant subject.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 23 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 176 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 62 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

AwardTitleDurationStudy mode
MScIntermediality: Literature, Film and the Arts in Dialogue1 YearFull-timeTuition fees
MScIntermediality: Literature, Film and the Arts in Dialogue2 YearsPart-timeTuition fees

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

  • School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
  • 50 George Square
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9LH
Programme start date Application deadline
9 September 2024 1 July 2024

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Please be aware that applications must be submitted and complete, i.e. all required documents uploaded, by the relevant application deadline in order to be considered in that round. Your application will still be considered if you have not yet met the English language requirement for the programme.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

Round Application deadline Places awarded by
1 06 November 2023 21 December 2023
2 15 January 2024 14 March 2024
3 11 March 2024 02 May 2024
4 20 May 2024 18 July 2024
5 01 July 2024 08 August 2024

(Revised 19 October 2023 to update application deadlines and selection dates)

You must submit one reference with your application.

The online application process involves the completion of a web form and the submission of supporting documents.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

Further information

  • School of Literatures, Languages & Cultures
  • 50 George Square
  • Central Campus
  • Edinburgh
  • EH8 9LH