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Studies & Degrees in Cultural Studies

Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines how culture is produced, circulated and used, and how it relates to power, identity and social change. Culture is understood broadly: film, television, music, literature and art, but also advertising, social media, fashion, urban life and everyday habits. The field took shape in Britain, where Richard Hoggart used the term in 1964 when he founded the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies at the University of Birmingham.

Students learn to analyse texts, images and practices with tools from the humanities, communication and the social sciences. Typical subjects are cultural theory, media theory, cultural anthropology, the sociology of culture, discourse analysis, gender and postcolonial studies, digital culture, urban studies and cultural policy. Most programmes are built around reading, discussion, essays and research projects, and many add practical work in media or cultural management.

Qualifications and levels

Cultural studies is taught as a bachelor's degree, as a master's degree and as a research field for doctorates. It is often combined with media studies, the arts or area studies.

  • Spain. Official bachelor's degrees (grado) have 240 ECTS credits and master's degrees 60, 90 or 120. The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid offers a Grado en Estudios Culturales of 4 years and 240 credits. It is bilingual: students take at least 120 ECTS credits in English and must show CEFR level B2 in English before they finish.
  • United Kingdom. Lancaster University offers a BA Hons in Media and Cultural Studies that takes 3 years full time and explores how media and culture shape social realities.
  • Netherlands. The BA in Arts, Culture and Media at the University of Groningen takes 36 months and 180 ECTS credits and is taught in English. Students study two art forms chosen from film, music, theatre and performance, visual arts or literature.
  • Canada. The University of British Columbia offers a Bachelor of Arts in Cultural Studies of 4 years at its Okanagan campus, centred on questions of identity, power, diversity and justice.
  • Germany. At master's level, Universität Heidelberg teaches Transcultural Studies, an English-language, research-oriented programme on cultural exchange between Asia and Europe.

Shorter options exist too. Summer universities and study abroad programmes offer courses on the culture and society of the host country; ask whether the home university recognises the credits.

Where to study it

This directory lists 57 active schools for cultural studies. The United States has the most (16), followed by the United Kingdom (7), Germany (6) and Spain (3); there are also schools in the Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, Canada and other countries. The list is mixed. It includes universities such as Lancaster University, the University of Sussex, the University of Groningen, Universität Heidelberg, Universität Kassel, the University of Jyväskylä and the University of British Columbia, and universities in Latin America such as the Universidad de Guadalajara and the Universidad de Antioquia. It also includes study abroad providers and summer programmes whose courses deal with a country's culture.

English is the main language of instruction, also outside English-speaking countries: the programmes in Groningen and Heidelberg mentioned above are taught in English, and the degree in Madrid is half in English. Because the field has many names, it helps to search for media and cultural studies, arts and culture, cultural analysis, transcultural studies or American studies as well.

How to choose

Programmes differ more than the shared name suggests. Before applying, compare:

  • the focus: media and popular culture, the arts, a world region, or cultural policy and management
  • the balance between theory and practical work such as media production or internships
  • the language of instruction and the level required
  • whether the degree gives access to the master's programme or profession you have in mind

Careers

Cultural studies does not lead to one profession. Graduates use their skills in analysis, writing and research in several sectors. The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid mentions projects in cultural management, mediation, creation, communication and sociocultural work, and notes that its degree gives access to the master's degree required for secondary school teaching in Spain. The University of British Columbia lists social planning, marketing, teaching and publishing. Universität Heidelberg states that many graduates of its master's programme go on to a doctorate, and that others work in international NGOs, foundations and the arts and culture industry.

There are no official employment statistics for cultural studies as a separate field, so students should ask each university for its own graduate data.

Frequently asked questions

Is cultural studies the same as anthropology or sociology?

No. It borrows methods from both, and from literary and media studies, but its object is contemporary culture in all its forms, from cinema to social media, and its links with power and identity.

How long does a degree in cultural studies take?

A bachelor's degree takes 3 years at Lancaster University and the University of Groningen, and 4 years at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and the University of British Columbia.

Can I study cultural studies in Spain?

Yes. The Universidad Carlos III de Madrid offers an official bachelor's degree in Estudios Culturales of 240 credits, taught in Spanish and English at its Getafe campus.

What can I do after a degree in cultural studies?

Typical fields are cultural management, communication, publishing, marketing, education, NGOs and research. Some paths, such as school teaching, require a further master's degree.