phd art history london

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• Francesca Aimi: Domenico Veneziano in Context: Reassessing Florentine Visual Culture in the 1440s
• Anneke de Bont: The Christian Epistemic Image in Northern European Print, c.1570–c.1700
• Helen Bremm: Surrealist Tempera Paintings in Mexico and the United States, c.1940–1970
• Thomas Cooper: May Morris, Making, Textiles, c. 1880 – 1938
• Frankie Dytor: Reanimating the Renaissance, 1873 – 1914
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PhD in History of Art

• MPhil in the History of Art and Architecture

The PhD in History of Art is a three year research degree offering the opportunity for independent research under the supervision of an expert departmental member of staff. The Department of History of Art has expertise and welcomes candidates in many areas of history of art and architectural research, but is unable to offer places to candidates for whom no supervisor is available.  Applicants are admitted who meet the course requirements and whose research interests match those of an available established University Teaching Officer. The Department does not offer a taught PhD programme, unlike, for example, many North American Universities.

As well as the research and skills training programme offered by the Department, candidates have the opportunity to attend appropriate courses in associated skills, such as modern languages, palaeography, the use of bibliographic and other databases, and computer skills.

Course Structure & Examination

The PhD in History of Art is a three year programme which commences in October each year.  It is also available on a five year part-time basis.  Students submit their dissertations of not more than 80,000 words (60,000 words for the MSc degree) at the end of their third full-time year (or part-time equivalent) and will be invited to attend an oral examination which will usually take place during the three months following the submission of the dissertation .  The dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls is orally examined by two examiners.  At least one of the examiners will be external to the University.

The programme involves minimal formal teaching. Students will usually have their supervisors confirmed before they have begun their course in October and will typically meet for 45 minutes on a fortnightly basis during term time.  A bespoke programme is evolved by the student in conjunction with their supervisor and will include attendance at the Department’s programme of research seminars and other relevant graduate courses. Attending lectures is optional but students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of lectures offered in the Department, their college and other departments and faculties relevant to their research topics.

As well as the research and skills training programme offered by the Department, students have the opportunity to develop their research skills by attending numerous courses, such as those related to the use of bibliographic resources and other databases, and specific computer skills. Informal opportunities to develop research skills also exist through mentoring undergraduate students and other opportunities presented by fellow students and members of staff.

Students will be provided with feedback via supervisions and their supervisor's termly reports which are available to them via their self-service pages on CamSIS.

Annual Review of Work

Students undertake an annual review of their work throughout their programme which is realised in different ways;  for example, the production of a report or undertaking a presentation. The purpose of the reviews is to ensure that students are on track to submit a successful dissertation by the submission deadline. The first review also serves as a registration exercise, for which students have to submit a report of 10,000 words which is orally assessed by two assessors. The purpose of this exercise is to determine whether the student is suited to the demands of PhD research and to address any concerns if there are any. 

Examination

Students submit a dissertation, of not more than 80,000 words (60,000 words for the MSc degree) . The dissertation and the general field of knowledge within which it falls is orally examined by two examiners. At least one of the examiners will be external to the University.

At a Glance

Course length and dates:

3 years full-time/5 years part-time, October start.

Examination:

A dissertation, of not more than 80,000 words. 

Academic requirement:

A 1st class or a high 2i honours degree and a Masters degree with distinction (if a distinction category exists) in History of Art or a related discipline. 

English language requirement:

See Postgraduate Admissions Office . 

Applications accepted from:

The preceding September.

Application Deadlines:

The final deadline for applicants seeking funding is early January, for the exact date, please see the Postgraduate Admissions website. Even if you are not seeking funding, we strongly recommend that you submit your application by this date, as no applications will be accepted once this competitive and popular programme is full.

If places are still available on programmes beyond this deadline; self-funded applicants will continue to be considered until the final deadline in March, for the exact date please see the Postgraduate Admissions website No applications will be considered after this deadline.

The Secretary The Department of History of Art 1-5 Scroope Terrace Cambridge CB2 1PX Tel: 01223 332975 Fax: 01223 332960

Contact: [email protected] [email protected]

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History of Art

Application options include:

Course Overview

Birkbeck has an international reputation for its research in medieval, Renaissance and modern art. Our range of interests include: nineteenth- and twentieth-century design history; photography; museology; gender and representation; and interdisciplinary topics, particularly relationships between: art and film; art and anthropology; and art and medicine.

Current research is concentrated in the following areas:

Early Modern Art and Architecture in Southern and Central Europe

• Urbanism, architecture and visual culture in Medieval Europe
• Visual cultures of fifteenth-century Europe
• Art in Early Modern Italy

Architecture

• Medieval architecture in Central and Eastern Europe
• Institutional and domestic space in early-twentieth-century Vienna
• Brutalism and twentieth-century British architecture

Photography

• Daguerrotypes and nineteenth-century commercial photography
• Photography and gender
• Photography and sculpture
• Twentieth-century British photojournalism
• 1970s radical photographic practice

  Museums and Memory Studies

• Museums, monuments and memorialisation
• Monuments and trauma
• Micro-museums

  British Art

• Eighteenth-century portraiture and conversation pieces
• Nineteenth-century optical technologies
• Twentieth-century art, photography and architecture

Within History of Art, research seminars and events are organised through the following Research Centres:

• History and Theory of Photography Research Centre
• Architecture, Space and Society Centre
• Eighteenth-Century Research Group
• The Material Texts Network
• Birkbeck Centre for Medical Humanities
• Centre for Museum Cultures

An MPhil/PhD is an advanced postgraduate research degree that requires original research and the submission of a substantial dissertation. The MPhil thesis is not more than 60,000 words; the PhD thesis is not more than 100,000 words. The thesis requirements for a practice-based project vary according to the nature of the research and can be discussed with the admissions tutors. Both the MPhil and the PhD are assessed by a viva voce examination.

At Birkbeck, you are initially registered on an MPhil and you upgrade to a PhD after satisfactory progress in the first year (full-time) or second year (part-time). We offer research skills training, along with seminars and events specifically designed to meet the needs of research students.

You need to find a suitable academic supervisor at Birkbeck , who can offer the requisite expertise to guide and support you through your research. Find out more about undertaking a research degree at Birkbeck .

We hold open days and evenings  for prospective students interested in our programmes throughout the year.

Key information

History of art mphil/phd: 7 years part-time, on campus, starting 2023-24.

• October 2023
• January 2024

History of Art MPhil/PhD: 4 years full-time, on campus, starting 2023-24

History of art mphil/phd: 7 years part-time, on campus, starting 2024-25.

• October 2024
• January 2025

History of Art MPhil/PhD: 4 years full-time, on campus, starting 2024-25

Find another course:

• Birkbeck’s research excellence was  confirmed in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework , with 83% of our research rated world-leading or internationally excellent.
• Birkbeck was ranked  as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021   Research Excellence Framework .

Entry Requirements

Good degree, usually including history of art.

A 2000-word research proposal must be submitted with your application.

English language requirements

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 7.0, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

If you don't meet the minimum IELTS requirement,  we offer pre-sessional English courses, foundation programmes and language support services  to help you improve your English language skills and get your place at Birkbeck.

Visit the International section of our website to find out more about our  English language entry requirements and relevant requirements by country .

Visa and funding requirements

If you are not from the UK and you do not already have residency here, you may need to apply for a visa.

The visa you apply for varies according to the length of your course:

• Courses of more than six months' duration: Student visa
• Courses of less than six months' duration: Standard Visitor visa

International students who require a Student visa should apply for our full-time courses as these qualify for Student visa sponsorship. If you are living in the UK on a Student visa, you will not be eligible to enrol as a student on Birkbeck's part-time courses (with the exception of some modules).

For full information, read our visa information for international students page .

Please also visit the international section of our website to find out more about relevant visa and funding requirements by country .

Please note students receiving US Federal Aid are only able to apply for in-person, on-campus programmes which will have no elements of online study.

History of Art MPhil/PhD: 7 years part-time or 4 years full-time, on campus, starting in academic year 2023-24 or 2024-25

Academic year 2023–24, starting october 2023, january 2024, april 2024.

Part-time home students: £2,500 per year Full-time home students: £4,712 per year Part-time international students : £7,165 per year Full-time international students: £14,175 per year

Academic year 2024–25, starting October 2024, January 2025, April 2025

Part-time home students: £2,539 per year Full-time home students: £4,786 per year Part-time international students : £7,525 per year Full-time international students: £14,885 per year

Students are charged a tuition fee in each year of their course. Tuition fees for students continuing on their course in following years may be subject to annual inflationary increases. For more information, please see the College Fees Policy .

If you’ve studied at Birkbeck before and successfully completed an award with us, take advantage of our Lifelong Learning Guarantee to gain a discount on the tuition fee of this course.

Fees and finance

PhD students resident in England can apply for government loans of over £26,000 to cover the cost of tuition fees, maintenance and other study-related costs.

Flexible finance: pay your fees in monthly instalments at no extra cost . Enrol early to spread your costs and reduce your monthly payments.

We offer a range of studentships and funding options to support your research.

Discover the financial support available to you to help with your studies at Birkbeck.

International scholarships

We provide a range of scholarships for eligible international students, including our Global Future Scholarship. Discover if you are eligible for a scholarship .

Our research culture

We have a lively postgraduate culture, and students meet regularly to participate in reading groups, writing groups and special research skills seminars. There is an annual research forum, where professionals in related fields share their expertise. We also run a postgraduate seminar series, where internationally renowned scholars present current research.

Additionally, we advertise a number of teaching assistant part-time posts on an annual basis. Areas of teaching are related to the requirements of our undergraduate programme. You are expected to participate in our research events, including attending lectures, research skills sessions and other classes/workshops as appropriate.

You will have access to outstanding technical research support and facilities. The  Peltz Gallery  is a flexible exhibition space for digital and material displays, small-scale performances, lectures and meetings. A range of advanced technical resources is also available in the  Vasari Research Centre . The  Architecture, Space and Society Centre  aims to provide a focus for the research activities taking place within Birkbeck and beyond in the area of architectural, design and landscape history. The  History and Theory of Photography Research Centre  facilitates, exchanges and showcases research on the history and theory of photography at Birkbeck and in the wider community.

Birkbeck's location in Bloomsbury offers excellent access to specialist libraries in the University of London, including the University of London Library, Institute for Historical Research, Warburg Institute, School of Oriental and African Studies, and the major national resource of the British Library. You will also have easy access to specialist art libraries not far from Birkbeck, including the library of the Courtauld Institute of Art, the British Architectural Library and the National Art Library at the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A).

The great visual resources of the British Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Tate Gallery, V&A, commercial galleries like the Barbican Gallery, ICA, Hayward Gallery and Royal Academy, and temporary exhibition galleries also make London a particularly good place in which to undertake research. We also have links with Cambridge Museum of Anthropology and Archaeology, Charles Dickens Museum, English Heritage, the Imperial War Museum, Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, Sir John Soane's Museum, the Wallace Collection and the Wellcome Collection.

Read more about  our vibrant research culture .

Follow these steps to apply to an MPhil/PhD research degree at Birkbeck:

1. Check that you meet the entry requirements, including English language requirements, as described on this page.

2. Find a potential supervisor for your MPhil/PhD research. You can look at the Find a Supervisor area on this page for an overview, or  search our Experts’ Database  or  browse our staff pages  for more in-depth information. You may also find it helpful to  view the research projects of our current students .

3. Contact the academic member of staff - or the department they teach in - for an informal discussion about your research interests and to establish if they are willing and able to supervise your research. (Please note: finding a potential supervisor does not guarantee admission to the research degree, as this decision is made using your whole application.)  Find out more about the supervisory relationship and how your supervisor will support your research .

4. Draft a research proposal. This needs to demonstrate your knowledge of the field, the specific research questions you wish to pursue, and how your ideas will lead to the creation of new knowledge and understanding.  Find out more about writing a research proposal .

5. Apply directly to Birkbeck, using the online application link on this page. All research students are initially registered on an MPhil and then upgrade to a PhD after making sufficient progress.

Find out more about the application process, writing a research proposal and the timeframe .

Application deadlines and interviews

You can apply throughout the year for registration at the beginning of term (October, January or April).

If you wish to apply for funding, you will need to apply by certain deadlines. Consult the websites of relevant bodies for details.

Recent research topics.

• Canadian surrealism 
• Imperial exhibitions 1922-1936 
• Sixteenth-century Venetian art 
• The space of imagination: reading in French painting 1850-1900 
• Selling England by the pound: the Hepworth Manufacturing Company 
• Aesthetics and film 
• Gender and race in late nineteenth-century British art 
• Landscape 1918-1928 
• Modernism à la mode : women, movies and modern style 
• The historical documentary in post-war British television 
• Photographic collections compiled by women 
• Experiments in black and white: OP Art, Bridget Riley and Britain in the 1960s 
• Richard Dadd: the art of the insane 
• History of art in an electronic environment 
• Bereavement, identity and monuments 
• The role of media for immigration in post-war Britain (1945-1980) 
• Popularising high culture 
• Art and law

Apply for your course

Apply for your course using the apply now button in the key information section .

Finding a supervisor

A critical factor when applying for postgraduate study in history of art is the correlation between the applicant’s intellectual and research interests and those of one or more potential supervisors.

Find out more about the research interests of our academic staff:

• Suzannah Biernoff, MA, PhD : history of the body, vision and emotion; relationships between war, modernity and visual culture.
• Dorigen Caldwell, MA, PhD : sixteenth-century Italian art and culture; symbolism; art and patronage.
• Professor Fiona Candlin, BA, MA, PhD : small, independent 'micro museums'; museology.
• Professor Mark Crinson, MA, PhD : modern architecture; post-WW2 British art and architecture; architecture in the British Empire; Victorian architecture; race and modern architecture.
• Professor Patrizia di Bello, MA, PhD : history of photography; nineteenth-century art and visual culture; aspects of nineteenth- and twentieth-century women's art; feminist and psychoanalytical art criticism.
• Professor Steve Edwards, MA, PhD : history and theory of photography; capitalist culture in nineteenth-century Britain; contemporary art and contemporary capitalism; marxist theory; documentary; historiography; radical aesthetics.
• R obert Maniura, BA, PhD : European Renaissance art and pilgrimage.
• Professor Lynda Nead, BA, PhD : nineteenth- and twentieth-century British art; aspects of gender and visual representation in the modern period; art and the city; art and film.
• Zoë Opačić, MA, PhD : medieval art and architecture; relationship between architecture, public ritual and urban planning.
• Mara Polgovsky Ezcurra, BA, MPhil, PhD : non-Western art histories, race, gender, colonial legacies, cultural transference, and migration, modern and contemporary art Latin American.
• Professor Kate Retford, MA, PhD : eighteenth-century British art and culture; use of visual evidence in history; portraiture, gender and the country house.

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Research degrees (mphil/phd) history of art and/or archaeology.

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Key information

Home student fees (full-time) : £4,860 per year Home student fees (part-time) : £2,430 per year Overseas student fees (full-time) : £22,490 per year Overseas student fees (part-time) : £11,245 per year

Please note that fees go up each year.   See  research fees  for further details.

It is expected that candidates will already have completed postgraduate taught courses in the form of a taught Masters degree (an MA, MSc or LLM, for example) and obtained good results before starting a PhD programme. Applicants will also need one reference. International applicants should also see  Doctoral School English language requirements

Course overview

Undertaking a research degree is an intense and personally rewarding experience.  A full-time doctoral student has three years to complete a full draft of their thesis and then a further one year for writing up (known as a 3+1 degree). The department offers a dynamic and collegiate atmosphere to support research students in all dimensions of their work – from developing the individual thought process, to information-sharing on archives or conferences, to refining presentation skills, to building social and professional networks. Research degrees are generally undertaken by individuals who aim to become professionals in the field of art history and/or archaeology, whether as academics who carry out research and teach in universities or as curators or educators in museums, libraries or archives, or in any number of other related areas such as academic publishing or even the commercial art world. Embarking on a research degree is not just about the qualification but also about developing as a person and a professional so as to be able to contribute to the multitude of discourses in, and perhaps also far beyond, the discipline. 

Why study MPhil/PhD History of Art and/or Archaeology at SOAS

Beyond the distinctive intellectual environment of SOAS, doctoral researchers are generally drawn to work with an individual supervisor who is an expert in a particular field and often known for a particular critical approach. Many of our current students completed MA degrees at SOAS during which time they took courses with and got to know members of academic staff in the department, experiences that encouraged them to consider a research degree. Prospective applicants may wish to browse through the staff profiles  for updated biographies and publications. Some supervisors prefer their research students to have trained under them at MA level even if they have an MA in art history or archaeology from elsewhere. Our department generally makes about 10-20 offers each year. Our programme has one of the highest completion rates at SOAS and indeed in the sector: we graduate about 0.7 doctorates each year, within the 3+1 year framework, per full time member of staff. 

The year-by-year requirements for full-time MPhil and PhD research students are as follows:

During Year 1, the student refines the research proposal and decides in conjunction with their Supervisory Committee whether the research project should be directed towards the goal of an MPhil or a PhD degree. Students who wish to work towards the PhD must pass the process of upgrading registration from MPhil to PhD candidacy. They must provide the following to the Supervisory Committee by the May deadline (the exact date is set each year by SOAS Registry): 

• Written work for the HAA Research Skills (15 PAR H061) Term 1 obligatory course (5,000 words) 
• Draft chapter(s) (15,000 words) 
• A chapter outline and a time plan for each chapter’s completion 
• A year 2 fieldwork and research plan 
• A bibliography of relevant sources 

The student undertakes fieldwork or data collection. Regular reports must be submitted to their supervisor, via email or in person. A second chapter will normally be completed.

Students complete a full draft of their thesis. They are required to undertake the following: 

• Formal presentation of fieldwork in School of Arts Fieldwork Symposium, usually held in March 
• Submission of draft thesis by 15 September, along with a Completed Approval Form. If the Supervisory Committee is satisfied that the draft thesis can be developed into a thesis of a quality worthy for submission for examination in the subsequent academic year, the student will be allowed to register on Extension of Writing-up (Continuation) Status for year 4. 

Students complete and submit their thesis. At the viva (thesis examination), the examiners aim to confirm that:

• they have satisfied themselves that the thesis is genuinely the work of the candidate
• the thesis forms a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject, and affords evidence of originality by (i) the discovery of new facts and/or (ii) the exercise of independent critical power
• the thesis is satisfactory as regards literary presentation
• the thesis is of a standard to merit publication in whole or in part or in a revised form.

See SOAS Doctoral School   for further details about MPhil/PhD processes.

Important notice

The information on the website reflects the intended programme structure against the given academic session. The modules are indicative options of the content students can expect and are/have been previously taught as part of these programmes. However, this information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability is subject to change. 

Teaching and learning

Research topics.

Research topics can be considered under three headings: first, historical and contextual studies of the traditions, forms and artists of the past; second, the study of contemporary and popular visual arts; and third, the contribution of Asian and African art studies to the development of a comparative philosophy of art and archaeology. The opportunities for original and innovative research are therefore extremely wide-ranging. This is an area in which cooperation with scholars in Asia and Africa is possible to mutual advantage. All staff are simultaneously attached as art historians or archaeologists to the department and as regional specialists to their appropriate regional centre at SOAS.

Supervision and training

The teachers of the department offer supervision in most aspects of the visual arts, architecture, material culture and archaeology of Asia and Africa, leading to the MPhil or PhD. Both degrees are examined by thesis, normally up to 60,000 words for the MPhil and 100,000 for the PhD. According to university regulations the MPhil 'shall be either a record of original work or an ordered and critical exposition of existing knowledge', while the PhD 'must form a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject and afford evidence of originality ... either by the discovery of new facts or by the exercise of independent critical power'.

At SOAS, the necessary training, supervision, research and writing takes a minimum of two years for the MPhil and a minimum of three for the PhD. Students will be registered initially for the MPhil but those wishing to take the PhD may be upgraded depending on the progress and scope of their work.

A supervisor will be appointed from among the teachers of the department according to the nature of the proposed research. The supervisor is responsible for providing guidance as needed. The progress of the student will normally be monitored by a supervisory committee comprising the supervisor and one other teacher, normally a specialist in an area related to the field of study.

Application requirements

It is expected that candidates will already have completed postgraduate taught courses in the form of a taught Masters degree (an MA, MSc or LLM, for example) and obtained good results before starting a PhD programme.

Students are expected to be sufficiently familiar with the subject and to have their own ideas about the research they wish to do. They are required to submit an outline proposal with their application. This should be at least 1,500 words and should indicate the treatment of research intended and the sources of the materials to be used. Proposals must indicate the scope and significance of the study as well as the feasibility and intended approach. The responsibility of the supervisor begins with advice intended to help develop the student's ideas into an acceptable research project. Staff will offer advice on developing a proposal and welcome enquiries from potential applicants.

SOAS Library

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Scholarships

Fees and funding, fees for 2023/24 entrants per academic year.

Please note that fees go up each year. 

See  research fees  for further details.

Students in the School of Arts develop a ​​critical and theoretically informed approach to global arts and culture. In addition to an intercultural awareness and practical expertise, graduates gain a wide portfolio of transferable skills which are especially sought after in the creative and cultural industries.

Recent graduates have been hired by:

• Christine Park Gallery
• Design Museum
• Hong Kong Museum Of Art
• India Foundation For The Arts
• Japanese Gallery
• Museum of East Asian Art
• Music in Detention
• National Gallery
• People Projects Culture & Change
• Roundhouse Trust
• Somerset House Trust
• Songlines Magazine
• South Asian Art UK
• Stratford Circus Arts Centre
• Taiwan Embassy
• The Alliance for Global Education
• The British Embassy
• The National Museum Of Korea
• The Royal Collection
• Victoria and Albert Museum

Find out about our  Careers Service.

Professor Ashley Thompson

Southeast Asian arts, aesthetics, literatures and cultural histories, with a focus on Cambodia, from the Angkorian to the post-Angkorian to the contemporary; Theravadin Buddhist arts, literatures and ritual; cultural heritage; sexual difference; deconstruction; memory and textuality.

SOAS Voices

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An education rooted in humanities and social sciences gives you timeless skills that help you adapt to a rapidly changing world.

"My specialism in the Middle East made me stand out from other MA Art History grads"

Aimee Dawson shares her experience studying MA History of Art and how her specialism in Contemporary Art of the Middle East has helped her career so far. 

Looted art and missing context of Indian history at the British Museum

Digital Ambassador Nidhi visits the Indian exhibit at the British Museum and argues that what is missing in a gallery tells its own story.

Circumambulating objects: On paradigms of restitution of Southeast Asian art

Circumambulating Objects: on Paradigms of Restitution of Southeast Asian Art (CO-OP) assembles individuals across the arts, culture and heritage fields to question entrenched systems of valuation, ownership, replication, collecting and display as these are brought into relief through restitution processes today.

Stroke by Stroke: Calligraphic imagination in contemporary Chinese art and emergent media

Tibetan buddhist monastery collections today.

Documenting the collections of Chemrey Monastery Museum in Ladakh.

The "Summer Palace" Diaspora

Tracing the trajectories of Yuanmingyuan objects from China to Britain and France.

Legacies of Art, Architecture and Culture in Historic Mosul: A story of resistance and resilience in the context of adversity

This talk addresses the diverse history of art, culture, and architecture of Old Mosul as a mosaic of interlocked layers of resilience in the face of protracted adversities.

Virtual Open Day: SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art

The SOAS-Alphawood Postgraduate Diploma in Asian Art at SOAS University of London offers a programme renowned for its excellence, in association with the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum.

Join us for a virtual open day to learn more about our programme and scholarships available.

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Soas-alphawood postgraduate diploma in asian art.

Object-based study of the arts of Asia, run in association with the British Museum and Victoria and Albert Museum. Available in-person and online.

Specialist art short courses

In-person and online short courses specialising in the arts of Asia.

School of Arts

The School of Arts is a world-leading centre for study and research involving visual and sound arts, material and intangible cultures, media industries and digital cultures of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.

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Art History

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Introduction

Research the history of art, architecture and visual culture, from the Middle Ages to the present day, and become part of a thriving and supportive research community.

Study Information

At a glance, want to know more, related information.

• This degree is available by Distance Learning
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The Art History Department is an active group of researchers, offering expert supervision to research students in a wide range of topics , including late medieval art and architecture, early modern British and European art, art theory and historiography, contemporary art and visual culture, the history of collecting and exhibitions from medieval and early modern art through art theory to contemporary visual culture.

Art historical research in Aberdeen benefits from an exceptional archive and museum at the University, whilst at the same time, members of staff foster strong links with researchers worldwide. The University Library has been built up over five centuries and is home to an excellent collection of research literature, but also to an important historic collection. Aberdeen’s special collections are particularly strong in areas such as illuminated medieval manuscripts, archaeology, and travel literature. The unique George Washington Wilson archive contains over 45,000 original glass plate negatives made by this pioneer Victorian photographer.

Visual resources are equally rich. The north-east of Scotland has a distinguished architectural heritage from the Middle Ages onwards, while Aberdeen Art Gallery has a fine collection of French and British (including Scottish) art. In addition to its important William Dyce archive, it has one of the best collections of Victorian painting outside London, with examples of work by Rossetti and Dyce.

Our research students are embedded in a thriving and close-knit research community, benefitting from regular seminars and training opportunities. Current PhD students are affiliated with the George Washington Wilson Centre for Art and Visual Culture , the Centre for Medieval and Early Modern Studies , and RIISS .

September and January start dates available

Research Interests

British and scottish art.

The many exceptional archives and collections at the University, and in north-east Scotland more broadly, are an excellent resource for original and innovative research projects. Dr Helen Pierce is a specialist in British art of the early modern period (c.1550–1750), with a particular focus on works on paper and the history of political satire. Dr Hans C. Hönes has published widely on the history of archaeology and antiquarianism in Britain, as well as on British art writing.

Art and Christianity

Art History at Aberdeen has close ties with the School’s Divinity Department, and both disciplines co-ordinate the innovative MLitt in Christianity & the Visual Arts . Dr Joanne Anderson is a specialist in the imagery of Mary Magdalene and the saint’s visualisations in a range of media: from paintings and altarpieces, through prints and glass, to contemporary video art. Dr Karl Kinsella is an expert in medieval architecture and book illumination.

Contemporary Art and Visual Culture

Dr Camilla Mørk Røstvik specialises in twentieth and twenty-first century visual culture, with a longstanding research interest in the history, cultures, and art of menstruation.

Entry Requirements

Normally, the minimum entrance requirement for admission to the PhD is a degree with Second Class Honours (Upper Division) in an appropriate field, or equivalent. It is preferable that you hold a Masters in the chosen area of study as well.

Alongside your application form, you will need to upload the following supporting documents online:

• Copies of your undergraduate and graduate degree certificates
• Academic transcripts for your undergraduate and graduate degrees.
• Two academic references; either the details of your referees provided on your application form or uploaded online with your application.
• Your research proposal
• If English is not your first language and you have not studied previously at an institution in the UK, you will need to demonstrate your proficiency in English by taking an IELTS, TOEFL or PTE academic test .

International Applicants

• Information about visa and immigration requirements

Fees and Funding

View the tuition fee rates

Further Information about tuition fees and the cost of living in Aberdeen

Our Funding Database

View all funding options in our Funding Database .

The Historic Collections

The Historic Collections include medieval manuscripts and estate papers. The George Washington Wilson archive contains over 45,000 original glass plate negatives.

Past graduates have gone into academic careers, heritage work (National Trust of Scotland, English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Historic Monuments Commission), arts administration, museums and galleries, art trade (Auction Houses, Dealers), publishing and media.

Related Postgraduate Taught Degrees

• Christianity and the Visual Arts

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• Staff & students

MPhil/PhD Art

Course information.

3-4 years full-time or 6-8 years part-time

Course overview

We support innovative art research in Fine Art, Curating, Art Writing and across disciplines.

The MPhil/PhD Art is a 3-4 year (full-time) or 6-8 year (part-time) research project, the pursuit of which may involve your already-established practice or may require the development of new modes of practice specific to the project.

Research degrees in this department have two elements:

• The research work that you carry out individually under supervision
• A programme of seminars and installations which bring you into dialogue with other research students and a wider community inside and outside Goldsmiths

We welcome proposals for research in any area of fine art, curating and art writing. We give priority to those with proposals for research within the areas of interest of  our staff .

The  Department of Art  has 11  specialist Art Practice Areas  providing support for a wide variety of processes that complement and extend traditional disciplines, such as   metalwork, casting, woodwork, ceramics, textiles, print, photography, 3D printing, graphics, video editing, animation and 3D modelling.

Full-time students have access to studio space and all MPhil/PhD students may make use of bookable spaces subject to availability, and we encourage regularly exhibiting practice-based work. A programme of installations acts as a means of public engagement with research projects.

Research degrees are supported by further courses and professional development provided by the  Graduate School . 

There are three different pathways:

• Pathway 1 - Thesis by Practice (accompanied by a critical account)
• Pathway 2 - Thesis by Practice and Written Dissertation
• Pathway 3 - Thesis by Written Dissertation

To find out more about each of these pathways, please see the Structure section below.

Banner image by recent graduate Bahar Noorizadeh, 'Weird Economies’ Flows diagram (2023)

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Programme Director Dr Edgar Schmitz or Pre-application adviser, Professor Michael Newman .

The Department of Art at Goldsmiths is committed to supporting and developing art research of the highest quality in the areas of Fine Art, Curating, Art Writing and across disciplines.

Programme pathways

Within the overarching programme of MPhil/PhD in Art, there are three different pathways for undertaking doctoral research, including:

Pathway 1: Thesis by Practice (with written critical account of research)

The thesis comprises a substantial body of studio practice, curatorial practice and/or art writing practice, presented as an integrated whole. This is accompanied by a considered form of documentation, as appropriate to the project, and a written component of approximately 20,000-40,000 words for PhD (10,000-20,000 words for MPhil) offering a critical account of the research.

For more information on Pathway 1, please refer to the  programme specification .

Pathway 2: Thesis by Practice and Written Dissertation

The thesis comprises a body of studio practice, curatorial practice and/or art writing practice AND a written dissertation of 40,000-80,000 words for PhD (20,000-40,000 for MPhil), presented together as an integrated whole. The thesis will be accompanied by a considered form of documentation, as appropriate to the project.

For more information on Pathway 2, please refer to the  programme specification .

Pathway 3: Thesis by Written Dissertation

The thesis comprises a written dissertation of 80,000-100,000 words for PhD (40,000-50,000 words for MPhil), presented as an integrated whole.

For more information on Pathway 3, please refer to the programme specification .

Research students will start on one of these three pathways when they apply and may change to a different option only up until the time of Upgrade.

Supervision

Every research student has a supervisory team consisting of a Primary Supervisor and a Second Supervisor. As we encourage and support interdisciplinary research, many of our research students have Second Supervisors in another Department. The exact structure of your supervision will be determined by the nature of your project and through discussion with your supervisory team; however, it is expected that you will maintain regular contact with your supervisors throughout the research project.

Programme Activities

Induction week.

A series of events and activities for all incoming MPhil/PhD research students in the College is organised by the Graduate School as part of Induction Week. The Department of Art hosts a specific induction session for all incoming art research students, who are also invited to attend a day of public presentations by current research students.

Research Presentation Seminars

The intention of the Research Presentation Seminar is to probe and develop your research project as it progresses through various stages. In this respect, the seminars can be formative and generative, open to questions, debates and problems, or they can be presentations of preliminary outputs or findings.

Academic Practice Workshops

Each of these workshops is dedicated to a key element of research and/or professional practice. Our training is responsive to the current concerns of postgraduate research in Fine Art, Curating and Art Writing.

Subjects covered in previous years are indicative of the scope of these workshops:

• The relationship of a ‘question’ to a research project e.g. can we understand practice as a mode of responding to questions?
• The role of ethics in research
• The relevance of interdisciplinary or ‘inventive’ methods for research
• How to explore validity and sufficiency in practice-based research
• The communication of research and the Contextual Review as part of doctoral research
• Heterogeneity in research outputs: e.g. the affordances of the exhibition, the website, the book, etc
• Documentation and the importance of sequence, narrative, detail, speculation
• The generation of publics in research dissemination

Installations

If you are a research student on one of the practice options, you are required to install your practice by means of a public-facing exhibition at least twice during your time on the programme. The installation is an opportunity to make public the practice component of the research in relation to the overarching claims and written components of your thesis, to test their boundaries, or to investigate how to productively disregard such categorisations. 

Annual Review Panels

Scheduled in Term 3, the Annual Review Panels are an opportunity to monitor progress and support research students at formative stages throughout the project.

Postgraduate Talks Series

The Art Department Postgraduate Talks Series is geared toward the MFA and MPhil/PhD cohorts. The series is informed by and informs ongoing discussions within the PhD research environment.

Contemporary Artist Talks

The Contemporary Artist Talks series runs throughout the year, showcasing prominent national and international artists.

What our students say

Sophie williamson, clémentine bedos.

See more profiles for this programme

Entry requirements

We expect all applicants to have a 2:1 or 1:1 honours degree (or equivalent), usually to have a Masters degree in a relevant discipline (or equivalent research experience), and to be suitably proficient in spoken and written English.

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification ) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study .

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees.

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

• Home - full-time: £TBC
• Home - part-time: £TBC
• International - full-time: £TBC

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office , who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment .

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page .

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities . If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

Please also see our page on Funding for Postgraduate Research in the Department of Art  for information about scholarships, bursaries and other financial support for postgraduate research.

The Department of Art intends to offer a maximum of three one-year 'kick starter' fee waivers for part-time Home applicants beginning their studies in September 2023. Recipients are encouraged to work with supervisors on developing applications for funding sources such as CHASE. These fee waivers are not renewable.

Fully-funded CHASE collaborative doctoral award ‘The 4+ Dimensional Materialities of the Choreographic’

For September 2024 entry and in addition to the general applications rounds, we are delighted to also invite applications from outstanding practitioners for a fully funded  CHASE Collaborative Doctoral Award  on  ‘The Four-plus Dimensional Materialities of the Choreographic’,  which will be supported by  CHOREOGRAPHIC  in Art at Goldsmiths and the new  Rose Choreographic School  at Sadler’s Wells East. 

Applications will open on 6 October with a deadline of 16 February 2024 12pm GMT. 

We will be holding an online pre-application briefing session with the three supervisors on Wednesday 24 January, 5–6pm GMT.  You can join the meeting via Teams on 24 January.

How to apply

You can make an application to study for an MPhil or PhD with us at any time of the year but we have two preferred deadlines:

Students on this programme are eligible for  CHASE funding . If you wish to be considered for the CHASE funding for 2024 entry, your deadline for application to the programme is 20 November 2023 at 12 noon GMT.

The recommended deadline for self-funded students for 2024 entry is 16 February 2024

The application deadline for the CHASE Collaborative Doctoral Award 'The Four-Plus Dimensional Materialities of the Choreographic' is 16 February 2024. For full details please see the 'Fees, Funding and Scholarship' section above. 

Application process

Across the three recruitment strands, we recommend the following steps:

Check staff research interests 

In the first instance, you should have a look at the staff research interests to see if Art is the right department for you and whether a member of staff matches your research interests. You should then contact appropriate staff members who you think match your area of research to enquire as to whether or not they are interested in supervising your research. The University of London requires that students have two supervisors and we prefer applicants to have identified two supervisors in advance.

We recommend that you contact and liaise with prospective supervisors. If you are unable to do this, please indicate an appropriate supervisor from the Department’s staff list . Nominating supervisors indicates that you have a good grasp of your research and helps us to direct your application to appropriate members of staff and in determining a good match between your research and the Department. Please see the description of Art staff research interests on the Department of Art’s webpage. Some staff may not be available as they have reached a maximum number of MPhil/PhD students.

Develop a Research Proposal

At this point, you should start to develop a research proposal and determine which pathway is right for your project. Please see below for information on what is required for the research proposal, as this varies by pathway.

Make a formal application

If the member(s) of staff you have contacted is interested in supervising you then the next step is to make a formal application via the Goldsmiths online application system. On your application, you should name the supervisors who have indicated their willingness to supervise you. At this point, your application goes to Goldsmiths central admissions department and is subsequently sent out to the Department of Art’s admissions group for a first-pass review before it gets sent to the nominated supervisors.

We will email you a decision as to whether or not you have been selected for interview or if you have been accepted or rejected. Unfortunately, due to the number of applications we receive, we are not able to offer feedback on unsuccessful applications.    

Writing the Research Proposal

Your MPhil/PhD proposal should describe the programme of enquiry and investigation you anticipate pursuing with us. We recognise that your research direction is likely to change and become more detailed as you progress, so the proposal should be considered a starting point. Nonetheless, it should demonstrate that you are capable of framing your own agenda for research and that you have a sense of the larger field to which you wish to make a creative and critical contribution.

The Research Proposal should be no more than 3,000 words, and must include all the following information:

• Title of project  –   Be as concise and explicit as you can (we know this is provisional)
• Keywords  – Three or four words relating to your project
• Thesis option  – Indicate whether you will be applying for Thesis by Dissertation, Thesis by Practice and Dissertation, or Thesis by Practice
• Names of intended supervisors
• Background and research questions  – You should identify the broad field of study, your intervention into this, and how your proposal will offer an original contribution. Identify any deep concern or problem driving your research and why it is important to pursue this. Typically, applicants highlight the research questions by way of three or four bullet points.
• Role of writing and research methods – You should indicate how the written component of your chosen Pathway will enable you to address your research questions. Please state why the chosen Pathway is suitable for this project and what research methods you will use.
• Stages of research and schedule – This should include an indicative timetable for the completion of artworks, exhibitions, written works, etc.
• References – Include a list of works cited, in a standard format such as Harvard, listing any books and articles to which you refer in the proposal as well as other sources, such as artworks. This is indicative, not exhaustive.

In addition, if you are applying for practice-based pathways you must include

• Approach to Practice-Led Research   – You should describe how you understand the ways in which the methods/forms of your current practice function as research, and how the planned methods/forms will function to answer your research questions (no more than 700 words). 

See here for  general advice on writing a Research Proposal . 

Write a Personal Statement

In addition to your Research Proposal, you will be asked to submit a Personal Statement at the time of your application. This should be no more than 1,500 words.

The Personal Statement must include all of the following information:

• Brief biography  – A short biographical statement
• Research background  – Identify how your professional or other experience has prepared you for this research.
• Motivations and capacity  – Provide a brief statement about your motivations for embarking on an MPhil/PhD, and your capacity to undertake a long-term research project

See here for  general advice on writing a Personal Statement .

Formal Applications Process

You will apply directly to Goldsmiths using the  online application system .

You should upload the following materials under ‘Other Documents’:

• Research Proposal  (3,000 words) – including Approach to Practice-Led Research , if required
• Personal Statement  (1,500 words)
• Writing Sample  (2,000-5,000 words) – A sample of academic writing, such as an essay, an extract from your MA dissertation, or a piece of published writing.
• Practice Portfolio  – If your research involves practice, you should include examples of your recent work in an appropriately documented form. We would prefer an annotated portfolio in the form of a PDF (ten-page maximum).
• CV  – A full CV, which includes the classes of your educational degrees.
• Transcript  – If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory). 

Other information

Graduate schools and chase workshops .

Please note that the  Graduate School and  CHASE are planning to run applicant workshops. You should consult their websites for this information as it becomes available. It is strongly recommended you attend a CHASE workshop if you are intending to be funded through this route.

Find out more about applying .

We have a dedicated team of staff who work on the PhD Programme, including: 

• Dr Edgar Schmitz , Programme Leader
• Professor Michael Newman

All members of staff in the Department of Art are available to supervise PhDs. Please see our Departmental Staff Page  for more information about individual staff and their research interests.

Please note that you will be asked to indicate your preference for potential supervisors on your formal application; however, it is not expected that you will make contact with potential Supervisors in the early stages of your application process.

Other Involvement

Members of Staff in the Art Department as well as from other Departments at Goldsmiths are involved in many of the programme activities. External guests are also invited to participate, including running the Skills Workshops.

Throughout the course of your research, it may be possible to have ‘ad-hoc tutorials’ with members of Goldsmiths staff and external artists and academic in order to key into particular expertise and support your research.

Our art programmes aim to equip you with the necessary skills to develop independent thought and confidence in your practice. In addition, these skills are of use in other career paths you may wish to follow.

Our researchers have been successful in many fields including media, museums, galleries, education, the music business and academia. Many have continued to be successful, practising artists long after graduating, and have won major prizes and exhibited around the world.

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• 1 year Full time degree: £10,650 per year (UK)
• 24 months Part time degree: £5,328 per year (UK)
• Object Biography (20 Credits) - Core
• Provenance (20 Credits) - Core
• Exhibition Catalogue Dissertation (60 Credits)
• Dissertation (60 Credits)

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About Postgraduate Art History

Art history is a unique, interdisciplinary subject that is dedicated to understanding and sharing the historical contexts, methods and insights that art of all kinds has to offer.

Postgraduate students of art history will be able to further develop their knowledge and skills, specialising in a certain historical period or geographic region, or building expertise in art conservation and management.

There are more than 90 art history programmes to explore at postgraduate level. These include taught MA or MSc, or research qualification such as MRes, MPhil or PhD.

What to expect

Entry requirements vary widely depending on the type of postgraduate course you choose. For example, you don’t usually need an art history undergraduate degree if you study for a diploma, but you may need one if you want to study for an MA.

Typically, modules on a postgraduate course include art theory, art criticism, art history and art practice. You might also cover art conservation, the art market and art law.

Graduates of this subject can pursue careers across galleries, archives, museums, private collections and academia.

Course type:

• Distance learning

Qualification:

Universities:.

• University of Warwick
• Brighton and Sussex Medical School
• University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI)
• Warburg Institute, School of Advanced Study, University of London
• University of Buckingham
• University of Sussex
• University of Aberdeen
• The University of Edinburgh
• Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London
• Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
• University of St Andrews
• Birkbeck, University of London
• Richmond American University London
• University of Oxford
• University of York
• University of Manchester
• University of Cambridge
• University of London Worldwide
• University of Bristol
• Open University

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