The PhD in Visual Arts is premised on scholarship that is practice-based. It offers a program of study in which innovative research is materialized and disseminated in the form of art works. Research in this context is focused on visual arts, as well as specific research questions that are defined by the candidates.
The primary objective of the PhD in visual arts is to provide opportunity for advanced independent research that is integrated within the development of original studio practice, in all visual arts media. The PhD is a degree that leads to both development as a professional artist and higher qualifications for university teaching positions. Participants in the program will develop new methodologies for reconciling the two sometimes conflicting forces of scholarly depth and art world professionalism.
Selected majors/areas of research for a PhD in Visual Arts include
Ceramics
Multimedia
Painting
Photography
Printmaking
Sculpture
Textiles
Students in a visual arts doctoral program must pass a written and oral qualifying exam and then complete and formally defend a doctoral dissertation based on original research. In general, all visual arts PhD programs require that successful candidates for the degree demonstrate:
The ability to conduct independent research at a high level, leading to completion of a dissertation which is defended before a committee of scholars. Because examinations given as part of a PhD curriculum assess expert knowledge, they are created and evaluated by a committee of experts, each of whom holds a PhD degree
Proficiency in the tools necessary to carry out this research, including but not limited to computer skills and bibliographic competence,
Mastery of general and specific subject matter in the field of study before a committee of scholars
Part- and full-time study options, along with various delivery modes - residential programs, distance education programs and online programs - are also available. North American PhD programs in visual arts welcome foreign students. However, fluency in spoken and written English is critically important.
