History and Philosophy of Art

Entry requirements

An MA in a relevant humanities subject. In certain circumstances, the School will consider candidates who have not followed a conventional education path or who may have relevant experience in the industry. These cases are assessed individually by the Director of Graduate Studies or the Director of the relevant Research Group.

All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and experience will also be taken into account when considering applications.

Months of entry

January, May, September

Course content

We offer a supportive, inclusive and innovative learning environment within the multi-disciplinary School of Arts. Applications are especially welcome in the areas of curation, Renaissance and Baroque art, contemporary practice (including global art), philosophy of art and aesthetics, curation and photograpy.

A PhD in History & Philosophy of Art will enable you to conduct original research under the guidance of your team of your supervisors. We welcome enquiries on any topic, but particularly those listed above, and will provide you with excellent research resources to enable you to complete your research, which will culminate in a thesis of up to 100,000 words.

You will have a minimum of two supervisors who will support and guide you through your academic and professional development throughout your studies. You will meet regularly with your supervisor(s) who will not only supervise your research project but will help you to identify parts of your research and development where you may require further training or support. A series of reviews will take place throughout your studies in order to ensure that your research project stays on track and that you have all the necessary support and resources required to successfully complete it.

Recent and ongoing research topics include:‘Baldassarre Turini and the Villa Lante: The Patron's Career and Role in Raphael's Workshop’, ‘(Un)becoming Galatea: A Vivisection of the Pose’, ‘Art-Ificial: Computational Creativity and Artistic Production in Machine Intelligence’, ‘What is the Impact of Corporate Art Collectors on the West-European Contemporary Art Market’, ‘Curating and Evaluating Queer Art with Reference to UK Practice’, and ‘An Exploration of Photographic Phenomenology Led by the Writings of M. Fried and C. Paglia’.

You may be eligible to apply for a fully-funded PhD scholarship. Scholarship opportunities may include the Vice Chancellor’s Research Scholarship (GTA) and the Consortium of the Humanities and the Arts South-East England (CHASE) collaborative doctoral award. For further information and eligibility requirements, please see our Scholarship website.

Information for international students

Please see our International Student website for entry requirements by country and other relevant information for your country. Please note that international fee-paying students cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.

English language entry requirements

The University requires all non-native speakers of English to reach a minimum standard of proficiency in written and spoken English before beginning a postgraduate degree. Certain subjects require a higher level.

For detailed information see our English language requirements web pages.

All applicants are considered on an individual basis and additional qualifications, professional qualifications and relevant experience may also be taken into account when considering applications.

Fees and funding

Please see our funding pages for the most current information.