Postgraduate course
Practice-led Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Combine your research with your creative practice. Immerse yourself in your chosen specialism and produce research of the highest academic quality.
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A practice-led PhD offers artists, writers, and performers the opportunity to work within and interrogate their chosen field to generate new knowledge. Practice-led PhDs have two components: a creative body of work ( such as artefacts, compositions, images, installations, performances, or written manuscript) and a 25,000 to 50,000 word critical reflective document that articulates the submission’s research questions and originality. We offer Practice-led PhDs in the School of the Arts and School of Humanities.
York campus
- Duration – 3 years full time, 6 years part time
- Start date – February 2025, June 2024, October 2024, October 2025
Minimum entry requirements
2:1 degree in a related subject
Master's qualification
Tuition fees
UK 2023-24 £4,400 per year full time
International 2023-24 £12,750 per year full time
Course overview
A Practice-led PhD enables you as an artist, writer, or performer to interrogate your work’s contribution to culture and society. It offers the opportunity to rearticulate your practice as research, and to gain the highest educational qualification a university can offer. In dialogue with your supervisors, a practice-led PhD will support you to generate new ways of thinking that can challenge outmoded cultural norms and social injustice.
Throughout your PhD you will collaborate with a carefully selected supervisory team and be part of an exceptional research community of postgraduate researchers.
When you choose to study with us, you will get plenty of opportunities to enhance your professional personal skills. These could include:
- Gaining teaching experience
- Presenting your research at conferences and events
- Participating in exhibitions and performances
- Engaging with further training
- Working with the community
Professional Development and training
During your Practice-led PhD, you will discuss additional training with your supervisory team. Your supervisors will help you identify your strengths and highlight areas for development. The University delivers a blended training programme that will help you to develop your research and professional skills, enhance your CV and your employability.
Course structure
How you will study
Your Practice-led PhD will consist of 3 stages, in which you will:
- Produce a review of the literature and practice that characterises the current research in your field
- Pose a set of innovative questions that advance knowledge in your area
- Develop, explore and resolve a sustained body of research practice or creative research output(s)
- Write a 25,000 to 50,000 word critical reflective document
- Attend a viva voce or oral examination
Stages
In the initial stage of your studies, you will establish a working relationship with your supervisory team and audit a Level 7 research methodologies module to support your introduction to practice-led research. You will discuss your research proposal to identify the research content of your practice and formulate a suitable plan for your studies, before undertaking an in-depth review of the literature and practice in your field to critique, analyse, and evaluate existing research. This will ensure the originality of your project. During this time, you will undergo the first formal Review with your supervisory team and a Transfer assessment. The Transfer will take place before an academic panel who will independently assess whether your research project has the potential to lead to the award of a PhD by practice.
During the second stage of your studies, you will continue to develop your practice, explore its capacity as research, and plan how it will be supplemented by the 25,000 to 50,000 word critical reflective document. We encourage you to present work in progress from your practice and critical reflection throughout, as well as presenting your work at conferences, events, and for exhibition, performance and publication as is appropriate to the form of your research and its discipline. You will meet regularly with your supervisors and have a formal Annual Review to ensure your project is progressing.
In the final stage of your studies, you will resolve your practice and its research questions. You will complete the critical reflective document that situates your research in your chosen field and articulates its originality. At this stage you will have a final formal annual review alongside your regular supervisor meetings. Your supervisors will consult you on the selection of your internal and external examiners. At the end of your final phase, you will submit your practice-led research and critical reflective document which will be examined in a viva voce. In this examination you will be asked to discuss and critically defend your research in a meeting held with an independent chair, and your internal and external examiners.
Entry Requirements
Qualifications
Minimum entry requirements
2:1 degree in a related subject
Master's qualification
International Students
If you are an international student you will need to show that your qualifications match our entry requirements.
Information about international qualifications and entry requirements can be found on our International pages.
If English is not your first language you will need to show that you have English Language competence at IELTS level 7.0 (with no skill below 6.0) or equivalent.
Fees and funding
UK 2023 to 2024
The tuition fee for 2024 entry to this PhD course is £4,400 for full time UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man students.
For UK, Jersey, Guernsey and Isle of Man candidates studying part time, the tuition fee for 2022 entry to this PhD course is £2,200 per year.
Doctoral loans are available to help you pay for your course. Find out more about UK Government Doctoral loans.
More information about funding your PhD is available on our Funding your research degree page.
International 2023 to 2024
The tuition fee for 2024 entry to this PhD course is £12,750 per annum for full time international candidates.
For international candidates on a part time course the annual cost is £6,375.
More information about funding your PhD is available on our International Fees and Funding page.
Tuition fees
UK 2023-24 £4,400 per year full time
International 2023-24 £12,750 per year full time
Additional costs
Depending upon the nature of your research project, a bench fee might be applied as a separate cost to your tuition fee. Bench fees are normally incurred for laboratory consumables and other significant project costs and any goods will remain under the property of the University.
If you have any queries regarding bench fees, please speak to your potential supervisor during the application process.
Any bench fees will be included in your offer letter and if you accept, the charge will be in addition to your tuition fees.
Contact us to discuss your research proposal
If you know what subject you want to research or you just want to find out more, contacting a School Postgraduate Research Leads is a great first step.
York St John University offer Practice-led PhDs in the School of the Arts and School of Humanities. Our School Postgraduate Research Leads are the right people to talk to if you want to study a research degree. They can help you turn your practice interests into a research proposal. They can also put you in contact with an academic who is researching a similar subject, and who could be your research supervisor during your studies.
School of the Arts Postgraduate Research Lead: Claire Hind - c.hind@yorksj.ac.uk
Contact Claire if you are interested in subjects relating to:
- Drama and theatre
- Music, performance and production
- Fine art, illustration and photography
- Media production
- Design
- Visual communication
School of Humanities Postgraduate Research Lead: Rob Edgar - r.edgar@yorksj.ac.uk
Contact Rob if you are interested in subjects relating to:
- Creative writing
- Screen writing
