Our research degree will allow you to explore your own interests in the area of fine art, supported by the expertise of our staff at Cambridge School of Art. Informed by your particular discipline, you’ll critically contextualise your work, clarifying both theoretical and practical research-based enquiries, and producing distinctive contributions to the research field. You’ll be allocated two supervisors, with additional staff members available if necessary. Our supervisors are experienced in most areas of contemporary fine art, including recent issues in painting and the expanded field of contemporary practice; objects, installation and the virtual; interdisciplinary work with sound and video; performance art practices and their relationship to liveness and documentation; the interdisciplinary nature of printmaking; and landscape, mapping and ambulatory practices. At Cambridge School of Art, you’ll be part of a vibrant and growing community of researchers at PhD level. We provide various research forums that accentuate the discursive and interdisciplinary nature of research, including the Fine Art Research Unit (FARU), which holds regular seminars and informal presentations for postgraduate and research students, and the Cultures of the Digital Economy Research Institute (CoDE).

We’ll provide you with many opportunities for career development and training, and encourage you to get involved with external activities like exhibiting, curating, conference organisation and giving papers. All your subject-specific studies will be enhanced and supported by our University-wide training sessions, where you’ll gain important research expertise in areas like ethics, presentations, intellectual property and digital scholarship. In conjunction with University research support, you can request specific support for writing-up, conference papers, general research methods and other research skills if you need it.