We offer the expertise to support you in producing work that makes an important contribution to your field of practice, including:

• painting
• sculpture
• digital media
• drawing
• performance
• photography
• printmaking
• installation
• video

You will be encouraged to take advantage of the specific research and practice expertise of our fine art staff . We also have a fantastic range of resources and opportunities for interdisciplinary and collaborative research across the University. Review our fine art academic staff research interests to ensure your research proposal is compatible with our expertise.

Newcastle is one of the best cities in the UK in which to study contemporary visual art. Its diverse and lively arts scene goes hand-in-hand with our long and distinguished history in the research, practice and teaching of fine art.

Quality and Ranking

We rank in the top 150 for Art and Design - QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019

Delivery

The Fine Art MPhil can be practice-led or theoretical, with a final text submission of 50,000 words, or an equivalent combination of studio practice and text. You are expected to complete your submission within two years full-time or four years part time.

The Fine Art PhD can be practice-led or solely text based. The final submission for a practice-led PhD is a combination of an exhibition of creative work made over the period of study and a thesis. The thesis would typically be 30,000 words, which constitutes approximately 30% of the degree. A text based PhD is submitted as a thesis of 80,000 - 100,000 words. The submission is expected to take place between three or four years of study full time, or six years part time.

For both research degrees you will be supported by a supervisory team, comprising at least two members of staff with expertise in your area. Your supervisory team can include expertise from across a wide range of disciplines within the School.

School of Arts and Cultures

Being part of the School of Arts and Cultures means that you will have the opportunity to engage and collaborate with a broad range of theorists and practitioners from disciplines including:

• music
• digital media
• museum and heritage studies
• media and cultural studies

Interdisciplinary and cross-media activity is core to much of the research within the School. The Newcastle University Institute for Creative Arts Practice (NICAP) fosters and supports these activities. Central to NICAP is encouraging and enabling interdisciplinary practice-led support amongst our postgraduate community.

Fine art staff will encourage and support you to present at national and international conferences. You will also be able to maintain and develop your professional career through exhibiting, networking and other activities.

You will be encouraged to attend and make presentations at our regular fine art postgraduate seminars. These sessions aim to enhance research skills and encourage intellectual and practical exchange between you and our academic staff and visiting artists. You can also engage with research across the University to increase your awareness of cross-disciplinary potential and impact potential of your own research.

You will receive a tailored package of support from the University to ensure you maximise your research and future career. There are also opportunities to undertake your research at Newcastle within a Doctoral Training Centre, Centre for Doctoral Training or Doctoral Training Partnership.

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Research Training Programme and Student Support

Our Faculty Research Training Programme is a community made up of postgraduates from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.

It is recognised by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) as a sound foundation for doctoral studies.

Our aim is for you to develop a broad range of research and project management skills that will support you in your career ahead. Staff and students from across a range of disciplines can come together and share their research experiences. You can also choose to register for a Postgraduate Certificate in Research Training.

You will study in our Doctoral Training Suite, a purpose-built facility for lectures, workshops, seminars and computer access to specialist software. Each year we have two student-led research postgraduate conferences. There are also a variety of prizes and awards to celebrate the successes of our students.

Postgraduate Research Student Support

Our Research Student Support Team will provide support and advice throughout your studies. The team can help you on a variety of issues from registration to producing your transcripts.

Doctoral training centres and partnerships

Being part of a Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), Doctoral Training Centre (DTC) or Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) means that you can benefit from the research expertise and training of a number of leading universities, academic schools and academics. You'll also be studying alongside a cohort of other PhD students.

These centres are often interdisciplinary, combining expertise and training from multiple subject areas. You may also be able to collaborate with an industrial or commercial organisation.

Your PhD will be funded. Normally the fees are covered and you'll receive a tax-free stipend or living expenses. Additional funding is sometimes available to cover things such as conference attendance and research materials.

The centres/ partnerships below may have PhD opportunities available in your subject area.

Find out more about our tuition fees, including how to pay them and available discounts.

EU students starting at Newcastle in 2019 and 2020 will pay the UK (Home) tuition fee for the full duration of their course.

Funding opportunities

If you have lower English Language scores, you may be accepted onto a pre-sessional English course. 

Before you apply you should contact us to discuss your proposed research. You need to include a clear and concise research proposal with your application. You should follow the guidelines on the School of Arts and Cultures website. For practice-based research you need to include visual documentation of your work.

You can also read the guidelines for producing a research proposal (PDF: 41.5KB) from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science Graduate School. 

When making your online application, please insert one of the following programme codes on the 'Programme of Study' page:

• 8829F (PhD, full time)
• 8832P (PhD, part time)
• 7016F (MPhil, full time)
• 7017P (MPhil, part time)

Start dates

The course starts in September. There is no application closing date for this course, but specific deadlines relating to funding may apply.

We suggest international students apply at least two months before the course starts. This is so that you have enough time to make the necessary arrangements.

Deposit

If you live outside the UK/EU you must:

• pay a deposit of £1,500
• or submit an official letter of sponsorship

The deposit is payable after you receive an offer to study at Newcastle University. The deposit is non-refundable, but is deducted from your tuition fees when you register.