Fine Art MPhil, PhD
The internationally significant research profile of our staff and our excellent facilities provide a stimulating environment for practical or theoretical research.
Overview
We offer supervision in a wide range of contemporary art practices, in fine art, digital cultures and art history.
We'll support you to produce work that makes an important contribution to your field of practice, including:
- painting
- sculpture
- digital cultures
- digital and time-based art
- drawing
- performance
- photography
- printmaking
- installation
- video
We're strongly committed to supporting your work through practice-led research. You'll be encouraged to take advantage of the specific research and practice expertise of our fine art staff. Ensure your research proposal is compatible with our expertise by reviewing our academic staff research interests.
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.
You'll be part of the School of Arts and Cultures. You'll 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. You'll benefit from the resources and training available through the Institute for Creative Arts Practice. You'll also have access to the expertise within Culture Lab. Culture Lab is a multi-user digital media facility that supports interdisciplinary research at the interface of art, digital cultures, humanities and science.
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Important information
We've highlighted important information about your course. Please take note of any deadlines.
Please rest assured we make all reasonable efforts to provide you with the programmes, services and facilities described. However, it may be necessary to make changes due to significant disruption.
Given the changing nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the commitments outlined are subject to guidelines that may be in place from time to time.
View our COVID-19 Study page, which gives information about your Newcastle University study experience for the academic year 2022-23.
See our terms and conditions and student complaints information
Qualifications explained
Find out about the different qualification options for this course.
An MPhil is available in all subject areas. You receive research training and undertake original research leading to the completion of a 40,000 - 50,000 word thesis.
Find out about different types of postgraduate qualifications
A PhD is a doctorate or doctoral award. It involves original research that should make a significant contribution to the knowledge of a specific subject. To complete the PhD you will produce a substantial piece of work (80,000 – 100,000 words) in the form of a supervised thesis. A PhD usually takes three years full time.
Find out about different types of postgraduate qualifications
How you'll learn
The Fine Art MPhil can be practice-led or theoretical, with a final text submission of no more than 40,000 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'll 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.
Depending on your modules, you'll be assessed through a combination of:
- Thesis
- Viva
Our mission is to help you:
- stay healthy, positive and feeling well
- overcome any challenges you may face during your degree – academic or personal
- get the most out of your postgraduate research experience
- carry out admin and activities essential to progressing through your degree
- understand postgraduate research processes, standards and rules
We can offer you tailored wellbeing support, courses and activities.
You can also access a broad range of workshops covering:
- research and professional skills
- careers support
- wellbeing
- health and safety
- public engagement
- academic development
Find out more about our postgraduate research student support
Your development
You'll 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.
Fine art staff will encourage and support you to present at national and international conferences. You'll also be able to maintain and develop your professional career through exhibiting, networking and other activities.
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (HaSS) researcher development programme
Each faculty offers a researcher development programme for its postgraduate research students. We have designed your programme to help you:
- perform better as a researcher
- boost your career prospects
- broaden your impact
Through workshops and activities, it will build your transferable skills and increase your confidence.
You’ll cover:
- techniques for effective research
- methods for better collaborative working
- essential professional standards and requirements
Your researcher development programme is flexible. You can adapt it to meet your changing needs as you progress through your doctorate.
Find out more about the HaSS research training programme
Doctoral training and partnerships
There are opportunities to undertake your PhD at Newcastle within a:
- Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT)
- Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP)
Being part of a CDT or DTP has many benefits:
- they combine research expertise and training of a number of leading universities, academic schools and academics.
- you’ll study alongside a cohort of other PhD students
- they’re often interdisciplinary
- your PhD may be funded
Find out more about doctoral training and partnerships
If there are currently opportunities available in your subject area you’ll find them when you search for funding in the fees and funding section on this course.
The following centres/partnerships below may have PhD opportunities available in your subject area in the future:
Quality and ranking
All professional accreditations are reviewed regularly by their professional body
From 1 January 2021 there is an update to the way professional qualifications are recognised by countries outside of the UK
Facilities
We provide well-resourced workshops and student studios. This includes:
- open-plan first-year studios designed for project work
- purpose-built painting, sculpture, printmaking and digital media studios, all with full technical support
Our facilities also include designated gallery spaces, seminar rooms, and a large lecture theatre.
Find out more about our fine art facilities
We are based in the same building as the Hatton Gallery. This is one of the largest exhibition spaces in North East England and accommodates both student shows and large touring exhibitions. The Hatton's permanent collection consists of works of art from five centuries and includes the Elterwater Merzbarn construction by Kurt Schwitters.
All students have the use of the award-winning Philip Robinson Library. You'll have access to computer clusters around the University.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees for 2022 entry (per year)
Home fees for research degree students
For 2022-23 entry, we have aligned our standard Home research fees with those set by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
For 2023-24 entry, we will again be aligning our standard Home research fees with those set by UKRI. The standard fee will be confirmed in Spring 2023 by UKRI.
If your studies last longer than one year, your tuition fee may increase in line with inflation.
Depending on your residency history, if you’re a student from the EU, other EEA or a Swiss national, with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you’ll normally pay the ‘Home’ tuition fee rate and may be eligible for Student Finance England support.
EU students without settled or pre-settled status will normally be charged fees at the ‘International’ rate and will not be eligible for Student Finance England support.
If you are unsure of your fee status, check out the latest guidance here.
Scholarships
We support our EU and international students by providing a generous range of Vice-Chancellor's automatic and merit-based scholarships. See our searchable postgraduate funding page for more information.
What you're paying for
Tuition fees include the costs of:
- matriculation
- registration
- tuition (or supervision)
- library access
- examination
- re-examination
- graduation
Some of our degrees involve additional costs which are not covered by your tuition fees.
Find out more about:
- additional costs
- living costs
- tuition fees, including how to pay them and available discounts
If you are an international student or a student from the EU, EEA or Switzerland and you need a visa to study in the UK, you may have to pay a deposit.
You can check this in the How to apply section.
If you're applying for funding, always check the funding application deadline. This deadline may be earlier than the application deadline for your course.
For some funding schemes, you need to have received an offer of a place on a course before you can apply for the funding.
Search for funding
Find funding available for your course
Entry requirements
The entrance requirements below apply to 2022 entry.
Qualifications from outside the UK
English Language requirements
How to apply
Using the application portal
The applicant portal has instructions to guide you through your application. It will tell you what documents you need and how to upload them.
You can choose to start your application, save your details and come back to complete it later.
If you’re ready, you can select Apply Online and you’ll be taken directly to the applicant portal.
Alternatively you can find out more about applying on our applications and offers pages.
Apply Online
Open days and events
You'll have a number of opportunities to meet us throughout the year including:
- campus tours
- on-campus open days
- virtual open days
- webinars
Find out about how you can visit Newcastle in person and virtually
Overseas events
We regularly travel overseas to meet with students interested in studying at Newcastle University.
Get in touch
Questions about this course?
If you have specific questions about this course you can contact:
Dr Ed Juler
Lecturer in Art History
School of Arts and Cultures
Telephone: +44 (0) 191 208 7377
Email: ed.juler@ncl.ac.uk or SACS.PGR.Admin@newcastle.ac.uk
Online
For more general enquiries you could also complete our online enquiry form.
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