Call for applications for PhDArts - PhD programme in visual art and design

PhDArts offers an international, high-level doctoral programme in artistic research for visual artists and designers. PhDArts is a collaboration between the Academy and Creative and Performing Arts (ACPA) at Leiden University and the Royal Academy of Art (KABK) in The Hague, The Netherlands.

The PhDArts research trajectory consists of two elements: supervision of individual research and participation in the doctoral study programme. The doctoral programme includes seminars, trainings, lectures and workshops by PhDArts staff and invited guests, as well as presentations by fellow doctoral candidates of their individual research projects. Candidates are expected to attend this programme as it constitutes an essential part of the research environment in which the candidate undertakes her/his research.

Artistic research
In artistic research, the artistic practice plays a central role. Research questions derive from the artistic practice of the researcher, and the results of the research—comprising both an artistic and a (discursively) written component—contribute to artistic practice and to the growing body of artistic academic discourse.

Admission
Applicants must have a Master’s degree or proof of study at a comparable level. As PhDArts is a practice-as-research doctorate, the applicant must first and foremost demonstrate that she/he is a highly accomplished practitioner in some aspect of the visual arts and/or design. On a theoretical level, the applicant has to demonstrate that her/his ideas are already quite well-formed and that she/he is able to position her/his own contribution within the context of a particular field of research. The applicant will need to be able to justify the urgency of this particular research proposal.

The application must be submitted in English. The application process consists of two phases. The first phase is the assessment of the research dossier that is uploaded via the online application form on our website. In the case of a positive assessment by the Advisory Group, the applicant enters the second phase of the application process, and is invited for an Entrance Examination in December 2018. The Entrance Examinations take place at the Academy of Creative and Performing Arts, in Leiden. The final decision on admission rests with Leiden University, which will also award the PhD. Please visit our website for more information on admission requirements, the admission procedure and the online application form.