Call for applications: Doctoral Programme of Artistic Research in Performing Arts and Doctoral Programme in Fine Arts

The University of the Arts Helsinki, consisting of three academies, the Academy of Fine Arts, Sibelius Academy and Theatre Academy, provides an inspiring environment for learning, research, and artistic activity.

We are now accepting applications to doctoral programmes at the Academy of Fine Arts and Theatre Academy.

Academy of Fine Arts
The Academy of Fine Arts will admit a maximum of six new students to the Doctoral Programme in Fine Arts. The new students start their studies in autumn 2021.

Studies in the doctoral programme offer competence to carry out independent and creative artistic research, and an opportunity to develop research-based artistic activity. The doctoral programme is aimed at artists working within contemporary art. Artist-researchers graduating from the Doctoral Programme in Fine Arts develop and renew fine arts: their creation, research, and teaching. As specialists in their fields, they engage in a dialogue with various actors in the society, create art and produce information, knowledge, and insights based on art-related practices, which can be shared with collaborators and other actors in the field and intervowen in the societal discussion. Doctoral training at the University of the Arts Helsinki develops the artist-researchers’ ability to apply their skills as artists, researchers, pedagogues, and specialists in their field.

A dissertation for the Doctor of Fine Arts degree can consist of exhibitions, exhibition curations, individual works of art, artistic processes or experimental projects and their articulation, conceptualisation, and theorisation. A dissertation usually includes one or more artistic elements and a written section. Electronic documentation of the dissertation is also required. The artistic elements are products of artistic research that will be published. The written section, parallel to the artistic elements, motivates the implementation and objectives of the research in relation to other research and practices in the field.

Doctoral students are expected to seek funding for their research from relevant bodies.

Application instructions and more information.

Theatre Academy
The University of the Arts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy will admit a maximum of 8 new doctoral students to commence studies at the Doctoral Programme of Artistic Research in Performing Arts in the autumn term of 2021.

Doctoral studies and research at the Theatre Academy are organised by the Performing Arts Research Centre. Performing Arts refer to the disciplines represented at the Theatre Academy: acting in Finnish and in Swedish, directing, dramaturgy, lighting design, sound design, design for the performing arts, writing, dance, dance performance, choreography, dance and theatre pedagogy and live art and performance studies. Doctoral studies and research carried out at the Performing Arts Research Centre are defined as artistic research. As stated in the Research Centre’s mission and vision 2017-2020, artistic research is academic, multidisciplinary and collective research realised in the medium of art. Graduates from the doctoral programme are artist-researchers with a Doctor of Arts (Theatre and Drama), Doctor of Arts (Dance) or Doctor of Arts (Art and Design) degree.

During the doctoral studies students carry out an artistic research project on a topic of their choice and acquire the skills and knowledge of an artist-researcher. As experts in their field, artist-researchers develop and regenerate the arts, create art, research and teach art. The students engage in a comprehensive and critical dialogue with society. They create art and produce information, knowledge, and insights based on art-related practices that can also be applied outside of the arts. Doctoral training develops the artist-researchers’ ability to apply their skills as artists, researchers, teachers, and experts in their field.

Doctoral students are expected to seek funding for their research from relevant bodies.

More information and application instructions.