Undertaking a creative research degree (PhD or MPhil) at UCA means joining a specialist research community with a wealth of resources for research and practice.
Do you want to study for a creative research degree? At the University for the Creative Arts, you have the ideal setting, support, and environment to achieve your research and practice ambitions as part of our supportive research community, based in one of our three schools:
- Canterbury School of Art, Architecture and Design
- Farnham School for Creative and Cultural Arts
- Epsom School of Creative Business, Fashion and Enterprise
Within the supportive disciplinary community of your school, you can design and carry out your research project and make academic connections to develop original and impressive doctoral work. You’ll have the option to choose a thesis-only or practice-based route. Students following the thesis-only route will research and write a full-length doctoral thesis. Practice-research candidates write a shorter thesis and produce a substantial body of creative work. Whichever route you take, you will pursue original research that makes a new contribution to your discipline.
Our students undertake research degrees in a variety of creative subjects, from exploring cultural hybridity in Nigerian film, to interpreting the behaviour of ants through fine art
If you are interested in joining them, read on.
PhD at UCA
A research degree is based on an in-depth research project: with the support of academic supervisors, you plan and complete a focused investigation into your chosen subject, resulting in research outcomes that demonstrate your expert knowledge.
UCA offers research degrees leading to either a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) or Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) award. A PhD is the highest academic qualification, and undertaking a PhD equips you to be an independent researcher, ready to take your place in your field in academia or in the many jobs where research skills are important. An MPhil also demonstrates your ability to define and carry out an independent research project.
At UCA students undertake research degrees in a variety of creative subjects, from advancing the potential of the photobook, to exploring the relationship between dance and drawing.
Before making the decision to do a research degree, it is important to understand the nature of this programme and how it differs from study at Masters’ level.
More than half of UCA’s research degree students undertake creative practice research. This might include, for example, making films, sculptures, robots, garments, or games, alongside writing a 30-45,000 word PhD thesis. Other students write a 65-85,000 word PhD thesis, with their whole project communicated in written form. UK students can choose to study either full-time or part-time, however part-time study is not available to international students.
All research degree students belong to one of our three schools, where they meet their supervisors and fellow students, and take part in the events and activities that support school research cultures. And all are supported by the Doctoral College, which underpins and leads doctoral research across the University.
A research degree is very different from a taught course with timetabled lectures, seminars and workshops. You will find that your time is much less structured, to give you the space to conduct your in-depth research. However, you must be able attend your campus regularly:
- For enrolment each year
- For Induction, in mid-September of your first year
- For intensive research-methods training workshops in your first year
- To meet regularly with your supervisors, throughout your research degree; for full-time students, there will be around 10 meetings per year.
- You will also benefit from meeting fellow students and staff researchers, taking part in research events and becoming part of the research culture at the University.
As well as attending your home campus you may also occasionally be required to travel to other UCA campuses.
The pathway to a research degree begins with research-methods training in intensive taught workshops delivered on campus. Successful completion of the research methods workshops in your first year supports you to develop a detailed Research Plan. This is the gateway to progression into the next stages of the research degree. A later milestone, Transfer of Status, determines whether you will eventually submit for an MPhil or a PhD.
Throughout your studies, you will be supported by the Doctoral College, a central department that leads and underpins research degree students and their supervisors. And you will have the advice, guidance and expertise of your supervisors. Supervisors act in a mentoring role, helping you to develop your research project, supporting you to manage your progress, and providing feedback and encouragement.
You will meet your supervisors regularly for supervisory meetings; most students have two supervisors, and occasionally there is a third member of the team. Some supervisory meetings may take place online, but please note that if you are an international student on a student visa, you must attend your campus regularly in person to meet your supervisors.
UCA is a creative university with a range of specialisms. Your study could focus on any of our disciplines, including:
- Animation
- Architecture
- Business for the Creative Industries
- Computer Arts and Visual Effects
- Crafts
- Fashion
- Film, Television and Media
- Fine Art and Digital Art
- Games and Creative Technology
- Graphic Design and Illustration
- Interior, Product and Spatial Design
- Music
- Performing Arts
- Photography
- Visual Communications
- The history and theory of art, design, architecture, visual culture and material culture
If you have a proposal and are not sure whether we have expertise in this, please get in touch with the Doctoral College: researchdegrees@uca.ac.uk or with one of our School PGR Leads:
We offer an academic and social environment that is tailored to support your study.
Throughout, you will have access to our programme of research activities. The programme for 2026/27 is not yet set, but in the past research events run for and by PhD students and other members of our research community have included:
- Workshops
- Writing retreats
- Field trips
- A graduate forum
- Lectures, seminars and webinars by UCA staff and visiting researchers
- Gallery spaces and exhibitions
- An annual student-run research conference
Most importantly, you will be supported by the wider UCA research community with staff members across our Schools actively engaging our students in projects and events.
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