
Overview
- Degree awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy
- Duration
- 3 years [Full-time], 6 years [Part-time]
- Entry requirements
-
International applicants must provide one of the following:
- Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent); and
- Master's degree in a relevant subject – with an overall average of 65% or above, a minimum mark of 65% in your dissertation and no mark below 55% (or overseas equivalent)
- How to apply
- Apply online
Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.
Application Deadlines
For consideration in internal funding competitions, you must submit your completed application by 12 January 2024.
If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self–funding, you must submit your application before the below deadlines to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these dates have passed.
- For September 2024 entry: 30 June 2024
- For January 2025 entry: 30 September 2024
Programme options
Full-time | Part-time | Full-time distance learning | Part-time distance learning | |
---|---|---|---|---|
PhD | Y | Y | N | N |
Programme overview
- Be part of a vibrant teaching and research environment, where the interests of academic staff, students and professionals converge.
- Take advantage of our strong working relationships with museums and galleries throughout Britain and abroad.
- Explore original art in Manchester's many galleries.
Open days
Find out what it's like to study at Manchester by visiting us on one of our open days .
Fees
Fees for entry in 2024 have not yet been set. For reference, the fees for the academic year beginning September 2023 were as follows:
-
PhD (full-time)
UK students (per annum): £4,712
International, including EU, students (per annum): £21,000 -
PhD (part-time)
UK students (per annum): £2,356
Further information for EU students can be found on our dedicated EU page.
Please note for the majority of projects where experimentation requires further resource: higher fee bands (where quoted) will be charged rather than the base rate for supervision, administration and computational costs. The fees quoted above will be fully inclusive and, therefore, you will not be required to pay any additional bench fees or administration costs.
All fees for entry will be subject to yearly review and incremental rises per annum are also likely over the duration of the course for UK/EU students (fees are typically fixed for International students, for the course duration at the year of entry). For general fees information please visit: postgraduate fees . Always contact the department if you are unsure which fee applies to your project.
Scholarships/sponsorships
There are a range of scholarships, studentships and awards to support both UK and overseas postgraduate researchers, details of which can be found via the links below.
To apply University of Manchester funding, you must indicate in your application the competitions for which you wish to be considered. The deadline for most internal competitions, including AHRC NWCDTP and School of Arts, Languages and Cultures studentships is 12 January 2024.
All external funding competitions have a specified deadline for submitting the funding application form and a separate (earlier) deadline for submitting the online programme application form, both of which will be stated in the funding competition details below.
For more information about funding, visit our funding page or use our funding database to search for scholarships, studentships and awards you may be eligible for.
- AHRC North West Consortium Doctoral Training Partnership (NWCDTP) PhD Studentships 2024 Entry
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures PhD Studentships 2024 Entry
- China Scholarship Council - The University of Manchester (CSC-UoM) Joint Scholarship Programme 2024 Entry (TBC)
- Paul Nash Bursary (Art History and Cultural Practices) 2024 Entry
- Trudeau Doctoral Scholarships 2024 Entry
- Humanities Doctoral Academy Humanitarian Scholarship 2024 Entry
- Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (Least Developed Countries and Fragile States)
- Commonwealth PhD Scholarships (High Income Countries)
Contact details
- School/Faculty
- School of Arts, Languages and Cultures
- Contact name
- Humanities Doctoral Academy Admissions
- HUMS.doctoralacademy.admissions@manchester.ac.uk
- Website
- https://www.humanities.manchester.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-research/
- School/Faculty
-
See: About us
Programmes in related subject areas
Use the links below to view lists of programmes in related subject areas.
Entry requirements
Academic entry qualification overview
International applicants must provide one of the following:
- Bachelor's (Honours) degree at 2:1 or above (or overseas equivalent); and
- Master's degree in a relevant subject – with an overall average of 65% or above, a minimum mark of 65% in your dissertation and no mark below 55% (or overseas equivalent)
English language
International applicants must provide one of the following:
- IELTS test minimum score – 7.0 overall, 7.0 in writing.
- TOEFL (internet based) test minimum score – 100 overall, 25 in all sections.
- Pearson Test of English (PTE) UKVI/SELT or PTE Academic minimum score – 76 overall, 76 in writing.
- To demonstrate that you have taken an undergraduate or postgraduate degree in a majority English speaking nation within the last 5 years.
- Other tests may be considered.
Please note, CAS statements are only issued when all conditions of the offer have been satisfied, offer accepted, and a PDF copy of passport received.
English language test validity
Other international entry requirements
We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements including English language see entry requirements from your country.
The University requires you to reside within a commutable distance from Manchester during your time as a registered student, unless you are on approved fieldwork/a formal placement or are on a period of Submission pending. This is to ensure that you are able to meet attendance expectations and participate in wider research activities within your discipline area and/or School.
Other entry requirements
Application and selection
How to apply
Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.
Application Deadlines
For consideration in internal funding competitions, you must submit your completed application by 12 January 2024.
If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self–funding, you must submit your application before the below deadlines to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these dates have passed.
- For September 2024 entry: 30 June 2024
- For January 2025 entry: 30 September 2024
Advice to applicants
- Develop your own research proposal and project title.
- Find a supervisor by browsing our academics’ profiles, and reach out directly to discuss if they are interested in supporting your research.
- Consider how you plan on funding your research and discuss this with your supervisor.
- A 1,500 word PhD research proposal.
- Copies of the academic transcript and certificate from both your Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees. If your Master’s degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript.
- An up to date academic CV, detailing your education and qualifications; employment history; publications; and any other relevant information.
- You must nominate two academic referees (including one from your most recent institution). Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following submission of your application form. You may wish to contact your referees to request they submit your reference in a reasonable timeframe as this forms part of the review process.
- International applicants must additionally provide English Language evidence (e.g IELTS).
Interview requirements
As part of the offer making process applicants will be required to undertake an interview assessment. This may be in the form of an in–person interview, or video call.
The interview is designed to assess your knowledge and understanding of the broad topic area, the viability of your proposed research and its intellectual contribution, alongside the fit of your project with the supervisory team. The interview panel will consist at minimum of your primary supervisor and an independent interviewer.
Deferrals
Re-applications
If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful, you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard programme entry criteria for that year of entry.
In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen programme.
Programme details
Programme description
Our Art History and Visual Studies PhD programme offers the opportunity to conduct in-depth research in an area of particular interest.
Our research interests are wide-ranging. Strengths include:
- medieval Italy;
- Italian and Northern Renaissance;
- Renaissance print culture;
- history of architecture;
- art and science;
- British art in the 18th and 19th centuries;
- Romanticism and its reception;
- the history and theory of the avant-garde;
- art and sexuality;
- modernism and post-colonialism;
- art and psychoanalysis;
- poststructuralism;
- history and theory of photography;
- experimental art-writing;
- contemporary Chinese art
- post-conceptual contemporary art
- modern art in India.
You will prepare your thesis under the guidance of two supervisors. Progress is monitored at regular meetings of your research panel (two supervisors plus an independent reviewer). The aim of the programme is to support you in becoming an independent research. We encourage you to disseminate your work at seminars and conferences, and in recognised journals or equivalents publications.
The programme culminates in the submission of an 80,000-word dissertation that makes an original contribution to art historical knowledge.
As a post-graduate researcher in the department of Art History and Cultural Practices, you will join a vibrant community with access to exciting research seminars and other events, such the Visiting Pilkington Professor series and the Whitworth Studies series.
Find out more about our research , our staff and what our current postgraduate research students are working on.
Special features
Research Environment
Art History and Cultural Practices at Manchester is one of the leading departments in the UK for research in the subject according to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.
- 91% of our research activity was recognised as 'world leading' or `internationally excellent'.
- 100% of our impact case studies were judged to be 'outstanding'.
- 100% of our research environment was judged to be 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'.
Find out more about our Art History Research .
Graduate School
All of our postgraduate students become members of the Graduate School when you start at Manchester. It has dedicated facilities for students and offers opportunities to collaborate with other postgraduates.
Additional programme information
Equality, diversity and inclusion is fundamental to the success of The University of Manchester, and is at the heart of all of our activities.
We know that diversity strengthens our research community, leading to enhanced research creativity, productivity and quality, and societal and economic impact.
We actively encourage applicants from diverse career paths and backgrounds and from all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status.
All appointments are made on merit.
The University of Manchester and our external partners are fully committed to equality, diversity and inclusion.
Teaching and learning
Coursework and assessment
The award of your PhD follows three years of successful supervised research. The maximum length of the PhD thesis is 80,000 words.
Facilities
Manchester is home to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries - one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries.
The city also has outstanding museums and galleries: the Whitworth and the Manchester Museum are both part of the University. Manchester Art Gallery boasts an internationally celebrated Pre-Raphaelite collection. Also nearby are the Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art, the Lowry Arts Centre, and the Imperial War Museum North.
Find out more about libraries and study spaces for postgraduate research students at Manchester.
We also have one of the largest academic IT services in Europe - supporting world-class teaching and research. There are extensive computing facilities across campus, with access to standard office software as well as specialist programmes, all connected to the campus network and internet.
Every student is registered for email, file storage and internet access. If more demanding computer access is required, our specialist computing division can provide high-end and specialist computing services.
The Graduate School offers dedicated state of the art facilities to research students, including common rooms and workstations.
Find out more about our facilities for Art History students.
Disability support
Careers
Career opportunities
A research degree in Art History enhances employment opportunities in many fields connected with the visual arts, architecture and material culture.
These include art galleries, the art trade and auction houses, the heritage industry, architectural conservation, publishing, art criticism and aspects of arts administration, as well as university and higher education.
In recent years our doctoral graduates have gone on to prestigious post-doctoral positions at the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Freud Museum, the British Museum, and the National Gallery as well as obtaining positions at universities such as North Carolina, Imperial College London, and the Manchester School of Architecture. Some graduate have gone into related fields in arts consultancy, publishing, and film production.
The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help support you with your goals for the future.