PhD Art History and Visual Studies

Our virtual week took place October 2024 – to find out about future sessions to explore postgraduate research opportunities across the university, please visit our study fairs and events page.

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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  13 January 2025.

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 2025 entry:  30 June 2025
• For January 2026 entry:  30 September 2025

Before you start your application, you should:

1. Develop your own research proposal and project title.
2. Find a supervisor by browsing our academics’ profiles, and reach out directly to discuss if they are interested in supporting your research.
3. Consider how you plan on funding your research and discuss this with your supervisor.

When you submit your application, you must include each of the below required documents:

• A 1,500 word PhD research proposal ; Please state the word count on page 1 of the document.
• A copy of your Bachelor's academic transcript and certificate.
• A copy of your Master's academic transcript and certificate. If your Master's degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript.
• If you have completed more than one Bachelor's or Master's degree, please provide evidence for each. If your transcripts are in a language other than English, you must provide an official English translation. If your weighted average mark or GPA is not included on these documents, please also include an official document from your university verifying this information.
• An up-to-date academic CV summarising your academic record, employment history, publications and highlighting experience demonstrating your research potential.
• The names of two academic referees, including one from your most recent institution. Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following the submission of your application form. You may wish to notify your referees to submit their references promptly, as this is part of the review process.
• A certificate or evidence demonstrating your English language ability and proficiency. Applications can be considered without this evidence but any offer would be conditional on meeting minimum requirements.

This 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 researcher. 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 postgraduate 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.

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 .

We offer one of the UK's fullest and most innovative training programmes in the humanities, artsmethods@manchester , which provides a rich menu of courses on methods and theory, as well as researcher-led conferences organised by groups of PhD students. This is reinforced by the Humanities Researcher Development programme, which offers generic training - eg on academic networking, or how to prepare for your viva - and courses aiming to enhance your career development. The Faculty of Humanities runs a placement programme which offers PhD researchers the opportunity to develop their public engagement skills and/or their employability skills by undertaking a period of work with an organisation outside academia - a museum, an archive, or a festival, for example.

The award of your PhD follows three years of successful supervised research. The maximum length of the PhD thesis is 80,000 words.

Find out more about what it's like to undertake a postgraduate research degree at Manchester on our Humanities PGR blog .

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.

Find out more about our facilities for Art History students.

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.