The School of Art at Aberystwyth University offers a PhD in either Fine Art or Art History. The courses are designed for students who seek to undertake sustained study to generate original research in a specified field.
The School of Art is housed in a magnificent Grade II listed building where history and tradition meet contemporary practice. It offers large studios, print workshops, darkrooms, lecture theatres, seminar rooms, and a MacSuite.
Our School of Art is an accredited art museum that runs its own galleries, meaning students will benefit from studying in a museum environment, where you can see original artworks held in our collection and shown in our galleries.
Please see the tuition fee pages for current tuition fees. Please note that all fees are subject to an annual increase.
Funding:
Funding opportunities may be available, please check our funding calculator for details.
Course Overview
We offer a stimulating environment for postgraduate study and research in both fine art and art history. We are committed to art as an intellectual pursuit and a professional discipline; one which requires training, skill and practice as well as individual creativity.
Students are chosen for their appropriateness to the professional and research interest of staff, and much of the tuition is by means of regular individual tutorials.
Areas of Art History research supervision include:
Landscape and environment.
Art and Science
History of Printmaking
History and Historiography of Impressionism and plein air landscapes.
History and historiography of C19 French art and print culture
Technologies and cultures of colour in C19 Europe
Pre-Raphaelites
Art in Wales (1750-1950)
Visual cultures of nationalism and imperialism
Histories of collecting and reception
Class and labour in artistic identity and practice
Documentary Photography.
Areas of Fine Art research supervision include:
Drawing and Painting
Art and Environment
Art and Science
Photography
The Uncanny
The History and practice of printmaking including
lithography
Interdisciplinary practice (video, sound, installation and site-specific performance).
About this course
Duration:
Three years full-time or five years part-time.
Modules September start - 2026
Please note: The modules listed below are those currently intended for delivery during the next academic year and may be subject to change. They are included here to give an indication of how the course is structured.
* Also available partially or entirely through the medium of Welsh
Teaching & Learning
Your study will advance through individual tutorials with a supervisor with whom you negotiate an action plan and a programme of independent research.
The PhD in Art History is assessed by informed peer consensus on the project. You will be required to articulate a defence of your thesis with regard to its scope, depth and relevance in a viva voce. The PhD is undertaken by a 100,000 word thesis.
The PhD in Fine Art is designed for students who seek to undertake a sustained study of Fine Art to generate original research in a specified field. You will produce a substantial creative product (such as an exhibition) and a dissertation (30,000 words) that demonstrates a critical, historical and theoretical grasp of appropriate research methods and methodologies.
