Research degrees in Art and Design, PhD, MPhil

Our Art and Design research is dynamic and imaginative. We have an outward looking research culture, with a strong focus on art and design practice as a significant contributor to cultural enrichment, social dynamics and economic vitality. Undertaking an MPhil or PhD

Nottingham Trent University offers opportunities to study for an MPhil or PhD by research in all its academic schools. Supervision is available by full-time or part-time study, and can sometimes be provided by distance learning.

Supporting your studies
Carrying out research for a PhD, MPhil or ProfD requires different skills from undergraduate or taught postgraduate study. You will mostly work on your own research project, but we also emphasise the importance of regular meetings with your supervisory team.

The team consists of a director of studies (who will usually have expertise in your subject area) and at least one other supervisor selected for their complementary expertise such as relevant research methods.

The Graduate School Team will support you from your initial enquiry, through the application process and the various stages of your degree, until your viva voce examination and subsequent graduation. Once you begin your studies, you will have induction sessions to introduce you to the University, help you settle in and meet other researchers.

Funding
Visit the Graduate School website for scholarship and bursary information. In addition, you can read about AHRC funding for UK / EU Arts and Humanities research students.

Researcher training
In addition to studying for a research degree, students undertaking traditional route PhDs will participate in researcher training. This combines general research training with specific topics associated with your discipline. The training focuses on the requirements of external research funding bodies and government requirements.

We also provide a structured programme of transferable skills training and career development. This is informed by the work of Vitae, the national organisation which support researchers throughout their careers.

The School of Art and Design provides a dynamic environment in which to pursue graduate study. The School plays host to a broad range of disciplines. These contemplate and engage the visual and material worlds and embrace various methodological approaches drawn from art practice to systems engineering, and from experimental testing to conceptual speculation.

Academic staff, research fellows and doctoral students in art and design form an active research community, participating in the following research centres, groups and networks:

• Advanced Textiles
• Art Research
• Sustainable Consumption
• Global Cultures of Textile and Dress
• Lace Heritage
• Digital Craft and Embodied Knowledge
• Advanced Design and Manufacturing Engineering Centre (ADMEC)

Subject areas

• Decorative Arts
• Design History and Visual Culture
• Fashion and Textile Design
• Fashion Marketing and Management
• Fine Art
• Graphic Design
• Narrative and Interactive Arts
• Photography

PhD Project Opportunities

Opportunities to join staff teams as a PhD student working on projects currently running in our Research Groups can be found by following the centre links above. Alternatively, if you are looking to join staff teams as a PhD student working on projects in our subject areas please see an overview of the opportunities detailed below. For further information, download the project pack

Current PhD Project Opportunities

Fashion Marketing and Management
1. Social Uniforms: Demographic prejudice and the perceptions of individual fashion and style choices.
2. Mathematical fashion supply-chain analysis using computer technology.
Contact: Daniel Easters

Graphic Design
Comparative analysis of traditional and digital press output.
Contact: Dr. Chris Brown

Design History and Visual Culture
Sustainability, Cool and Glamour.
Contact: Dr. Vanessa Brown

Sustainable Consumption
Designing new products to be made from recycled paper laminate.
Contact: Dr. Anthony Crabbe

Decorative Arts
3D printing of relief forms onto ceramic tiles.
Contact: Lharne Shaw

Fashion and Textile Design
The Last Flowering - A study of women lace designers from the Midlands (1945 -1960) and their relationship to Nottingham’s lace collections and manufacturing.
Contact: Dr. Amanda Briggs-Goode

Fine Art
The Trans – decorative: Researching transgressive methods for interrogating the decorative and ornamental.
Contact: Professor Duncan Higgins