PHD in Studio Art

• Identify a field of study and a research question within it;
• Pursue a defined key research question through studio research;
• Investigate cognate studio research undertaken by others internationally;
• Explore the theoretical and historical dimensions of the enquiry through scholarship;
• Collaborate with others, as appropriate, to extend the range of the enquiry;
• Produce a body of work that embodies or represents a new contribution to understanding, in response to the key research question;

• Write an account of the contribution to understanding that includes a reflective analysis of the theoretical and historical context of the research, a critical review of the process of the research, and a brief summary of the project and its outcomes;
• Successfully defend the outcomes of the research in a viva voce examination and exhibition.

The frequency of supervision meetings with supervisors will normally be as follows:

Full Time Students

Meetings with the primary supervisor take place bi-weekly in semester time and monthly in the summer for Full-Time students in Year 1. For years 2 – 4 meetings with the primary supervisor take place monthly. Meetings with internal co-supervisors take place once per month in semester time, with one additional meeting during the summer. Meetings with external supervisors take place once per semester. 

No meetings take place in August (summer breaks can also take place by agreement between the student and their supervisor).

Part Time Students

Meetings with the primary supervisor take place monthly throughout the academic year and the summer. Meetings with internal co-supervisors take place bi-monthly throughout the full calendar year. Meetings with external supervisors take place once per semester. 

No meetings take place in August (summer breaks can also take place by agreement between the student and their supervisor).

Other Meeting Requirements

Students meet with their supervisors as a group at least once per year to review progress and to discuss Graduate Research Committee (GRC) recommendations. Meetings for Full-Time students will be in person at Burren College of Art. Those for Part-Time students will either be in person at Burren College of Art or online, supported by email communication.

Each student meets with a Graduate Research Committee (GRC) that does not include their supervisors once a year to monitor progress and to report to the university accordingly.  These meetings take place at Burren College of Art or online, as need be.

Supervisors have discretion to vary the frequency of all meetings as appropriate.

There are two types of assessment: annually by the Graduate Research Committee to determine eligibility for progression; and the final examination at the end of the programme of research by at least one External and one Internal Examiner, to examine the outcome of the project.

The final examination comprises:

• the submission of a body of work that embodies the contribution to knowledge and understanding, normally by exhibition;
• a written reflective analysis of the theoretical and historical context of the research subject to a maximum word count of 20,000 words and a minimum of 10,000 words;
• a written critical review of the process of the research subject to a maximum word count of 20,000 words and a minimum of 10,000 words;
• a 500 word summary of the contribution to knowledge and understanding together with documentation of the work;
• a viva voce examination.

All elements of the examination must be passed. The submission is examined with reference to the initial aims of the research project.