PhD Course Structure The Studio Practice component comprises the totality of the studio-based research undertaken within the visual arts disciplines offered in the Graduate Program at the School of Art. The final outcome of the Studio Practice component is presented for examination in the form of an exhibition, or audio-visual presentation, or in such other form as has been approved in the candidate’s research program. A requirement of the Studio Practice component is the Studio Report which details the development of the research project over the duration of the course of study, and provides the broad context for the ideas which inform the development of the research program. The Report primarily enables the candidate to present an account of the Studio Practice project, demonstrating how the work addresses the objectives of the approved research project, and how the topic(s) of the Dissertation have informed the Studio Practice. The Dissertation comprises a 33% proportion of the total research project. For the Dissertation the candidate is required to present a substantial academic essay of a maximum of 30,000 words, on a topic of relevance to the objectives of the Studio Practice project. By contrast with the objectives and methods of a conventional text-based PhD thesis, the Dissertation will take an appropriate approach to its approved topic(s) in order to achieve the aims of providing a theoretical and historical frame of reference for the Studio Practice component of the research project. Within this objective, the candidate is required to present a paper framed within appropriate academic methods through research, documentation and theoretical and conceptual discourse in a form that is relevant to the topic in question.
Dissertation Options In addition to the orthodox academic “essay” format the terms of reference of the Dissertation may be framed more widely to allow candidates to propose a range of possible modes by which they establish the “theoretical and historical frame of reference for the Studio Practice component of the research project”. In approving alternative outputs such as those detailed below, the criterion will be that current academic standards will be preserved through forms of scholarly output which allow modes of discourse which derive from the range of professional practices specific to the Visual Arts discipline, equivalent to alternative modes of discourse already recognized elsewhere in the University. Such modes may include: • a professionally researched and curated exhibition on a theme or topic of relevance to the candidate's research interests (other than their own work), supported by a published catalogue and essay of an sufficient scholarly standard. • an interactive online publication which fulfills the same scholarly standards and research objectives and methods as scholarly academic essay (eg in cdrom, dvd, weblog or wiki or similar formats) • equivalent multi-authored productions in formats which clearly identify a candidate’s contribution but which take innovative forms of (say multimedia) production • a series of equivalent shorter academic essays on related themes or topics of relevance to the candidate's research interests (other than their own work), the conclusions of which are collated and summarized in an appropriate manner. The criterion for approval of such alternative modes is that they are to amount to the same quantum of scholarly research as the orthodox Dissertation, the details of which are to be negotiated and approved in principle at the time of admission to the program, and approved formally at the Thesis Proposal Review of a candidate’s Research Program stage. |
