About this course
Excellent research opportunities await at the Liverpool School of Art and Design, enabling you to work at the forefront of developments with leading experts.
- Study full or part-time according to your other commitments
- Choose from a wide range of subject areas (see Details tab for more information)
- Complete your research degree (MPhil/PhD) in a Faculty known for its internationally-acclaimed research
- Explore scholarship opportunities
- Benefit from expert supervision and researcher training
- Enjoy excellent facilities and great employment connections
The programme route you undertake will depend on your qualifications and experience.
You can study for an MPhil / PhD full or part-time over two to seven years.
You will be allocated up to four supervisors, including a Lead Supervisor who will work with you throughout your studies and provide you with appropriate levels of support and guidance.
Throughout your studies, you will also have the support of LJMU’s Doctoral Academy which offers expert advice and guidance to those enrolled on MPhil and PhD programmes
Fees and funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students
Fees
The fees quoted at the top of this page cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as:
- Library membership with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources
- Access to programme-appropriate software
- Library and student IT support
- Free on-campus wifi via eduroam
Additional costs
Although not all of the following are compulsory/relevant, you should keep in mind the costs of:
- accommodation and living expenditure
- books (should you wish to have your own copies)
- printing, photocopying and stationery
- PC/laptop (should you prefer to purchase your own for independent study and online learning activities)
- mobile phone/tablet (to access online services)
- field trips (travel and activity costs)
- placements (travel expenses and living costs)
- student visas (international students only)
- study abroad opportunities (travel costs, accommodation, visas and immunisations)
- academic conferences (travel costs)
- professional-body membership
- graduation (gown hire etc)
Funding
There are many ways to fund postgraduate study for home and international students. From loans to International Scholarships and subject-specific funding, you’ll find all of the information you need on our specialist postgraduate funding pages.
Please be aware that the UK’s departure from the EU may affect your tuition fees. Learn more about your fee status and which tuition fees are relevant to you.
Employability
Further your career prospects
LJMU has an excellent employability record with 96% (HESA 2018) of our postgraduates in work or further study six months after graduation. Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
Studying for a postgraduate research degree enhances your employability in a number of ways.
As well as enabling you to focus on your specific areas of interest and expand your subject knowledge ready for employment in your chosen sector, a postgraduate research qualification enables you to take charge of your career path by demonstrating your contribution to an area of knowledge. It enhances your self-confidence and showcases your ability to work independently and ‘go it alone’.
According to a report by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), more than a quarter of graduates felt that their employment prospects were increased by their PG qualification. And when it comes to earnings, those with a postgrad qualification have been shown to earn an average of 24% more than those who leave education with an undergraduate degree.
Some postgraduate research students are already in full-time employment when they begin their studies, whilst others are recent graduates looking to extend their research capabilities and subject expertise.
A good proportion of our students return to their existing roles with enhanced career prospects, others move on to further study or take up teaching roles in educational establishments.
The student experience
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Liverpool School of Art and Design Research
Explore the possibilities
Discover excellent postgraduate research opportunities at the Liverpool School of Art and Design where practice-led research enables you to articulate your own practice and explore contemporary developments.
Liverpool School of Art and Design is organised around strong disciplinary cultures, within a dynamic environment that supports interaction and debate between staff and students within and across subject areas.
The School conducts internationally important research which informs student learning. In the 2014 REF, 85% of research submitted by Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory at LJMU was recognised internationally or considered internationally excellent. This research helps ensure our learning is positioned at the leading edge of developments in the field and that you have an opportunity to study alongside leading experts.
Research is organised thematically to bring disciplines together and exploit their methods, addressing issues with broader cultural significance. We have significant research expertise in: the History of Art, Exhibition Studies,
Curatorial Practice and Theory, Architecture (especially Urbanism and Place Making), Fine Art Practice and Theory (especially Sonic Arts, Installation, Socially Engaged Practices, Printmaking and New Technologies), Art and Design Pedagogy and Graphic Design and Illustration (especially Digital Typography and Graphic Authorship).
Explore ART LABS, a supported and linked collective network of artistic research and technologies laboratories, each with a team led by inspiring researchers.
Research themes:
Contemporary Art
This nationally and internationally distinctive theme supports practice-based research in partnership with Liverpool Biennial and in parallel to its biannual cycle. It offers the opportunity to undertake advance research in areas relating to a wide range of artistic practices, critical writing, exhibition studies, and curating, including periodic art exhibitions such as biennials.
The theme benefits from collaborations with key cultural institutions in Liverpool, including Tate Liverpool, FACT (Foundation for Creative Art and Technology) and RIBA North (Royal Institute of British Architects) through: collaborative posts held by staff; joint projects and activities. Research students have the potential to collaborate in artistic, curatorial or theoretical modes and benefit from opportunities to develop public presentations, curatorial projects, and exhibitions.
The theme benefits from the context of our own Exhibition Research Centre activities and public art gallery. Researchers also have access to the extensive resources of LJMU Libraries, Special Collections and Archives (including Liverpool Biennial Archives) and a range of international collaborations and partnerships developed by staff.
Design, Discourse and Practice
This theme offers the opportunity to undertake advanced research in areas relating to a wide range of design practices, design discourse and critical writing. The programme can focus solely on critical theory, resulting in a written thesis OR comprise a written thesis with practice-based artefacts relating to the critical theory.
You will work alongside dedicated supervisors, get involved in training workshops and seminars, and actively participate in our research environment and public events.
The course is led by Dr Lee Wright, a specialist in Design History and Theory, who teaches the history and theory of fashion design & fashion communication, including fashion photography. Her field of expertise spans material and visual culture with a focus on popular culture studies.
You will be based in the RIBA award-winning John Lennon Art and Design Building within the School of Art and Design - the oldest art school in the UK outside of London. You will have access to extensive studio spaces, lecture theatres, workshop facilities and a dedicated public exhibition space.
As Liverpool’s international flagship for cultural and creative research, ART LABS is a supported and linked collective network of artistic research and technologies laboratories, each with a team led by inspiring researchers.
Each specialist Lab pursues its specific research and ART LABS, directed by Professor John Hyatt, also develops transdisciplinary projects collected under the banner of the ART LABS Heterosis Projects and a series of more contingent Pop-up Labs.
We partner with Liverpool’s art organisations, businesses and communities and collaborate with exemplary international institutions.
Fashion Studies
The theme of study is led by Dr Lee Wright, a specialist in Design History and Theory with a focus on fashion history and theory. Her field of expertise spans material and visual culture, in particular popular culture studies.
Located at the School of Art and Design - the oldest art school in the UK outside of London - the theme is housed in the RIBA award-winning John Lennon Art and Design Building which offers access to extensive studio spaces, lecture theatres, workshop facilities, and a dedicated public exhibition space. Research in the School is organised via ART LABS, which hosts inquisitive and creative researchers from around the world: all teaching, all learning, all working together for a better future.
What is ART LABS?
As Liverpool’s international flagship for cultural and creative research, ART LABS is a supported and linked collective network of artistic research and technologies laboratories, each with a team led by inspiring researchers.
Each specialist Lab pursues its specific research and ART LABS, directed by Professor John Hyatt, also develops transdisciplinary projects collected under the banner of the ART LABS Heterosis Projects and a series of more contingent Pop-up Labs.
We partner with Liverpool’s art organisations, businesses and communities and collaborate with exemplary international institutions. To get an idea of the
type of work we're involved in, take a look at some of our current projects.
ART LABS:
- develops useful knowledge through research and innovative creative practices
- stretches technologies
- imagines and realises visions
- connects and defines the future of disciplines
- grows sustainable, emergent and regenerative social forms
- plays a proactive role in the enhancement of wealth and wellbeing
- welcomes civic and research collaborations
- reflects, reviews and evolves
Areas of research with particular theoretical interest include:
- Fashion design and creative technologies
- Sustainability, social responsibility and product lifespan
- Fashion and Disability
- Cultural significance of Fashion
- Popular culture and fashion
- Co design and Fashion cultures
- Fashion and architecture interfaces
- End user / User experience in the business of Fashion
- Curation and exhibition practices
- Textiles and intersections with fashion
- Archival usage and focus
- Fashion and gender
Teaching
An insight into teaching on your course
Teaching methods
To complement your research, specific training needs will be identified on an individual basis. You can study topics such as:
- Advanced Presentation Skills
- Applying for Ethical Approval
- How to be an Effective Researcher
- Poster Presentation/Design
- Postgraduate Employability Skills
- Project Management
- Writing Skills including Creative Planning for Writing your Thesis
- Surviving the Viva
- Speed Reading
Assessment
How learning is monitored on your programme
To cater for the wide-ranging content of our courses and the varied learning preferences of our students, we offer a range of assessment methods on each programme.
Final examination for both the MPhil and the PhD is by thesis and oral examination.
The MPhil differs from the PhD in terms of the depth of study required and the extent of your personal contribution to knowledge. It requires competence in conducting an independent enquiry as well as in the use of appropriate research methods and techniques. Examiners will expect you to display satisfactory background knowledge of the subject.
To gain a PhD you are expected to show mastery of a special field and to have made an original personal contribution to the understanding of a problem, the advancement of knowledge, or the generation of new ideas. Examiners will expect you to be at the forefront of understanding in your chosen topic.
School facilities
What you can expect from your School
The programme is based in the Liverpool School of Art and Design’s John Lennon Art and Design Building, a purpose-built facility in the Mount Pleasant Campus, which brings together the varied disciplines studied at the School.
Order your brochure Research
Entry requirements
You will need:
- Minimum of a 2:1 honours undergraduate degree and a Masters degree with a research dissertation in a relevant subject.
- In exceptional circumstances we may consider applicants without a Masters degree based on the level of research training completed in their undergraduate degree programme and any subsequent research work.
- We also welcome applications from those with non-standard qualifications who can demonstrate knowledge, experience, and skills developed in the workplace or other setting relevant to the programme of research. If you do not hold the standard academic entry requirements, please use your personal statement to provide further details. Non-standard applications will be considered by the Admissions Tutor(s) on a case-by-case basis.
Additional information:
- IELTS 6.5 minimum 5.5 in each component)
- 58-64 (minimum 51 in each component for UKVI purposes)
- RPL is accepted on this programme
- If you have any specific queries, please contact apsadmissions@ljmu.ac.uk
Please note: All international qualifications are subject to a qualification equivalency check via NARIC.
View country specific entry requirements
Contact LJMU's International Admissions Team for guidance on visa information. Further information is also available from our international web pages.
Application and selection
Securing your place at LJMU
You will apply for the majority of postgraduate courses using our online application form. You should complete the form thoroughly and provide a detailed personal statement which reflects your suitability and aptitude for the programme.
All research degree registrations are subject to approval by the Faculty and University’s Research Degrees Committee. The applications process is as follows:
- Complete and submit your application using this online form attaching official copies of documents (e.g. certificates) and official institution letterhead references
- You will receive an acknowledgement
- Your application will be considered by the Admissions Tutor
- You may need to provide further information or attend an interview
- You will be informed if your application has been successful and will find out about any conditions of acceptance
Research degrees have three intake periods throughout each academic year:
- 3rd October 2022 - 17th October 2022
- 1st February 2023 - 15th February 2023
- 1st June 2023 - 15th June 2023
PhD Application Info
If you wish to enquire about making an application for a PhD or express your interest, please send a CV, brief personal statement and outline of your intended research proposal (no more than 500 words) to apsadmissions@ljmu.ac.uk
The department can then discuss appropriate supervision. You may then be invited to make a full application or offered information about your potential application.
Should you then wish to make a full application please be aware of the following guidelines prior to submission.
Your application should include two main elements: a Personal Statement and a Research Proposal. We recommend the following structure:
1. Personal Statement
Approx. 500 words to include:
a) Short paragraph on current role and responsibilities
b) Main paragraph on CV highlights (‘greatest hits’)
c) Short paragraph on future aspirations including reason for the study and proposed location
2. Research Proposal
Approx. 1500 words to include:
a) Working Title of proposed research
b) Research Aim(s) (maximum three aims)
c) Research Question
d) Background Statement - paragraph including information on the research field
e) Literature Review - paragraph highlighting exemplars in relation to the proposed field of study
f) Methods - paragraph including information on the proposed mode of study e.g. practice-led or thesis only
g) Proposed Structure - in bullet point form (typically three bullet points will suffice at this stage)
h) Indicative Bibliography - including approx. 10 publications
The University reserves the right to withdraw or make alterations to a course and facilities if necessary; this may be because such changes are deemed to be beneficial to students, are minor in nature and unlikely to impact negatively upon students or become necessary due to circumstances beyond the control of the University. Where this does happen, the University operates a policy of consultation, advice and support to all enrolled students affected by the proposed change to their course or module.