What will I learn?
Our research degrees span the full range of communication, design and media environments. Research is a rich, central and essential part of the School of Communication & Design. Our MPhil and PhD degrees in Communication Research are grounded firmly in research theory and methods, while maintaining and encouraging a high degree of creativity and experimentation. We welcome research projects that activate new kinds of knowledge formation critically exploring, probing and creating ways to open dialogues on narratives and methods to positively change the terms of contemporary communication practices. Ours is a broad discipline ranging from, but not exclusive to, animation, experimental communication, sonic performance, media ecologies, intercultural communication, digital storytelling and immersive world building. We look for critical engagement, originality and proven skills in both practice and writing, and encourage questioning and experimental research approaches. The research ethos of our community can be summed up as fostering an ethically alert approach to practices of communication that are inclusive, culturally informed, and historically aware. We bring theory and practice together to offer new ways of thinking about the world, at a time when alternative paradigms and criticality are essential to mobilising imagination and action for the future.
Which department am I in?
School of Communication and Design
Entry requirements
For international students
The programme welcomes applications from candidates from across the world and of all ages, including those with academic and professional backgrounds.Applications are considered in terms of quality of proposal, quality of practice (where appropriate), readiness to undertake a research degree at this level and supervisory capacity.Portfolio requirements-Your portfolio is a showcase of your work as an artist or designer and can be made up of images, videos or writing examples. Your portfolio helps us to better understand your application and allows you to show evidence of your ability and motivation to undertake a given programme.Generally, were looking for you to demonstrate your:Creativity, imagination and innovationAbility to articulate the intentions of the workIntellectual engagement in areas relevant to the workTechnical skills appropriate to the workPotential to benefit from the programmePlease submit a selected portfolio of work (no more than five examples) which clearly establishes and evidences your abilities in articulating research questions, methods, and approaches. This PDF portfolio may relate directly to your proposed research project, and/or be drawn from recent professional work (in which case, there should be an articulation of skills and an understanding of research processes).Your journey: application videoPersonal statementPlease provide a 300-word written personal statement that addresses the following points:Introduce yourself, your interests and your motivations for applying to the Royal College of Art, and to this programme in particular.Briefly summarise any educational background and professional experience to date that will support your application.Tell us what you want to do in the future.
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