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Contemporary Arts PhD

UK

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What will I learn?

The Contemporary Arts PhD at Lancaster offers you an opportunity to undertake research across a wide variety of contemporary arts topics and disciplines, in the interdisciplinary environment of Lancaster Institute for Contemporary Arts (LICA). As a PhD student you will normally be supervised by a team of two supervisors who will ensure that you receive focused critical feedback and encouragement throughout the programme. In many cases the supervisors will be based in different disciplines within the Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA), or in a different department within the university in order to ensure that you have the most appropriate supervisory team for your chosen project.

You can take your Contemporary Arts PhD at Lancaster either in the traditional format of a written thesis, or as a project that combines the written thesis with creative practical work. Many of our academic staff are engaged with practice-based research in the fields of art, film, theatre, design and architecture, and we have a dedicated team of technicians to support you as well as workshops, editing suites and technical resources for our students.

As a PhD student based in LICA and part of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (FASS), you will be part of a multidisciplinary community of research students, able to participate in seminars, reading groups, conferences, and research training courses. We also offer opportunities to study for a certificate in higher education teaching.

Which department am I in?

Lancaster Institute for Contemporary Arts (LICA)

Study options

Full Time (3 years)

Tuition fees
£21,920.00 (US$ 28,413) per year
This is a fixed fee

*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please check with institution

Start date

3 October 2025

Venue

Lancaster University

Bailrigg,

Lancaster,

Lancashire,

LA1 4YW, England

Entry requirements

For international students

Master’s Degree: Master’s degree or equivalent in an appropriate discipline. Undergraduate Degree: 2:1 (Hons) degree (UK or equivalent) in an appropriate discipline; We may also consider non-standard applicants. IELTS Academic test (UKVI approved or other centres) or IELTS Online with an overall score of at least 6.5, with a minimum of 6.0 in each element; or Pearson PTE Academic with a score of at least 58 and a minimum of 50 in each component of the test; or ToEFL IBT or ToEFL IBT Home Edition with an overall score of at least 87, with a minimum of 19 in reading, listening and speaking and 22 in writing.

*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.

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About Lancaster University

Lancaster University is highly ranked in both UK and international league tables and is home to students from over 120 countries.

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