Research Students

Art History is the most successful among Essex Humanities areas in terms of securing research funding for doctoral study. This reflects not only our long-established reputation as a destination for MPhil and PhD study, but also the attention we give to individual students from the point of first enquiry to completion. At the centre of our research culture are our research training modules Researching Art History I and II, which new research students take. The first of these modules is intended to give an insight into art-historical research through the presentation of live research activity by members of staff across the range of our interests. In the second of these modules, research students present on their work to their peers and there is a formal presentation of a response from an MA student. This innovative model has been very successful in fostering a professional approach to the development of research projects through discussion and debate. Our weekly Work in Progress seminar provides opportunities for students to hear about current research in presentations given by invited speakers from across the globe. We offer research training and supervision within the following fields:

• European art and theory 1250-1700, particularly in Italy, France and the Netherlands
• British and European art and theory in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries
• Twentieth-century art and theory in Europe, Britain and North America
• Aesthetics and theory of art
• Historiography of art history
• Contemporary art and theory
• Cubism
• Dada and Surrealism
• Psychoanalysis and art
• Photography since the 1960s
• Colonial and Modern Latin American art since Independence
• History and theory of architecture and industrial design
• Urbanism and the built environment
• Museology and gallery studies (Centre for Curatorial Studies,CCS)

For more information about research topics, see:

• Current students and their research topics
• Former PhD students, their dissertation topics and current employment

Our minimum entrance requirement is a good honours degree from a British university or an equivalent overseas qualification; preference is given to applicants of MA standing. Candidates are expected to fulfil the minimum English language requirement i.e. IELTS 7 or TOEFL (paper-based) 600 or (internet) 100.

Our PhD is a structured three-year programme of advanced study and research. We also offer an MPhil which is a two year programme. Supervision is by regular individual tutorials. The award of a research degree depends solely on the merits of the thesis. A thesis submitted for the degree of MPhil must not exceed 50,000 words in length, for the PhD 80,000 words. Full-time students are normally expected to be registered for a minimum period of two years for the degree of MPhil or three years for the PhD.

The development of research projects is supported and monitored via Supervisory Boards, which happen twice a year for full-time students. Here the supervisor and two other members of staff discuss the research with the student, progress in assessed against milestones, and training or other support needs are identified. We aim to have all full-time PhD students submit within four years.

We regard the PhD not only as an academic degree but as a professional qualification. Where possible we provide opportunities to acquire experience in undergraduate or postgraduate teaching and in conference organising and curating of exhibitions. We ensure that students receive training in IT and research methodologies including advanced library research skills. Most of our successful candidates are now working in academic institutions, in national or regional museums or galleries, or in other arts-related professions, both throughout Britain and abroad. Among recent successes are the appointment of Jim Walsh (PhD, 2007) as Chief Executive of the South Place Ethical Society in London, and Lucy Bradnock (PhD 2009), working on a project examining West Coast art at The Getty Institute, Los Angeles. Our graduates teach in leading Departments in York, Glasgow and London. The Curator of Public Programmes at Tate Modern is an Essex Art History graduate.

Graduate Seminars

All graduate students are invited to attend a regular programme of weekly seminars covering the whole of the Department’s range of interests, with papers given by members of staff, research students and outside speakers; for full details click here. PhD students are also welcome to attend any of the MA modules currently on offer.

Interdisciplinary Activities

We co-operate closely with other departments including joint supervision of MA and research students, particularly with the Departments of Philosophy and of Literature, Film and Theatre Studies. Staff and students are actively involved in the work of several of the interdisciplinary centres of the University, in particular the Human Rights Centre and the Centre for Psychoanalytic Studies. The Department also works closely with Firstsite in Colchester, a leading international contemporary visual arts venue.

Postgraduate journals

The Department hosts two online journals edited by postgraduates:

• Rebus - Online Journal of Art History and Theory
• Arara - Art and Architecture of the Americas

Languages for All

As a University of Essex student, you can also study a language alongside your course for free as part of the Languages for All scheme. You can find full details of the available options on the Languages for All webpages.

Elsewhere on the University website:

• On-line application forms
• The Graduate School