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Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London: PhD Programme
| Institution | Courtauld Institute of Art, University of London |
|---|---|
| Department | History of Art |
| Web | http://www.courtauld.ac.uk |
| pgadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk | |
| Telephone | 02039477673 |
| Study type | Research |
Doctor of Philosophy - PhD
Summary
Since 1932, The Courtauld has been among the world’s leading institutions for research in Art History and Conservation. Our internationally-renowned PhD programme is one of the largest in the United Kingdom, hosting over 100 doctoral students at any one time on their paths towards a PhD. At The Courtauld, you will join a cohort of the most ambitious and gifted students in your field as you pursue your research goals.
Our diverse cohort of students come from across the United Kingdom, and around the world, to explore an equally wide range of research topics. Our students’ excellence is reflected in the large number of AHRC-funded awards gained over the last decade, one of a number of routes available for supporting your studies. Recent and current doctoral projects include mosaics in Constantinople, Buddhist wall paintings in Bhutan, Cubism in Japan, and post-war Korean avant-gardes, among many others.
A Courtauld Research degree includes scheduled skills and methodology seminars, along with the main element: one-to-one supervision on your chosen project. Your supervisory team will guide your research, help plan, develop and shape your thesis, and support your scholarly and professional development in diverse ways.
A research-intensive institution, The Courtauld consistently achieves outstanding results in the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) audit. Courtauld teachers publish on a host of topics, with recent important books and articles on Persian Kingship and architecture, Spanish Renaissance sculpture, Netherlandish artists and migration, gardens and empire in China, Victorian art and science, American fashion photography, and many others. Faculty members have extensive experience curating major exhibitions of historic and contemporary art, editing and contributing to academic journals, winning competitive research grants, speaking publicly in a great variety of institutions and events, and working in archives and collections worldwide. All this and more contributes to our mentoring of students as they undertake their doctoral careers at The Courtauld.
Research Forum
The Research Forum is central to The Courtauld’s intellectual community and to doctoral life here. Presenting a programme of leading professors, curators, conservation scientists, and artists from around the world, the Research Forum invites you to explore a wide range of art historical thinking and consider your research from new perspectives. Research programmes are further supported by a variety of thematic clusters. Groups such as the Sculptural Process Study Group and Painting Pairs: Art History and Technical Study, highlight the Institute’s foundation in object-based research; Connecting Cultures, 1200–1850, Sacred Traditions and the Arts, and the Digital Art History Research Group underline the interdisciplinary nature of our teaching and research. The Courtauld is also home to several major research centres, including the Centre for American Art and the Cambridge Courtauld Russian Art Centre.
Find out more: https://courtauld.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/phd/
| Level | RQF Level 8 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | Academic Requirements: PhD applicants are expected to have achieved a Master’s degree in a subject relevant to their proposed research. Those with Masters awarded in the UK normally are expected to have received at least 65% overall, with at least 70% in the dissertation or thesis. The pre-application enables important consultation with your prospective supervisor before proceeding to the full application, and also confirms the availability of the supervisor, as there are strict limits on how many PhD students any one supervisor may take in a given year. Before you can submit a full PhD programme application, you must send a pre-application to pgadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk, alongside: Research Proposal Title |
| Location | Courtauld Institute of Art Vernon Square Penton Rise London WC1X 9EW |
Summary
Since 1932, The Courtauld has been among the world’s leading institutions for research in Art History and Conservation. Our internationally-renowned PhD programme is one of the largest in the United Kingdom, hosting over 100 doctoral students at any one time on their paths towards a PhD. At The Courtauld, you will join a cohort of the most ambitious and gifted students in your field as you pursue your research goals.
Our diverse cohort of students come from across the United Kingdom, and around the world, to explore an equally wide range of research topics. Our students’ excellence is reflected in the large number of AHRC-funded awards gained over the last decade, one of a number of routes available for supporting your studies. Recent and current doctoral projects include mosaics in Constantinople, Buddhist wall paintings in Bhutan, Cubism in Japan, and post-war Korean avant-gardes, among many others.
A Courtauld Research degree includes scheduled skills and methodology seminars, along with the main element: one-to-one supervision on your chosen project. Your supervisory team will guide your research, help plan, develop and shape your thesis, and support your scholarly and professional development in diverse ways.
A research-intensive institution, The Courtauld consistently achieves outstanding results in the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) audit. Courtauld teachers publish on a host of topics, with recent important books and articles on Persian Kingship and architecture, Spanish Renaissance sculpture, Netherlandish artists and migration, gardens and empire in China, Victorian art and science, American fashion photography, and many others. Faculty members have extensive experience curating major exhibitions of historic and contemporary art, editing and contributing to academic journals, winning competitive research grants, speaking publicly in a great variety of institutions and events, and working in archives and collections worldwide. All this and more contributes to our mentoring of students as they undertake their doctoral careers at The Courtauld.
Research Forum
The Research Forum is central to The Courtauld’s intellectual community and to doctoral life here. Presenting a programme of leading professors, curators, conservation scientists, and artists from around the world, the Research Forum invites you to explore a wide range of art historical thinking and consider your research from new perspectives. Research programmes are further supported by a variety of thematic clusters. Groups such as the Sculptural Process Study Group and Painting Pairs: Art History and Technical Study, highlight the Institute’s foundation in object-based research; Connecting Cultures, 1200–1850, Sacred Traditions and the Arts, and the Digital Art History Research Group underline the interdisciplinary nature of our teaching and research. The Courtauld is also home to several major research centres, including the Centre for American Art and the Cambridge Courtauld Russian Art Centre.
Find out more: https://courtauld.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/phd/
| Level | RQF Level 8 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | Academic Requirements: PhD applicants are expected to have achieved a Master’s degree in a subject relevant to their proposed research. Those with Masters awarded in the UK normally are expected to have received at least 65% overall, with at least 70% in the dissertation or thesis. The pre-application enables important consultation with your prospective supervisor before proceeding to the full application, and also confirms the availability of the supervisor, as there are strict limits on how many PhD students any one supervisor may take in a given year. Before you can submit a full PhD programme application, you must send a pre-application to pgadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk, alongside: Research Proposal Title |
| Location | Courtauld Institute of Art Vernon Square Penton Rise London WC1X 9EW |
Summary
The PhD degree at The Courtauld is an ambitious, rigorous, and internationally renowned programme with a global outlook and unparalleled strengths in art history, conservation and curating. It enables postgraduate researchers to redefine the boundaries of art history, conservation and curating by promoting innovative and interdisciplinary research.
At the Courtauld you will join a diverse cohort of over 100 postgraduate researchers drawn from the UK and internationally to study a wide range of topics and approaches in an intellectually stimulating research-intensive environment.
You will benefit from the supervision of subject experts who work at the forefront of their respective fields. Members of faculty have extensive experience of advanced research including curating major exhibitions of historic and contemporary art, editing and publishing in leading academic journals, winning competitive research grants, speaking publicly in a great variety of institutions and events, and working in archives and collections worldwide. Learn more about our Faculty here.
Alongside close supervisory guidance, you will benefit from researcher training, cohort and network-building activities, and professional development opportunities, designed to support you at all stages of your doctoral degree.
At the Courtauld, you will become part of a vibrant intellectual community. A rich programme of research events hosted by the Research Forum will give you access to cutting-edge new research and ideas and the opportunity to build your academic network. Postgraduate researchers play an active role in inviting speakers, devising and convening research activity, and participating in events for academic and public audiences.
Postgraduate researchers are valuable members of our dynamic research clusters, which bring together specialist researchers from within and beyond the Courtauld to exchange and develop new knowledge and innovative ideas. Major research centres, including the Manton Centre for British Art and the Courtauld Centre for the Art of the Americas, represent world-leading concentrations of research expertise and new thinking. Our active research partnerships with a range of organisations across the cultural sector, including the National Trust and English Heritage, enable applied understanding of advanced research.
Courtauld postgraduate researchers develop a wide range of professional experience. They edit and produce the postgraduate journal Immediations and have opportunities to contribute curatorially in our gallery project space and prints and drawings room. Postgraduate researchers can also gain valuable teaching experience on our BA Art History degree and via our creative public programmes. Find out more about our current PhD students here: https://courtauld.ac.uk/research/postgraduate/postgraduate-research
| Level | RQF Level 8 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | Academic Requirements: PhD applicants are expected to have achieved a Master’s degree in a subject relevant to their proposed research. Those with Master’s degrees awarded in the UK are normally expected to have received at least 65% overall, with at least 70% in the dissertation or thesis. English Language Requirements: If your first language is not English, we require proof of English language proficiency. Please see the English Language Requirements page. Procedure First, applicants must identify a potential supervisor at the Institute who is an expert in the relevant field. A list of current Courtauld staff can be found on our Faculty pages. Before you can submit a full PhD programme application, you must send a Pre-Application and your CV to pgadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk The pre-application enables important consultation with your prospective supervisor before proceeding to the full application, and also confirms the availability of the supervisor, as there are strict limits on how many PhD students any one supervisor may take in a given year. A Pre-Application will consist of the following: Research Title We will be accepting pre-application proposals for the 2026/27 academic year from 1 September 2025 onward. Following the submission of your application, your proposed supervisor will contact you to schedule an interview with members of Faculty. Pre-application Deadline: 17 November 2025 FULL PROGRAMME APPLICATION Once you are invited to submit a Full Programme Application, you will be provided with a link to the main Programme Application Portal. Full Programme Application Deadline: 8 January 2026 Please note that students requiring a student route visa to study in the UK are not permitted to study part-time. |
| Location | Courtauld Institute of Art Vernon Square Penton Rise London WC1X 9EW |
Fees
| England | 6930 GBP for Whole course |
|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 6930 GBP for Whole course |
| Scotland | 6930 GBP for Whole course |
| Wales | 6930 GBP for Whole course |
| EU | 26460 GBP for Whole course |
| International | 26460 GBP for Whole course |
Summary
The PhD degree at The Courtauld is an ambitious, rigorous, and internationally renowned programme with a global outlook and unparalleled strengths in art history, conservation and curating. It enables postgraduate researchers to redefine the boundaries of art history, conservation and curating by promoting innovative and interdisciplinary research.
At the Courtauld you will join a diverse cohort of over 100 postgraduate researchers drawn from the UK and internationally to study a wide range of topics and approaches in an intellectually stimulating research-intensive environment.
You will benefit from the supervision of subject experts who work at the forefront of their respective fields. Members of faculty have extensive experience of advanced research including curating major exhibitions of historic and contemporary art, editing and publishing in leading academic journals, winning competitive research grants, speaking publicly in a great variety of institutions and events, and working in archives and collections worldwide. Learn more about our Faculty here.
Alongside close supervisory guidance, you will benefit from researcher training, cohort and network-building activities, and professional development opportunities, designed to support you at all stages of your doctoral degree.
At the Courtauld, you will become part of a vibrant intellectual community. A rich programme of research events hosted by the Research Forum will give you access to cutting-edge new research and ideas and the opportunity to build your academic network. Postgraduate researchers play an active role in inviting speakers, devising and convening research activity, and participating in events for academic and public audiences.
Postgraduate researchers are valuable members of our dynamic research clusters, which bring together specialist researchers from within and beyond the Courtauld to exchange and develop new knowledge and innovative ideas. Major research centres, including the Manton Centre for British Art and the Courtauld Centre for the Art of the Americas, represent world-leading concentrations of research expertise and new thinking. Our active research partnerships with a range of organisations across the cultural sector, including the National Trust and English Heritage, enable applied understanding of advanced research.
Courtauld postgraduate researchers develop a wide range of professional experience. They edit and produce the postgraduate journal Immediations and have opportunities to contribute curatorially in our gallery project space and prints and drawings room. Postgraduate researchers can also gain valuable teaching experience on our BA Art History degree and via our creative public programmes. Find out more about our current PhD students here: https://courtauld.ac.uk/research/postgraduate/postgraduate-research
| Level | RQF Level 8 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | Academic Requirements: PhD applicants are expected to have achieved a Master’s degree in a subject relevant to their proposed research. Those with Master’s degrees awarded in the UK are normally expected to have received at least 65% overall, with at least 70% in the dissertation or thesis. English Language Requirements: If your first language is not English, we require proof of English language proficiency. Please see the English Language Requirements page. Procedure First, applicants must identify a potential supervisor at the Institute who is an expert in the relevant field. A list of current Courtauld staff can be found on our Faculty pages. Before you can submit a full PhD programme application, you must send a Pre-Application and your CV to pgadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk The pre-application enables important consultation with your prospective supervisor before proceeding to the full application, and also confirms the availability of the supervisor, as there are strict limits on how many PhD students any one supervisor may take in a given year. A Pre-Application will consist of the following: Research Title We will be accepting pre-application proposals for the 2026/27 academic year from 1 September 2025 onward. Following the submission of your application, your proposed supervisor will contact you to schedule an interview with members of Faculty. Pre-application Deadline: 17 November 2025 FULL PROGRAMME APPLICATION Once you are invited to submit a Full Programme Application, you will be provided with a link to the main Programme Application Portal. Full Programme Application Deadline: 8 January 2026 Please note that students requiring a student route visa to study in the UK are not permitted to study part-time. |
| Location | Courtauld Institute of Art Vernon Square Penton Rise London WC1X 9EW |
Fees
| England | 6930 GBP for Whole course |
|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 6930 GBP for Whole course |
| Scotland | 6930 GBP for Whole course |
| Wales | 6930 GBP for Whole course |
| EU | 26460 GBP for Whole course |
| International | 26460 GBP for Whole course |
Summary
Since 1932, The Courtauld has been among the world’s leading institutions for research in Art History and Conservation. Our internationally-renowned PhD programme is one of the largest in the United Kingdom, hosting over 100 doctoral students at any one time on their paths towards a PhD. At The Courtauld, you will join a cohort of the most ambitious and gifted students in your field as you pursue your research goals.
Our diverse cohort of students come from across the United Kingdom, and around the world, to explore an equally wide range of research topics. Our students’ excellence is reflected in the large number of AHRC-funded awards gained over the last decade, one of a number of routes available for supporting your studies. Recent and current doctoral projects include mosaics in Constantinople, Buddhist wall paintings in Bhutan, Cubism in Japan, and post-war Korean avant-gardes, among many others.
A Courtauld Research degree includes scheduled skills and methodology seminars, along with the main element: one-to-one supervision on your chosen project. Your supervisory team will guide your research, help plan, develop and shape your thesis, and support your scholarly and professional development in diverse ways.
A research-intensive institution, The Courtauld consistently achieves outstanding results in the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) audit. Courtauld teachers publish on a host of topics, with recent important books and articles on Persian Kingship and architecture, Spanish Renaissance sculpture, Netherlandish artists and migration, gardens and empire in China, Victorian art and science, American fashion photography, and many others. Faculty members have extensive experience curating major exhibitions of historic and contemporary art, editing and contributing to academic journals, winning competitive research grants, speaking publicly in a great variety of institutions and events, and working in archives and collections worldwide. All this and more contributes to our mentoring of students as they undertake their doctoral careers at The Courtauld.
Research Forum
The Research Forum is central to The Courtauld’s intellectual community and to doctoral life here. Presenting a programme of leading professors, curators, conservation scientists, and artists from around the world, the Research Forum invites you to explore a wide range of art historical thinking and consider your research from new perspectives. Research programmes are further supported by a variety of thematic clusters. Groups such as the Sculptural Process Study Group and Painting Pairs: Art History and Technical Study, highlight the Institute’s foundation in object-based research; Connecting Cultures, 1200–1850, Sacred Traditions and the Arts, and the Digital Art History Research Group underline the interdisciplinary nature of our teaching and research. The Courtauld is also home to several major research centres, including the Centre for American Art and the Cambridge Courtauld Russian Art Centre.
Find out more: https://courtauld.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/phd/
| Level | RQF Level 8 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | Academic Requirements: PhD applicants are expected to have achieved a Master’s degree in a subject relevant to their proposed research. Those with Masters awarded in the UK normally are expected to have received at least 65% overall, with at least 70% in the dissertation or thesis. The pre-application enables important consultation with your prospective supervisor before proceeding to the full application, and also confirms the availability of the supervisor, as there are strict limits on how many PhD students any one supervisor may take in a given year. Before you can submit a full PhD programme application, you must send a pre-application to pgadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk, alongside: Research Proposal Title |
| Location | Courtauld Institute of Art Vernon Square Penton Rise London WC1X 9EW |
Summary
Since 1932, The Courtauld has been among the world’s leading institutions for research in Art History and Conservation. Our internationally-renowned PhD programme is one of the largest in the United Kingdom, hosting over 100 doctoral students at any one time on their paths towards a PhD. At The Courtauld, you will join a cohort of the most ambitious and gifted students in your field as you pursue your research goals.
Our diverse cohort of students come from across the United Kingdom, and around the world, to explore an equally wide range of research topics. Our students’ excellence is reflected in the large number of AHRC-funded awards gained over the last decade, one of a number of routes available for supporting your studies. Recent and current doctoral projects include mosaics in Constantinople, Buddhist wall paintings in Bhutan, Cubism in Japan, and post-war Korean avant-gardes, among many others.
A Courtauld Research degree includes scheduled skills and methodology seminars, along with the main element: one-to-one supervision on your chosen project. Your supervisory team will guide your research, help plan, develop and shape your thesis, and support your scholarly and professional development in diverse ways.
A research-intensive institution, The Courtauld consistently achieves outstanding results in the UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) audit. Courtauld teachers publish on a host of topics, with recent important books and articles on Persian Kingship and architecture, Spanish Renaissance sculpture, Netherlandish artists and migration, gardens and empire in China, Victorian art and science, American fashion photography, and many others. Faculty members have extensive experience curating major exhibitions of historic and contemporary art, editing and contributing to academic journals, winning competitive research grants, speaking publicly in a great variety of institutions and events, and working in archives and collections worldwide. All this and more contributes to our mentoring of students as they undertake their doctoral careers at The Courtauld.
Research Forum
The Research Forum is central to The Courtauld’s intellectual community and to doctoral life here. Presenting a programme of leading professors, curators, conservation scientists, and artists from around the world, the Research Forum invites you to explore a wide range of art historical thinking and consider your research from new perspectives. Research programmes are further supported by a variety of thematic clusters. Groups such as the Sculptural Process Study Group and Painting Pairs: Art History and Technical Study, highlight the Institute’s foundation in object-based research; Connecting Cultures, 1200–1850, Sacred Traditions and the Arts, and the Digital Art History Research Group underline the interdisciplinary nature of our teaching and research. The Courtauld is also home to several major research centres, including the Centre for American Art and the Cambridge Courtauld Russian Art Centre.
Find out more: https://courtauld.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/phd/
| Level | RQF Level 8 |
|---|---|
| Entry requirements | Academic Requirements: PhD applicants are expected to have achieved a Master’s degree in a subject relevant to their proposed research. Those with Masters awarded in the UK normally are expected to have received at least 65% overall, with at least 70% in the dissertation or thesis. The pre-application enables important consultation with your prospective supervisor before proceeding to the full application, and also confirms the availability of the supervisor, as there are strict limits on how many PhD students any one supervisor may take in a given year. Before you can submit a full PhD programme application, you must send a pre-application to pgadmissions@courtauld.ac.uk, alongside: Research Proposal Title |
| Location | Courtauld Institute of Art Vernon Square Penton Rise London WC1X 9EW |
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