Design - PhD through Practice in Design - Research

The PhD through practice entails a practitioner producing a body of work within a critically reflective frame of enquiry with the intention of extending and innovating an area of design practice.

Research in the School of Design is driven by three priorities: User-First Design, Design Sustainability, and Contemporary Practices in Art and Design. A vital model for PhD education in the School of Design is offered by TFE, an academy/industry partnership funded through the European FP7 programme, through which several PhD students work with a Principal Investigator in delivering a major research project.

In the PhD programme through Design – whether working as part of a research cluster or on an individual programme of enquiry students demonstrate advanced research ability in the discovery and development of new knowledge and skills, delivering findings at the frontiers of knowledge and application. The key issue in a PhD is that the student will make a significant contribution to the field of enquiry. It is an ambitious programme of study whether pursued through practical work or written thesis. PhD study normally requires a minimum of three years full-time study (but may require longer, given the high level of achievement required).