Doctoral Studies at the Department of Fine and Applied Arts
The Department of Fine and Applied Arts of the University of Western Macedonia organizes and operates a Doctoral Studies Program (DSP) in Greek and English, in accordance with the provisions Law 4485/2017 and the relevant provisions and decisions. The duration of the programme, the admission and acceptance of doctoral candidates as well as the awarding of ECTS is governed by the Studies Regulations (SR).
Doctoral Studies (DS) aim to prepare and develop new researchers who have the ability to promote scientific knowledge and art, with autonomous production of research results in the cognitive areas of the arts as well as in the interface of the arts with other scientific areas.
The Department of Visual and Applied Arts, School of Fine Arts also offers doctoral degrees in artistic research. An arts research doctorate is doctoral research in the field of arts that combines research-oriented artistic practice with theoretical research.
In order to complete the DSP, Doctoral Candidates (DCs) need to accumulate a total of 180 ECTS including the successful attendance of courses. The regulations of the DSP apply equally to the DSP in Greek.
Doctorate in Art Research
The PhD in Artistic Research is a doctoral research in the field of the arts that combines research-oriented artistic practice with theoretical research. It emerged in the 1990s with greater diffusion since the 2000s in Anglo-Saxon countries. A number of terminologies such as practice-based PhD or practice-led PhD have been used to designate it with the most recently used being art research.
The methodology of Art Research belongs to the broader field of practice research. This field recommends an umbrella term within which all types of research that use practice as the primary method of inquiry and expressed through a result outcome -product. The forms of research do not follow a prescribed pattern but are characterised by a “methodological pluralism”. They form numerous combinations of sciences and disciplines where for each one a unique relationship of practice, theoretical thinking and articulation of practice within it is built. The end result must be made public both visually and in writing, and thought and reflection must be distinct in both. The end result of this type of research, which is visual in nature, cannot be confined to a particular form. Therefore, the criteria for the form the research can take are kept as open as possible. The written part of doctoral research is intertwined with artistic practice, but there is no fixed analogy between research work and artistic production. The requirements that the research and the researcher’s methodology must meet are partly derived from the work undertaken by the artist.
As part of the doctoral research, the candidate will be expected to follow the doctoral curriculum, including various presentations and assessments. The candidate will be expected to actively and passively participate in conferences and other artistic events. In addition, he/she will be expected to periodically present new artworks in his/her field to illustrate artistic development and the relationship between research and artistic work, and to publish writings about the work and research under development.
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The Department provides an organized program of studies with learning outcomes in Greek and English. The terms and conditions of the regulations for doctoral studies apply equally, regardless of the language chosen by the doctoral candidate(s).
The Department offers research, learning and educational activities, which are evaluated by the professors and the supervisor of the doctoral candidate. These activities are compulsory and optional, have an indicative workload which corresponds to ECTS, and are offered in both languages (Greek and English). In the case of the doctoral degree in artistic research, these activities may be differentiated according to the table below.
In order to complete the 180 ECTS required for the Doctoral Degree, doctoral candidates may choose a sufficient number of elective research and learning activities offered by the Department and the University.
| Organised Doctoral Studies Programme with learning outcomes and credits | ||||
| Courses/Activities | Art Research | Minimum | ECTS | ECTS total |
| Writing and presentation of the bibliographical and art review | 1 | 1 | 30 | 30 |
| Doctoral dissertation | 1* | 1 | 60 | 60 |
| Compulsory Doctoral Level Course 39 hours e.g. “Research Methodology” | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 |
| Courses of free choice from the Institutional Catalogue: e.g. “Gender Equality”, “Sustainable Development” | – | – | 4 | |
| Presentation of paper in a conference with a scientific committee | or additionally presentation of an original work of art | 2 | 10 | 20 |
| Publication in conference proceedings with a scientific committee /publication in a reputable journal /chapter in a collective volume | or additionallyinternational publicpresentation of an original artistic work | 2 | 15 | 30 |
| Poster presentation in conference with a scientific committee | – | – | 4 | |
| Lecture in a University(domestic/abroad) | 2 | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| Presentation in an educational seminar in the broader field of the doctorate | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Attendance of a Summer School in the broader research field of the doctoral programme of at least 25 hours | – | – | 4 | |
| Assisting in a theoretical course or studio course at undergraduate level | – | – | 6 | 6 |
| Selection from the previous activities | 16 | |||
| TOTAL | 180 | |||
*In the case of art research, the thesis may include with the written part the exhibition, publication, projection, broadcasting, performance, etc. of the artistic work in conjunction with its oral examination.