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Slade School of Fine Art MPhil/PhD

London, Bloomsbury

The UCL Slade School of Fine Art is one of the UK's most renowned university departments for fine art. We approach research through a wide range of artistic and interdisciplinary practice, and champion its communication through inventive modes of exhibition, documentation and writing.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£6,215
£3,105
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£29,800
£14,900
Duration
3 calendar years
5 calendar years
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted

Applications should be submitted at least three months prior to your preferred start date.

Entry requirements

Applicants must hold an upper second-class UK Bachelor’s degree or its overseas equivalent and will normally be expected to have studied to UK Master’s level, or its overseas equivalent, in either fine art or in art history/theoretical studies.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 4

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

The Slade offers the following three pathways for undertaking MPhil/PhD research in Fine Art:

  • Practice-led Thesis: a thesis of art practice that makes an original contribution to knowledge accompanied by a written component of 15,000-30,000 words (with a maximum of 40,000), or for the MPhil 10,000-15,000 words (a maximum of 20,000).
  • Practice-related Thesis: a written thesis of 60,000-80,000 words with art practice that together make an original contribution to knowledge (or 35,000-45,000 words for the MPhil).
  • Written Thesis: a written thesis of 80,000-100,000 words that makes an original contribution to knowledge (or 50,000-60,000 words for the MPhil).
     

Who this course is for

The MPhil/PhD at the Slade School of Fine Art is for applicants who have completed a period of postgraduate study and practice in fine art and are now seeking to develop their practice as research at an advanced level.

Read about what it takes to become a UCL graduate research student

What this course will give you

Doctoral researchers benefit from the Slade's central London location and proximity to other external research institutions, galleries and museums. Practice-led researchers in full-time attendance are allocated space in a shared studio and all researchers have access to workshop facilities, as well as bookable spaces.

Slade doctoral researchers have access to the School-wide lecture and visiting artists programme as well as an extensive range of research groups and skills courses through UCL Doctoral School, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities and the Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS). 

The Slade offers PhD students the opportunity to work as postgraduate teaching assistants (PGTA) on the Fine Art BA, Fine Art BFA and the interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences BASc programme within UCL Arts & Sciences. These Teaching Assistantships are supported by training and mentoring at the Slade and the UCL Arena Centre. They are available for application on a competitive basis.

Find out how your research could have an impact

The foundation of your career

The UCL Slade School of Fine Art doctoral programme aims to develop research potential and graduates go on to further their careers as professional artists, many receiving important public and private commissions, gaining gallery representation, winning major prizes and international artist residencies, as well as developing new artist-led initiatives worldwide. Others have published their thesis as a monograph and taken on roles in related careers, including curating, museum and gallery management, education, and many other roles within the creative industries, both within the UK and internationally.

Employability

Researchers graduating with a PhD in Fine Art from UCL Slade School of Fine Art during the last ten years have furthered their careers in the following ways: as professional artists through exhibiting and taking up residencies internationally; establishing profiles as curators; publishing their writing as monographs and journal entries; continuing to postdoctoral fellowships and progressing in academic careers. News and achievements of current doctoral students and alumni are detailed on the News section of the Slade website. 75% of graduates have gone on to highly-skilled work or post-graduate level study; their mean/median salaries were £50,000; and graduates have gone on to careers in a range of destinations including the UK, Hong Kong and Poland*.

*Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2017-2022 cohorts.

Networking

Slade doctoral researchers have access to an extensive range of research groups through the UCL Doctoral School, the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, and the UCL Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS). We will support you in developing research networks within and beyond UCL. 

Teaching and learning

Doctoral research is independent and driven primarily through the work you do with your supervisors. Throughout the development of your thesis during Years 1-3 (FT) and Years 1-5 (PT) of your degree, you will meet regularly with your supervisory team. During this time you will be required to do the following:

  • Regularly engage in PhD Supervision, including submitting work ahead of time for consideration during each supervisory session and completing a Supervision Report after each supervisory session.
  • Complete appropriate Doctoral Skills Training, including but not limited to training provided by the UCL Doctoral School Skills Programme.
  • Continually update and maintain your UCL Research Log.
  • Complete and submit an Annual Progress Report as the basis for discussion in your Annual Review Panel.

As members of the Slade doctoral research community, you will participate in the Slade Doctoral Programme where you expected to do the following:

  • Attend the Slade Art Research Forum where you will present/exhibit research three times in total throughout the development of your thesis during Years 1-3 (FT) and Years 1-5 (PT) of your degree.
  • Attend Skills Workshops for Practice Research in Year 1 (FT) and Years 1-2 (PT).

As well, you are encouraged to:

  • Attend the weekly all-School Contemporary Art Lectures and Staff Talks, and to engage in Slade cross-School events.
  • Seek out research events across UCL externally are relevant to your specific research.
  • Attend and initiate research activities in the Slade.
  • Be active participants in exhibitions, performances, events, conferences, and publishing both within and beyond UCL.

Alongside your independent research and programme of supervision, full-time doctoral researchers and part-time doctoral researchers (pro rata) are required by UCL to attend, take part and engage with the skills training programme organised by UCL Doctoral School.

The UCL Doctoral School Skills Development Programme offers a range of courses that address the following: research skills and techniques, management of the student’s research, personal effectiveness, communication skills, networking and team working and career management.

There are three main points of assessment:

Upgrade to PhD: Initially doctoral researchers are registered for the MPhil degree. If they wish to proceed to a PhD, the registration must be changed accordingly through a process of upgrading from MPhil to PhD. This is assessed through the submission of an Upgrade Report, a Supervisors Report and the holding of a Viva.

Transfer to Completing Research Status (CRS): Doctoral researchers must be registered for at least three calendar years full-time, or five calendar years part-time, before they will be eligible to adopt CRS. The move to CRS is assessed through the submission of a full draft of the thesis to supervisors, who either approve the move to CRS or recommend a further registration period.

Final Thesis Submission (FTS): A doctoral researcher must submit their thesis for final examination before the end of their CRS period. The examination will then be conducted as a viva.

As well as these three points of examination, you will submit an Annual Progress Report along with a related submission of material and this will form the basis of discussion in the Slade's Annual Review Panels in Term 3.

Doctoral research is independent and driven primarily through the work you do with your supervisors, who have ongoing oversight of your research project. You will have regular meetings (approximately 1-1.5 hours) with your supervisors who will provide critical evaluations of all elements of your work.

For self-directed study, it is expected that doctoral research time mirrors that of staff engagement as closely as possible. It is therefore recommended that full-time research equates roughly to 36.5 hours per week; this should be pro-rata for part-time research students, which is not normally less than 50% of the full-time equivalent (FTE). If a student has external funding, they should also ensure they meet the Terms & Conditions of their funder in this regard.

Research areas and structure

The Slade School of Fine Art offers a choice between the following three options within the PhD programme:

  •     Practice-led: a thesis of practice-based work and a written report of 15,000–40,000 words
  •     Practice-related: a written thesis of 60,000–80,000 words with practice-based work
  •     Written thesis only: a written thesis of  80,000–100,000 words.

Our focus is on the main research themes within the Slade School, as indicated by the range of supervisors’ research, and on interdisciplinary research between fine art and other disciplines. Students are encouraged to explore a diversity of research outputs including exhibitions, events, performances, collaborations, publications and conferences and to share their work with researchers across UCL and LAHP, and the wider public at both a national and international level.

Research environment

The Slade School of Fine Art’s practice-led research culture facilitates an ongoing commitment to individual excellence in art research while also supporting research with other artists, curators and researchers that increasingly addresses pressing societal and cultural challenges.

The Slade MPhil/PhD places great emphasis on interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary connections, and Slade researchers network regularly with doctoral researchers across UCL. You will also be encouraged to join research centres and networks relevant to your specific topic both within and outside UCL, and to organise research events using funding through the UCL Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) and the Grand Challenges scheme.

The length of the PhD is normally three years full-time.

Researchers register initially for an MPhil and are required to upgrade to a PhD between 9 and 18 months (full-time). You must be registered for a minimum period of three years (full-time) before you are eligible to apply for Completing Research Status (CRS). The CRS period is a further year (full-time) registration without fees, during which time you must submit the thesis and hold the final viva examination.

Length of the PhD is normally five years part-time.

Researchers register initially for an MPhil and are required to upgrade to a PhD between between 15 and 30 months (part-time). You must be registered for a minimum period of five years (part-time) before you are eligible to apply for Completing Research Status (CRS). The CRS period is a further two years (part-time) registration without fees, during which time you must submit the thesis and hold the final viva examination.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.


Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £6,215 £3,105
Tuition fees (2025/26) £29,800 £14,900

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

Researchers are expected to cover any costs relating to their practice-led and practice-related research. This includes the cost of materials as well as any technical equipment that is not held within the Slade. This also includes the cost of exhibiting research, which you will do for presentations in the Art Research Forums, including your Upgrade Presentation, as well as for your Final Exhibition as part of the PhD viva. Researchers should also expect to fund the costs of any research trips and travel relating to the development of their project, including field work, gallery visits and networking events such as conferences and exhibitions.

To help cover additional costs, the Slade has a media store with equipment that can be borrowed for the making of artwork. There is also an opportunity for researchers to apply each year through an open competition for up to £500 from the Malcolm Hughes and Jean Spencer Memorial Bursary to cover costs of materials and up to £500 from the Faculty Fund for Research Trips and Travel. The UCL Doctoral School also has funding opportunities available for ongoing projects, as well as emergency funding for those in unexpected financial need.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For further information, see our fees and funding section for information about tuition fees, funding, scholarships and bursaries.

Doctoral students may also apply to UCL Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) and UCL Grand Challenges for funding for interdisciplinary research and to hold associated events.

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

Next steps

In addition to any information requested in the online application, applicants must submit:

  • Portfolio of Practice 
  • Research proposal
  • Writing sample
  • Personal statement 
  • CV

See the Slade MPhil-PhD Admissions page for full details.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Got questions? Get in touch

Slade School of Fine Art
Slade School of Fine Art

slade.tlo@ucl.ac.uk

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