Prof Doc Fine Art (DFA)
Course overview
Start date
September 2018
Subject area
Art and Design
Attendance
Full-time
Part-time
Learning
On campus
Course summary
Our Professional Doctorate in Fine Art (DFA) course is the longest-running, most developed of its kind, with a group culture and centralised structure that makes it unique.
It’s designed for artists from the UK and abroad who wish to make their practice the basis for doctoral study and can be undertaken over three years full time or five years part time.
It differs from practice-led PhDs in that you will arrive with an art practice to be analysed and developed rather than a 'project' to be carried out.
Students enrolled on the course are engaged in a wide range of practices, including painting, installation, film, video, performance, photography and printmaking.
Unlike a PhD, an exhibition of practice replaces the thesis as the main evidence of research. There’s a strong focus on professional practice and your body of work will represent an original contribution to fine art practice.
Contact us
If you have any questions, talk to a member of our Applicant Enquiries team on +44 (0) 20 8223 3333 or email study@uel.ac.uk.
Get in touchIndustry experts
You will study on an increasingly prestigious course under the supervision of some of the country’s leading fine artists, including Turner Prize-winning sculptor Grenville Davey.
Career prospects
Our doctorate has helped develop the work of internationally acclaimed artists such as Max Hattler, the renowned audio-visual artist and animator.
Work exposure
You will have excellent opportunities to exhibit your work and take advantage of our close relationships with many galleries and our regular engagement with professional venues and practices.
Dr Max Hattler
world-renowned animator Doctorate in Fine Art at UEL
“The course had an immensely positive impact on my art practice and professional outlook. It provided me with critical context and support, which led to the creation of a new body of work, progressing from short film towards installation-based works including multi-screen setups and a water screen. The Doctorate has helped me steer my entire artistic practice towards a more considered, grounded, and unified expression, a solid foundation on which to build in years to come.”
Fees and funding
- Take advantage of UEL scholarships and bursaries
- Ask your employer to sponsor your study
- Study part-time so you can work at the same time
- Look at Research Council Awards
• Online payment facilities
• By telephone
• In person at our Docklands or Stratford campus
• Bank transfer Full information on making payments can be found here
The Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) are here to help you navigate
your finances while you're a student at the University of East London.
We can give you advice, information and guidance on government and
university funds so that you receive your full funding entitlement.
Email: study@uel.ac.uk
Phone: 020 8223 4444
- Take advantage of UEL scholarships and bursaries
- Ask your employer to sponsor your study
- Study part-time so you can work at the same time
- Look at Research Council Awards
• Online payment facilities
• By telephone
• In person at our Docklands or Stratford campus
• Bank transfer Full information on making payments can be found here
The Student Money Advice and Rights Team (SMART) are here to help you navigate
your finances while you're a student at the University of East London.
We can give you advice, information and guidance on government and
university funds so that you receive your full funding entitlement.
Email: study@uel.ac.uk
Phone: 020 8223 4444
As part of the Tier 4 student visa requirements, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) estimate that you will need £1265* per month to cover your living costs. It includes expenses for accommodation, food and drink, travel within London, text books, entertainment, clothing, toiletries and laundry. Most Tier 4 students are required to show they have sufficient funds to cover the first nine months of the course before they start- a total of £11385- in addition to the tuition fees. You can find more information about the specific requirements of the Tier 4 student visa here. The amount that you will spend can vary depending on your lifestyle. The UKCISA International Student Calculator can help you plan and manage your money.
* Please note the Immigration Rules are subject to change and this figure is likely to be increased by UKVI year on year. Please therefore check our ISA pages (www.uel.ac.uk/isa) for more information at the time of preparing your visa application.
International students are required to pay a deposit prior to being issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
Your remaining balance will be paid in five monthly instalments over your first term. The first of these instalments must be paid when completing your enrolment on arrival at UEL. Please follow the payment instructions here.
After the required payment has been made, you will be asked to complete the online International Student Reply Form to confirm your acceptance of our offer and of our terms of admittance and fees policy.
Our International team at UEL are available for advice and guidance on studying in London, fees, scholarships and visa requirements.
Email: international@uel.ac.uk
As part of the Tier 4 student visa requirements, UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) estimate that you will need £1265* per month to cover your living costs. It includes expenses for accommodation, food and drink, travel within London, text books, entertainment, clothing, toiletries and laundry. Most Tier 4 students are required to show they have sufficient funds to cover the first nine months of the course before they start- a total of £11385- in addition to the tuition fees. You can find more information about the specific requirements of the Tier 4 student visa here. The amount that you will spend can vary depending on your lifestyle. The UKCISA International Student Calculator can help you plan and manage your money.
* Please note the Immigration Rules are subject to change and this figure is likely to be increased by UKVI year on year. Please therefore check our ISA pages (www.uel.ac.uk/isa) for more information at the time of preparing your visa application.
International students are required to pay a deposit prior to being issued a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS).
Your remaining balance will be paid in five monthly instalments over your first term. The first of these instalments must be paid when completing your enrolment on arrival at UEL. Please follow the payment instructions here.
After the required payment has been made, you will be asked to complete the online International Student Reply Form to confirm your acceptance of our offer and of our terms of admittance and fees policy.
Our International team at UEL are available for advice and guidance on studying in London, fees, scholarships and visa requirements.
Email: international@uel.ac.uk
Entry requirements
INTERNATIONAL
(Including European Union)
We accept a range of qualifications from across the world. Please see our country pages for information on specific entry requirements for your country.
Your portfolio should contain between ten and fifteen works in any medium, e.g. drawing, painting, video, sculpture, installation, etc – that demonstrate your interest in developing as an artist.
Large or site-specific works should be represented photographically.
You should include some preparatory work, e.g. drawings or sketchbooks, as well as completed pieces. In addition to questions about your portfolio you will be asked about artists who interest you and exhibitions you have visited.
- Applicants are required to provide evidence of a proven commitment to professional, personal and intellectual development
- Submit a proposal of study
- Submit a portfolio and attend an interview.
As an inclusive university we recognise that applicants who have been out of education for some time may not have the formal qualifications usually required for entry to a course. We welcome applications from those who can demonstrate their enthusiasm and commitment to study and have relevant life/work experience that equips them to succeed on the course. We will assess this from the information provided in your application (particularly your personal statement) and may ask you to attend an interview or submit a piece of work to help us decide on your eligibility for the course. Our pre-entry Information Advice and Guidance Team are able to provide further advice on entry requirements and suitability for study.
What we're researching
We have maintained an international reputation for artistic innovation and research excellence due in large part to the work of our world-leading practitioners in sculpture and installation,
Among our renowned academic team are Senior Lecturer Faisal Abdu'Allah, whose extraordinary work crosses the borders of photography, the printed image and lens-based installation. He has exhibited at Tate Britain and the National Portrait Gallery.
Senior Lecturer Susan Stockwell has also enjoyed critical acclaim for her elegant drawings, sculptures and installations, which have been exhibited all over the world from London’s Victoria and Albert Museum to the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern to China’s Shenghua Art Centre.
Susan was commissioned by the National Army Museum to lead a two-year research project exploring the interconnected themes of the Army, conflict and rehabilitation.
Working in workshops with soldiers from two UK recovery centres, encouraging them to use drawing, sewing and quilting to unlock their memories, the collaboration led to the creation of a remarkable patchwork quilt, entitled Peace Makers – a symbolic flag for peace, justice, equality and humanity.
Professor Grenville Davey, the Turner Prize-winning sculptor who leads our MA course, has produced a number of high-profile public art projects, including Well, which was commissioned by Yorkshire Sculpture Park, and Inter Alia – a commission for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The latter was an installation reflecting human presence in the form of a series of hand prints cast in aluminium bronze
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Making a difference
UEL is one of the UK’s leading modern research universities. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF), 17 per cent of our overall research submission was classified as ‘world-leading’ for its quality and impact – almost double our previous REF score. A further 45 per cent of our work was considered ‘internationally excellent’.
What you'll study
- Critical Concepts (core)
- Professional Practice (core)
- Fine Art Research Methodologies (core)
- Advanced Professional Practice (core)
- Research module (core)
How you'll be assessed
Your tutors, course leader and supervisors monitor your progress throughout the course. We’ll assess you through a combination of essays, written reports, oral presentations, portfolios and your final exhibition.
Course specificationHow you'll learn
The strength of our course lies in the rare quality of those artists who will help oversee your work after you’ve completed your proposal.
Staff and supervisors include Grenville Davey, the Turner Prize winner who also heads UEL’s MA Fine Art course, leading filmmaker John Smith, brilliant installation artist Faisal Abdu’Allah and award-winning painter Alexis Harding.
Many other major names in British art act as visiting lecturers too, including Turner Prize winner Grayson Perry and world-renowned sculptor Richard Wilson – both of whom are former UEL visiting professors – the abstract painter Basil Beattie and Bob and Roberta Smith.
Your course is led by Karen Raney, who, as well as being a painter, lecturer, writer and editor of Engage, the international journal of visual art and gallery education, is also a supportive and friendly supervisor. The course tutor is the artist Eric Great-Rex.
Seminars, tutorials, workshops and technical demonstrations from artists all support your independent research and development of critical theory and practice. Yet a strong group dynamic and exhibition culture is also central to the course.
Your work in progress is aired through regular seminars which all year groups attend and interim shows take place each year when critics, curators and artists from outside the university are invited in to critique your work.
You will also have access to a full range of our outstanding facilities at the university, including workshops for woodwork, sculpture, printmaking, digital and analogue photography and film, as well as Mac and PC labs.
What you'll learn
Our doctoral course has three strands: creative practice, which is developing your art work; professional practice, which involves exhibiting, curating, teaching and commissions; and theoretical research.
You will spend your first six months developing your proposal, with the aim of locating your work in relation to contemporary art and developing critical habits.
You will make explicit the strategies already in use and open up new ones that will allow theory to inform, but not prescribe, your creative work.
The course is designed to accommodate the organic, foraging, unpredictable nature of art practice. So, for doctoral students, the proposal is not a project outline to be carried out but a starting point from which your work can move in unforeseen directions.
Your annual written reviews will serve as an ongoing record of your doctoral work. A showcase exhibition takes place each year when critics, curators and artists from outside the University are invited to critique the work.
Your doctoral thesis is your final exhibition of work, supported by a written report of 15,000 to 25,000 words.
Your future career
Our course has attracted global attention, with students coming to study with us from as far afield as China, Nigeria, Taiwan, Brazil, Korea, Pakistan, Malaysia, Canada, Russia and Japan.
We are proud that this course has helped propel so many of them into successful careers all over the world as gallery directors, deans, professors and teachers of art, as well as becoming renowned exhibiting artists in their own right.
Among our nine students who were awarded the Doctorate last year was the acclaimed artist, Max Hattler. The work of the German video artist and experimental filmmaker has been exhibited and admired at hundreds of film festivals as well as in museums and galleries.
His is just one of many success stories. Professor Murtaza Jafri is now the Principal of the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan, while Young-Gil Kim is Professor in Art at Kongju National University in South Korea.
Rebecca Thomas is the Course Leader in photography at the University of Hertfordshire while UEL’s own Hedley Roberts, the painter who is head of Art and Design at the University, was awarded his Doctorate here in 2011.
Barbara Nicholls, who was awarded her Doctorate in 2006, has gone on to exhibit internationally. Teresa Witz, who is one of UEL’s fine art lecturers, was appointed as one of the official artists for the 2012 Olympics.
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