The doctoral research
Artists may create or re-create art works using a researching mind. But
the PhD in the creative and performing arts is based on research that
is deeper or broader in scope. Candidates must already be able to
create or perform at a high international level. Their artistic work
has raised questions or problems that can be further articulated and
analysed only through research. Hence, by posing and resolving such
issues, the artists also alter their creative or performing processes.
Their written academic theses analyse how, why, when and with what
result these processes influence one another. The theses also
demonstrate what influence the research approach and methods have
undergone from the students´ work as creators or performers.
Three kinds of research exist: fundamental research, practice-based
research and practice-as-research. Two of these variants apply to PhD
research in the creative and performing arts: practice-based research
and practice-as-research (also called experimentation).
Fundamental research may take a place in both variants, and the
research may be documented in writing as well as in auditory or visual
media. Candidates report their research findings in a scholarly
dissertation. There are several additional requirements. The research
must be original, that is, doctorates are not awarded on the basis of
research previously done. The research should also explore new paths or
transcend the state of the art. The creative and research processes
should interact. This makes creative or performing artists particularly
well suited for the research carried out under the programme. Their
theses analyse the scholarly and artistic processes in their research.
The pattern varies per candidate: the artistic component may outweigh
the theoretical one, or vice versa.
- Practice-based research results in a body of artistic work and a systematic analysis of the research findings, which pertain either to the art itself or to the process of performing or creating it. In gaining their degree, candidates must demonstrate their own coherent body of artistic work as well as a diversified approach to their professional practice. Their work might be a comprehensive study of various facets (historical, sociological, philosophical, compositional, technical) of a carefully delimited topic. They might demonstrate an ability to play several instruments.They might master several related or unrelated genres, or perform several different roles in professional practice. docARTES expressly welcomes research that combines two or more disciplines, applies new media, or reappraises existing media.
- Practice-as-research is study in which the research itself consists of a multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary creative process, and in which the artistic product, supplemented by the research documentation, forms the result of the study. This involves an expansion or renewal of the artistic vocabulary, a search for new forms of artistic expression. The concept of interdisciplinarity entails working with more than one discipline, as by applying new media or engaging both auditory and visual elements. The doctorate in practice-as-research comprises the artistic accomplishments in the form of an experimental project, accompanied by a report on the systematic study. High standards are set for the written reporting, to ensure the verifiability and broader applicability of the research findings.
Requirements for final completion
The final completion of the doctorate involves one or more artistic presentations, such as concerts, performances and demonstrations, as well as a public defence of the academic thesis. The procedures for obtaining the doctorate (including those for the final presentation and the acceptance criteria for the academic thesis) are specified in the regulations of the university in question. The written thesis must contain at least 60 pages (24.000 words). It may be either a monograph or a collection of interrelated articles accompanied by an explanatory introduction. Doctoral candidates may supplement their theses with CDs, DVDs, CD-ROMs and/or a website.