Program Overview

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MPhil/PhD Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship

Overview

The Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship has a strong research base in all areas of cultural policy, cultural diplomacy, arts management, and creative, cultural and social entrepreneurship.

Why study an MPhil/PhD at the Institute for Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship

• The Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship (ICCE) provides a unique environment to study and research, with world-leading academic thinkers within a university globally recognised for its research excellence.
• ICCE is the editorial home of leading journals Theory, Culture & Society – ranked No.1 in Cultural Studies over the last five years – and Body & Society.
• The department welcomes proposals from highly qualified individuals who wish to pursue PhD degrees. These research projects should be of the highest quality, in keeping with Goldsmiths' reputation as a leading producer of exceptional research.

Length

• 3-4 years full-time or 7-8 years part-time

Fees

• Home - full-time: £TBC
• Home - part-time: £TBC
• International - full-time: £TBC

Department

• Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship

You'll research

Overview

• You'll be supervised by a full-time member of staff, generally agreed during the preliminary discussions regarding your research with the ICCE Director.
• PhD theses are up to a maximum of 100,000 words.
• You should aim to complete and submit your PhD thesis within the time-frame specified by Goldsmiths. This is normally three to four years for full-time students.
• A thesis for the award of MPhil may be submitted after two years of full-time or three years of part-time study. Registration can be changed from full-time to part-time status, and vice-versa, with the agreement of your supervisor.

Research training programme

• All students enrolled in the MPhil/PhD programme are initially required to attend a weekly seminar in research methodology conducted by the Goldsmiths Graduate School.
• These seminars are designed to bring together research students with diverse interests in a cooperative and stimulating environment.
• Its objectives include training students for the Spring Review Week, written and oral presentations, preparation for upgrading procedures, and publication of articles.

Assessment

• Examination is by thesis and a viva.

Research areas

• We are particularly interested in hearing from people interested in carrying out research into:
  • Cultural and creative entrepreneurship
  • Creative industries
  • Business models for the creative economy
  • Social entrepreneurship
  • Cultural tourism
  • Culture and regeneration
  • Cultural relations and diplomacy
  • Audience development
  • Cultural policy
  • Consumer culture
  • The body
  • Visual culture
  • Urban culture

ICCE staff and their research interests

• Professor Victoria Alexander
• Dr Katie Beswick
• Dr Alex Brkić
• Dr Cecilia Dinardi
• Professor Mike Featherstone
• Dr Nicola Guy
• Dr Kelly Meng Parnwell
• Dr Pauline Muir
• Dr Oonagh Murphy
• Dr George Musgrave
• Dr Nicola Searle
• Dr Tomoko Tamari

Current PhD students

• Current PhD studies being undertaken by research students in ICCE include:
  • 21st-century competencies
  • Leadership of arts and cultural organisations
  • Personalisation of the arts offer
  • Value and how to assess this in the creative industries
  • Audience development
  • The business of comedy
  • Applied conceptual art
  • Cultural diplomacy
  • Urban mobility experience and transport
  • Urban culture and the open city
  • Food culture

Interdisciplinary approach

• We combine creativity with business to merge disciplines and create new insights.

Cultural hub

• Studying in London means that world-leading arts and cultural experiences are on your doorstep.

A welcoming community

• Goldsmiths aims to inspire and support you, enabling you to thrive.

What our students say

Edward Dixon

• Goldsmiths provided a rich learning environment with academic staff that were welcoming and approachable.

Careers

• Possible careers following your research degree include:
  • Academia
  • Research
  • Practice-orientated work
  • Development work
  • Work in social innovation and social economy
  • Work in the arts and cultural sector and cultural and creative industries
  • Publishing

Fees and funding

Annual tuition fees

• These are the PG fees for students starting their programme in the 2025/2026 academic year.
• Home - full-time: £TBC
• Home - part-time: £TBC
• International - full-time: £TBC

Funding opportunities

AHRC studentships

• Research projects by MPhil/PhD applicants for any Goldsmiths department oriented towards arts and humanities research are eligible to be considered for funding.

Goldsmiths scholarships and studentships

• Explore the Goldsmiths scholarships finder to find out what funding you may be eligible for.

Paying your fees

• Find out about paying your tuition fees.

Additional costs

• In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying.

Entry requirements

• You should normally have (or expect to be awarded) a taught Masters in a relevant subject area.
• You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications

• We accept a wide range of international qualifications.

English language requirements

• If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme.

How to apply

• You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system.

Your research proposal

• Along with your application details, personal statement and academic reference, you should also upload a research proposal at the point of application.
• This should be in the form of a clear, concise and coherent statement of the proposed area of research of at least five pages and no more than seven pages of A4.
• The research proposal should include:
  1. A working title for your research project.
  2. A clear statement about what you want to work on and why it is important, interesting, relevant and realistic.
  3. Some background knowledge and context of the area in which you wish to work, including key literature, key people, key research findings.
  4. Some consideration of the methods/approach you might use.
  5. Some indication of the strategy and timetable for your research project and any research challenges you may face.
  6. A short list of the key references that support your research proposal.

When to apply

• We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September.