Program Overview

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Arts Management and Cultural Policy

Overview

The School of Arts, English and Languages welcomes applications for research in Arts Management and Cultural Policy. We supervise students undertaking research in various areas, including:

• The design and delivery of cultural policy and the interpretation of these processes by arts managers and policy makers
• The attachment of social policy areas to cultural policy
• The social processes of cultural production within institutional settings
• Access, participation, and audience development in the arts
• Issues of equality and diversity
• Internationalisation and transnational exchange
• Reception of art and culture
• Institutional, historical, and social frameworks for the making and displaying of art and heritage
• Impact of arts and cultural work

We are also interested in projects developed through interdisciplinary approaches and supervision teams, including:

• The management and governance of cultural sectors and institutions
• Sustainability and relevance of business models for arts management
• Evolving theories of cultural economy and cultural ecology
• The impact of new technologies on arts and cultural industries management and cultural policymaking

Subject Summary

The School welcomes applications for research that are underpinned by empirical and/or theoretical methodologies. We are also interested in action-research and practice-based methods, as well as those methods that are stakeholder engaged, inclusive, and/or collaborative. We have a strong commitment to the development of interdisciplinary approaches that take account of culture, policy, and management as historical and social processes.

Arts Management and Cultural Policy Highlights

Global Opportunities

• Brokering Intercultural Exchange is an Arts & Humanities Research Council Funded research network that brings international arts and cultural management practitioners together with educators, policymakers, and researchers to explore the relationship of arts and cultural management to intercultural, transcultural, and international exchange.

Industry Links

• Cultural Policy Observatory Ireland is an all-island research network based at Queen’s to further research and information exchange on cultural policy across the island of Ireland.

Student Experience

• Students are supported to publish their work as well as initiate and lead seminars with invited national and international researchers. By encouraging public engagement activities, we actively encourage students to realise the real-life impact of their research.

Key Facts

• Research students are encouraged to play a full and active role in relation to the wide range of research activities undertaken within the School.
• There are many resources available, including the advantage of the networks, research possibilities, and professionals associated with the Brian Friel Theatre, Queen's Film Centre, Sonic Arts Research Centre, and the Naughton Gallery.
• The PhD programme is deeply connected to the arts and cultural sector in Northern Ireland, the UK, and Ireland, and with global connections.
• We are open to both theoretical and practice-based research projects.

Course Content

• Arts management and cultural policy is an interdisciplinary area of study. As such, there is no specific course content, and no single approach to doctoral study.
• You are expected to take research training modules relevant to your area in this and other relevant Schools, which focus on quantitative and qualitative research or humanities-based methods.
• You are also expected to carry out your research under the guidance of your supervisor, but the process is a self-guided independent study.
• You will also be invited to take part in any research seminars associated with staff and other PhD students on the programme.
• Over the course of study, you can attend postgraduate skills training organised by the Graduate School.
• Doctoral candidates studying in English as a Second Language are expected to avail of further training in aspects of academic writing and research.

Assessment

• Assessment processes for the Research Degree differ from taught degrees.
• Students will be expected to present drafts of their work at regular intervals to their supervisor, who will provide written and oral feedback.
• A formal assessment process takes place annually.
• The final assessment of the doctoral degree is both oral and written.
• Students will submit their thesis to an internal and external examining team, who will review the written thesis before inviting the student to orally defend their work at a Viva Voce.

Feedback

• Supervisors will offer feedback on draft work at regular intervals throughout the period of registration on the degree.

Learning and Teaching

• This is a research degree.

Entrance Requirements

• A 2.1 Honours degree or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University.
• While a Master's degree (or equivalent qualification acceptable to the University) is not essential, it is desirable, and applicants without this qualification will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

International Students

• For information on international qualification equivalents, please check the specific information for your country.

English Language Requirements

• Evidence of an IELTS* score of 6.5, with not less than 5.5 in any component, or an equivalent qualification acceptable to the University, is required.
• *Taken within the last two years.

Tuition Fees

• Northern Ireland (NI) | £5,006
• Republic of Ireland (ROI) | £5,006
• England, Scotland or Wales (GB) | £5,006
• EU Other | £20,500
• International | £20,500

Additional Course Costs

• There are no specific additional course costs associated with this programme.

Bench Fees

• Some research programmes incur an additional annual charge on top of the tuition fees, often referred to as a bench fee.
• Bench fees are charged when a programme (or a specific project) incurs extra costs such as those involved with specialist laboratory or field work.
• If you are required to pay bench fees, they will be detailed on your offer letter.

Funding and Scholarships

• The Funding & Scholarship Finder helps prospective and current students find funding to help cover costs towards a whole range of study-related expenses.

How to Apply

• Apply using our online Postgraduate Applications Portal and follow the step-by-step instructions on how to apply.

Find a Supervisor

• If you're interested in a particular project, we suggest you contact the relevant academic before you apply, to introduce yourself and ask questions.
• To find a potential supervisor aligned with your area of interest, or if you are unsure of who to contact, look through the staff profiles linked here.
• You might be asked to provide a short outline of your proposal to help us identify potential supervisors.