Gray’s research is supported through the IDEAS Research Institute and is focused around four main areas: Art in the Public Sphere; Cultures of Representation; Knowledge through Making and Design-Led Sustainability. Within the Research Institute, these are clustered under the umbrella theme of Creativity, Design and Innovation.

The research currently being undertaken is successfully positioning 'art' as a research paradigm that has a distinctive contribution to make in relation to the more established paradigms of research in science and technology and the social sciences.

In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE), 45% of the School's research was classed as 'world leading' or 'internationally excellent'. The School's Research strategy aims to make a significant creative and critical contribution to the field of visual arts, design and media by undertaking interdisciplinary research that draws on the specific expertise of the School. This is maintained and enhanced through a commitment to research development and scholarly activity.

The University can offer Art and Design research degrees in the following broad areas:

Art

• Social and ecological art in the public sphere
• Artistic leadership
• Aesthetics and ethics of public art practice
• Contemporary art in relation and its histories of representation and modes of distribution
• Drawing within contemporary art practice
• Theories of contemporary art practice, including feminism

Design

• Communication design
• Computer-mediated design practice, product design and sustainable design

Craft

• New philosophies, processes, and products of making and manufacture with relevance to contemporary culture and society, in particular well-being
• Investigation of digital technologies testing the boundaries of art/craft practice

Art & Design Education

• Philosophy and practice of collaborative learning within gallery, community and interdisciplinary education
• Practice-led research methods

Normal entry requirements are a first or upper-second class honours degree from a university in the United Kingdom or overseas, or a degree equivalent qualification, subject to the approval of Robert Gordon University.

Applicants holding qualifications other than those above shall be considered on their merits and in relation to the nature and scope of the proposed research programme. Applicants will normally register for an MPhil/PhD or MRes/PhD with transfer to PhD dependent on satisfactory progress. However, applicants who already possess a Masters degree which includes a significant research component could be registered directly for a PhD, subject to a satisfactory research proposal, and clear evidence of research expertise.

Any applicant whose first language or language of previous University-level instruction is not English must normally demonstrate competence in English. This should be a score of IELTS 6.5 or equivalent.

All course fees are reviewed annually and subject to change.

All applications should be made via the University's application form for research students, which is available using the web link below. Completed application forms should be accompanied by:

• Two academic references
• A transcript or mark sheet for all graduate qualifications
• Certificate of English language competency score of IELTS 6.5 in each of the four test components (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking) for applicants whose first language or language of university education is not English. Students who can demonstrate successful completion of tertiary (university or college) studies in a country whose national language is English, may be exempted from this requirement
• A draft research proposal, or at least a short summary to indicate the potential area of research (Refer to Section 8 of the Application Form)

For more information and to apply, please follow the link below:

• Applying to become a research student