CUNY(The City University of New York)

What you'll study

This programme combines advanced studio practice with theoretical and historical inquiry. You will pursue an individually mentored studio programme—painting, sculpture, photography, installation, performance, new media and hybrid practices are all supported—alongside coursework in research methods, contemporary theory, exhibition studies and critical writing.

• Studio Practice and Critique: sustained workshop/studio time, regular critiques, and collaborative projects designed to develop a coherent body of work as part of your doctoral research.
• Theory and Context: seminars on contemporary art theory, visual culture, historiography and ethics that situate practice within broader intellectual frameworks.
• Research Methods: training in qualitative and practice-based methodologies, archival research, curatorial strategies, and methods for integrating practice and text.
• Teaching and Professional Development: opportunities to gain supervised teaching experience, workshop facilitation skills, grant-writing, exhibition planning and public presentation skills.
• Dissertation and Exhibition: a practice-led dissertation that typically includes a substantial written component together with a public exhibition, performance or equivalent creative outcome.

Entry requirements

Applicants are normally expected to hold a relevant master’s degree (for example an MFA or MA in a related field) or demonstrable equivalent professional experience in the visual arts. Admission is by portfolio and research proposal, and selection emphasises the coherence and ambition of the applicant’s practice and proposed doctoral project.

• Academic credentials: a recognised postgraduate degree in fine arts, visual culture, or a related discipline, or substantial professional practice that demonstrates equivalent preparation for doctoral work.
• Portfolio: a substantial, curated portfolio of recent work that demonstrates technical skill, conceptual development and the potential for extended research-led practice.
• Research proposal: a clear, concise project statement outlining research questions, proposed methodologies, relationship between practice and written research, and intended outcomes.
• References: typically two or three academic or professional references who can speak to your potential for doctoral-level research and practice.
• English language: proof of proficiency where English is not the applicant’s first language, in line with the university’s standard requirements.

Career prospects

Graduates leave with a portfolio of rigorous practice and an extended research project, positioning them for careers across the cultural sector. Common paths include academic and teaching roles at universities and art schools, museum and gallery curation, arts administration, public programming, artistic research in non-profit and commercial contexts, critical writing and publishing, as well as continued studio careers with eligibility for residencies and research fellowships.

Because the programme emphasises both pedagogy and professional development, many alumni also move into leadership roles in cultural organisations, independent curatorial practice, or interdisciplinary collaborations with other fields such as technology, community arts and urban research.

Why study at CUNY(The City University of New York)

Studying at CUNY gives you direct access to one of the world’s most active contemporary art ecosystems. Students benefit from the university’s multiple campuses and connections across New York City’s museums, galleries, artist-run spaces and cultural organisations, providing opportunities for exhibitions, collaborations and public engagement.

CUNY supports interdisciplinary research and values practice-based doctoral work, offering supervision by practising artists and scholars, opportunities for teaching across the university’s colleges, and resources for mounting public exhibitions and events. The programme is designed for artists who want to develop both an ambitious studio practice and a rigorous, research-driven academic profile.