Doctoral study programmes

Doctoral studies in Fine Arts, Architecture, Design and Graphic Communication

The emphasis in doctoral studies is on artistic research, i.e. practice-oriented and practically implemented research. During the course of their studies, students are engaged in artistic creation and its individually concrete production, focusing not only on the creative act itself, but also learning to reflect on their own work, generalize and share their own experiences of the artistic process. It is not only about the attainment of special knowledge, except for topics focused on specific technological issues of artistic production in a given field. 

The study programme is implemented in the form of three-year full-time or five-year combined study according to an individual study plan and consists of: 

1. artistic work on the project

2. theoretical work on the dissertation text

3. compulsory teaching in the studio (for full-time studies)

4. other activities (participation in the preparation of external lectures, workshops, presentations, exhibitions, etc. + exhibition and publication activities or the development of functional designs/models according to the relevance in individual fields and specialisations)

5. from active participation in joint theoretical teaching. 

Each student chooses his or her own supervisor and is also assigned a consultant by the Department of Theory and History of Art (KTDU).

The artistic work is carried out in the usual way under the guidance of the studio supervisor and in cooperation with them, pedagogical and organizational activities are carried out. Exhibition and publication activities are mainly independent. Joint theoretical teaching is carried out by the KTDU and focuses on the strengthening of study competences (understanding of difficult texts, including foreign language texts, skills in presenting one's own work and the ability to formulate and elaborate one's own text) and mainly takes the form of seminars/exercises. They are complemented by theoretical lectures to help better orientation in the art world and understanding of its functioning (museology and curating, art market, wider social context).

More information can be found here.

Doctoral Studies Theory and History of Modern and Contemporary Art

The programme focuses on the history of modern and contemporary art (from the development of industrial capitalism to the present), on art theory and on art criticism. At UMPRUM, the term "art" is understood to encompass a wide range of disciplines, from free art to graphic and industrial design, applied art to architecture. This is reflected in the composition of the Department of Theory and History of Art (KTDU), which includes not only leading figures in art theory and history, but also younger generations and is dominated by female teachers. The programme therefore offers a unique opportunity to study at a high professional level not only classical art historical assignments, but also less frequent, nowadays very topical theoretical topics in the field of digital culture. Equally unique is the involvement of the students in active collaboration with artists of all types and media in a wide register, ranging from cloistered committees and consultation of undergraduate theses to joint seminars with PhD students in the arts to individual synergistic projects and collaborative exhibitions. Teaching in the PhD programme relies on individual consultations, which complement the block-taught seminars (collegia). The limited number of students, the spirit of collaboration and the rich community life of the school are the conditions for a welcoming and creative study atmosphere.