A Survey of the Views of the UK Academic Community on the Standing and Future of the UK Doctorate in the Arts and Humanities

funded by the AHRC

AHRC logo In the Arts and Humanities Board's 2002 review of its postgraduate programmes, it was noted that the sector had concerns about "the nature and quality" of the UK PhD in the arts and humanities and that there had been a number of significant developments relating to the UK doctorate which the Board needed to address. These developments included growing attention to the role of training in the doctorate; new types of doctorate including the New Route PhD and the Professional doctorate; the growth of practice-led doctorates; and international developments such as the Bologna process.

In response to the recommendation of the review, the Board established a working group to consider a wide range of issues relating to the nature, scope and structure of doctoral study in the arts and humanities in the UK. The aim of the group was to undertake and publish a study reflecting on these issues and to develop a set of recommendations for the Board on how the AHRB should respond to the findings in the report. AHRB funding for doctorates was largely allocated through an annual open competition, with around 550 new awards made each year. A further 30 new awards were allocated each year as Project Studentships attached to larger research projects through the Board's Research Grants scheme.

As part of the group's consultation process, the Institute of Education, University of London was commissioned to survey opinion on current practice and possible futures of the arts and humanities doctorate in the UK.

Chair of the ARHC Doctoral Working Group was Professor Christopher Carey (UCL)

project team...

Professor Graham Welch
Evangelos Himonides

project report...

Welch, G. F. & Himonides, E. (2005). A Survey on the UK Doctorate in the Arts and Humanities. Report for the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). London: Institute of Education. [ISBN: 1-905351-02-X]

project contact details...

email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., telephone: +44(0)20 76126599, fax: +44(0)20 76126741