PhD Codex

• Overview

• CODEX focuses on art and design practices that engage with social, cultural, economic, and environmental challenges and the new behaviours generated through the catalyst of technological innovation.

  Sourced from an international community of designers and artists CODEX provides a critical, experimental and provocative environment for exploring material and immaterial influence on potential futures.

  CODEX actively seeks to establish art and design practices that cultivate new transcultural, transdisciplinary perspectives on a complex world. It does this by nurturing innovation through practice-driven research and a synthesis of conventional and emergent methodologies

  The collaborative research framework cultivates a critical engagement with emergent art and design forms, practices and behaviours. It fosters a beneficial entanglement and reciprocity with other disciplines, communities and ecologies. In an attempt to unpick the easy rhetoric that surrounds ‘cross’, ‘inter’ and ‘trans’ disciplinarity it explores the difficulties of these marriages of inconvenience.

  The impact of CODEX reaches far beyond the comfort zone of the creative and cultural industries to actively engage with science and technology agendas. It encourages entrepreneurial aspirations and supports industrial, commercial and community engagements through work placements, collaborations and residencies.

  This full-time doctoral programme is suitable for people who have a particular research question or topic in mind, and wish to explore this through independent study in order to produce an original contribution to the subject. If you aspire to a research career this is the most appropriate research degree to undertake.

  You will be guided by a small supervisory team of academic experts under the direction of a Director of Studies. 

  If you do not already have a masters degree, you may be interested in one of our masters level research degrees – for instance, our ResM Art, Design and Architecture (which enables a transfer directly into the PhD programme if you are making excellent progress), or else an MPhil degree. Further details about the University’s research degree awards.
  

  You will be expected to fully engage with skills development and training and to present your research in a range of scholarly contexts.

  Your PhD will be assessed via submission of either a written thesis (approximately 80,000 words), or one that combines critical writing with artistic, creative and/or professional practice, and a viva voce (an oral examination).

  For full details of what doing a PhD entails at the University of Plymouth, please visit our Postgraduate Research Degrees pages.

  Core modules

  • Research Skills and Methodologies in Art, Design and Architecture (ADA700)

    This is a research-based module for ResM and Phil/PhD students is designed to develop critical and reflective tools and techniques used in the three fields to support students research skills. The module will provide students with knowledge of current debates relating to approaches, theories, practices, skills and methodologies of research within the fields of Art, Design and Architecture.

  • Research Codex (GSRCODE1)

  • Research Skills in the Arts, Humanities & Business (MARE707)

    This module provides students with research skills training and a critical awareness of different methodological approaches in the arts, humanities, business, education, social sciences, law and associated fields, to enable them to make appropriate choices in their own research. It is designed to complement and support individual research projects carried out by students.

• Year 2

• Core modules

  • Research Codex (GSRCODE2)

• Year 3

• Core modules

  • Research Codex (GSRCODE3)

• Year 4

• Core modules

  • Research Codex (GSRCODE4)

• Year 5

• Core modules

  • Research Codex (GSRCODE5)

• Final year

• Core modules

  • Research Codex (GSRCODE6)

Applicants are expected to have completed a masters level qualification to a high standard (e.g. at 'merit' or 'distinction' level) as well as either a good 2:1 or first class honours undergraduate degree in an area of study appropriate to your project proposal (e.g. theatre and performance, drama, dance, live or fine art, performance writing, etc.). We are happy to consider equivalent qualifications (for instance, you may have studied different subjects at undergraduate and masters level but have established an artistic practice since then).

If you do not have a masters level qualification, we recommend you consider applying for our ResM Art, Design and Architecture programme. Students who are making exceptional progress in a ResM programme, may progress directly into our PhD programme without having to complete the masters.

You will also need to provide evidence that you are ready to pursue the project you propose in your application. This will take the form of a sample of critical writing, and if relevant, documentation of relevant creative or professional practice.

If English is not your first language, you must have proficiency in written and spoken English (normally a minimum test score of 6.5 for IELTS, or equivalent). Given the nature of the programme, you’ll be expected to read and engage with complex theoretical texts and debates for which fluency in English is essential.

For more general guidelines and application requirements, please visit the research degrees applicants page.

For further information about CODEX please contact our CODEX agent, Anna Huang. To discuss your research proposal please contact CODEX Director Professor Professor Mike Phillips, or Network Coordinator Dr Gianni Corino with an outline research proposal. 

We will work with you to develop a final research project proposal which will typically be no longer than four A4 pages (Arial 11 point font), and include:

• Research project title.
• Outline of the general topic or area of research.
• Explanation of key terms and references.
• Indicative research questions or identification of the problem.
• The context and disciplinary field(s) in which the research sits and will contribute to.
• The significance and potential impact of the research.
• Proposed research methodology and why (i.e., how this will answer your research questions).
• References and identification of relevant literature, practitioners, and influential works.
• Ethical and intellectual property issues.
  
• A portfolio representing relevant creative skills and practice.

Interview and full application:

Interviews will be held by video conference or in person in China.

Your outline research proposal will then be discussed to define a final version and full application through the University of Plymouth postgraduate research application process.

Your supervisory team will also be organised for an enrolment in October of each academic year.

Submitting your application

Complete your application and upload supporting documents to the Doctoral College by completing our online application form.

Questions on the application process?

We're here to help. Please contact the Doctoral College team and we'll be happy to assist you.

You can view or download our postgraduate research admissions policy.

If you have a disability and would like further information on the support available, please visit our Disability Services website.

International Student Advice (ISA) provides support for our international students.