Cultural Studies - PhD

Choose to undertake a PhD in Cultural Studies and you’ll research visual, design and urban cultures. Based within Edinburgh College of Art (ECA), you’ll have access to exciting opportunities for cross-disciplinary exploration and research.

Our PhD in Cultural Studies is offered as a three-year full-time (or six-year part-time) degree. It is an independently directed and intensive piece of research based on a substantial written dissertation.

Topics for PhD study are normally proposed by applicants but can also be negotiated with individual members of staff. Support and supervision may be provided by any of the teaching staff in the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA) and beyond.

Working closely with your supervisor(s), you'll pursue independent research leading to a thesis. This will be an original, significant, and creative contribution to knowledge in visual and cultural studies.

ESALA is a world-leading centre for the study of architecture, the city and visual culture.

Located within Edinburgh College of Art at the University of Edinburgh, the School boasts a wide variety of specialisms in cultural theory and history, design and urban cultures, visuality and visual knowledges, place memory and spatial practices, and architectural theory and criticism.

Research is central to life within ESALA. It motivates both the intellectual and creative facets of our activities, as well as driving our collaborations with a broad range of external institutions, both within the UK and internationally. Postgraduate research in particular is vital in maintaining our critical dynamism and international profile.

We actively promote interdisciplinary approaches to the understanding of architecture, culture and the city and encourage research projects that challenge conventional modes of practice and thought. In addition to supporting students’ individual research, academic staff encourage and facilitate collective project-based activities, including publications, symposia and exhibitions.