SOAS University of London

Research Degrees (MPhil/PhD) in History of Art and/or Archaeology

London, United Kingdom

DURATION

4 Years

LANGUAGES

English

PACE

Full time, Part time

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Request application deadline

EARLIEST START DATE

Sep 2025

TUITION FEES

GBP 22,490 / per year *

STUDY FORMAT

On-Campus

* for overseas student full-time | GBP 4,860 home student full-time | overseas student part-time: GBP 11,245 per year | home student part-time: GBP 2,430 per year

Introduction

Undertaking a research degree is an intense and personally rewarding experience. A full-time doctoral student has three years to complete a full draft of their thesis and then a further one year for writing up (known as a 3+1 degree). The department offers a dynamic and collegiate atmosphere to support research students in all dimensions of their work – from developing the individual thought process to information-sharing on archives or conferences, to refining presentation skills, to building social and professional networks. Research degrees are generally undertaken by individuals who aim to become professionals in the field of art history and/or archaeology, whether as academics who carry out research and teach in universities or as curators or educators in museums, libraries or archives, or in any number of other related areas such as academic publishing or even the commercial art world. Embarking on a research degree is not just about the qualification but also about developing as a person and a professional so as to be able to contribute to the multitude of discourses in, and perhaps also far beyond, the discipline.

Why study MPhil/PhD History of Art and/or Archaeology at SOAS

Beyond the distinctive intellectual environment of SOAS, doctoral researchers are generally drawn to work with an individual supervisor who is an expert in a particular field and is often known for a particular critical approach. Many of our current students completed MA degrees at SOAS during which time they took courses with and got to know members of academic staff in the department, experiences that encouraged them to consider a research degree. Prospective applicants may wish to browse through the staff profiles for updated biographies and publications. Some supervisors prefer their research students to have trained under them at the MA level even if they have an MA in art history or archaeology from elsewhere. Our department generally makes about 10-20 offers each year. Our programme has one of the highest completion rates at SOAS and indeed in the sector: we graduate about 0.7 doctorates each year, within the 3+1 year framework, per full-time member of staff.

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Admissions

Curriculum

The year-by-year requirements for full-time MPhil and PhD research students are as follows:

Year 1

During Year 1, the student refines the research proposal and decides in conjunction with his/her Supervisory Committee whether the research project should be directed towards the goal of an MPhil or a PhD degree. Students who wish to work towards a PhD must pass the process of upgrading registration from MPhil to PhD candidacy. They must provide the following to the Supervisory Committee by the May deadline (the exact date is set each year by SOAS Registry):

Written work for the HAA Research Skills (15 PAR H061) Term 1 obligatory course (5,000 words).
Draft chapter(s) (15,000 words).
A chapter outline and a time plan for each chapter’s completion.
A year 2 fieldwork and research plan.
A bibliography of relevant sources.
A regional research seminar presentation.

Year 2

The student undertakes fieldwork or data collection. Regular reports must be submitted to their supervisor, via email or in person. A second chapter will normally be completed.

Year 3

Students complete a full draft of their thesis. They are required to undertake the following:

Term 1: Required informal presentation in HAA Research Skills seminar on the outcome of fieldwork and its impact on their research project.
Term 2: Required presentation in HAA Department 3rd-year PhD students’ fieldwork research seminar in March.
Term 3: Submission of the draft thesis by 15 September, along with a Completed Approval Form. If the Supervisory Committee is satisfied that the draft thesis can be developed into a thesis of a quality worthy for submission for examination in the subsequent academic year, the student will be allowed to register on Extension of Writing-up (Continuation) Status in Year 4.

Year 4

Students complete and submit their thesis. At the viva (thesis examination), the examiners aim to confirm that:

They have satisfied themselves that the thesis is genuinely the work of the candidate.
The thesis forms a distinct contribution to the knowledge of the subject and affords evidence of originality by (i) the discovery of new facts and/or (ii) the exercise of independent critical power.
The thesis is satisfactory as regards literary presentation.
The thesis is of a standard to merit publication in whole or in part or in a revised form.