Doc­toral pro­gramme in per­form­ing arts: Doctor of Arts (Arts and Design, Dance, or Theatre and Drama) (4 yr)

About this programme

Why study here? The Theatre Academy awards Doctor of Arts (Theatre and Drama), Doctor of Arts (Dance) and Doctor of Arts (Art and Design) degrees. Our doctoral candidates are called doctoral researchers, and they have a home base in the Doctoral Programme in Performing Arts. The programme is acclaimed for promoting multidisciplinary approaches, a strong sense of community, high-quality teaching and a close connection to bachelor’s and master’s programmes in the arts. Our doctoral researchers are usually professional artists in one of the fields represented by the Theatre Academy. You can apply to our doctoral programme if you work in the field of acting, directing, dramaturgy and playwriting, lighting design, sound design, scenography, dance, choreography, performance art, live art, theatre pedagogy, dance pedagogy or writing. The title of your degree will be determined based on the content of your research. Content and objective of the programme Doctoral researchers completing a degree in our programme carry out an artistic research project on a topic of their choosing and acquire the skills and knowledge of an artist-researcher. The first-hand experience in artistic activities is the starting point for our doctoral researchers’ research projects; often it is also the method and one of the prominent information sources, too. Usually, doctoral thesis projects consist of both artistic and written components. Besides working professionally in the arts, a doctoral researcher is required to have academic skills, be capable of critical thinking and observe standard research practices. The doctoral graduates in the programme work in the fields of performing arts, literature and socially engaged art in positions that involve teaching, research or administration, for example. Read more on Uniarts Helsinki web pages.