
Suited to artists and writers, this pathway explores art and the philosophy of art from a contemporary perspective, embracing major ideas and debates of the past and present. The MRes Art course is part of the Art programme.
Thursday, 22 April at 4pm (online)
Jane Rapley Scholarships
The Trask Fund MRes Art Bursaries
UAL EU Transitional Awards
UAL Home Postgraduate £5,000 Scholarships
UAL International Postgraduate £40,000 Scholarships
UAL International Postgraduate £5,000 Scholarships
Follow this course for news and events on Twitter: @mresphilosophy
View the MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy lecture archive
View examples of MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy research projects
MRes Art is made up of three specialist pathways: Theory and Philosophy; Moving Image; and Exhibition Studies. MRes Art uses research and writing to develop modes of questioning, speculative thinking and critical evaluation. Drawing upon a wealth of scholarly expertise from the staff team, visiting lecturers and practitioners, the course considers the relationship of contemporary art research to wider aesthetic, cultural and socio-political issues.
There are opportunities for students on each pathway to come together for shared taught components both on campus and on-line. You will also be encouraged to develop student-led activities. In the past, our students have collaborated on research events and publications, as well as the Tate Exchange programme at Tate Modern.
The Theory and Philosophy pathway is for artists and writers who want to study philosophy and art from a contemporary perspective. You will investigate how radical innovations in philosophy today can facilitate not just an understanding of art, but also how they can shape developments in contemporary culture and art practice.
This pathway has a uniquely informed dynamic of teaching and group dialogue. This is assisted by the staff team’s research practice which is engaged in the areas of both art and philosophy. The theories that the curriculum draws upon are at the forefront of thinking today. These include continental philosophy, the Marxist intellectual tradition and phenomenology. You will also study relevant theories for the plurality of art today within its socio-political context. These include theories of aesthetics, psychoanalysis, gender, race, linguistics, performance, affect, neuroscience, cybernetics, the algorithmic condition and the Anthropocene.
MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy responds to the radical transformation that thinking has undergone in recent years. As a consequence of this, approaches to writing theory have also changed, by adopting more fluid, less didactic models of practice. The purpose of this pathway is to enhance your thinking, writing and, if relevant, art practice in light of ongoing transformations in philosophy, theory and knowledge.
MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy is dedicated to creative and flexible ways in which its ideas can merge with your own interests. Alongside an intensive program of seminars which deepen your knowledge, the pathway also supports your own developing lines of enquiry and research, especially towards the end of the first year and throughout the second year of the course.
The curriculum will advance your research abilities and knowledge in both theoretical and art-related fields. Enabling an understanding of key issues and debates informing art discourse and practice today, the curriculum incorporates a wide range of practices – writing, publishing, group discussions, tutorials, gallery visits and public symposia – as integral to your studies.
Responding to the question posed by the title of their 1991 book What Is Philosophy? Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari declare that "Philosophy is the art of forming, inventing, and fabricating concepts." By this, the authors infer that philosophy not only invents new ideas, theories and forms of cognition but, equally, that it opens up new realms of perception and subjective experience. The teaching on the pathway, as well as the writing and research it supports, takes up the consequent challenge of these innovations for art and cultural and social discourses. It affirms the innovations created by philosophical thought and its difference from traditional, categorial assumptions of knowledge.
Unit 1 will enable you to absorb and understand the seminal advances and speculative thinking developed by philosophy. It conceptually maps the legacies of continental philosophy for thinking, writing and art today. This opens up new possibilities for thinking and writing, as well as advances ways by which to interpret and contribute to developments in art, culture and the social today.
Unit 2 is an opportunity for all the students in the MRes Art course to study together. The unit has two distinct components: methodologies and methods. Methodologies aims to make you aware of a range of methodological approaches that have shaped debates in your field of study. These include, but are not limited to, structuralism, Marxism, psychoanalysis, feminism, postcolonial and decolonial studies. Methods aims to equip you with essential research skills.
Following on from Unit 2, this unit deepens your understanding of specific artistic and discursive methods. You will examine how they operate in specific texts, debates and events by relating them to the pathways’ respective subject areas. Seminars and workshops are integral to the unit, in which methods of research and writing are collectively tested.
Unit 4 has two parts. Part one continues the seminar series in Unit 1 concerned with philosophical innovations and their relevance for thinking and writing. Additionally, you will also focus on developing your research project proposal. This involves reading and viewing, the formulation of appropriate research questions and methods. You will also produce a literature review.
In part two, you will lead presentations about your research. You will discuss progress, challenges and findings and issues of form, audience and dissemination. At the end of Unit 4 you will be assessed through presentation of your realised research project in the agreed forms.
MRes Art is offered in extended full-time mode which runs for 60 weeks over two academic years. You will be expected to commit 30 hours per week to study, which includes teaching time and independent study.
The course has been designed in this way to enable you to pursue studies, while also undertaking part-time employment, internships or care responsibilities.
The course is credit-rated at 180 credits.
On successfully completing the course, you will gain a Master of Research (MRes degree).
Under the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications, an MRes is Level 7. All units must be passed in order to achieve the MRes but the classification of the award is derived from the marks for the third and fourth units.
If you are unable to continue on the course, a Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) will normally be offered following the successful completion of 60 credits.
During your course you will engage with learning and teaching that includes both online and face-to-face modes. Typically, this will include:
Course Leader for MRes: Art and Pathway Leader for Theory and Philosophy
Chris Kul-Want
Lecturer, MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy
Dean Kenning
Lecturer, MRes: Art Theory and Philosophy
Kamini Vellodi
Lecturer, MRes: Art Theory and Philosophy
Maria Walsh
Lecturer, Fine Art
Paul O'Kane
Associate Lecturer, MRes Art: Art Theory and Philosophy
Andrés Saenz de Sicilia
Associate Lecturer, MRes Art: Art Theory and Philosophy
Alex Fletcher
Associate Lecturer, MRes Art: Art Theory and Philosophy
Gregory Williams
Pathway Leader, Moving Image: Duncan White
Pathway Leader, Exhibition Studies: Dr Lucy Steeds
Reader: Dr Joanna Morra
Associate Lecturer: Helena Vilalta
We are committed to making university education an achievable option for a wider range of people and to supporting all of our students in achieving their potential both during and after their courses.
We welcome applications from people with disabilities. If you have a disability (e.g. mobility difficulties, sensory impairments, medical or mental health conditions or Asperger’s syndrome) we strongly encourage you to contact us on disability@arts.ac.uk or +44 (0)20 7514 6156 so that we can plan the right support for you. All enquiries are treated confidentially. To find out more, visit our Disability & Dyslexia webpages.
The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:
Exceptionally applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:
Or a combination of these factors.
Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.
IELTS level 7.0 or above, with at least 6.0 in reading, writing, listening and speaking (please check our main English language requirements webpage).
We select applicants according to potential and current ability in the following areas:
The interview: for those applicants selected following submission of the form, indicative proposal and supporting work. The interview is used to evaluate the extent to which a candidate demonstrates:
We are seeking imaginative, resourceful individuals who are committed to exploring art discourses.
You should apply by clicking on the link to the direct form below. The application form can be saved as you fill it out, so you do not need to complete it all at once. You will also have the chance to review all the information and make any necessary amendments before you submit the application form.
Central Saint Martins does not accept applications for deferred entry. You should therefore apply in the year you wish to study.
If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units and modules on your current postgraduate course and wish to continue your studies at Central Saint Martins, you can apply to transfer. The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.
Please check our Student Transfer Policy for more important information and be ready to provide us with your current course handbook and unit transcripts.
You will need to provide an official document (translated into English) from your current university, explaining the learning outcomes of the units you have completed.
Before you apply, please take time to read the guidance below. You will be asked to provide the following information when completing the online application form:
Personal details (including legal full name, date of birth, nationality, addresses)
Current English language level
Current and/or previous education and qualification details
Employment history
Your personal statement should be approximately 500 words in length, and outline the following:
To apply for this course we require that you write an initial project proposal. This proposal should demonstrate your critical understanding and thinking. The course sets no boundaries to the fields of possible interest, and it is understood that proposals will evolve and change during the course (you will probably need to write between 800 and 1,000 words).
Previous work
We cannot consider your application if you do not provide all the information above.
After you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an email confirming we have successfully received your application and providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal. We will request any additional information from you, including inviting you to upload documents / portfolio / book an interview, through the portal. You should check your UAL Portal regularly for any important updates and requests.
Please add csm.ukeu@arts.ac.uk to your contacts to ensure that you do not miss any important updates re: your application to UAL. Also consider altering your spam or junk mail filter to ensure that emails from @arts.ac.uk get through to you.
15 May 2021
We recommend you apply as soon as possible before this date, for equal consideration. We may still be able to accept applications after this date, depending on availability.
Once you’ve sent in your application, this will be sent through to our course teams for review. We’ll be in touch shortly after you apply with information about next steps. Find out more about what happens after you apply.
There are two ways international students can apply:
If you are applying directly you click on the link to the direct form below. The application form can be saved as you fill it out, so you do not need to complete it all at once. You will also have the chance to review all the information and make any necessary amendments before you submit the application form.
Central Saint Martins does not accept applications for deferred entry. You should therefore apply in the year you wish to study.
If you are currently studying at another institution and if you have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units and modules on your current postgraduate course and wish to continue your studies at Central Saint Martins, you can apply to transfer. The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.
Please check our Student Transfer Policy for more important information and be ready to provide us with your current course handbook and unit transcripts.
You will need to provide an official document (translated into English) from your current university, explaining the learning outcomes of the units you have completed.
Before you apply, please take time to read the guidance below. You will be asked to provide the following information when completing the online application form:
Personal details (including legal full name, date of birth, nationality, addresses)
Current English language level
Current and/or previous education and qualification details
Employment history
Your personal statement should be approximately 500 words in length, and outline the following:
To apply for this course we require that you write an initial project proposal. This proposal should demonstrate your critical understanding and thinking. The course sets no boundaries to the fields of possible interest, and it is understood that proposals will evolve and change during the course (you will probably need to write between 800 and 1,000 words).
Previous work
Whether you are applying online or through a UAL representative you will need to complete an immigration history check to establish whether you are eligible to study at UAL. If you do not complete the check we will not be able to proceed with your application.
We cannot consider your application if you do not provide all the information above.
After you have successfully submitted your application, you will receive an email confirming we have successfully received your application and providing you with your login details for the UAL Portal. We will request any additional information from you, including inviting you to upload documents / portfolio / book an interview, through the portal. You should check your UAL Portal regularly for any important updates and requests.
Please add csm.international@arts.ac.uk to your contacts to ensure that you do not miss any important updates re: your application to UAL Also consider altering your spam or junk mail filter to ensure that emails from @arts.ac.uk get through to you.
15 May 2021
We recommend you apply as soon as possible before this date, for equal consideration. We may still be able to accept applications after this date, depending on availability.
Once you’ve sent in your application, this will be sent through to our course teams for review. We’ll be in touch shortly after you apply with information about next steps. Find out more about what happens after you apply.
We check your application to see if you meet the standard entry requirements for the course. Following a review of the application documents, successful applicants will be invited to an interview.
The interview is used to evaluate the extent to which a candidate demonstrates:
Interviews take place online or by telephone.
You will receive the outcome of your application through the UAL Portal.
£5,610 per year
This fee is correct for 2021/22 entry and is subject to change for 2022/23 entry. Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.
Home fees are currently charged to UK resident nationals. However, the rules are complex and you can find out more on our tuition fees pages.
From 2021/22 entry, most EU students will be charged the International tuition fee rate, although this may depend on your individual circumstances. If you started your course in October 2020 or earlier, you’ll continue to pay Home (UK) fees for the duration of your course. Read more advice for EU students on our Brexit information webpage
£12,940 per year
This fee is correct for 2021/22 entry and is subject to change for 2022/23 entry. Tuition fees for international students may increase by up to 5% in each future year of your course. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.
International fees are currently charged to students from countries outside of the UK. However, the rules are complex and more information can be found on our tuition fees pages.
From 2021/22 entry, most EU students will be charged the International tuition fee rate, although this may depend on your individual circumstances. If you started your course in October 2020 or earlier, you’ll continue to pay Home (UK) fees for the duration of your course. Read more advice for EU students on our Brexit information webpage
Our Postgraduate Art Programme offers valuable opportunities to build transferable professional knowledge and skills. The exchange of perspectives with others through shared units, reading groups and debates helps establish stimulating and productive networks.
The focus on proposing and developing a major independent programme of study is supported by a shared professional practice lecture series featuring guest speakers plus opportunities to attend symposia and critique work in progress across subject areas. The Postgraduate Art Programme has wide-ranging links with professional organisations, collections and galleries in London and beyond, and includes opportunities for interaction and networking according to your personal career direction.
MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy gives you an advanced knowledge of research methods and familiarises you with the important features, issues and problems of philosophical aesthetics. You'll gain skills in close textual analysis, comprehension, reconstruction and interpretation of philosophical arguments, while building expertise in critical analysis and reflection. The location of the MRes within our postgraduate environment enhances your ability to relate philosophical analysis to art and cultural practices. In addition to further MPhil or PhD research, we envisage a range of professional futures for MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy graduates in academic institutions, the arts, and publishing.
Recent MRes Art: Theory and Philosophy alumni activity demonstrates the breadth of student activity within the subject: