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The Slade School of Fine Art has one application round per year for the MPhil/PhD.

We support researchers from a wide range of backgrounds, here in the UK and internationally, and strongly encourage applicants from ethnic minority backgrounds and other under-represented groups. Applications are considered by a team of academic staff in Autumn for entry the following year. Applications will be evaluated based on the quality of the artistic practice, research proposal and written submission along with the potential for the research to be supported within the research context of Slade/UCL, which includes a potential supervisory match.

If your application for the Slade MPhil/PhD is successful, you will then be invited to apply for any scholarships available through UCL and LAHP. For further information, see our fees and funding section for information about tuition fees, funding, scholarships and bursaries.

Admissions: General Information

Due to the number of applicants, we are unable to advise on proposals before you submit your application. We are also unable to discuss who to nominate as a supervisor. However, you may add names of potential supervisors to your application form and, if shortlisted, we will also suggest possible supervisors. Please look at the Slade website for staff research profiles.

Application deadline

Deadlines for applications for 2025-26 are as follows:

  • Application portal opens via UCL Application Portal – 2 September 2024  
  • Applications deadline: Monday 14 October, 17.00 BST
  • Interviews: Monday 18 November – Friday 22 November 2024 (inclusive) 

Entrance requirements

For entry requirements see the UCL MPhil/PhD prospectus page.

English Language requirement

All students whose first language is not English must reach a satisfactory level of proficiency in English language before starting their studies at the Slade. See the UCL MPhil/PhD prospectus page for language requirement.

Entry Date

Successful applicants normally register in September.

Potential Supervisors

You are not expected to approach potential supervisors in advance of making the application to undertake research. However, it is strongly advised that applicants read our staff members’ profiles before your application is submitted. If there is a member of staff with whom you would particularly like to work, you may name them on the application form. Supervision by a specific tutor cannot be guaranteed at the application stage

Slade tutors’ profiles and research interests are listed on our people pages. 

Secondary supervision across disciplines is also possible.  See the Find an Expert page to look for scholars and specialists from a range of departments at UCL. If there is a member of staff with whom you would particularly like to work, you may name them on the application form.

Enquiries

For admission enquiries please email the Slade PGR Administrator, (slade.tlo@ucl.ac.uk).

Please note that, due to the number of applicants, we are unable to advise on proposals before you submit your application or to discuss who to nominate as a supervisor.

Application Procedure

To apply

There are two steps involved in the application procedure, including:

  • Step 1
    Completing the Online Application, including 
    Key Supporting Materials for the Online Application
  • Step 2
    Submitting a Portfolio of Practice

Step 1: Completing the Online Application

All applicants for MPhil/PhD must first complete UCL’s online application, including:

  • Section 1: Programme Details 
    This involves signalling the programme for which you intend to apply and indicating proposed supervisors.

  • Section 2: Personal Details
    Including name and contact details.

  • Section 3: Education History
    This involves uploading electronic transcripts of all previous degrees and evidencing a language proficiency test, if applicable.

  • Section 4: Employment
    This involves outlining your employment history. You are also expected to attach your CV as a separate document, as per below.

  • Section 5: Other Details
    This includes information about financing your studies and other information helpful for the admissions process.

  • Section 6: Supporting Statement
    This should be a Personal Statement sent as a separate attachment, see below.

  • Section 7: Referees
    References are an important part of the application and it is your responsibility to ensure that your referees upload their references promptly so that the entrance examiners have them when they review your application. 

    When you have completed the online form and entered contact emails for your referees, they will be contacted automatically giving them instructions on how to upload their references. All applications must include two references that must be uploaded by your referees.

    It is recommended that you complete the online application in advance of the deadline to give your referees time to complete their references.

  • Section 8: Declaration
    Confirmation of information in application.

Key Supporting Materials for Online Application

As part of your on-line application, you must upload 4 x key supporting materials, details of which are fully outlined below.

  1. Research Proposal
  2. Writing Sample
  3. Personal Statement
  4. CV

Applications that do not submit the necessary supporting materials as part of the online application – or do not have this in the correct format – will not be considered.

1. Research proposal (maximum 1500 words)
This should be a single document that must include the following:

  1. Title of research project
  2. Project summary (maximum 300 words) – offer a concise description of the project.
  3. Key words – list five or six key words relating to your research project.
  4. Thesis option – indicate whether you are applying for Practice-led Thesis, Practice-related Thesis, Written Thesis
  5. Potential supervisors – note any potential supervisors for your project. (Note that you should NOT contact potential supervisors prior to submitting your application.)

  6. Project description, which must comprise the following sections, not necessarily in this order:

i. Significance and originality – identify your research context or broad field of study, your intervention into this and how your research will contribute to art and to this broad context in a unique way.
ii. Underpinning ideas – discuss the ideas that underpin the project, including any problems or deep concerns that you seek to address.
iii. Aims and research questions – list the questions driving the project and what your research aims to do.
iv. Methodology – consider how you will pursue your research, including the role of your practice as research; if appropriate, outline the relationship between your practice and the written component.
v. Research design – – describe how you will structure your research and anticipate the form that the final thesis will take, including any plans for the completion of artworks and writing; if appropriate, include chapter breakdowns.

vi. Sources – include a list of relevant sources.

2. Writing sample
All applicants must include a sample of writing as part of your application. The sample of writing to be included depends on your thesis option:

  • Practice-led Thesis: a short piece of academic writing of up to 2,000 words, which may be a short piece of writing addressing or contextualising your practice.
  • Practice-related Thesis: a substantial piece of academic writing of around 8,000-10,000 words.
  • Written Thesis: a substantial piece of academic writing of around 8,000-10,000.

3. Personal statement (maximum 1000 words)
All applicants should include a personal statement that must include the following:

  1. Personal biography – short biographical statement (100-150 words).
  2. Professional/Practitioner Experience –  describe your background and interests leading up to the PhD.
  3. Practice – describe your practice and how this relates to your research.
  4. Investment – account for your personal investment in this project and why you believe the work needs to be done.
  5. Capacity – indicate your capacity to undertake a long-term research project and your willingness/ability to contribute fully to the research environment at the Slade, UCL and beyond.

4. CV
All applicants must upload a copy of your CV.

Step 2: Submitting a Portfolio of Practice

If you are applying to take the practice-led or practice-related MPhil/PhD you must also submit a portfolio of up to fifteen images. Further details, and a link to the Slade’s online portfolio submission, will be sent to you once you have submitted the UCL MPhil/PhD application. Applications that do not submit the necessary portfolio– or do not have this in the correct format – will not be considered.

Practice portfolio (up to 15 images of work + related material, as appropriate)
There should be only ONE image of work per page, with each image no larger than 5MB. For each image, you must indicate the following attributes:

  • Title
  • Date the work was made
  • Materials used to produce the original piece
  • Dimensions of original work in centimetres (cm) (e.g. for a painting, dimensions of 30 x 50cm)
  • Short description (up to 150 words)

In addition:

  • Applicants with time-based or performance elements to your work may include a URL link to a showreel (or upload a short video no larger than 450MB) with a maximum duration time of five minutes.
  • All applicants are encouraged to include a URL link to a short video featuring pages from sketchbooks (or upload a short video no larger than 450MB) with a maximum duration time of 5 minutes.

Once you have submitted the application, you will receive an email from UCL inviting you to submit your portfolio.

Once you receive the portfolio submission request:

  1. Complete the first Microsoft Form. This will trigger a OneDrive folder to be created for you.
  2. You will receive an email with the link to your unique folder. Please read the instructions within the folder carefully and submit your portfolio.
  3. Complete the second Microsoft Form. This will close your folder and submit the portfolio to the Slade.
  4. Do not submit more than one portfolio.
  5. Candidates are instructed that videos should be no larger than 450mb each. The system will not process videos over 500mb.

Please leave yourself plenty of time to familiarise yourself with the instructions to upload your portfolio, if you choose to upload on 14 October, and if there are any errors you will not receive a notification informing you of this, as we will be receiving a high volume of portfolios and will not be able to contact you. It is strongly advised that you read/check the instructions carefully before starting to upload your portfolio. Please note, if you do not follow any of the steps/instructions when uploading your portfolio we will not able to process your application.

For applications for entry in September 2025, there is no portfolio handling fee.

Shortlisting and Interviews

The PGR Admissions Tutor, Head of the Doctoral Programme and a small team of senior Slade staff meet to consider all applications and shortlist candidates.

Applications will be evaluated based on the quality of the artistic practice, research proposal and written submission along with the potential for the research to be supported within the research context of Slade/UCL, which includes a potential supervisory match.

Shortlisted applicants will be interviewed by a panel including the proposed supervisory team.