The visual arts, music and literature are aesthetic expressions that bring joy and diversion. At the same time, they are types of knowledge; the painting, sonata and poem are artistic ways to acknowledge the world. An aesthetic experience is therefore more than the experience of something beautiful, striking or moving, it encapsulates insight into how we live in the world. Neither the arts nor artistic work is something that occurs outside of society, rather they are an integrated part of society. Works of art is therefore both an expression of community and a way to participate in the community.

What can fiction tell us about ourselves and the ways we live today? What historical changes have affected art and aesthetics and what are the consequences of these changes today? How does technology and media affect the way art is produced and experienced? What does text, materiality and mediality mean in a digitized culture? These are among the questions that belong at the PhD-programme in Humanities and the Arts.

The PhD-programme is aimed at those who wish to study the arts, their aesthetic objects, their practices, and the forms of knowledge they facilitate. Here you can specialize in humanistic disciplines such as Art History, Literature, Dance Studies, Drama and Theatre, Film Studies, Media Studies and Musicology.

We can summarize the PhD-programme in Humanities and the Arts with the following three areas:

• An independent research project that will result in a scientific thesis of a high international standard
• Training in the theories of science, theory and methodology that provides scholarly breadth and insight in the aesthetic disciplines
• Training in the ability to put one's own subject into a larger framework through professional reflection and practice, and articulating the humanities’ challenges and possibilities

The programme is estimated to three-years full time studies, and is focused around a doctoral thesis. The programme consists of a coursework component of at least 30 credits and a doctoral thesis estimated to 2,5 years full-time work.

The PhD-programme in Humanities and the Arts gathers the PhD-candidates for the coursework component, ensures follow-up throughout the project period and function as an arena for academic exchanges.

Go to the programme structure

Go to how to apply and admission