postgraduate
research degrees
Our teaching staff supervise research from Antiquity to the present. You must identify a member of staff who would be best suited to supervise your research and to contact him or her by e-mail to find out whether they are in a position to take on new research students and whether they are able to supervise your work. However, if you are unable to make this determination and are made an offer, a supervisor will be assigned to you. S/he will support you and equip you with the discipline and training to produce substantial and sustained pieces of research and all the skills that academic work entails.
The Research Forum offers access to a range of visiting speakers from around the world, complementing the wealth of expertise available from our own staff. A series of research training opportunities runs alongside your research activity and is designed to introduce graduate students to the skills needed to operate in the 21st century academy.
Our Research Students’ Skills Training Programme, which is designed to help you make the most of your academic work, will provide practical help and advice on presenting your work at conferences, having your research published and getting a job in the Academy. Sessions are also offered on IT skills for research students, completing your PhD and applying for further funding. The Courtauld is a founder member of ReSkIN, a community of scholars in the visual arts from across the University of London. ReSkIN marks the launch of each new academic year with a two-day conference looking at the skills, methodologies and techniques needed for the study of visual culture. In addition to taking advantage of the formal training programme, students are encouraged to discuss their individual training needs with their supervisor with a view to pursuing topic-specific training.
occasional/GUEST students
Occasional and guest students attend The Courtauld either for a term, two terms or a year at research level. Both are designed for those engaged in independent research or registered for research degrees at other institutions.
Occasional students will be offered advice by a member of the academic staff on their research topics in terms of resources, contacts, and approaches. Advice does not, however, mean the direction or supervision of research. Students are entitled to a maximum of two meetings each term with a specialist in their field. Students in this category are also allowed to use and borrow from The Courtauld's book and photograph libraries, and they may attend lectures at the discretion of their advisor.
Guest students are permitted only to use (but not borrow from) the book and photograph libraries.
No qualification is offered to occasional or guest students, though certificates of attendance may be provided on request. Please note that, as occasional and guest students are not considered full-time students at the Institute, we are unable to give visa support to applicants.