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University of Kent

Canterbury , England ,United Kingdom

Drama by Practice as Research - PhD

At Kent we have always been at the forefront of promoting and developing practice-based research. In addition to all the benefits of being a PhD student, you will have access to our excellent facilities, including two theatres, three studio spaces, a workshop and a technical studio, and will be supported by a technical team with extensive professional experience.

Overview
You can undertake Practice as Research (PaR) in a variety of forms and in diverse subjects. Throughout you will be fully supported by a team of specialist supervisors.

Drama at Kent was at the forefront of pioneering Practice as Research and continues to lead the field. Through a PaR PhD you explore and interrogate your research by undertaking practice and producing a performative output, as well as by producing a written dissertation of up to 40,000 words which is examined through a viva. The PhD by PaR provides opportunities to develop and reflect upon your performative practice at the highest academic level and with the benefit of excellent professional facilities and research resources. We welcome enquiries on any topic and form of practice.

During your time at Kent you will have a minimum of two supervisors who will support and guide you through your academic and professional development. You will meet regularly with your supervisor(s) who will not only guide your research but will also help you to identify areas where you may require further training or support. A series of reviews will take place throughout your studies in order to ensure that your research stays on track and that you have all the necessary support and resources required to successfully complete it.

Current PhDs reflect our diversity, with topics including actor training, autism, East Asian comedy, community theatre, Absurdism, live art, Shakespeare, translation and adaptation, Greek theatre, Grotowski, stand-up, eighteenth-century acting, neurodivergent performance, and accessibility. Recent and ongoing Practice as Research projects include: ‘Selfless Language: Acting Coordination Method Leading to Act of Speech’, ‘Minna Canth from Finnish to English: Feminist Translation of Nineteenth Century Social Realist Drama’, ‘Translating 18th Century Actresses Acting Techniques Into a Modern Performance Context’, and ‘The Burning Method: A Performance-Based Analysis of Jerzy Grotowski’s Book Towards a Poor Theatre’

Campus Information

Canterbury

Our campus is surrounded by beautiful woodlands and overlooks the charming city of Canterbury. We have excellent transport links on campus or you can stroll into town on foot.

Intakes

  • Jan
  • May
  • Sep

Application Processing Time in Days: 30

Minimum English Language Requirements

English Level Description IELTS (1.0 -9.0) TOEFL IBT (0-120) TOEFL CBT (0-300) PTE (10-90)
Expert 9 120 297-300 86-90
Very Good 8.5 115-119 280-293 83-86
Very Good 8 110-114 270-280 79-83
Good 7.5 102-109 253-267 73-79
Good 7 94-101 240-253 65-73
Competent 6.5 79-93 213-233 58-65
Competent 6 60-78 170-210 50-58
Modest 5.5 46-59 133-210 43-50
Modest 5 35-45 107-133 36-43
Limited 4 32-34 97-103 30-36
Extremely Limited < 4 < 31 < 93 < 30

Job Opportunity Potential

In these appointments, you will have up to 45 minutes to talk to a careers adviser about whatever career-related topic is important to you. Topics of conversation could include:

  • I have no idea what I want to do after I graduate, what are my options?
  • What jobs can I get with my degree?
  • How do my skills fit in the labour market?
  • I’m interested in taking a gap year after I graduate and I want to plan something employers will value.
  • I’m thinking of leaving/changing my course and want to talk through the pros and cons.
  • I’m interested in doing a masters or PhD, what are my options?
  • I’m not sure how to disclose sensitive information to an employer.

A guidance interview is:
Impartial

A careers adviser will not recommend one route to you over another. They are there to help you explore the options objectively.

Challenging
Careers advisers may question your goals and help you to look at the disadvantages as well as the advantages. This is not to put you off, but to help ensure you have thought it through.

Supportive
The meetings are very informal and relaxed. Careers advisers are there to help you discuss things in a safe environment.

Part of a process
Career choice is a process not an event. A guidance interview is a good starting point but you will need to do further research and continuously update your action plan.

PSW Opportunity

2 Years PSW is applicable after the course. (Bachelors & Masters only)

Admission Requirement / Eligibility Criteria

For entry to a Kent postgraduate degree programme (Master’s), Indian students typically need to have completed a three or four-year undergraduate degree (Honours Bachelor degree or Professional degree) at an accredited university or college. General Bachelor degrees may sometimes be considered. Exact requirements will depend on the postgraduate degree you are applying for and the institution you have studied at.

For programmes that require a 2:1 we usually ask for a First Class degree, a final CGPA of 6.0/10, or 60%. Students from top institutions may be considered with a high Second Class degree, a final CGPA of 5.5/10, or 55%.
For programmes that require a 2:2 we usually ask for a high Second Class degree, a final CGPA of 5.5/10, or 55%
Some, but not all, postgraduate programmes require your undergraduate degree to have a related major. Some postgraduate programmes may require work experience in a relevant field or at a certain level.

General postgraduate programmes

IELTS (including IELTS Indicator)

6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in R&W; 5.5 in S&L)

PTE Academic

62 overall with 60 in each subtest

CAE/CPE

176 overall (with a minimum of 169 in R&W; 162 in S&L)

TOEFL iBT

90 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R; 21 in W; 17 in L; 20 in S)

Graduate Diploma
6.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component)
54 in each subtest
85 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R&S; 21 in W; 20 in L)
 
Business, Management and Finance Pre Master's - GDip
5.5 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component)
51 in each subtest
72 overall (with a minimum of 18 in R; 17 in W&L; 20 in S)
 
Actuarial Science - MSc 6.0 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component) 59 overall with 59 in each subtest 169 overall (with a minimum of 162 in each component) 85 overall (with a minimum of 18 in R; 17 in W&L; 20 in S)
 
Applied Linguistics for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) - MA 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component) 95 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R&S; 21 in W; 20 in L)
 
Computer Science (research programmes) 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component) 62 overall with 60 in each subtest 176 overall (with a minimum of 169 in each component) 90 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R&S; 21 in W; 20 in L)
 
IT Consultancy - MSc 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in R, W&L; 7.0 in S) 68 overall with 62 in each subtest 185 overall (with a minimum of 169 in R, W&L; 185 in S) 95 Overall (with a minimum of 22 in R; 21 in W; 20 in L; 26 in S)
 
Language and Literature - MA 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component) 95 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R&S; 21 in W; 20 in L)
 
Experimental and Theoretical Linguistics - MA 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.5 in each component) 95 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R&S; 21 in W; 20 in L)
 
Linguistics - MA-R / PhD 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component) 95 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R&S; 21 in W; 20 in L)
 
Medieval and Early Modern Studies - MA 7.5 overall (with a minimum of 7.0 in each component) 104 overall (with a minimum of 27 in R&W; 25 in L&S)
 
Medieval and Early Modern Studies - MA-R / PhD 8.5 overall (with a minimum of 8.0 in each component) 114 overall (with a minimum of 29 in R&W; 28 in L&S)
 
Multimedia Journalism - MA 7.5 overall (with a minimum of 7.0 in each component) 100 overall (with a minimum of 27 in R&W; 24 in L; 26 in S)
 
International Multimedia Journalism - MA 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.5 in R, L&S; 7.0 in W) 68 overall with 65 in each subtest 95 overall (with a minimum of 25 in R; 27 in W; 22 in L; 24 in S)
 
Philosophy - PhD 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.5 in each component)
 
Social Work - MA, Social Work (Step Up to Social Work) - PDip 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.5 in each component) 68 overall with 65 in each subtest 185 overall (with a minimum of 176 in each component) 95 overall (with a minimum of 25 in R; 24 in W&S; 22 in L)
 
Kent School of Architecture and Planning 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component) 90 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R&S; 21 in W; 20 in L)
 
Kent Business School 6.5 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component) 62 overall with 60 in each subtest 176 overall (with a minimum of 169 in R&W; 162 in S&L) 90 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R&S; 21 in W; 20 in L)
 
School of Engineering and Digital Arts (taught programs) 6.0 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component) 59 overall with 59 in each subtest 169 overall (with a minimum of 162 in each component) 85 overall (with a minimum of 18 in R; 17 in W&L; 20 in S)
 
School of English 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in each component) 68 overall with 65 in each subtest 185 overall (with a minimum of 169 in each component) 95 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R&S; 21 in W; 20 in L)
 
Centre for the Study of Higher Education (all programmes) 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.5 in each component) 68 overall with 65 in each subtest 185 overall (with a minimum of 176 in each component) 95 overall (with a minimum of 25 in R; 24 in W&S; 22 in L)
 
Kent Law School 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.5 in each component) 68 overall with 65 in each subtest 185 overall (with a minimum of 176 in each component) 95 overall (with a minimum of 25 in R; 24 in W&S; 22 in L)
 
School of Mathematics, Statistics and Actuarial Science (International Master's programmes) 6.0 overall (with a minimum of 5.5 in each component) 59 overall with 59 in each subtest 169 overall (with a minimum of 162 in each component) 85 overall (with a minimum of 18 in R; 17 in W&L; 20 in S)
 
School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (excluding the international two-year MA programme pathways) 7.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.5 in each component) 68 overall with 65 in each subtest 185 overall (with a minimum of 176 in each component) 95 overall (with a minimum of 25 in R; 24 in W&S; 22 in L)
 
School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research (international two-year MA programme pathways) 6.0 overall (with a minimum of 6.0 in R&W; 5.5 in S&L) 62 overall with 60 in each subtest 169 overall (with a minimum of 169 in each component) 85 overall (with a minimum of 22 in R; 21 in W; 17 in L; 20 in S)