MPhil/PhD
Art Psychotherapy
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Why study MPhil/PhD Art Psychotherapy at Goldsmiths
This programme is currently closed for applications until further notice. Please check back at a later date for more information.
We offer opportunities for students who want to pursue research in art psychotherapy.
- Goldsmiths has a world-class reputation for creativity and innovation, and a commitment to encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration.
- You meet your supervisors regularly for discussion and guidance, and present your work to the Art Psychotherapy research student group.
- You also attend the Goldsmiths Research Methods Training Course.
- Whatever your topic, you have your first supervisor in Art Psychotherapy and may have your second in another department – Art, Educational Studies, Psychology, or Sociology, for example.
- For MPhil and PhD study, you usually register for research by written thesis (although there are also possibilities for research based on a written element and studio practice).
Contact the department
If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Panagiotis Pentaris.
Length
3-4 years full-time or 4-6 years part-time
Entry requirements
You should normally have (or expect to be awarded) a taught Masters in Art Therapy/Art Psychotherapy. You might also be considered if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.
Fees
Home - full-time: £TBC
International - full-time: £24350
Department
You'll research
Supervision is currently available in the following areas:
- Art therapists and their art
- Cross-cultural issues
- Evidence-based practices
- Group work
- History and development of the professions in the UK and internationally
- Occupational choice, career development and role change of arts therapists and arts therapy trainees
- Clinical work with various client populations
Previous research topics include:
- Key issues in art psychotherapy with the blind
- The creative experience inside and outside an art psychotherapy group
- The image as an assessment tool with children who have an autistic spectrum disorder
- Thinking about art with adults who have learning disabilities
- Art therapists’ working environments
Find out more about research degrees at Goldsmiths
Entry requirements
You should normally have (or expect to be awarded) a taught Masters in Art Therapy/Art Psychotherapy.
You might also be considered if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.
International qualifications
We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.
If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.
How to apply
Apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system
We advise you to get in touch with the programme contact, listed above before you apply for a research programme. It may also be possible to arrange an advisory meeting.
Before you start at Goldsmiths, the actual topic of your research has to be agreed with your proposed supervisor, who will be a member of staff active in your general field of research. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body.
If you wish to study on a part-time basis, you should also indicate how many hours a week you intend to devote to research, whether this will be at evenings or weekends, and for how many hours each day.
Submitting your application
Before submitting your application you'll need to have:
- Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments
- The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference
- Contact details of a second referee
- A personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement
- If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory)
- Details of your research proposal (see below)
You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.
Research proposals
Along with your application and academic reference, you will also need to upload a research proposal at the point of application.
Your research proposal should respond to each question set out in our STaCS departmental research proposal form (download here).
When to apply
We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September.
We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place conditional on you achieving a particular qualification.
If you're applying for external funding from one of the Research Councils, make sure you submit your application by the deadline they've specified.
Selection process
Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.
Fees and funding
Annual tuition fees
These are the PG fees for students starting their programme in the 2025/2026 academic year.
- Home - full-time: £TBC
- International - full-time: £24350
If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.
It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.
If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.
Funding opportunities
ESRC/SENSS Doctoral Studentships
Fully funded ESRC studentships are available to research students via this Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP).
Use the Goldsmiths scholarships finder below to find out what other funding you may be eligible for.
Paying your fees
Find out about paying your tuition fees.
If you are a UK student you may be eligible for a postgraduate loan.
Meanwhile our Careers Service can also offer advice on finding work during your studies.
Additional costs
In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.
There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments.
