About the research degree

A Master of Arts (MA) by Research allows you to undertake a one-year (full-time) or two-year (part-time) research degree. It contains little or no formal taught component. This type of study gives you the chance to explore a research topic over a shorter time than a more in-depth doctoral programme.

Our research degrees are available as full-time, part-time and some are offered distance learning.

Research Master's students choose a specific project to work on and have a greater degree of independence in their work than is the case with a taught Master’s course.

You’ll be expected to work to an approved programme of work which you will develop in conjunction with your supervisor within the first few months of starting your studies. Whilst undertaking the research project you will also develop your research skills by taking part in training courses and events.

You will be appointed a main supervisor who will normally be part of a supervisory team, comprising up to three members to advise and support you on your project.

At the end of the project you’ll write up your findings in the form of a short thesis of around 25,000 words, which will then be examined. We also accept applications for projects which are practice-orientated, and which include portfolio submissions. These include practice submissions with written components. You will receive guidance from your supervisory team as to the percentage equivalents between the practice and written elements of your research.

On successful completion, you will be awarded your degree and if you have enjoyed this taste of research, you may then decide to apply for the full research doctoral degree (PhD).

Entry requirements

The normal entry requirements for enrolment on a MA by Research is an upper second honours degree (2:1) from a UK university or a qualification of an equivalent standard, in a discipline appropriate to that of the proposed programme to be followed.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum for IELTS is 6.0 overall with no element lower than 6.0, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our Where are you from information pages.

What can I research?

You can apply by:

1) Proposing your own research topic. Explore the skills of our supervisors and/or Research Centres to see if we have the expertise to support your topic.

2) Applying for one of the research topics listed below or for a specific research area within the School.

Places are always subject to eligibility, a review of your proposal and supervisory capacity.

There are several research topics available for this degree. See below examples of research areas including an outline of the topics, the supervisor, funding information and eligibility criteria. It may be that you are interested in pursuing an aspect of one of these projects, so do please consider approaching the named academic to discuss your ideas in further detail.

You may also want to design a project of your own. You can find a full list of broad research areas in Art and Design on our Postgraduate Study in Art, Design and Architecture page.

If you would like further guidance about undertaking postgraduate study within the School of Art, Design and Architecture, or to seek advice about writing a project proposal as part of your application, do please make contact with our postgraduate administration team for further information: sadapgradmin@hud.ac.uk