Mission

The Ph.D. program in visual arts challenges the traditionally conceived borders between creative and critical practice. The program enables potential dialogue between creative practice and theoretical knowledge as related forms of intellectual work and provides the conditions for students to realize a wide range of possible projects, including those that exist across the traditional divides of critical studies and production. Focusing on a diverse range of cultural production that includes cinema, television, video art, the Ph.D. program participants interrogate the historical, esthetic, political, ideological, and technological aspects of these media forms across a range of international contexts, investigating their points of connection and convergence as well as their relationship to broader cultural and historical change. The program thus prepares students for intellectually informed creative practice as well as theoretical and critical production in a range of environments, not limited to traditional academic contexts.

Program Educational Objectives

Upon program completion, graduates will:
1. Be prepared for employment in research/faculty.
2. Engage in and promote evidence-based practices through the application of rigorous methodology.
3. Link education research to policy and practice.
4. Provide leadership in the field by developing an independent line of ethical and culturally responsive research.
5. Contribute to development of the next generation of scholars.
6. Be able to influence school policy and reform.

Program Outcomes

Students who earn a Ph.D. in visual and performing arts will gain the skills, knowledge, and understanding that will enable them to:
a. Demonstrate knowledge of video and/or digital media production.
b. Demonstrate critical thinking and analytical skills appropriate to doctoral work in to the discipline of film and digital media.
c. Demonstrate research skills appropriate to doctoral work in the discipline of film and digital media.
d. Demonstrate scholarly writing skills appropriate to doctoral work in the discipline of film and digital media.