The Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment through its Research Graduate School enables high quality research in the broad spectrum of disciplines, as well as inter-related areas.
Through our research and researchers, supervision activity and our PhD graduates, we continue to make an active contribution to the intellectual climate, academic attainment, artistic excellence, cultural presence, technical innovation and sustainability of Northern Ireland and beyond.
Supervising staff members are active researchers and have collectively contributed to excellent outcomes for the two relevant Units of Assessment, which are both ranked within the top 5 and 10 in the UK THES Power Rankings. In the most recent student survey, the School of Architecture and Design came 4th in the UK. The Faculty is based at the newly re-built Belfast campus (Art, Design, Architecture) and in Jordanstown (Built Environment).
The Faculty's PhD cohort is, with over 120 researchers, one of the largest in the university and one of the most internationally diverse. We have over a decade's experience providing PhDs involving art and design practice, the largest group undertaking such research on the island of Ireland, as well as one of the largest in the UK context, and we have an excellent track record in attracting studentships to fund PhD research each year.
The Research Graduate School has an administrative responsibility for all aspects of the research student's progress from initial application to final examination. Details of the School's role and the processes it oversees are provided in the Faculty's handbook for postgraduate research. This is to be read in conjunction with the university-wide information that the Research Office provides.
Students are supported individually to help each one follow his or her own research interests, achieve their personal potential, and make original contributions to international research. The purpose of the Research Graduate School is to facilitate and promote such high quality postgraduate research.
Professor NJ Hewitt BSc DPhil CEng CPhys MInstP MInstR MEI
Head of Research Graduate School
Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment.
