The Doctorate of Philosophy in Visual Arts has been a subject of debate in the United States, where the currently accepted terminal degree in visual and fine arts is the Master of Fine Arts. In the United Kingdom, as in much of Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia the PhD in visual arts has been well developed and accepted. In a global economy, where students in the higher education marketplace will have to compete on an international level, it may be inevitable that the higher education system in the United States ultimately create and adopt a PhD in visual arts. The United Kingdom has long-established PhD programs in visual arts, which are referred to as practice-led degrees. This study of practice-led research in the United Kingdom presents leaders in higher education in the United States information about possibilities in the creation of comprehensive and consistent PhD programs in visual and fine arts. While a few institutions of higher education in the United States are currently undergoing reviews of such programs, there is still little consistency in how these programs will operate.

The purpose of this study was to examine the requirements of practice-led PhDs in a well-established institution of higher education in the United Kingdom, in order to qualitatively analyze the two primary components of the degree, the dissertation, and the body of work. The participants in the study were PhD candidates and recipients from the University of Dundee, which has a long-standing and robust practice-led PhD program.