MPhil/PhD Architecture
London, United Kingdom
Master degree
DURATION
7 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
05 Dec 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Jan 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 31,350 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* overseas and EU: high residency full time
Key Summary
The MPhil/PhD Architecture research program focuses on practice-led and interdisciplinary research with tangible public and social impact.
Working at the intersection of theory, research, media, and critical-spatial-practices, the MPhil/Ph.D. program in Architecture supports experimental practice-led and interdisciplinary theses aiming at tangible public and social impact. The program fosters architectural research at the intersection of history and theory, critical ecologies, new materialism, and digital culture. The program is investigating the diverse ways in which architects, artists, filmmakers, curators, and other cultural producers have negotiated crises associated with globalization, migration and statelessness, the hauntings of empire and the colonial present, new digital technologies, and the growing biopolitical conflicts around ecology and climate change. We strongly encourage you to think about the performativity of space, or architectural forms and practices in their interrelation to the climate crisis, social movements, and institutional change.
We support written academic research in the history and theory of architecture and new media of exploration and documentation. We are especially interested in practice-led research, which could involve an architectural project, a work of heritage preservation, community work, an artistic practice, an exhibition, or a film production. Our program is relevant to diverse research careers in academia, spatial practice, curation, publishing, and critical conservation. We encourage establishing real-world collaborations with industry-based research groups, leading design practices, policymakers, social and environmental justice groups, human rights organizations, and cultural institutions.
We particularly welcome research proposals aligned with the strategic areas of research in the School of Architecture: Climate Justice, Architecture and Social Movements, Institutional Forms & practices research, Heritage and digital Materialities, Interior Architecture and the Culture of Care, Feeling, Fiction, Frame, Laboratory for Design and Machine Learning
All research themes encourage interdisciplinary research with new models of collaboration between postgraduate research students, as well as academic and non-academic institutions or partners.
The RCA scholarship program is growing, with hundreds of financial awards planned for the 2024/5 academic year. Examples of financial awards offered in 2023/24 are given below.
Sir Frank Bowling Scholarships
For: All programmes excluding short courses
Eligibility criteria: Home fee status; Black or Black British Caribbean, Black Or Black British African, Other Black Background, Mixed - White and Black Caribbean, Mixed - White and Black African
Value: Full-fee & contribution to living costs
Join us online or in-person to find out about our postgraduate programmes in October-November. Events are hosted for Graduate Diploma, Master's and MPhil/PhD programmes..
What you'll cover
What is a research degree?
At the RCA we offer both MPhil and PhD research degrees. Research candidates can study in part-time and full-time modes (subject to approval) and their research can be undertaken by project or thesis modes. The mode of research will be discussed in the interview and should be indicated in the application process.
A postgraduate research degree challenges you to complete a research project that pushes the boundaries of your understanding.
Unlike a taught degree, a research degree emphasizes the independence of learning and increased specialization. You will manage your own research project in order to investigate your topic in depth and to produce new ideas, arguments, and solutions.
A research degree will give you the subject matter expertise and transferable skills necessary for a wide range of senior roles in research and academia, as well as in business, industry, and the cultural and creative sectors.
A PhD is awarded to students who produce a substantial piece of original research that makes a contribution to research in the field. This can take the form of a thesis (60,000-80,000 words) or by project (a body of work and thesis 25,000-40,000 words). If you’re a PhD candidate you’ll normally register for three years full-time, with submission within four years, or six to seven years part-time. You must remain registered and pay an appropriate fee until submission.
An MPhil is awarded for original research and submission of a thesis. If you’re an MPhil candidate you’ll normally be registered for two years (full-time) or four years (part-time).
Our postgraduate community
We have more than 250 PhD students pursuing cutting-edge research and undertaking advanced training across the College:
- School of Architecture
- School of Arts & Humanities
- School of Communication
- Computer Science Research Centre
- School of Design
- Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design
- Intelligent Mobility Design Centre
- Material Futures Research Centre
The RCA is a world-leading postgraduate university and has been ranked the most research-intensive university of art and design in the UK since 2014. Both our students and staff are drawn from countries across the globe. Overseas students play a vital role in ensuring that our College community benefits from a diversity of experiences and skills.
Doctoral training programme
At the RCA, research students undertake training both at a cross-college level and within their Schools/Centres, offering rich and robust preparation and learning opportunities for their research degree progression. Many of these also offer opportunities to build a portfolio of experience for future careers.
All students are required to attend our Doctoral Training Weeks in September, February, and July (pro-rata attendance by negotiation for part-time students). These are opportunities to participate in the broader research community at the RCA, but also to undertake timely training to support research progression. These intensive weeks include a range of professional development seminars, training, and advice in writing, getting published, achieving impact, entering the academic job market, and more, and opportunities for you to develop and present your research to your peers and staff.
Our Research Biennale, held every alternate February, offers a showcase of research to internal and external partners and the public. The events include space for testing and experimenting with public-facing aspects of research, extending and challenging frameworks and perceptions of what art and design research can be.
We are committed to ensuring that you are well-equipped, not only to complete your studies but also to develop your future careers.
Supervisors
All students are allocated supervisors upon registration; your supervisory team will have both subject specialism and experience of supervising to completion. Our current staff index includes an overview of their research interests, recent research outputs, and areas of expertise. These give an idea of the key areas of research that are covered at the RCA.
We are not able to guarantee allocation to a specific supervisor as we need to balance staff capacities and our research strategy. However, if there is a particular supervisor whose research aligns with your research proposal, please join us at one of our Open Days and we can talk with you about the possibilities.
Each student will have six supervisions per year (3 for PT students); these might be with the full supervisory team or with one supervisor. Students are expected to initiate these meetings, set the agenda, and provide supervisors with pre-reading or other materials in an agreed timeframe for review.
Annual progress reviews
All research students have Annual Progress Reviews, which they must pass in order to progress into the next year of study. These are vital points where all candidates receive formal feedback not only from their supervisory team but also from other members of the faculty.
There is a formal Confirmation Exam that takes place midway through the period of study to ascertain your readiness for PhD submission; if you do not meet the requirements at this stage then you’ll usually be recommended to submit for MPhil examination.
Programme details
- PhD: 3–4 years (full-time), 6–7 years (part-time)
- MPhil: 2–3 years (full-time), 4–6 years (part-time)
PhD study leads to a range of opportunities. You might become a lecturer or academic researcher, designer or consultant in industry, curator in leading cultural institutions worldwide, in international institutions such as NGOs and charities. It is an opportunity for you to investigate a research question or issue in depth, enabling you to take a more reflective, more innovative role in design.