Artistry and analysis: student experiences of UK practice-based doctorates in art and design

During the last decade, doctoral education has been the focus of much international academic attention. This period has also witnessed the rapid growth of practice-based research degrees in art and design in the UK. To date, however, there has been no extensive empirical research on the subjective experiences of students undertaking this form of doctorate in art and design. This paper, based on qualitative interviews with 50 UK students at 25 different institutions, seeks to examine from a sociological perspective the occupational life-worlds of these students, and the risks they take in choosing to study for a doctorate. It explores some of the narratives that students generated during their often faltering and difficult transformational journey from 'creator' to 'creator-researcher' during the process of the research degree, focusing in particular upon the perceived tensions and contradictions between their artistry and analysis.