Overview

The Doctorate of Design programme from Northumbria University has been designed for professionally qualified individuals based in the UK and internationally - covering a range of design disciplines, including but not limited to industrial, graphic, digital, interior, multisensory and fashion.

This programme will substantially benefit you if you wish to pursue an academic career in the field of design and develop both conceptual and practice-led research outputs and projects.

Your future

On completion of this course, you will have mastered the use of explicit design knowledge to make a creative impact in both industry and academia, in addition to having the attributes required to be an innovator within your own professional environment.

The professional basis of the programme means that you will be engaging with research that is directly relevant to design-based industries and design-based academic institutions. In terms of practical skills that will enhance employability, the Professional Design Doctorate includes creative thinking, group work and presentations of research questions and findings, it will enable you to hone your expertise and clearly communicate the impact you can make in different practical contexts.

Programme Structure

Professional Practice Design Research

Through a combination of lectures and seminar discussions you will engage with academics and other practitioners to examine how professional knowledge can be constructed and defended.

These activities will help you define a research problem, formulate a research statement, and form the clear and critical research question that will guide and inform your doctoral project.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-10-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-07-01 00:00:00
Starting 2027-03-01 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-01 00:00:00

Language

English

IELTS

6.5

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Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Disciplines

Design Visual Arts Fine Arts View 20 other PhDs in Fine Arts in United Kingdom

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

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AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

A Masters qualification and a minimum of 3 years’ experience of professional experience and/or evidence of appropriate continuous design professional development.

Substantial professional experience (5 years or more).

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

23600 GBP / year

≈ 23600 GBP / year
Domestic Applies to you

Applies to you

Citizens or residents

8367 GBP / year

≈ 8367 GBP / year

Living costs

Newcastle upon Tyne

United Kingdom

560 - 991 GBP / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Design.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

Your future

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic Applies to you

Living costs

Newcastle upon Tyne

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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