PhD Handbook: Music, Drama, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies (including Heritage and Museum Studies)

Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies Research

Welcome to your PhD studies in music, drama, film or heritage/museum studies. We are a vibrant multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary unit of approximately 25 PhDs, covering the subject areas above, in addition to interdisciplinary topics which engage with other subject areas, including Irish, nursing, education, computing and peace and conflict studies.

We have also become a more internationally diverse community in recent years, with regions represented including Europe, the Near East, Asia, and the Americas. We regard equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) as a key part of our work and intellectual and creative community, and we are striving to embody this around providing a supportive environment for all of our PhDs, regardless of background: race, ethnicity and/or cultural/national background, gender and/or sexuality, disability, socioeconomic, etc. PhDs can also access supportive communities via staff and student EDI networks, and if they encounter problems, are encouraged to reach out to relevant staff and/or support services.

We currently work primarily across two schools (Arts and Humanities, Derry-Londonderry, and Communication and Media, Belfast), which are both part of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. PhDs will be registered and assigned office space at the campus of the chair of their supervisory team, but will have the opportunity to meet peers at other campuses through research unit seminars (primarily held at our Derry campus) and Doctoral College training and social events (all campuses). PhDs can also access our integrated library facilities across all campuses, as well as discipline-specific resources (music, drama, and film/screen facilities in Derry, and film/screen facilities and gallery spaces in Belfast).

Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies

A unique multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary environment for research across and between the fields of drama, film, music, heritage and museum...

Travel and Procurement

Prior Approvals

All DfE-funded and VCRS PhD researchers are awarded a budget each year to be spent on developmental activities to support their research (for instance a training event, attending a conference, collecting data). Agreement for travel and accommodation must be sought from your supervisor prior to proceeding with any booking. Prior approval for all DfE/VCRS expenditure must be obtained from the Research Director.

To arrange travel or other expenses, PhD researchers will usually need to apply for Prior Approval through the Digital Claimant Portal. Once the Prior Approval is approved, this will generate a prior approval (PA) number and a nominal code. The cost centre, PA number and nominal code can be used to book travel through Selective Travel, the University’s travel agent.

When travelling on university business it is important to secure a prior approval as this triggers the university’s insurance policy.

On return from your trip, an expense reimbursement link should be completed – including inputting the prior approval number and appropriate cost centre. Please upload all receipts and a copy of the exchange rate you have used. The University has rules on hotel room costs and note that alcohol cannot be charged. Retrospective applications for trips cannot be reimbursed as you will not have a prior approval number. Expense claims need to be made within 90 days of trip.

Research Ethics and Integrity

The purpose of the ethical approval process is to ensure that any research involving members of the public is well designed, is led and conducted by suitably qualified people, and complies with all relevant policies and laws. Not all PhD projects require ethical approval. In general, Arts and Humanities PhD students only need to apply for approval if they are engaging with/collecting data involving human subjects through, for example, workshops, interviews, or focus groups.

When applying for ethical approval, the information and required forms can be accessed through the Ethics portal. Choose Arts and Humanities from the drop-down menu.

The website includes access to the required forms, and useful templates for the Participant Information Sheets and the Consent Forms.

The Arts and Humanities Ethical Review Committee receives applications year-round, with no fixed deadlines. You should assume that ethical approval will take approximately 4 weeks, though projects involving children or other vulnerable populations may take longer and may need approval through UREC (Ulster University Research Ethics Committee).

Students normally apply for ethical approval around the time of the Confirmation Viva. The Research Ethics Clearance (RG1A) should be completed in collaboration with your supervisor and at least two months in advance of when you plan to collect data. A participant information sheet and a consent form must also be uploaded. These can be adapted from the templates available via the Ethics portal. The forms should have the UU logo and should provide contact details for the lead researcher (the supervisor).

When the application is fully drafted, the supervisor should request a peer review from a colleague with appropriate expertise, to be documented in the RG2 form, and uploaded with the rest of the application to the website. The application will normally be reviewed by the Chair of the Committee and one other research active member of staff with expertise in the subject area or methodology.

In rare cases, it may be necessary to refer the application to UREC. If this occurs, the supervisory team and the student will be issued with additional help and advice to gather the necessary documentation. UREC meets approximately once a month.

Teaching and Demonstrating Opportunities

It is beneficial from a career development point of view for PhD researchers to obtain some teaching experience during their period of study.

The opportunities for teaching will depend to a great extent on the teaching needs within UUBS at any given time and PhD researchers’ area of expertise.

All PhD researchers will be asked to record their areas of teaching interest with the Research Director and these details will be forwarded to Heads of Departments for consideration, should any teaching opportunities arise.

Please note:

Teaching allocations are at the discretion of Heads of Department and not the Research Director.
Full-time funded PhD researchers may only teach a maximum of 6 hours per week.
Teaching would involve mostly seminars and to a lesser extent lecturing.
Where PhD researchers have been offered teaching, it would be expected that they are provided with teaching support materials where possible.

Thesis Requirements

A PhD must make a substantive, original contribution to knowledge, which is embodied within a research study which has both breadth of coverage (e.g. within the context of a literature review or a similar survey of practice) and depth of engagement with a particular problem/issue.

Especially in cases for which practice is involved, the length and format may vary. The following are indicative guidelines:

Dissertation-only PhD (‘traditional’ form): university guidelines state the maximum word count to be 100,000 words
Practice–led PhD (PhD in which practice forms a part of the investigatory process, which is examined for the most part through the dissertation): indicative word count 55,000–80,000 words, plus documentation of practice
Practice–based PhD (PhD in which the major contribution is to be found in the portfolio of works, thematically related, illustrated by a supporting thesis): indicative word count 30,000- 45,000 words, plus portfolio.

For practice-based PhDs, discussions about the nature and scale of the practice, and the form which its documentation might take, should be discussed with your supervisory team at the earliest possible opportunity, in advance of the initial assessment.

Health and Safety

Office Safety

It is everyone’s duty to ensure a safe working environment. Your first point of contact if you have a health and safety query should be your supervisor. The Faculty’s Health and Safety Co-Ordinator is Mr Billy Scampton. Risk assessments are carried out and updated annually.

First Aid/Defibrillators are available from Security on each campus (extension 22222).

In event of an emergency requiring Police, Fire or Ambulance dial (9)999 directly then contact Security immediately. If working late you should make security aware and let them know when you leave.

Fire Safety

If you discover a fire, you should follow the Fire Safety procedures and activate the alarm immediately using nearest break glass point.

Points of Contact

Ethical approval: Dr Lisa Fitzpatrick
Expenditure, materials and travel expenses (if scholarship-funded): Fiona Bradley (routine queries), Dr Adam Melvin (specific queries), Dr Brian Bridges (approval)
Research seminars and events: Dr Adam Melvin and Fiona Bradley
Conference hosting queries: Dr Adam Melvin (PG Tutor) and Dr Brian Bridges (RD)
Concerns about progress: Dr Adam Melvin
Sourcing research literature: Janice McQuilkin, Subject Librarian, Derry, and Lorna Blair and Patricia Doyle, Subject Librarians, Belfast
Requests to access to specialist facilities (Derry/Magee): Fiona Bradley (who will direct you to the appropriate staff)

PhD Handbook: Music, Drama, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies (including Heritage and Museum Studies)

Meet the Team

Dr Brian Bridges

Dr Adam Melvin

Fiona Bradley

Working Environment

SCONUL

ALCID

Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies Research

Music, Drama, Dance, Performing Arts, Film and Screen Studies

Travel and Procurement

Prior Approvals

Research Ethics and Integrity

Teaching and Demonstrating Opportunities

Assessment Seminars

Expected timeline:

Requirements:

Expected timeline:

Requirements:

Expected timeline:

Requirements:

Thesis Requirements

Health and Safety

Office Safety

Fire Safety

Points of Contact

Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment

Life and Health Sciences

Ulster University Business School