Doctor of Philosophy in Contemporary Arts

The SCA’s PhD in Contemporary Arts is a research-intensive program focused on interdisciplinary approaches to the fine and performing arts. The program supports both scholarly and practiced-based research, with students tailoring their degrees to their specific research interests.

Students pursuing primarily scholarly approaches to visual culture, media arts, sound studies, and performance studies will take existing graduate seminar courses and produce a substantial written thesis under the mentorship of leading scholars in their chosen field of study. Practice-based artist-scholars or researchers with a curatorial, programming, or public-facing practice will take a mix of seminars and studio-based courses and directed studies, resulting in the creation of an original artwork or a public presentation supplemented by a substantial written body of work incorporating students’ reflection and commentary.

Submitted evidence, usually references from qualified referees, of the applicant's ability to undertake advanced studies in the area of interest. Proof of English Language proficiency, A Master's degree from SFU or its equivalent from a recognized institution

A Bachelor's degree, with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5/4.0, or a grade point average of at least 3.67/4.33 (A-) based on the last 60 credits of undergraduate courses. Students admitted directly from a bachelor's degree must complete at least 50% of the course work units required for the relevant program's master's program if no course work is required as part of the doctoral degree.

Completion of at least 75% of the course work units required for the relevant program's master's program, with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.5.
Official sealed Transcripts of all post-secondary education. Sealed transcripts should be sent directly to the address below by the academic institution. Non-English language transcripts must include an official English translation. (For the purposes of lowering costs, unofficial transcripts may be uploaded to an application for review. If an offer of acceptance is given, all official sealed transcripts will be required.)
A Curriculum Vitae.
A Research Statement. This two-page document should indicate your academic/artistic background, the nature of your scholarly and/or creative practice, and the faculty members in the School who might supervise your work. It should also include an outline of the doctoral research you wish to pursue in our program, the significance of this research, and the contexts (artistic/scholarly/other) through which you are framing this research.
A sample of Academic Writing. Acceptable samples include MA or MFA papers or other academic writing, catalogue essays, published articles, and grant applications.
For students pursuing the practice-based PhD option: A Portfolio of your work, including a list which prioritizes the viewing/listening order of materials. You may upload video, audio, images, or PDF documents (less than 10 Mb each). Unfortunately, we are unable to accept physical media (DVDs, CDs, etc.). For works that involve a creation and production team, please make your role (Director, Choreographer, Curator, etc.) clear.
Three (3) Letters of Reference from (preferably) academic or professional sources. Letters can be uploaded online directly by each referee. Your referees will receive login information and instructions for uploading their letters once you have named them as a reference. We do not have a template for reference letters, your referees can use their preferred format.
IELTS - The University minimum requirements for English proficiency is an overall band score of 7.0 of the academic (NOT general) test with a minimum of 6.5 in each section.
TOEFL - The University minimum requirement for the internet-based exam is a total score of 93, with a minimum score of 20 in each category. For the paper-based TOEFL test, the University normally requires a score of 580, with TWE 5. Pearson Academic (PTE) - Overall 65 minimum 60 in all of their sections.