Ph.D. in Visual Arts
Programme Overview
The continuous growth of art and creative technology requires ongoing research to explore modern cultural challenges, preserve artistic traditions, and develop innovative visual solutions. The Department of Visual Arts at MIT-WPU offers a Ph.D. programme in Visual Arts, where faculty members and research scholars work together on both theoretical and practical art research across various creative and interdisciplinary fields.
Experienced faculty members specialize in a wide range of core and allied areas within visual arts. Their artistic expertise is backed by extensive research, creative projects, and academic publications, showcasing the department's leadership in visual art and design research.
Ph.D. scholars are required to complete coursework that builds their core research capabilities, including hypothesis development, art-based research methodologies, qualitative and quantitative analysis, and modern digital art tools. The programme offers opportunities to explore diverse research domains, such as graphics and painting, sculpture, traditional and cultural heritage arts, digital arts, animations, aesthetics, advertising, visual communication, and UI/UX design.
Ph.D. Course Work Structure Format:
| Subject Code | Name of Course | Contact hrs. | Examination Scheme | Total Marks | Credit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continuous assessment | End Semester exam | |||||
| DVA50010 | Research Methodology | 4 | 50 | 50 | 100 | 4 |
| UNC40010 | Research publication and ethics | 2 | 50 | 50 | 100 | 2 |
| DVA50020 | Advanced research methods in visual arts | 2 | 50 | 50 | 100 | 2 |
| DVA50030 | Visual arts area specific advanced course | 2 | 50 | 50 | 100 | 2 |
| EDU50030 | Foundation of effective teaching pedagogy | 2 | 50 | NA | 50 | 2 |
| DVA50040 | Seminar | 2 | 100 | NA | 100 | 2 |
| Total | 14 | 350 | 200 | 550 | 14 | |
Diverse Areas of Research
- Visual Culture & Critical Theory
- Digital Arts, New Media & Interactive Technologies
- Contemporary Studio Practice & Materiality
- Art History, Historiography & Archival Research
- Curation, Exhibition Studies & Museum Practices
- Public Art, Community Engagement & Social Practice
- Art Education, Pedagogy & Artistic Literacy
- Indigenous, Heritage & Folk Visual Traditions
- Art Conservation, Preservation & Material Science
- Aesthetics, Philosophy of Art & Visual Epistemology
- Cross-Cultural, Postcolonial & Global Art Dynamics
- Creative Economy, Arts Management & Cultural Policy
- Arts, Health & Visual Well-being
- Environmental Art, Eco-Aesthetics & Sustainability
- Design Thinking, Visual Communication & Media Studies
Duration & Fees
Duration
Minimum 3 Years
Ph.D. admissions are currently closed for the Spring Semester. The application window for AY 2026-27 (Autumn Semester) will open in mid-February 2026. You may leave your enquiry, and we will get in touch with you as soon as the application form is live.
I. Eligibility Criterion for admission to the Ph.D. Programme
The following candidates are eligible to seek admission to the Ph.D. programme
Candidates who have completed:
i) A 1-year/2-semester master’s degree programme after a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme or a 2-year/4-semester master’s degree programme after a 3-year bachelor’s degree programme or qualifications declared equivalent to the master’s degree by the corresponding statutory regulatory body, with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale wherever grading system is followed or equivalent qualification from a foreign educational institutions accredited by an assessment and accreditation agency which is approved, recognized or authorized by an authority, established or incorporated under a law in its home country or any other statutory authority in that country to assess, accredit or assure quality and standards of the educational institutions.
A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/differently-abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of the commission from time to time.
Provided that a candidate seeking admission after a 4-year/8-semester bachelor’s degree programme should have a minimum of 75% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade on a point scale wherever the grading system is followed. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently-abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of commission from time to time.
ii) Candidates who have completed the M. Phil programme with at least 55% marks in aggregate or its equivalent grade in a point scale. A relaxation of 5% marks or its equivalent grade may be allowed for those belonging to SC/ST/OBC (non-creamy layer)/Differently abled, Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and other categories of candidates as per the decision of commission from time to time.
Reservation is applicable only to Maharashtra domicile candidates provided they submit the necessary documents for reservation before interview. Outside Maharashtra candidates will be considered in open category.
List of Acceptable Undergraduate and Postgraduate Degrees for Ph.D. in Visual Arts
| NAME OF Ph. D. PROGRAM | RELEVANT UNDERGRADUATE DEGREE (UG) | RELEVANT POST GRADUATE DEGREE (PG) |
|---|---|---|
| Ph. D. (Visual Arts) | ▪ Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) ▪ Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in Applied Arts / Fine Arts ▪ BA / BSc (Applied Arts) OR Any other relevant field approved by the competent authority |
▪ Master of Visual Arts (MVA) ▪ Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in Applied Arts / Fine Arts ▪ MA / MSc (Applied Arts) OR Any other relevant field approved by the competent authority |
Note:
1. A candidate should have one of the degrees in Applied Arts / Visual Arts / Fine Arts or a relevant field.
2. A minimum of one year of professional experience or a one-year certificate programme after the UG qualification is mandatory for 12+3 UG degree holders.
II. Selection Process for the admission to the Ph.D. program
1. Candidates satisfying eligibility criterion shall be called to appear for the Ph.D. entrance test conducted by MITWPU.
The exemption will be given from Ph.D. entrance test for those students who qualify UGC-NET /UGC-CSIR NET /GATE (valid score)/CEED/GPAT (valid score)and similar national tests.
2. PhD entrance test shall be qualifying with qualifying marks as 50% provided that relaxation from 50% to 45% shall be allowed for the candidates belongs to SC/ST/OBC (Non creamy layer)/Differently abled category, Economically Weaker section (EWS) and other category of candidates. The syllabus of entrance test shall consist of 50% of research methodology and 50% shall be subject specific.
3. The interview/viva-voce will be conducted by the university for test qualifying candidates. For selection of candidates a weightage of 70% to the entrance test and 30% to the performance in the interview/Viva-voce shall be given. For GATE/NET/JRF /SET/GPAT/CEED qualified students, the selection will be based on Interview/Viva Voce
4. The recommended candidates will be intimated through email about their selection and the candidates will be offered Ph.D. provisional admission.
5. The eligibility of a candidate is provisional as per information provided by the candidate in his/her application form and is subject to verification of minimum eligibility conditions for admission to the program, educational documents and reservation documents (if any).
6. University keep rights to cancel admission of the Ph.D. scholars in the case of misconduct by the scholar, unsatisfactory progress/absent for consecutive two progress seminars, failure in any examination related to Ph.D., fabrication found in educational and reservation documents, candidate is found ineligible, involved in plagiarism in paper publications and thesis.
7. Provisional eligibility to appear in the selection process is no guarantee for admission to the program.
8. Candidates who will join PhD program full time, they will be provided with the stipend as per MITWPU norms.
9. PhD admission will be confirmed after successful completion of the course work with 55% or more as per UGC norms. Ph.D. programme should be minimum of three years including course work and maximum of six years from the date of admission to the Ph.D. programme.
10. A maximum of an additional two years (2) years can be given through the process of re-registration provided, however, that the total period for completion of a Ph.D. programme should not exceed eight (8) years from the date of admission in the Ph.D. programme.
11. Provided further that, female Ph.D. scholars and persons with Disabilities (having more than 40% disability) may be allowed an additional relaxation of two years(2) ; however the total period for completion of a Ph.D. program in such cases should not exceed ten (10) years from the date of admission of the programme.
12. Female candidates may be provided Maternity Leave/Child Care Leave for up to 240 days in the entire duration of Ph.D. programme.
Research Scholar
| Sr. No. | Name of Supervisor | Name of Research Scholar | Research Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Shruti Nigudkar | Adwtiya Kar | Visual Communication |
| Sr. No. | Name of Supervisor | Name of Research Scholar | Research Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Ganesh Jadhav | Savani Sharad Baviskar | Folk Performing Art and Media |
| 2 | Dr. Arun Prakash | Vaishali Ashish Bodke | Art Integration in Education |
| 3 | Dr. Arun Prakash | Mrunmayee Sunil Pathak | Arts-Integrated Pedagogy through Toys and Board Games |
Research Supervisors
| Sr. No. | Name of the Research Supervisor | Research areas of the Supervisor | Email address of the Supervisor | Scopus ID / Researchers ID / Personal website link / Vidwan profile link of the Supervisor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr. Shruti Nigudkar | Visual Arts, Fine Arts, Communication Design, Branding and Advertising | shruti.nigudkar@mitwpu.edu.in | Google Scholar, LinkedIn, Orcid |
| 2 | Dr. Ganesh Jadhav | Ergonomics, Product Design, Industrial Design, Aesthetics, Craft Design Intervention | ganesh.jadhav@mitwpu.edu.in | https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3020-4672 Google Scholar |
| 3 | Dr. Arun Prakash | Film Studies/ Filmmaking, Photography, Cinematography, Visual Communication | arun.prakash@mitwpu.edu.in | Scopus | Website | LinkedIn | ResearchGate | Google Scholar |
| 4 | Dr. Garima Chaudhary | Visual Arts, Fine Arts, Photography, Visual Communication | garima.chaudhary@mitwpu.edu.in | Scopus, Linkedin, Orcid |
