PhD Arts Admission, Syllabus, Subjects, Colleges, Jobs, Salary 2023

What is PhD Arts?

A PhD Arts is a 3-year doctorate course which has been designed in a manner to have a specialization in either Humanities subjects like Psychology, History, Journalism, or Performing Arts like Music or on Visual Arts like Video, Animation and Filmmaking.

Check out the Top Colleges for PhD Arts.

Students who have received a Master’s or equivalent Degree with a minimum of 55% aggregate in the relevant field are eligible for PhD Arts course.

Key Highlights of PhD Arts

Full-Form: Doctor of Philosophy in Arts
Duration: Minimum 3 years
Eligibility: Post Graduation in Arts
Admission Process: Entrance exam followed by personal interview.
Top Entrance Exam: UGC NET, UGC CSIR NET.
Top Colleges: Loyola College, Christ University, Madras Christian College.
Average Course fees: INR 24,000 to INR 1,50,000.
Job Options: Professor, Lecturer, Teachers, Therapist, Performer, etc. according to his/her specialisation.
Average Salary Package: INR 3,00,000 to INR 11,00,000

The admission process is by merit or by entrance exam and this may vary from college to college. The students will also have to go through a personal interview round where they will be asked questions about their research proposal.

The average fees for a PhD Arts course will be around INR 24,000 - INR 1,50,000. Many top colleges in India provide this course, some of which are listed in the table below.

India Today Ranking 2019	College Name	Location	Admission Process	Average Annual Fees
7	Loyola College	Chennai	Entrance Based	INR 10,000 - 30,000
8	Christ University	Bangalore	Entrance Based	INR 50,000
5	Madras Christian College	Chennai	Entrance Based	INR 10,000 - 50,000
17	Women's Christian College	Chennai	Entrance Based	INR 27,830
24	KJ Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce	Mumbai	Entrance Based	INR 6,000

The subjects taught in this course will vary according to specialisation. The most common subjects include Indian History, Indian Culture and Heritage, Human Psychology and Behaviour, etc.

Alert: The exam dates of UGC-NET and UGC-CSIR-NET have been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Check the latest dates of UGC-NET.

A student who has completed a Phd has career opportunities in Colleges as well as in sectors where they can work as Professor, Lecturer, Teachers, Therapist, Performer, etc. according to his/her specialisation.

After completing a PhD Arts course, the candidates can expect an average annual salary of around INR 3,00,000. The highest annual salary of around INR 11,00,000 can be expected.

After completing this course, some people do further research work and publish their own research papers. They can get awarded with a DLit degree for their contribution in the Arts sector.

What is the Admission Process to PhD Arts Course?

Most of the universities follow the system of an entrance exam, few of the colleges might have a round of personal interview also. Few colleges allow admission through a merit basis. The general admission process is discussed below.

Most of the colleges take in candidates who have a good score in UGC recognized entrance exams, or National Level tests like UGC-NET, UGC-CSIR-NET, DBT (JRF), ICMR, etc.
In the cases of merit-based admission, once the application is processed, the result is usually declared based on the marks scored in the qualifying exams.
In the case of entrance exams, admission is based on the candidate’s performance in the entrance exam. This is calculated on completion of the entrance exam.
In both the cases, there will be a personal interview round for final selection. In this round, the candidate will have to describe his research proposal to the panel. If the panel gets satisfied, then the candidate will be granted admission to the course.

Who is Eligible to Study PhD Arts?

The applicant should have graduated with a master’s degree or equivalent in the relevant field from a recognized college or university.
The applicant should have graduated with a minimum of 55% in aggregate.
The applicant must qualify in the national or university level entrance exams to get eligible for the course.

Which are the Top Entrance Exams for PhD Arts Course?

Some of the major entrance exams for admission to PhD Arts course are discussed below.

Exam	Application Date	Date of Entrance Exam
UGC NET 2023	To be Announced	To be Announced
IIS RET 2023	To be Announced	To be Announced
Savitribai Phule Pune University Exam 2023	January 14, 2023	To be Announced

How to Prepare for the Entrance Exams?

The syllabus of the exams are similar to the UGC Net:

The exams are usually online exams so practice online mock exams
The syllabus is usually the sub-subjects that comes under the major discipline that the candidate have chosen so revise what you have studying in your masters
Most of the exams usually have a personal interview round also so prepare for it by asking someone to conduct mock interviews on you.

Some important points to keep in mind while preparing for the entrance exams are discussed below:

Study the syllabus provided thoroughly as well as the exam pattern.
Make notes while studying. These can help up with last-minute quick revisions.
Focus on your weak subjects and allocate more time to them.
Study from the recommended books of UGC- Net as this will help in preparation for other exams also.
If previous years question papers are available, then it is good to solve them as it will build up your confidence. While solving the previous papers, keep in mind that there are negative marks so attempt accordingly.

Check the latest Exam Pattern of UGC NET exam.

How to Get Admission in a Good PhD Arts College?

Study at least 4 hours every day and try to complete the syllabus given.
Keep a track of all the news updates of the colleges that you want to apply to.
In case of any doubt with regards to admission, call the management, and get updated information.
Keep solving past question papers and model papers.
Strategize on how you will attempt the paper based on your strong and weak points.
Ensure you have followed all the admission requirements correctly.

PhD Arts: What is it About?

A PhD Arts is a doctoral degree that gives the students advanced skills required to advance in the career of their choice of Arts and Humanities.

One would be required to submit a dissertation based on the research area that one chose to do the thesis, at the end of the course.
Students will gain an in-depth understanding of various art forms, the process, the history, etc, depending on the specialisation they choose.
This course is perfect for those who are creative and passionate about art.
This course covers all the areas of the chosen specialisation in complete detail. Some of the specialisations available include Visual Arts, Music, History, English Literature, Psychology, etc.
After completing this course, the candidates can become teachers and researchers in colleges, universities and research institutions.

PhD Arts Course Highlights

The major highlights of the PhD Arts course are tabulated in the table below.

Course Level	Doctoral
Full-Form	Doctoral degree in Arts
Duration	3 years
Examination Type	Semester/Year wise
Eligibility	Maters or M.Phil. in the relevant subject.
Admission process	Entrance based
Course fees	From INR 15,000 to INR 2,00,000
Average Salary	INR 4,00,000
Top Recruiting Companies	Art galleries, Colleges, Boutiques, Fashion Houses, Textile Industry
Job position	Researcher, Art Consultant, Art therapist, Sculptor

Why should One Study PhD Arts?

It opens many doors for you both in academics as well as in business as you would have knowledge in both fields.
The arts field is a creativity oriented field and having a PhD will give you an edge over other competitors as it would sharpen your skills.
It will also give you respect in society as you will be involved in the creative line of work and people would respect your ideas as you are a part of many innovative ideas.
It is a good choice if you are passionate about art and research work.
It also gives you a chance to do something different as most of these options are choices that are non-conventional career choices in nature.
Since the job opportunities would be varied and different, the salary packages offered are sizably decent.
In the future, you could also take a double PhD if you want to continue to study.

PhD Arts vs PhD Fine Arts

Sometimes many people get confused between PhD Arts and PhD Fine Arts, but these two are very different courses. Here, we have compared these two courses on the basis of Overview, Duration, Eligibility, Admission Process, etc.

Parameters	PhD Arts	PhD Fine Arts
Overview	This course involves the study of the complete Arts stream and all its specialisations like History, English Literature, Political Science, etc. It also involves Visual Arts and Music.	This course involves the study of various artworks and art forms like mosaic, ceramics, different types of paintings, antique artworks, craftsmanship, stc.
Duration	3-5 years	3-5 years
Eligibility	Master degree with minimum 55% marks.	Master degree in relevant discipline
Admission Process	Entrance exam followed by interview	Entrance exam followed by interview
Top Colleges	Loyola College, Christ University, Madras Christian College.	Amity School of Fine Arts, Lucknow University, LPU.
Average Fees	INR 24,000 - INR 1,50,000	INR 10,000 - INR 2,75,000
Job Roles	Professor, Lecturer, Teachers, Therapist, Performer, etc. according to his/her specialisation.	Painters, Designers, Interior Decorator, etc.
Average Salary	INR 3,00,000 - INR 11,00,000	INR 3,00,000 - INR 10,00,000

Source: College Websites

PhD Arts Specializations

There are various PhD Arts specializations that are provided to help candidates to specialize in the area of their choice. Some of these specializations are:

PhD Visual Art: PhD Visual Arts course aims to equip students to create pieces that mainly utilize the visual environment.

Average Fees	INR 2,00,000
Average Salary	INR 2,00,000 to INR 8,00,000

PhD Psychology: PhD Psychology course includes advanced level research on human behaviour and psychological disorders.

Average Fees	INR 2,00,000
Average Salary	INR 4,00,000 to INR 10,00,000

PhD History: PhD History course includes a detailed study of all forms of history, ancient, contemporary and modern. It focuses on both Indian History and World History.

Average Fees	INR 50,000 to INR 2,00,000
Average Salary	INR 3,00,000 to INR 8,00,000

PhD English Literature: PhD English Literature course involves the study of English Literature, major writer, and history of some major literature works.

Average Fees	INR 10,000 to INR 1,00,000
Average Salary	INR 3,00,000 to INR 6,00,000

Top Colleges for PhD Arts

These are the few top colleges in India that offer this program.

India Today Ranking 2019	College Name	Location	Average Annual Fees
7	Loyola College	Chennai	INR 10,000 - 30,000
8	Christ University	Bangalore	INR 50,000
5	Madras Christian College	Chennai	INR 10,000 - INR 50,000
12	Mithibai College of Arts	Mumbai	INR 5,000 to INR 50,000
17	Women's Christian College	Chennai	INR 27,830
24	KJ Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce	Mumbai	INR 6,000
25	St. Xavier’s College	Ahmedabad	NA
30	Kishinchand Chellaram College	Mumbai	NA
38	Ramnarain Ruia Autonomous College	Mumbai	NA
51	Maharani Lakshmi Ammanni College for Women	Bangalore	INR 10,000 to INR 30,000

Source: College Websites

College Comparison for PhD Arts

A comparison between the best colleges offering PhD Arts in India

Parameters	Christ University	Women's Christian College	KJ Somaiya College of Arts and Commerce
Overview	It is a deemed university located in Bangalore. It was started in 1969 as an autonomous college. It has five campuses, three in Bangalore, one in Ghaziabad and one in Pune. It offers UG, PG and PhD level courses in Science, Engineering, Arts, Commerce and other streams.	Women's Christian College is a Catholic college in Chennai especially for women. It offers UG, PG and PhD courses in Science, Arts and Commerce streams.	This college comes under the bracket of KJ Somaiya group of institutions. It is especially dedicated to Arts and Commerce subjects. It offers many courses in these two streams across undergraduate, postgraduate and doctorate level.
India Today 2019 Rank	8	17	24
Location	Bangalore	Chennai	Mumbai
Eligibility	Master Degree with minimum 60% marks	Master degree with minimum 55% marks	Master degree with minimum 55% marks
Admission Process	Entrance Based	Entrance Based	Entrance Based
Average Fees	INR 50,000	INR 27,830	INR 6,000
Average Annual Salary	INR 6,85,000	INR 2,40,000	INR 2,75,000
Top Recruiting Companies	Deloitte, KPMG, Ernst and Young, Accenture, etc.	Accenture, Amazon, Axis Bank, Capgemini, etc.	Wipro, HDFC, Kotak, etc.

Source: College Websites

What are the Subjects Taught in PhD Arts course?

Though the actual syllabus depends on the specialisation, here we have given a combined syllabus of all the major specialisations and the most important subjects covered in them.

Year I	Year II
Indian History: Ancient, Medieval and Modern	History of Photography
Indian Culture and its Heritage	Socio-economic Aspects of Medieval India
Research Methodology	Prose Fiction
Data Collection and Survey Methods	Women's Literature
Colonial Literature	Literature in the Twentieth Century
Political Philosophy	Indian Administration
Political History	Psychological Process
Development of Human Behaviour	Psychological Methods
Year III
History of Indian Music
The World History
Advanced Research on Psychological Disorders
International Economics: Theories and Policies
The Art of Thesis Writing
Research Idea and Viva - Voce

Which are the Important Books for PhD Arts?

The following books are very important for the PhD Arts candidates which will help them to carry on their research work properly.

Book	Author
Living and Sustaining a Creative Life: Essays by 40 Working Artists	Sharon Louden
Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity	David Lynch
Art & Fear: Observations on the Perils (and Rewards) of Artmaking	David Bayles & Ted Orland
Creative Block	Danielle Krysa

What are the Jobs Available for PhD Arts Candidates?

Students who have completed PhD Arts will get jobs in Colleges as well as in both Public and Private sectors. They can work in the Advertising companies, Boutiques, Art Studios, Theatres, Fashion Houses, Animation and Textile Industry.

Some of the important job profiles for such candidates are given in the table below.

Job Position	Job Description	Average Annual Salary
Art Therapist	A person who works in improving the mental health of adults and children by using different forms of art.	INR 2,80,000
Gallery Manager	A person who is in charge of organizing exhibits and the selling of art pieces.	INR 3,00,000
Researcher	A person who researches a particular field about a particular topic and tries to find solutions on the same.	INR 4,00,000
Journalist	The candidate tries to find out the latest updates on all the happenings around the world and reveal them either in print media or in Electronics media.	INR 3,50,000 to INR 7,00,000
Writer	The candidate writes something new. It can either be fictional or non fictional literature work. They can also work as academic writers and write study materials and books.	INR 3,50,000 to 5,00,000
Historian	The person who studies every aspects of history in great detail and try to present it in a new aspect in his own publications.	INR 3,50,000 to INR 6,00,000

What are the Future Scopes After PhD Arts?

The degree helps you to work closely with the fine art of your choice. It provides you with an opportunity to do something creative and innovative as well as offer you respect in society. It helps you to do something unconventional and remain different from the rest.

You can work as an Art Therapist, Gallery Manager, Designer, etc.
You can set up your boutique showcasing your masterpieces of creativity as well as by encouraging new talent by holding art exhibitions.
You can work independently as an artist like being a sculptor, painter, film actor, etc, and contribute to society creatively and innovatively.
You can work in Universities as an Arts Professor or Assistant researcher by being impressionable on young minds.

PhD in Arts has various and wide career options which therefore makes it easier for you to choose based on the area of preference. You can also go for higher studies.

PhD Arts FAQs

Ques. Is there an entrance exam for PhD in Arts?

Ans. Yes, you will have to write an entrance exam to be enrolled in a PhD in Arts.

Ques. Which exams should I apply to get admission for this course?

Ans. You can write the UGC NET, CET, etc. and most of the colleges have their own exams also, but you will have to check if you are eligible to write them.

Ques. What are the average annual fees that would be required to complete the degree?

Ans. The average fees would range between INR 24,000 to INR 1,50,000.

Ques. What is the duration of the course?

Ans. The duration of the course is 2-3 years, but some colleges offer a maximum time period of 6 years to complete the course.

Ques. What are the career options after doing a PhD in Visual Arts?

Ans. Photojournalist, Screenwriter, Film director, Actor, Graphic designer, Art therapist, etc.

Ques. Is studying this course a good choice?

Ans. Yes, especially if you are passionate about art and want to make your mark in the field of arts. Plus it opens doors for you both in academics as well as in Business.

Ques. How expensive is this course?

Ans. No, the course is not that expensive as the average annual fees range between INR 20,000 to 2 lakhs.

Ques. Why don't people choose a career in performing arts?

Ans. Mainly due to the misconception that the salary is low.

Ques. What is the average salary that can be expected?

Ans. An average salary of around 2-5 lakhs can be expected.