Once understood as a conservative discipline, cultural heritage is emerging as a set of experimental practices, engaging with contemporary developments including:

• new technologies
• reconceptualisations of the tangible and intangible
• shifting global relations
• changing epistemologies of the past
• movements towards participatory democratisation

This evolving discourse is too complex to belong to one single subject area or its traditions. The Cultural Heritage PhD offers a way to engage with these multidisciplinary considerations and to benefit from synoptic insights when addressing them.

Interdisciplinary research

The cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral model of this programme offers you the opportunity to:

• research a singular problem in-depth within the appropriate disciplinary environment
• set your disciplinary approach within the context of alternate discourses, framing new contributions to the field

We therefore welcome proposals with a wide range of disciplinary approaches, including:

• anthropology
• archaeology
• computing and informatics
• education
• history and classics
• International development
• law
• religious studies
• science and technology studies
• sociology
• the practices, histories, and theories of:
  • art
  • architecture
  • music
  • literature
  • language

We also welcome any combination of the above.

We invite you to consider how your approach and contribution might enhance the field and the practice of cultural heritage, helping scholars, citizens, and institutions to address urgent global challenges, both within and beyond the academy. 

University libraries and facilities

You will have access to the high-quality facilities of three University of Edinburgh libraries:

• the Main Library (which includes the Centre for Research Collections, where the University of Edinburgh’s historic collections are held)
• the ECA Library
• the Art and Architecture Library

The University is also home to:

• The Talbot Rice Gallery - A public art gallery and part of Edinburgh College of Art, committed to exploring what the University can contribute to contemporary art practice today and into the future
• St Cecilia’s Hall - Scotland’s oldest purpose-built concert hall, housing the Music Museum which holds one of the most important historic musical instrument collections

Alongside University-wide resources, you will have access to a range of spaces and facilities at the Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) campus such as:

• study spaces (some of which are 24-hour access)
• studios
• workshops
• multimedia laboratories
• photography and exhibition facilities
• shared recording space
• recording equipment (available through Bookit, the equipment loan booking system)

There are several bookable spaces for developing exhibitions, workshops or seminars.

You will also have access to the extraordinary range and quality of exhibitions and events associated with ECA, as a leading college of art situated within a world-class research-intensive university.

Beyond ECA, you may have access to facilities in your co-supervisors' schools, subject to approval. Other school facilities may include specialist equipment, libraries, and spaces for study.

Other research facilities in Edinburgh

In addition to the University’s facilities, you can access wider resources within the City of Edinburgh, including but not limited to:

• the National Library of Scotland
• the Scottish Studies Library and Digital Archives
• City of Edinburgh Libraries
• Historic Environment Scotland
• National Trust for Scotland

Cultural heritage is growing internationally as a distinct academic field, leading to a growing number of openings for graduates who wish to pursue an academic career in the field.

Beyond academia, GLAM institutions (Galleries, Libraries and Museums) have traditionally employed PhD graduates as historians, historians of art, and curators.

However, this programme will provide you with more than just historical knowledge and expertise. You will also develop innovative approaches to exploring how your interests can connect with the ways the past is reproduced in the present, in areas such as:

• tourism
• cultural management
• conservation
• curation

Additionally, these innovative approaches will enable you to engage with heritage activism beyond formal institutions, working with community groups, and informal or third-sector organisations that often drive cultural heritage movements and practices on the ground.

This programme is particularly beneficial if you are interested in pursuing a career in the rapidly growing field of cultural heritage management in the Global South.

You will also develop the skills required to contribute to the implementation and development of cultural policy, preparing you to work with organisations such as:

• Historic Environment Scotland or equivalent bodies
• International organisations such as ICCROM or UNESCO
• memory institutions, including sites and museums, libraries, and archaeological units 

If you'd like to study on a postgraduate research programme at Edinburgh College of Art, you must apply through EUCLID, our online application system. You can find out how to do this on the University of Edinburgh website, where you'll also be able to:

• See detailed entrance requirements for each programme on the Degree Finder  
• Get information on what to expect after you apply  
• Find out about study modes, start dates and fees  
• Find out if, and how, you need to submit a portfolio, showreel or research proposal  
• Find out where to go for further advice and guidance. 

Before you apply  

Students are assigned two research supervisors, the second of which may be from another discipline within ECA, or from somewhere else within the College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences (CAHSS) or wider University. 

Please ensure that at least one member of staff (see below) maintains an active research programme that aligns with the themes of your proposed project.  

Prospective students are strongly encouraged to make contact with the relevant member(s) of staff via email to explain your research interests prior to submitting an application. Please note that we only accept applications and review application materials submitted through the official EUCLID application portal.

After you apply 

Once your application has been submitted for consideration, it will be sent to a team of academic reviewers for their attention. They will then make a decision about your application and research topic, and decide whether it is possible to make an offer of a place to study with us. You may be asked to attend a brief online interview but if this is the case, you will be notified in advance.