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Doktorierende stehen vor einer Pinnwand mit verschiedenen Grafiken

Doctoral Programmes & Cooperations PhD within a network

With their transnational networks and thematic focus, doctoral programmes offer both inspiration for one’s own PhD project and opportunities for exchanges. People pursuing a doctorate at the Lucerne School of Design, Film and Art in the framework of a doctoral programme or cooperation are affiliated with one of the School's four research groups.

Doctoral Programmes

Doctoral programmes are being jointly developed with doctorate-granting partner institutions abroad. While offering a structural framework for artistic, design and cultural science research, they leave ample space for the candidate’s individual focus, initiative, exchanges and network-building. The programmes are open by design: doctoral candidates can get actively involved and help to shape contents through reading groups, practice presentations, events with guests and other formats. 
While the doctorate-granting partner universities define the formal framework for the doctorate including admission requirements, compulsory course-related events and duration of the programme, participants can take advantage of both institutions’ offerings. At the Lucerne School on Design, Film and Art, for instance, you will have access to a School-wide doctoral colloquium, where you can present, discuss, refine and advance your project.

 

– Postdisciplinary Research (PDR)

The increasing complexity of societal challenges requires transversal, experimental research approaches. The Postdisciplinary Research (PDR) doctoral programme provides space for such varied approaches that integrate artistic experimentation and experiential knowledge in equal part. Its postdisciplinarity is grounded in the equitable blending of subject-specific expertise and new, emerging knowledge. Here, explorations of the (mostly) unknown play as important a part in knowledge building as scientific research. 
Our research group Postdisciplinary Art Research and the University of Hertfordshire’s Art Sci Lab are linked through the PDR doctoral programme, which ensures institutionally grounded, international interconnectedness.

– Eco-Social Transformation (EST)

Growing awareness for social, ecological and digital change opens new perspectives on design practice. Phenomena such as climate change, digital inequality or shifts in political power inform this complex field of research. The Eco-Social Transformation (EST) doctoral programme provides space for design practices that help to bring about an ecologically sustainable digital future. The focus is on transformation processes that create impact through participation, co-creation and collaboration. Design has the potential to explore multi-faceted issues with a view to developing transdisciplinary perspectives as well as tools and new forms of collaboration that pave the way towards more sustainability, participation and justice.

The programme is embedded in the Transformation Design research group and builds on the findings of the precursor programme, Eco-Social Innovation by Design. Under its new name, the programme is expanding its scope institutionally and in terms of subject and content. In addition to the New Design University in St. Pölten, the Design Research Lab of the Berlin University of the Arts and the Weizenbaum Institute in Berlin, which specialises in digitalisation research, are among the cooperation partners.

Cooperations

Candidates may also pursue a doctorate in the framework of our existing institutional cooperation agreements with, e.g., the City Science Lab at the HafenCity University in Hamburg or find a suitable partner institution themselves. 

The type of PhD programme chosen largely depends on the doctorate’s thematic and methodological orientation.