上海大學美術學院國際博士招生 PhD Program of Art

Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts (SAFA), with its history dated back to 1912, restructured in 1959 and was officially renamed in 2016 by the Shanghai Municipal Government. At present, SAFA has 9 departments including Chinese Painting, Oil Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Art History and Theory, Architecture, Art Design, Digital Media, and Public Art Experimental Center. Among them, the Master Degree programs cover all the disciplines, and three majors have Doctoral programs: Fine Arts, Design, and Art Theory. The total number of students is about 2000, including 1400 undergraduate students, and 600 graduate students. 

With global vision, SAFA is committed to providing an educational platform for the students and faculties to explore, exchange and develop. A group of nearly 30 distinguished international PhD supervisors were gathered for nurturing global research talents. In collaboration with over 40 art academies and international art institutions, SAFA is forming an International Art Education Union for exchanges in academic resources and displays at the Cloud community. As the pioneer in the art practice, SAFA has not only been actively participating in the city projects for renovating and regenerating the public space, but also involving in a lot of international events such as biennales and art festivals for introducing Chinese culture to the world.

Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts offers, to international students, a program of instruction leading to the PhD in art history or art practice that prepares graduates to teach the history and theory of art at the college level, to conduct museum work, and to engage in independent art research, critical writing, and art practice, including experimental high tech for the visual arts. The curriculum of the International Art PhD program is designed to ensure breadth across the discipline, both in terms of field distribution and methodology. The program covers a diversity of art history, theory, and criticism with specializations such as museum studies, digital art, or new media offered in any of the cultural areas in which the faculty conduct research.  The PhD with a concentration in art practice is for artists whose work engages in art historical, cultural and artistic research.

The applicants can choose one of the three PhD majors as follows :

1301  Arts Theory

1304  Fine Arts

1305  Design

This International PhD program has a unique curriculum instructed by a group of internationally known scholars and professors from, for instance, the University of California, Rhode Island School of Design, San Francisco Art Institute, Tokyo University of the Arts, Tate Modern, etc. with a wide range of research specialties, chronologically spanning the ancient to 21th-century art history, and geographically Asia and other countries of the world. They will bring their experience in their areas of expertise, including art history, theory and criticism, art practice, and new media, to benefit the curriculum and to provide practical opportunities for art students. 

This PhD program is a unique four-year curriculum that is closely integrated with art practice. The program is also distinctive in that it is designed to cut across traditional categories of history and contemporaneity, art and media (film, video, photography, digital media), history and theory, and to promote cross-cultural inquiry on questions crucial to the study of art of diverse cultures, art forms and historical epochs. 

Students are required to take classes in Chinese language during the first academic year at Shanghai University. According to the regulations of the Ministry of Education of China, each student must pass the Chinese test HSK level three before graduation as a PhD degree requirement. 

The Program is for minimum four years, and  maximum six years.

There are public required curriculums at the Academy in the first year, while the later 3-year research and thesis composing are subject to the plan by supervisors, in accordance with the regulation and requirements of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts and Shanghai University.

Main Research Fields of Supervisors

-[Art Management, Public Art Practice] – Prof. Peng-Chu Hisung, CEO of Dimension Endowment of Art, [e-mail]

-[Contemporary Art, Modern Art, Socially Engaged Art, Public Art]- Dr. Grant Kester*, Professor of Art History, University of California San Diego, USA, [e-mail]

-[Modern and Contemporary Art History, Critical Theory, Museum Studies, International Art Event]- Dr. Yongwoo Lee, Professor, Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, [e-mail]

-[Visual Arts theory and practice in the 21st century, philanthropy and patronage, public art, art market and international art fairs, emergent on-line platforms] – Prof. John McCormack, Chair, Qin Art Foundation, [e-mail]

-[Art Management and Museum Studies] - Prof. Frances Morris, Director of Tate Modern, UK, [e-mail]

-[Contemporary Art, Photography, Public Art / Public Practices]-Dr. Jeannene Przyblyski,Dean Emeritus, Distinguished Professor Emeritus, San Francisco Art Institute, USA, [e-mail]

-[Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art, Sino-Japanese Art Exchange] - Dr. Kuiyi Shen, Professor of Art History, University of California San Diego, USA, [e-mail]

-[Painting, Drawing, Sculpture, Installation, Furniture Design, Diagram Theory]- Prof. Ken Horii, Professor Emeritus, Rhode Island School of Design, USA, [e-mail]

-[Oil Painting, Contemporary Art, Public Art, Art Project] - Dr. Toyomi Hoshina, Honorary Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan, [e-mail]

-[Contemporary Approaches to Acrylic Painting and Processes]- Prof. Jeremy Morgan*, Associate Professor, San Francisco Art Institute, USA, [e-mail]

-[Multi-Media Arts and Materials]- Prof. Ming Ren*, Assistant to the President and Professor, San Francisco Art Institute, USA, [e-mail]

-[Comparative Studies Between the East and West Modern and Contemporary Art with Emphasis on the Practice and its Theory] - Dr. Gan Yu, Co-Director, Dean of Academic Studies, Cohen Center for Visual Arts, [e-mail]

-[Computational Augmented Media and Art]- Dr. Hansong Zhang, Chief scientist, Niantic Inc., California, USA, [e-mail]

-[Creative Education, Contemporary Glass, Art in China] - Prof. Andrew Brewerton, Principal and Chief Executive of Plymouth College of Art, [e-mail]

-[Computer Graphics, Virtual Reality, User Interface Design, Heritage Visualisation, Medical Visualisation] – Dr. Paul Chapman, Head of the School of Simulation and Visualisation at The Glasgow School of Art, [e-mail]

-[Social Theory/Sociology, Social Design, Design Innovation, social interaction and design, contemporary Product Design] - Dr. Gordon Hush, Head of Innovation School, The Glasgow School of Art, [e-mail]

-[Public Space, Digitally Augmented Spatialities, Relational Infrastructure, Speculative Design] – Dr. Manfredo Manfredini, Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Planning, The University of Auckland, [e-mail]

Please be aware that the professors marked with *(asterisk) are not enrolling students for the academic year of 2021-2022.

Be a Master’s degree holder

- Graduates who did not receive their degree certificates at the time of application should provide pre-graduation certificates issued by their schools or colleges to prove their ability to graduate smoothly and obtain their degree certificates by July 2021.

- Prior to matriculation, students must have obtained a bachelor’s or master’s degree in art history, art practice, or another field approved by the admissions committee of the International Art PhD Program of Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts.

Accepted by a prospective professor at listed above.

Choose supervisor online when choosing a major in the online application system and get accepted by a prospective professor. 

To be eligible for this program, applicants should be non-Chinese students.

1.Application Deadline: Jun. 30, 2021

2.Date of Registration: The specific registration time will be notified on the official website of Shanghai University.

✔   ID photo

Recent bareheaded (within six months), full-face, blue-color background, one-inch certificate photo (390*570), instead of landscape photos or photos of daily life; in JPG format, less than 100K.

✔   Passport copy

A clear copy of your valid passport with your name, photo, birth date, place of birth, date of issue, date of expiry;

Visa page is required for applicants who are not in their home country.

✔  Selfie video

A video including self-introduction and study plan in China shot by the applicants. (within 50M, avi, mov, mp4 all accepted) The language of the video is up to the medium of instruction in the selected major (English or Chinese).

✔   Highest Degree Certificate and Official Transcripts

The official certificate and transcripts are those that bear the facsimile signature of the registrar and seal of the issuing institution. If the originals are not in Chinese or English, they must be translated and notarized;

(*For applicants who haven’t graduated, pending graduation certificate and transcripts available till the application date are also acceptable. Official graduation certificate and transcripts of all grades shall be submitted timely after being received.)

✔  Language Proficiency Certificate

If the score sheet is not available at the time of application, applicants may upload a screen shot of your scores. But the original score sheet is required when registration.

✔  Statement of Financial Support (You can download at http://apply.shu.edu.cn)

✔  Two Letters of Recommendation with Signature

Written in English or Chinese by two different professors or associate professors from previous academic institutions, or work supervisors, etc.

The referee’s signature and contact information are necessary.

✔  Choose Supervisor Online and Get Accepted

✔   Study Plan or Research Proposal in China

Written in English or Chinese (according to the teaching language of the program), more than 800 words, including research achievements so far (e.g. title and abstracts of graduation thesis or published paper), reasons of choosing SHU, study and research plan, future career plan, etc.

✔   Certificate of No Criminal Record

Note: for any applicants who cannot get the Certificate of No Criminal Record at home country, please sign the No criminal record Commitment with Shanghai University (You can download at

http://apply.shu.edu.cn).

✔ Academic Research Documents (Refer to Departmental standards)

① Publication of academic papers and patent certificate, Note: Applicants who apply for a Ph.D. in the School of Management must have a background in management science or science and engineering and have published at least one academic paper in SCI or SSCI journals at the time of application.

② Applicants for art majors should provide at least two examples of artworks;

1. Documents not in Chinese or English should be accompanied with translations from notaries or issuing departments.

2. During application, only need to upload the scanned documents, and the original documents should be provided for reference when registration.

1.  Apply via: www.apply.shu.edu.cn;

2.  Select majors and supervisor, upload materials and then submit application;

3.  Shanghai University Qualification Assessment (UQA) for International Students and Shanghai University Security and Background Check (SBC) for International Students;

4.  Telephone interview;

5.  Pre-admission notice received;

6.  Pay application fee 500 RMB, Apply Scholarship, Expert interview;

7.  Pay tuition fee deposit 5,000 RMB (refundable for scholarship recipients) , Confirm OFFER online;

8.  Receive official admission.

Beneficiary's Name: Shanghai University

Beneficiary's Account No.: 98211454800000228

Beneficiary's Bank Name: Shanghai Pudong Development Bank, Jingan Sub-branch,

Shanghai, P.R.China

(SWIFT NO. SPDBCNSHXXX)

Beneficiary’s Bank Name: Shanghai Gonghe Sub-Branch, Agricultural 

Bank of China, P.R.China

Account No.: 033584-00801000968

Beneficiary: Shanghai University 

Please do not transfer RMB to the two bank accounts above from out of China

1.Types of scholarship are available for international student at Shanghai University. More information please refer to http://apply.shu.edu.cn.  

2.Additional scholarship will be offered by Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts based on the evaluation result of Chinese and Shanghai University scholarship and the reference of supervisors.

For Administrative Process

For this Particular Program Offered by SAFA

International Students Admissions Office, College of International Education, Shanghai University

Contact: Ms. Zhang Tingting

Email: [e-mail]

Tel: [phone]

Add: No. 99 Shangda Road, BaoShan District, Shanghai 200444, China.

Website: http://apply.shu.edu.cn

Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts

International Communication Office: [e-mail]

Abroad

Prof. Ming Ren

Tel: [phone]

Email: [e-mail]