Programme Structure

There are two options to completing the PhD degree: Thesis or thesis with practical component.

Option 1: Thesis

The theoretical component of the thesis should offer a substantial critical and/or technical contribution to the chosen field of inquiry. Students will produce an 80,000-word thesis under the supervision of a faculty advisor in their chosen research area.

Option 2: Thesis with Practical Component

Students could select this option if the intellectual investigation undertaken cannot be fully expressed in words. The practical component will be vital in complementing and developing the theoretical research undertaken. The practical component should not merely be an illustrative of the thesis but also make an original contribution. Students will produce an 60,000-word thesis under the supervision of a faculty advisor in their chosen research area.

PhD students are required to pass 6 graduate courses (or earn 18 Academic Units) with a minimum CGPA of 3.50 within 18 months of the candidature. These comprise 1 core graduate course and 5 elective courses. At least 2 electives must be taken within ADM, and the other 3 electives from ADM or other Schools within NTU. All electives should be relevant to the student’s thesis and approved by their respective supervisors.

The compulsory core graduate course is:

AP7049 Proseminar in Art, Design and Media

With this course, the Graduate Programmes by Research ensure that all our candidates embark on their graduate studies with the requisite level of advanced knowledge and research competence to undertake research at graduate level.

Other Mandatory Courses

To complete and pass the following:

• HWG703 Graduate English (unless exempted) and​​
• HWG702 Teaching Assistants Programme (only for full-time PhD students)
• RI-ERIC Epigeum Research Integrity Course
• Communication/Writing Training (See below components)

Compulsory component 1

ADM PhD students must take at least 2 of the following 3 courses:

1. A901 Speaking Academia (WKWSCI)
2. HWG705 Academic Writing in the Humanities & Social Sciences  (LCC)
3. HWG706 Publishing in the Humanities & Social Sciences Centre (LCC)

Each course is 19.5hours (half a semester) in duration. Each course is planned to be offered in both Semester 1 and Semester 2. All PhD students need to read at least 2 out of the 3 courses to fulfil 39 training hours.

Important Note:

No academic units are awarded for courses listed in the Other Mandatory Courses section. These courses are graded on a pass/fail basis and will appear in the student transcript.

Compulsory component 2

All PhD students must attend the 3MT Symposium organised by Graduate College.

Optional component

A PhD student may opt to undertake one-on-one tutoring/mentoring at the Language Communication Centre (LCC).

For more information on Grade Point Average (GPA), click here.

Additional Information

Students who wish to convocate within the year must meet all requirements and pass their oral examination by the stipulated deadlines. To be eligible for convocation in July–August, the deadline is typically around May.

After fulfilling their coursework requirements, PhD students are required to take a Qualifying Examination during the 18th month of their candidature (for full-time students) or by the 24th month of their candidature (for part-time students). The key objectives of the Qualifying Examination are to ascertain that the thesis is a distinct addition to the knowledge in the chosen field and that the PhD student possesses the level of competency required to proceed to the next stage of the candidature. PhD students who pass the Qualifying Examination will continue with their candidature.

Thesis Examination and Oral Examination

To graduate, PhD students are required to submit their thesis for assessment by examiners from NTU and other universities by the end of their candidature.

After they are assessed to have passed their PhD thesis examination, all PhD students need to successfully defend their thesis during the Oral Examination before a panel of examiners.