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Department

Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies

Length

3 years full-time or 4-6 years part-time

Course overview

This PhD will allow you to pursue research in dance movement psychotherapy.

For the MPhil/PhD in Dance Movement Psychotherapy, your research should usually combine a written thesis with practice-based elements.

Supervision

You'll have a primary supervisor in dance movement psychotherapy, and – depending on the focus of your research – you may have a second supervisor in another relevant department, for example Art, Educational Studies, Psychology, or Sociology.

You'll meet your supervisors regularly for discussion and guidance, and may also present your work in various research student groups and/or forums. To help you settle into the research community at Goldsmiths, you'll attend the Goldsmiths Research Methods Training Course. 

Areas of research

Research supervision is currently available in the following areas:

  • Dance movement psychotherapy theory, practice and research
  • Cross-cultural issues, intersectionality and diversity practice as research
  • Group work, community practice and working with specialist populations
  • History and development of the profession in the UK and internationally
  • Occupational choice, career development and role change of art therapists and art therapy trainees
  • Embodied intersubjectivity and kinaesthetic empathy
  • Critical disability studies
  • Mental health, dementia, mothers and babies, working with children, forensics
  • Eco-feminist, phenomenological, new materialist and post-humanist research methods
  • Eco-psychology and the environmental body.

Find out more about research degrees at Goldsmiths.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Panagiotis Pentaris or Marina Rova.

Structure

You'll initially be registered on the programme of MPhil/PhD in Dance Movement Psychotherapy, with progress to PhD status being subject to the assessment of research ability. You'll be subject to an annual review of progress, the details of which are summarised in the Goldsmiths Code of Practice for Postgraduate Research and Training. 
 
In year 2 (or equivalent for part-time students), this review will be a Transfer of Registration assessment. The possible outcomes of this assessment are as follows: 

  • Transfer to PhD status.
  • An agreed plan of remedial action, leading to a second and final upgrade attempt, to an agreed timescale, normally within three months of the original interview (or six months if studying on a part-time basis). This is the expected outcome if a transfer is not agreed at the first attempt.
  • Recommendation that the candidate prepare for a submission for the degree of MPhil, if and when their work is likely to fit the criteria for this degree.
  • Recommendation for termination of registration.

You'll be assessed by a thesis and viva voce.

Between 2020 and 2022 we needed to make some changes to how programmes were delivered due to Covid-19 restrictions. For more information about past programme changes please visit our programme changes information page.

Entry requirements

You should normally have (or expect to be awarded) a taught Masters in Dance Movement Psychotherapy. You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at a postgraduate level.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 7.0 with a 7.0 in writing to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Fees, funding & scholarships

To find out more about your fees, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

Apply now

Find out more about applying.

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