About SAFA
Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts, formerly the Shanghai Technical Art School, was established in 1959. It inherited the creative art spirit of the Shanghai College of Fine Arts, founded by Liu Haisu in 1912. Following its 1983 merger with the new Shanghai University, the school name was changed to the Art College of Shanghai University. In December 2016, it was officially renamed Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts (SAFA). At present SAFA has three National First Class doctoral majors (Fine Arts, Arts Theory, and Design) and a post-doctoral program. The total student enrollment is currently about 2000, including 1200 undergraduate students, 580 graduate and PhD students, and 30 overseas students.
Program Introduction
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 applicant can choose one of the three PhD majors as following codes regulated by The Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China:
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, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, Tokyo University of the Arts, and Tate Modern (UK) with a wide range of research specialties, chronologically spanning 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, including new technology, to benefit the curriculum and to provide practical opportunities for art students.
Program Objectives
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.
Chinese Language
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 as a PhD degree requirement.
Schooling System
1301 The Arts Theory
[Art Administration and Museum Studies] -Prof. Frances Morris
[Contemporary Art, Modern Art, Socially Engaged Art, Public Art]-Dr. Grant Kester
[Public Practices/Art in the Public Domain]-Dr. Jeannene Przyblyski
[Modern and Contemporary Chinese Art, Sino-Japanese Art Exchange]-Dr. Kuiyi Shen
[Art History, Art Criticism, Aesthetics, Museum Studies, International Artistic Events]-Dr. Yongwoo Lee
1304 Fine Arts
[Comparative Studies Between the East and West Modern and Contemporary Art with Emphasis on the Practice and its Theory]-Dr. Gan Yu
[Computational Augmented Media and Art]-Dr. Hansong Zhang
[Oil Painting, Contemporary Art, Public Art, Art Project]-Dr. Hoshina Toyomi
[Lithography Practice]-Prof. Ingrid Ledent
[Contemporary Approaches to Acrylic Painting and Processes]-Prof. Jeremy Morgan
[Research in Spatial Dynamics]-Prof. Ken Horii
[Multi-Media Arts and Materials]-Prof. Ming Ren
1305 Design
[Creative Education, Contemporary Glass, Art in China]-Prof. Andrew Brewerton
[Design History and Design Theory]-Prof. Shouzhi Wang
[Interactive Multi-user Immersive Multimedia Environments]-Prof. Timothy Gruchy
Supervisory Team of International Scholars and Professors
Prof. Frances Morris - Director of Tate Modern, UK
frances.morris@tate.org.uk
Dr. Grant Kester - Professor of Art History, University of California San Diego, USA gkester@ucsd.edu
Dr. Jeannene Przyblyski – Professor of San Francisco Art Institute, USA
jprzyblyski@sfai.edu
Dr. Kuiyi Shen - Professor of Art History, University of California San Diego, USA
kshen@ucsd.edu
Dr. Yongwoo Lee - Artistic Director, Shanghai International Art City, Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts
yongwoolee@shu.edu.cn
Dr. Gan Yu - Postdoctoral Fellow of Harvard Chinese Art Media Lab, Harvard University
ganyu@fas.harvard.edu
Dr. Hansong Zhang - Chief scientist, Niantic Inc., California, USA
hansong@gmail.com
Dr. Hoshina Toyomi - Vice President and Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan hoshina@fa.geidai.ac.jp
Prof. Ingrid Ledent – Professor, Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts.
ledent.ingrid@telenet.be
Prof. Jeremy Morgan – Professor, San Francisco Art Institute, USA
jmorgan@sfai.edu
Prof. Ken Horii – Professor, Rhode Island School of Design, USA
khorii@risd.edu
Prof. Ming Ren - Assistant to the President and Professor, San Francisco Art Institute, USA mren@sfai.edu
Prof. Andrew Brewerton, Principal and Chief Executive of Plymouth College of Art
ajbrewerton@gmail.com
Prof. Shouzhi Wang – Professor, Art Center College of Design, USA
wang_shouzhi@126.com
Prof. Timothy Gruchy – Director, Digital Media Department, Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts
timeg@shu.edu.cn
Admission Eligibility
The International Art PhD program is only for applicants seeking a PhD who have already completed the MA or MFA degree. 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.
To be eligible, applicants should be non-Chinese students.
Online Application:Starting from December, 2019
Application Deadline:Jun. 30, 2020
Date of Registration at School:Late August, 2020 (will be informed after admission)
Application Materials
þ ID photo
A recent (within six months) bareheaded, full-face, one-inch certificate photo (390*570); in JPG format, less than 100K.
þ 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.
þ Graduate Degree Certificate and Official Transcripts
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 at the date of application are also acceptable. Official graduation certificate and transcripts of all grades shall be submitted upon receipt.
þEnglish Competency
Applicants from countries that do not speak English are required to submit scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing system (IELTS). All applicants must have a good reading knowledge of at least one language other than English at the time they enter the program.
þGraduate Record Examination
GRE scores no older than three years must also be submitted.
þ Research Plan for Applying to International Art PhD Program (download the format here)
þ Personal statement
A statement of purpose (no more than 2000 words). This statement often illustrates the applicant’s research interests and notes potential advisors.
þ Writing Sample
A sample of written work (e.g., senior honors thesis, MA thesis, or other research or critical paper, preferably in art or media history)
þ Three recommendation letters
From people who know the applicant’s work. One letter may come from a faculty member on the Team of International Professors and Scholars (see list above).
þ A portfolio of art works
Applicants to the PhD in art practice are also required to submit a portfolio of art works, which may include digital works, video, images of art works, limited to 12-15 images.
Application procedures
1. During the application period, the applicants log in to the application system for international students of Shanghai University and create a new account: www.apply.shu.edu.cn;
2. Select majors, upload application materials and then submit application;
3. Pre-admission notice will be received by the applicants who have passed the first trial;
4. Submit the supplementary materials as required and pay the registration fee;
5. Wait for review of materials, confirm the admission results online;
6. Accept paper admission materials and apply for visas to China.
Fees and Scholarships
Application fee (non-refundable)
500 RMB. Online payment by credit card, or bank wire transfer is acceptable.
Bank Account Information
For Foreign Currency such as USD, JPY
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)
For CNY
Gonghe Sub-Branch, Zhabei District,
Agricultural Bank of China, P.R.China
Account No.: 033584-00801000968
Beneficiary: Shanghai University
Scholarship
This program is specially supported by Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts scholarship. The scholarship will cover tuition fee, accommodation, and stipend, either fully or partially. For further information on SAFA scholarships, please refer to Implementation of International Doctoral Scholarship at the Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts.
Contact
Shanghai Academy of Fine Arts
Address:520 Zhenda Road, 4th floor, Room 348,Baoshan District, Shanghai, P.R.China
Tel:0086-21-36033332, 0086-21-66696795
Email: safa-global@oa.shu.edu.cn
Abroad
Prof. Ming Ren
Tel:001-650-2554647
Email:usmingren@gmail.com
International Students Admissions Office
International Students Admissions Office, College of International Education, Shanghai University
Address: No. 99 Shangda Road, Baoshan District, Shanghai 200444, China.
Tel:0086-21-66136615
Email:apply1@oa.shu.edu.cn, apply9@oa.shu.edu.cn
Contact: Ms. Zhang Li, Ms. Zhang Tingting