PhD in in Creativity
Choose your own interdisciplinary research topic and work through three years of dissertation development by a committee specifically tailored to each project in the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Creativity program at Rowan University.
Why choose Rowan's creativity program?
Students in the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Creativity program at Rowan University define an interdisciplinary research topic and are guided through three years of dissertation development by a committee specifically tailored to each project.
Committee members may include Rowan University faculty in addition to others from different universities and research institutions in the U.S. or abroad to ensure each student is guided by a team of esteemed professionals and academics whose accomplishments are known and respected in their fields and particularly suited to the individual student’s needs. Students will benefit from the graduate education infrastructure and experience available at Rowan as a comprehensive public research university, including graduate student support services, access to publication venues, and exposure to the work and research settings of theoretical, applied, practical, creative, and clinical scholars.
The PhD in Creativity is not designed to prepare graduates to enter a specific job market, career pathway, or domain of practice; it is not an art degree nor is it the study of creativity as a content area. Applicants to the program must articulate their purpose and goals for the dissertation project and explain how the dissertation research and writing will advance insights, provide a solution, or otherwise produce value. The contribution made by their work may materialize as a career change, an advancement opportunity, a practical solution or application within the scope of their current occupation, enhancement of their practice, broadening of their impact, and/or the publication/dissemination of their findings. The program faculty and committee members will work closely with accepted students to design the project to achieve their objectives and fulfill expectations for quality and rigor of the final product.
The PhD in Creativity will be housed in the Department of Art within the Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts and will be fully supported by the administrative and operational infrastructure of Rowan University, including the School of Graduate Studies. Rowan has hired the Director of the PhD in Creativity at the former University of the Arts, who founded the program there, as well as an Associate Director who was also part of the program:
- Dr. Jonathan Fineberg, Director and Professor in Residence, earned a PhD in Art History from Harvard University, an MA in Modern Art from the University of London, and a BA in Medieval History from Harvard University. He is the Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois and Affiliate Faculty with the Penn Center for Neuroaesthetics, Perelman School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania.
- Dr. Audrey Ellis, Associate Director and Professor in Residence, earned a PhD in Philosophy and an MA in Philosophy & Art from SUNY Stony Brook, and a BA in Philosophy, Dance, and Women’s Studies from Goucher College.
Dr. Fineberg holds a teaching faculty appointment in the Department of Art in the Ric Edelman College of Communication & Creative Arts; Dr. Ellis holds a joint appointment in Art and in the Department of Theatre & Dance in the College of Performing Arts. For administrative purposes, the program will be housed in Art. However, the program will recruit students and engage faculty mentors and committee members across all disciplines.
Additional core faculty include part-time instructors who provide key support in teaching the two-week immersion program in the Summer and a four-day immersion program in the Winter, in addition to giving feedback on each student’s dissertation project:
- Buzz Spector
- Academic Credential: B.A. in Art, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, 1972. M.F.A., Committee on Art and Design, University of Chicago, 1978. Professional Experience: Emeritus Professor and Dean of the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University, St. Louis. Louis. Expertise: American artist and critic
- Zach Savich
- Academic Credential: MFA (Creative Writing), University of Massachusetts-Amherst, 2011 University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, 2004. Professional Experience: Associate Professor, Cleveland Institute of Art Expertise: Award winning poet
Key considerations
Quick Facts
Years To Complete
Credits
Application deadlines
Summer Entry Term
Studying creativity at Rowan
What You'll Learn
The PhD in Creativity is a graduate program that is offered either full-time in a face-to-face format. It requires the completion of 48 graduate semester hours completed over a 3-year period via cohort model. The curriculum of the PhD in Creativity conforms to a typical doctoral program structure with two principal components: seminar courses and colloquium experiences, as well as dissertation research and writing.
The following courses make up the Ph.D. in Creativity:
- 13 Courses / 48 Semester Hours
- Foundation Courses: Yes
- This program requires students to enter the program with 30 graduate credits.
- Students can be accepted without these credits but only with the understanding that they must apply for professional experience to count as graduate credits
- OR acquire these 30 credits outside the PhD program before graduation.
- This program requires students to enter the program with 30 graduate credits.
- Graduation / Exit / Thesis Requirements:
- Conferral of the doctorate will occur only after submission of a doctoral dissertation and approval by the candidate’s dissertation committee of the written thesis and oral defense. This process and all forms are regulated by Rowan University’s School of Graduate Studies and outlined in the Thesis & Dissertation Manual.
Required Courses: 23 S.H.
| Course Number | Title | S.H. (Credits) |
| CRTY 10801 | Creativity Immersion | 3 |
| CRTY 10821 | Dissertation Proposal Development | 3 |
| CRTY 10822 | Dissertation Literature | 5 |
| CRTY 10831 | Dissertation Methods I | 5 |
| CRTY 10832 | Dissertation Methods II | 5 |
| CRTY 10835 | Creative Paradigms I | 1 |
| CRTY 10836 | Creative Paradigms II | 1 |
Required Thesis Dissertation Courses: 25 S.H.
| Course Number | Title | S.H. (Credits) |
| CRTY 10841 | Dissertation Research I | 5 |
| CRTY 10842 | Dissertation Research II | 5 |
| CRTY 10843 | Dissertation Research III | 5 |
| CRTY 10851 | Dissertation Writing I | 5 |
| CRTY 10852 | Dissertation Writing II | 5 |
| CRTY 10981 | Dissertation Defense | 0 |
Transfer Credit Evaluation Policy
The PhD in Creativity Admissions Committee will evaluate all potential course equivalencies.
Note: The course information shown above is not official and is subject to change. For an official list of available courses, please visit the Rowan University Academic Catalog.
Admission Requirements
The following is a list of items required to begin the application process for the program. There may be additional action or materials required for admission to the program. Upon receipt of the materials below, a representative from the Rowan Global Admissions Processing Office will contact you with confirmation or will indicate any missing items.
- Completed Application Form
- No application fee required
- Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited institution of higher learning
- Official transcripts from all colleges attended (regardless of number of credits earned)
- Current professional resume
- Dissertation Proposal
- About 1,000 words, outlining the dissertation you wish to pursue. Think of this as a proposal for a book you'd like to write. This document should state the central question your research proposes to address. It should also discuss the need for your project, both personal and more broadly in your field or fields; your project's relationship to previous scholarship in the field; the methods you propose to use; and a selection of works by others you consider central to your project.
- Department Essay:
- About 1,000 words explaining your interest in the PhD in Creativity. Topics you may wish to consider:
- What led to your interest in pursuing this PhD?
- How has your prior training or work experience prepared you to undertake the writing of your dissertation?
- What other works or paths – books, articles, bodies of work, or other influences – do you want to explore during your time in the program?
- What do you envision yourself doing with this degree?
- How did you hear about our program?
- Recommended minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 2.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
- Optional Interview - Applicants will be contacted by the Faculty Admissions Committee regarding the interview. The interview can be in person or via telephone.
Tuition and Aid
At Rowan University, we pride ourselves on being vigilant and frugal about tuition. We work hard to provide quality education while seeking to reduce the barrier that college costs can present students.
We know paying for tuition can be a challenge. That is why Rowan provides students with the financial resources needed to put their education first by offering grants, loans, work-study, and scholarships.
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