Conditions of Admission

Any student holding a French or foreign MA degree, preferably in artistic fields, can apply for an admission to DSRD as well as research professionals. The eligible applicants will transmit an application file with a portfolio of research works, a cover letter and a CV/Resume.

Application file

The application file must be sent by email to: contact-recherche@esad-orleans.fr

Call for submissions will open around mid-march 2023

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The Advanced Research Degree (French DSRD) at Orléans School of Art and Design

At Orléans School of Art and Design, the Advanced Research Degree (French DSRD) is devised in the framework of the ÉCOLAB research unit. It is a certified degree supported by the French ministry of Culture, and validates a third cycle in research three years following the DNSEP (MA).

Its forms are adapted to the specificities of research-creation, peculiar to art schools and more largely to higher education in culture. It is addressed to designers, artists and theorists holding a Master or DNSEP.

The Advanced Research Degree (DSRD) is built by developing a personal research work (approx. 360 hours), and participating in the ÉCOLAB research activity, while using the resources available at Orléans School of Art and Design (Research Unit, programmes and teams, means of production and technical teams, networks, edition programmes and residency…).

Orléans School of Art and Design – Advanced Research Degree at appears in singular, innovative, and committed research projects, directly linked to contemporary societal issues (ecology, technology, the digital, politics) and following an approach centred on creation.

Orléans School of Art and Design – Advanced Research Degree has four specializations supported by the ECOLAB research in art and design programmes “Edition new Media” ; “Media Archaeology”; “Design Commons” and “Data Sculpture”. The original research project of a research student in this degree must come within the scope of one of these specializations or explicitly be consistent with one of them.

The researcher has a double position:

  • one of an autonomous learner, who finds the material and intellectual conditions to feed and develop personal research within a research programme
  • one of an artist-designer in the making, who has theoretical and plastic skills and shares them with ECOLAB, its teaching and student team, through an effective participation in different activities.

Outline

The course for the obtention of the Advanced Research Degree is dispensed by the ECOLAB research unit. It consist in 

  • Compulsory participation in Art and Design research programmes (experimentation, conception, production, distribution, seminars, workshops, lessons, events, study days …). The seminars can be shared with Master and DRSD. Crossover seminars between specializations can occur.
  • Theoretical mentoring in the production of texts, articles and communications (conferences, study days, seminars…)
  • Accompaniment in the realization of the personal design project, articulated on the lines of research line in the research programmes.

Assessment

Access to year +1 is subject to 120 hours of actions per year. These hours are broken down in the following manner:

  • Participation in ECOLAB : 30 heures
  • Participation in one of the ECOLAB research programmes: 30 heures
  • Publications of texts, articles, communications, exhibitions. At least 2 per year in a peer-reviewed journal and/or communication during a national ou international event (meeting, congress, study days…) and/or exhibitions validated by ECOLAB : 30 heures
  • Personal research project: 30 heures. Personal research project consists in a plastic or intellectual production. The title and lines of research of the associate DSRD researcher’s personal project are set by the research programme team.

The associate researcher is monitored by two research managers (one theorist and one artist/designer).

The obtention of the degree is subject to:
– completion of 360 hours of actions (120 hours per year)
– the viva of one intellectual and one design production.

Jury Organization 

The presidence of the jury is given to an artist or designer. The members of the jury are :

  • One or two personal project managers 
  • A research teacher from another research programme 
  • Two external guests, one of which a theorist

The jury is established on the proposal of the project manager with the agreement of the researcher. It is validated by the ECOLAB co-supervisors who send invitations.

Definition and monitoring of personal research – Guidance and Viva

During the course, each associate researcher endeavours to develop a personal research project but with an articulation around the lines of the programme they are attached to.

The personal research project viva is not predefined in its form. It can be the object of the artistic or design approach. It can equally be dealt with in a more conventional manner, taking inspiration from the university model for the written thesis. The plastic production in design will be exhibited in a suitable place, and will be the subject of one or several partnerships with renowned contemporary art and design venues.

The assessment of the viva: exchange with the jury, capacity to contextualize, explicate and review the plastic and intellectual productions (academic articles, communications in conferences, participations in research seminars…) developed over the three years.

Research Student Charter

  • Each student has a research student status, a work space and a range of resources to develop their work 
  • The research student can enrol in a third cycle course at another higher education institution.
  • The DSRD covers three years with the possibility of prolonging 1 or 2 years (after the agreement of ECOLAB research unit and Orleans School of Art and Design).
  • The research student must renew the registration at Orleans School of Art and Design every year.
  • The research student is bound by professional secrecy and will respect the confidentiality of any information, documents, or research carried out within the ECOLAB research of which they may have knowledge.
  • Any project publication or communication carried out by the research student promoting the activity within the ECOLAB research unit, must be subjected to the approval of both research directors.
  • The results produced by the research student’s activity within the framework of the ECOLAB research unit, are the propriety of ECOLAB research unit and Orléans School of Art and Design.

Financial support

An annual 500 € grant is given to DSRD students. Furthermore, they have priority for Master positions as monitors in modeling and casting, photography and prototyping which will open at Orléans School of Art and Design in September 2020.

Contact

Caroline Zahnd – Coordinator of the Advanced Research Degree
contact-recherche@esad-orleans.fr