RISEBA offers PhD Pathway for Creative People
Yes, higher education can sometimes be a significant challenge. However, in today’s world, being an educated professional is one of the greatest advantages in the job market. In 2019, there were 7,765 doctoral degree holders in Latvia, which accounts for 0.4% of the total population aged 25 to 64 – for comparison, the EU average is 1.1%.
“At the academic level, a doctoral degree is currently very important. If, for instance, in the 1980s and 1990s, holders of bachelor’s and master’s degrees had a certain advantage in the job market, then now, in a time of greater competition, it is precisely the doctoral degree that opens up broader opportunities that would otherwise remain inaccessible. This is true also within the creative industries,” explains Aigars Ceplītis, Dean of the Faculty of Media and Creative Technologies at RISEBA.
To contribute to and change the current situation, RISEBA University offers a unique doctoral programme for creative individuals. The doctoral programme “Media Arts and Creative Technologies” developed by RISEBA is a unique offering within the education systems of the Baltic States and the EU.
RISEBA’s motto, “Where business meets art,” is not just a formal statement. The university meaningfully invests in the development of its technical base and integrates new technologies into its operations. This is done so that artists can create. At the beginning of this academic year, a new computer lab was opened at the university. RISEBA invested €120,000 in equipping this lab, allowing students to use the latest technologies in their studies.
The doctoral programme prepares professionals equipped with the necessary skills to create artworks and innovative media products rooted in contemporary culture. The programme includes both traditional and innovative technologies: extended (XR) and virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), 360° 3D cinema, cultural analysis, artificial intelligence (AI), and other essential aspects of contemporary culture. After completing the doctoral programme “Media Arts and Creative Technologies” and defending their doctoral thesis, students are awarded the Doctor of Science (Ph.D.) in the Humanities and Arts. In designing the doctoral programme, special attention is given to research based on creative practice and to harnessing the transformative potential of digital technologies.
“We provide a ‘low residency’ programme, which is a hybrid model where doctoral students work on their thesis both in person and online. This involves intensive work in colloquia, online and face-to-face sessions. We successfully collaborate with our international professors and lecturers,” emphasises Aigars Ceplītis. RISEBA University collaborates with internationally renowned professionals such as Ellen Lois Pearlman and Christopher Hales.
The concept of RISEBA’s doctoral programme “Media Arts and Creative Technologies” is rooted in a principle recognised across Europe and Latvia – that education in media art and creative technologies, as well as the related creative industries, represents a promising sector of the economy.
You can apply and learn more about RISEBA’s doctoral programme here:
Media Arts and Creative Technologies