The AMIDS Promise
A Rigorous Scholar,
a Commercially Literate Practitioner
"Every doctoral graduate of AMIDS will be simultaneously a rigorous scholar, a capable researcher, and a commercially literate practitioner, equipped to lead institutions, build enterprises, and shape cultural policy across Africa and globally."
Students register for their degrees at their home institutions across Africa and simultaneously register at UNIVEN as non-fee-paying associate doctoral students.
Core Degrees
Three Degrees AMIDS Confers Directly
AMIDS offers three core doctoral degrees directly, and supports a further five interdisciplinary doctoral tracks registered at UNIVEN or Kabarak.
PhD
African Musicology & Arts
3 yr FT / 5 yr PT
Interdisciplinary doctoral research at the intersection of African music, culture, society and knowledge systems.
DMA
Doctor of Musical Arts
3 yr FT
Practice-based doctorate for advanced creative practitioners — composers, performers, producers and film scorers.
DProf
Arts Leadership & Creative Enterprise
4 yr PT
Professional doctorate for mid-career creative-industry professionals, structured around real organisational challenges.
Plus five interdisciplinary tracks: Doctor of Musicology; PhD in African Studies; PhD in Theatre and Performing Arts; PhD in Music Composition; PhD in Communication and Media.
How Supervision Works
Tri-Partite Supervision
- 1Principal SupervisorAMIDS faculty member with an active research profile in the relevant domain.
- 2Co-SupervisorFrom AMIDS, UNIVEN, Kabarak, or an international partner university.
- 3Industry MentorA senior practitioner from the creative industries guiding practical and commercial dimensions from day one.
The Doctoral Journey
Three Phases
- Y1Foundations PhaseEpistemology, methodology, core creative-economy modules, and cohort building.
- Y1–2Research PhaseFieldwork, archival work, and practice-based investigation under tri-partite supervision.
- Y3Completion PhaseThesis writing, examination, dissemination planning, and industry placement.
On Campus & Online
Residential Intensives &
the Virtual Doctoral School
Two Residential Intensives a Year
Each running four days: student work-in-progress presentations, thematic seminars, skills workshops, community-practitioner engagement, and cohort-building sessions.
Between Intensives
Synchronous online seminars, a shared resource library, peer writing groups, online supervision support, and a community platform for sharing work in progress.