The PhD by prior publications in the creative arts at Deakin University: advancing industry engagement and social justice outcomes in the doctoral degree (research)

In late 2016 Deakin University’s School of Communication and Creative Arts (SCCA) added the PhD by Prior Publications in the Creative Arts (Portfolio Creative Product plus Exegesis) to Deakin’s existing complement of PhD by Publication offerings. Candidates from several Creative Arts disciplines, pre-eminently Creative Writing, have enrolled in the PhDPriorPubs. Commencements have included nationally and internationally based artists, including some current Deakin staff members. This article contextualizes the PhDPriorPubs’ origins, describes its inner workings, and provides data on candidate enrolments, graduations and thesis outcomes as of November 2019. It also elaborates on the planning and thinking stages behind the degree’s development, its relationship to the cognate Practice-Led Research methodology, and future prospects and threats. The present-day relevance of PhDs by prior publication is sometimes disputed. This article argues for the ongoing value of degrees like the PhDPriorPubs in pollinating ‘PhD of the Future’ debates and in advancing industry engagement and social justice outcomes in the doctoral degree (research).