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Full time & Part time September, January PGDip, MA, PGCert 1 year full time, 2-7 years part time
Business & Management (5) Creative Arts & Design (9)

FindAMasters summary

Are you passionate about arts, festivals, and cultural management? Look no further than our MA/PgDip/PgCert Arts, Festival and Cultural Management programme. With flexible study options, including full-time, part-time, or single module study, you can develop your skills while working. Our small class sizes foster a supportive and collaborative learning environment. This unique programme, the only one of its kind in Scotland, offers a balance of theoretical and practical learning, preparing you for a wide range of management positions in cultural organisations and festivals. With strong industry links and a location in Edinburgh, the world's greatest festival city, the opportunities for work-based experience and future employment are endless. Join us and become a reflective practitioner in this thriving field.

About the course

Are you interested in shaping the future of the arts and cultural sector? This long established and forward-thinking MA in Arts, Festival and Cultural Management will allow you to gain a better understanding of the management of cultural organisations and the individual factors that influence the environment in which they function.

The course will appeal to a range of individuals and will qualify you for a broad range of management positions within a wide spectrum of cultural organisations and festivals. It may interest those already working in the sector who want to gain a formal qualification as well as undergraduates, of perhaps Arts and Humanities courses, who have not studied management previously and who are looking for a career change. 

Read more about this course

Entry Requirements

A UK honours degree or equivalent OR significant work experience in cultural organisations or festivals.

International: You will be required to provide evidence of English language competence at no less than IELTS 6.5 with no individual component score less than 6.0.


 Course Content

Visit institution website

Where will I study?

Where is Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

Videos


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Shuyi Hsieh - MA Arts, Festival and Cultural Management Shuyi Hsieh - MA Arts, Festival and Cultural Management 10/02/2023 10:55:13
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Student Profiles

Christopher Buttigieg

What did you enjoy most about your course?

"The opportunity of having the first-hand experience shared with us from industry professionals, amongst which were represented the Edinburgh International Festival, Festival Theatre, CCA and many more. This chance led me to have a better understanding of the industry and to build new contacts, which is a must in our sector."

How did your lecturers support your learning?

"All lecturers have a wide range of expertise, whether that's a practitioner with first-hand experience or academic background. As stated before, I committed to reading for an MA to learn and polish my skills. It is usual for a student to prefer one module to another, but from my experience, I can say that I have and I still find what I have learnt relevant in so many different ways."

What challenges did you face with the course and/or university life? How did you overcome them?

"Time management is vital! Studying in a foreign country can be overwhelming. Therefore it is crucial to set a set of rules and a timeline to make sure not to lose track. It was essential for me to understand what I wanted from the course and to use that time to have a better understanding of what I aspired to do in the future. Probably that has been the most challenging, and quite frankly you won't solve the mystery. However, my suggestion is to keep those brain cells going - do not be afraid to take on board new opportunities and do not be scared to fail. That is the beauty of being a student."

Do you have any advice for students who might be interested in this course?

"I have three words - learn, explore and innovate"

Camilla Crosta

"With a passion for travel, I moved to Scotland after completing studies in History of Art in Venice, Italy."

"I had started to think about going back to university, almost six years after finishing my studies. I lived in Glasgow, and at the time, I was looking for a master’s that was near me, which would allow time and opportunities to reflect critically on my previous experiences as well as learning new skills. I looked at various master’s courses, and after talking with some friends who were already on the course at QMU, I started to give it some serious thought. The course offered the right framework to reflect on my previous experiences and learn something new.

"I still live in Glasgow, but I believe studying cultural management in a city like Edinburgh is extremely valuable. Edinburgh and Venice share some of the same challenges posed by the high number of incoming tourists. Having an open space where people can debate and discuss the meaning and role of cultural production ensures that the sector is not only maintained but able to face future challenges.

The highlights of the course have included classes in 'Debates in Cultural Policy': they have helped me to reflect on the research I carried on previously during my studies in Venice. Now, after almost six years, I will be able to revise it and expand some of the topics I addressed at the time. Another highlight is the module in 'Leadership and Governance'. It’s been useful in helping me frame my previous working experiences and to generate new ideas which I am looking forward to putting into practice.

The opportunities to have discussions and work together as a group have been very useful for me too.

I also enjoyed the 'Arts Management in Practice' module. The course structure allows for several visits to cultural organisations based primarily in Glasgow and Edinburgh. After meeting the teams there, and hearing their presentations, we always spend some time to discuss our impressions. For me, these moments of reflection have been invaluable learning tools. Hearing other people's comments as well as share yours, and getting the chance to discuss these opinions, is essential to the development of a critical approach which can lead to new ideas and reflections.

Scholarships

Under Scotland's Saltire Scholarships scheme, 200 awards are available for one year of study on an undergraduate, Masters or PhD course to students from Canada, China, India and the USA.

This is part of the Scottish Government's continuing support for the 'brightest and best' students to come and study in Scotland.

Value of Scholarship(s)

£2000

Eligibility

Applications can be made by students who have received an offer of a place of study at the University.

Application Procedure

The deadline for submission of completed Saltire Scholarship applications is published within the link below.


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