Masters Degrees (Art Director)

On this challenging, hands-on course designed by industry professionals, you'll create advertising from your very first week and become adept at communication through practical, studio-based learning. Simulating the advertising industry, you'll work in art director/copywriter partnerships to devise campaigns for real products in a wide range of media, resulting in a thorough and professional portfolio.

From idea conception to delivery, you’ll learn how to work to a client's brief and present your ideas effectively. As a member of Design & Art Direction (D&AD) – the industry's most influential body – the course gives you the opportunity to exhibit your work at the New Blood competition and meet key industry figures, whilst workshops and placements at top international agencies will equip you with the contacts and understanding to win the job you want after graduation.

Based on real agency briefs, you'll undertake the strategic planning, conceptual thinking and execution skills – visual and written – necessary to turn a business objective into an engaging, relevant, coherent campaign. Starting with 'traditional media' (posters, press, radio and TV), the course builds your capabilities to encompass the latest online and social media techniques needed to reach diverse target groups in a dynamic multimedia environment. Identifying and understanding the relevant target audience is critical to a successful campaign, so we'll encourage you to consider the impact of your work within ethical, economic, psychological and socio-political frameworks. You'll also gain the critical understanding which underpins the work of the mature, reflective, professional practitioner.

Students on the course win prestigious awards year after year, in industry competitions including D&AD and YCN.

MA Creative Advertising is a founder member of the D&AD university network.

The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) supports our intensive MA Creative Advertising course, which mirrors professional life in an agency creative department as closely as possible. By teaching you to think strategically and to write and art direct advertising across all media, we will help you to develop the skills, knowledge and confidence required for a successful career.

We regularly update a blog to give you a better feel for the course:

Web: MA Creative Advertising blog (http://theschoolofcommunicationdesign.wordpress.com/category/ma-creative-advertising/)

Visit the website https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/creativeadvertising

Building professional experience

A unique feature of the MA, our London Study Week puts you at the heart of the creative advertising industry, building knowledge and making contacts. What's more it will give you a vital and thorough grounding in agency structure and how it corresponds and responds to clients' business. We also visit a leading headhunter, who'll show you a variety of portfolios that demonstrate best practice in terms of creativity and winning jobs.

Our graduates are employed worldwide by agencies, media companies and in-house advertising units such as DDB, Wieden & Kennedy, BBH, the BBC, Saatchi & Saatchi, Havas Worldwide, Figtree, Ogilvy One, Dyson, VCCP, Mindshare, Leo Burnett, TBWA, Agency Republic, McCann-Erickson, Publicis and 180 Amsterdam.

To read about some of our recent student successes in the ad industry, see the section entitled Alumni Profiles.

How the course is taught

You'll be taught in small groups, through individual and team tutorials, seminars and workshops, supported by lectures from key figures in advertising and related media. The course replicates the experience of working in a typical full-service agency and your project work will be delivered within that context. As well as working individually, you'll work in copywriter/art director pairs and groups to strengthen your communication and negotiation skills. Our Virtual Learning Environment provides information to assist you with research and project work.

Course outline

This is a one-year, full-time course delivered over 45 weeks and divided into three 15-week study blocks:

- Study Blocks 1 & 2

Study Block 1 focuses on strategic thinking as the first step in fulfilling clients' briefs. If your specialism is art direction, you'll learn vital layout and typography skills, as well as developing your appreciation of photography, film, illustration and fine art, and their application to advertising. For copywriters, a range of practical projects will further your writing skills, helping you write in a clear, lively and visual style to stimulate your audience.

During London Study Week, we visit a number of major advertising agencies (see Building professional experience).

- Study Block 3

In Study Block 3, you'll produce a portfolio that will help your transition into this competitive industry. Working with a partner – copywriter or art director – your portfolio can include live projects negotiated with agencies and clients, supported and advised by the course team.

The course's practical elements are substantiated by theoretical studies in Visual Culture & Communication, where you'll research and analyse advertising within changing cultural contexts. The Applied Technology unit gives you hands-on IT training, including using software packages like InDesign, Photoshop, imaging, file conversion, typography and web development.

MA Creative Advertising course map (https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/sites/default/files/download/ma_creative_advertising_course_map_0.pdf)

Facilities

- Full IT facilities
- Course-specific computer suite
- Large Mac suite where most of the IT lectures take place

Assessment

- Assessment at the end of each study block
- Combination of visual, verbal and written assignments
- Final, external assessment takes place in September

Careers

Potential careers include:

- Copywriter, art director or creative director
- Strategic planner
- Marketing director, communications officer or event manager
- Web content producer
- Research and further education

Interview and selection process

Along with your application form you will need to send us at least three other pieces of creative work and answer the creative brief (below). Your creative work samples can be anything you feel is appropriate such as creative writing, photographs, videos, drawings, films, 3D work.

MA Creative Advertising creative brief (https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/sites/default/files/download/ma_creative_advertising_creative_brief_2015.pdf)

Once you have applied the course team will assess your application. If we think you have the potential to study at Falmouth we will invite you to an interview. We would really like to see you in person but we can hold a telephone interview if this is not possible. Where possible we like to interview at our postgraduate open days, but we do hold interviews throughout the year.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/apply

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This MA provides a structured introduction to the postgraduate study of the history and philosophy of art.

This programme allows you to spend your first term at our Canterbury campus with full access to its excellent facilities. For the spring term you relocate to our Paris centre to study in a historic corner of Montparnasse. This programme can also be studied in Paris only.

Particular focuses include contemporary art, photography, Renaissance art, medieval art, 18th-century British painting, 19th-century French painting, modernism, aesthetics and the philosophy of art and film. You may elect to take a Philosophy of Art & Aesthetics pathway, which draws on the expertise of our Aesthetics Research Group.

The programme is intended for graduates in art history, philosophy and cognate subjects, such as fine art. It gives you the opportunity to pursue your interest in visual art at advanced level, to develop a high level of expertise in topics in history and philosophy of art and to prepare for doctoral research in history of art or philosophy of art.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/99/history-and-philosophy-of-art-paris

About the Department of History & Philosophy of Art

The History & Philosophy of Art Department provides opportunities for graduate study with well-established researchers in the fields of art history, philosophy of art and aesthetics. Staff research covers contemporary art and aesthetics, modernism, theories of art, the historiography of art and the Cold War; biographical monographs, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and North American).

Developing areas of interest include the cultural and historical significance of the print, and the role of performance and new media in contemporary art practices. In particular, postgraduates have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the multidisciplinary Aesthetics Research Centre and the Art History and Visual Cultures Research Centre. There is also a full programme of visiting speakers from across the constituent subject areas within the School of Arts, which includes Film and Drama.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

HA838 - Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art (30 credits)
HA841 - Modern Art in Paris (30 credits)
HA898 - History & Philosophy of Art Dissertation (60 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is by two assignments per module and the dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

- provide you with a focused programme of taught postgraduate study in history and philosophy of art

- provide you with a taught foundation for subsequent postgraduate research

- enable you to acquire or deepen your knowledge and understanding of the historical and contemporary topics within the history of art and philosophy of art

- enable you to develop your art historical and philosophical skills beyond that expected of an undergraduate

- enable you to develop, articulate and defend art historical and philosophical ideas as they relate to art

- enable you to engage with historical and contemporary theoretical thought about the arts from art historical and philosophical perspectives.

Study support

Postgraduate resources
There is a large and wide-ranging library holding for History & Philosophy of Art, covering the fields of painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, aesthetics and contemporary visual communications. There is a substantial stock of periodicals, online access to e-journals and a slide library with well over 100,000 images, covering areas such as contemporary art, visual cultures, garden history and the film still, as well as traditional media. Kent is ideally located for access to galleries in London and on the continent.

In 2010, we moved into the purpose-built, and RIBA award-winning, Jarman Building located at the centre of the Canterbury campus. The new building is home to the Studio 3 Gallery and a range of teaching and social spaces as well as a dedicated postgraduate centre.

Support
All postgraduate students are offered research skills training and the opportunity to take part in reading groups and research seminars at departmental, school and faculty level. Research students have the added opportunity for funded conference attendance. There is also a dedicated student support office at our Canterbury campus, which can offer support and guidance throughout your studies, in addition to an office in Paris.

In recent years, several members of the History & Philosophy of Art Department, both full-time and part-time, have been awarded University prizes for excellence in student support, curriculum innovation and research-based teaching – an ethos which we seek to extend to the postgraduate community.

Dynamic publishing culture
Staff publish regularly and widely in journals, conference proceedings and books. Among others, they have recently contributed to: British Journal of Aesthetics; Art History; History of Photography; Journal of Aesthetics and Art Criticism; Journal of Visual Arts Practice; and The Philosophical Quarterly.

Global Skills Award
All students registered for a taught Master's programme are eligible to apply for a place on our Global Skills Award Programme (http://www.kent.ac.uk/graduateschool/skills/programmes/gsa.html). The programme is designed to broaden your understanding of global issues and current affairs as well as to develop personal skills which will enhance your employability

Research areas

The Department has a collective interest in developing interdisciplinary projects, including projects informed by art history and philosophy of art or aesthetics. Shared areas of research interest include: photography, art theory from the Renaissance to recent times and contemporary art.

Careers

Arts postgraduates have gone on to work in a range of professions, from museum positions and teaching roles to marketing and gallery assistants. Our graduates have found work with Tate Britain, the V&A, Museum of Childhood and other arts, culture and heritage-related organisations.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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If you do not have the appropriate undergraduate preparation to embark on one of our MA courses, you may apply for our nine-month Graduate Diploma in Art History and Theory, which can constitute a qualifying year for the relevant MA course.

Our Graduate Diploma consists of eight modules at 3rd-year undergraduate level (up to two of these can be at 2nd-year level). You must complete the appropriate coursework and examinations, and can also write a project on a topic of your choice if this is agreed with your course director.

At Essex, you have the freedom to study what most interests you. Some of the topics you may choose to explore include the history of photography; modern and contemporary art; curatorial practice and exhibition design; as well as more vernacular forms of visual culture, such as body art and activist placards.

Regardless of the topics you pursue, we are committed to research-based teaching, with a particular emphasis on bringing the approaches of art history into contact with other disciplines and discourses. In so doing, we seek to facilitate a critical engagement with artworks and forms of visual culture, both within and beyond the traditional canons of art history.

On campus, the Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA), Europe’s largest collection of contemporary art from Latin American, will provide an invaluable resource for studying art and curatorial practice first-hand.

One of the major reasons for choosing Essex is the quality of the education you will receive. We are 6th in the UK for research excellence, with 89% of our work rated “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” (REF 2014). We also achieved an exceptional 95% student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey.

Our expert staff

Essex Art History features a dynamic group of art historians who investigate the production and reception of images and built environments, across cultures and media from the early modern period to the present. Our staff are experts on topics as diverse as activist art, 19th-century medical photography, the art of Latin America, urbanism, exhibition design and body art.

We also have significant experience in curation and public engagement. Recent projects include:
-Dr Gavin Grindon curated a section of Banksy’s Dismaland show and co-curated the Disobedient Objects exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, which was one of the most well attended shows in the museum’s history.
-Dr Matt Lodder has acted as contributor for various television shows on body art and body modification, including the Today programme, the Jeremy Vine Show, Sky News, BBC Breakfast News, ‘Coast’, and National Geographic’s ‘Taboo’.
-Dr Natasha Ruiz Gómez co-organised a major conference on Collect, Exchange, Display: Artistic Practice and the Medical Museum at the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons, London.

Specialist facilities

At Essex, you have the best of both worlds: on the one hand, you are part of a tight-knit, campus community with close ties to several small but excellent museums in the nearby town of Colchester; on the other hand, you can travel from campus to London in an hour, which puts the world’s best museums and galleries at your fingertips.

Our facilities enable you to gain curatorial experience and engage in object-based learning, a cornerstone of our approach when teaching the history of art and its modes of display:
-Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) is the most comprehensive Latin American art research resource in the UK and has a state-of-the-art teaching and research space. Many of our students gain work and research experience through our collection
-Our onsite gallery Art Exchange runs an on-going programme of contemporary art exhibitions, talks and workshops by curators and artists, as well as exhibitions organised by our postgraduate curatorial students
-Enjoy regular visits to London galleries, including Tate Modern, Tate Britain, the National Gallery and the Royal Academy of Arts, as well as many independent and alternative spaces
-Colchester’s iconic Firstsite gallery features an exciting programme of contemporary art exhibitions, film screenings and talks, and exhibitions organised by our students

Your future

The visual arts and culture industries have become an increasingly significant part of the national and international economy, and art history graduates leave Essex with the skills to take advantage of this growing opportunity.

Graduates from our programmes are ideally prepared for roles in the media, in advertising, in museums and galleries, in education (in schools, universities, and cultural institutions), as conservators, as auctioneers, dealers and antiques specialists, in charities, in publishing, as specialist arts lawyers, as PR agents, in fashion, or to run their own galleries.

Our recent graduates have gone on to work in a wide range of roles including:
-A member of the valuation team at Sotheby’s (New York)
-Head of Learning at firstsite (a contemporary arts centre in Colchester)
-Visual Merchandising Manager at John Lewis (Oxford Street, London)

We also offer research supervision for students who wish to continue their studies with a PhD or an MPhil. We cover the major areas of European art, architecture and visual culture from 1300 to the present, as well as the art and architecture of Latin America.

We work with our university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Example structure

Postgraduate study is the chance to take your education to the next level. The combination of compulsory and optional modules means our courses help you develop extensive knowledge in your chosen discipline, whilst providing plenty of freedom to pursue your own interests. Our research-led teaching is continually evolving to address the latest challenges and breakthroughs in the field, therefore to ensure your course is as relevant and up-to-date as possible your core module structure may be subject to change.

Graduate Diploma - Art History and Theory
-Art & Ideas III (optional)
-Curatorial Project
-Art, the Law and the Market (optional)
-Contemporary Art: 1980 to the Present (optional)
-Dissertation - Final Year Art History and Theory (optional)
-Final Year Dissertation Project (optional)
-Inventing the Future: Early Contemporary 1945-1980 (optional)
-Photography in History (optional)
-Reworking the Past (optional)
-Study Trip Abroad (Final Year) (optional)
-Study Trip Abroad (Year 2) (optional)
-Art and Power (optional)
-The Work of Art in the Age of Digital Reproduction: Film, New Media, Software and the Internet (optional)
-Visualising Bodies (optional)
-Picturing the City I (optional)
-After Impressionism: European Art From Van Gogh to Klimt (optional)
-Becoming Modern: European Art From Futurism to Surrealism (optional)
-Art in Latin America (optional)
-Art and Ideas II: More Art, More Ideas - Critique and Historiography in the History of Art (optional)
-Collect, Curate, Display (optional)
-Picturing the City II (optional)

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The MA in History and Philosophy of Art (with a term in Rome) provides a structured introduction to postgraduate study of the history and philosophy of art.

It includes a term in Rome where we run the MA with the American University of Rome. A range of themes and approaches are considered in this MA with a particular focus on medieval, Renaissance and Baroque art in Italy. The first term is taught in Canterbury.

During the term in Rome you will study the art of Rome first hand, visiting relevant sites and museums, with options to study the history of Rome and specific artists. Kent staff are present for part of the spring term in Rome to ensure continuity of academic guidance and pastoral support. The campus is located in the Monteverde district of Rome, a picturesque district with a wide range of shops and amenities. From nearby Trastevere, it is a short bus-ride to the historic centre of Rome with its astonishing range of Roman sites, monuments, churches and museums.

The programme is intended for graduates in art history and other arts subjects. It gives you the opportunity to pursue your interest in visual art at advanced level, to develop a high level of expertise in topics in history and philosophy of art and to prepare for doctoral research in history of art.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/344/history-of-art-rome

About the Department of History of Art

The History of Art Department within the School of Arts, provides opportunities for graduate study with well-established researchers in the fields of art history, philosophy of art and aesthetics. Staff research covers contemporary art and aesthetics, modernism, theories of art, the historiography of art and the Cold War; biographical monographs, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and North American).

Postgraduates have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the multidisciplinary Aesthetics Research Centre and the Art History and Visual Cultures Research Centre. There is also a full programme of visiting speakers from across the constituent subject areas within the School of Arts, which includes Film and Drama.

Course structure

You take one core module and one optional module during your first term in Canterbury and your second term in Rome. Over the course of these two terms you discuss with the course director your ideas and plans for your 15,000-word dissertation. The writing of the dissertation takes place in the summer with completion in August.

Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

Term 1 (Canterbury):

Compulsory modules:
HA838 - Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art

One option from:

HA826 - History and Theory of Curating
FI812 - Advanced Film Theory
FR872 - Theories of Art in Modern French Thought
HA826 - History and Theory of Curating
HA835 - A Matter of Taste: The Art and Aesthetics of Food and Drink
HA898 Dissertation

Term 2 (Rome):
Compulsory Module:
HA833 Discovering Rome in Rome: Arts in Rome from antiquity to the present day

One option from:

Optional modules in Rome are taken through the American University in Rome and change each year. Past options have included:

- Michelangelo in Rome

This seminar on Michelangelo examines the work of the Renaissance master; his sculpture, painting, architecture and literary production. His works are investigated within their specific historical context, focusing on issues of commission, iconography, censorship, biography, historiography and aesthetics. An excursion to Florence is also planned. Beyond a complete comprehension of Michelangelo’s work, the course aims toward a mastery of art historical research skills, the evaluation of current scholarship and independent critical thought on art.

Term 3: Dissertation
HA833 - Discovering Rome in Rome: Arts in Rome from Antiquity to the Present Da (30 credits)
HA838 - Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art (30 credits)
HA898 - History & Philosophy of Art Dissertation (60 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is by two assignments per module and the dissertation.

Programme aims

This programme aims to:

- provide you with a focused programme of taught postgraduate study in history and philosophy of art; enhanced through the opportunity to study for one term in Rome

- provide you with a taught foundation for subsequent postgraduate research

- enable you to acquire or deepen your knowledge and understanding of the historical and contemporary topics within the history of art and philosophy of art

- enable you to develop your art historical and philosophical skills beyond that expected of an undergraduate; especially through study abroad and site visits

- enable you to develop, articulate and defend art historical and philosophical ideas as they relate to art

- provide access to enhanced intercultural awareness and understanding through the opportunity to study for one term in Rome

- enable you to engage with historical and contemporary theoretical thought about the arts from art historical and philosophical perspectives

- provide opportunities for the development of personal, communication and research skills and other key skills appropriate for graduate employment both in industry and in the public sector.

Research areas

The Department has a collective interest in developing interdisciplinary projects, including projects informed by art history and philosophy of art or aesthetics. Shared areas of research interest include: photography, art theory from the Renaissance to recent times and contemporary art.

Careers

Arts postgraduates have gone on to work in a range of professions, from museum positions and teaching roles to marketing and gallery assistants. Our graduates have found work with Tate Britain, the V&A, Museum of Childhood and other arts, culture and heritage-related organisations.

Find out how to apply here - https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/apply/

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On this programme students engage with some of the most dynamic and contemporary aspects of Asian and African art, as well as issues of collection, display, representation, tourist art, and shifts between regional, national and global identities. By focusing on theoretical and methodological questions, they are equipped with the terms and approaches needed for in-depth study of contemporary art. This is combined with the study of contemporary art from a range of Asian and African contexts.

The Department of the History of Art and Archaeology contains some of the world’s leading experts in contemporary Asian and African art, whose ground-breaking research informs and is informed by their teaching. Students benefit from the unparalleled knowledge and enthusiasm of staff. As members of the School of Arts, they profit from the insights of scholars and students working in other related fields, such as contemporary global Media, Film and Music. They can also select from courses in other departments, taking advantage of SOAS’s unrivalled expertise in, for example, the film, cinema, languages and modern history of Asia and Africa.

A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

Visit the website http://www.soas.ac.uk/art/programmes/macaaa/

Structure

Students must complete three units (or 0.5 unit equivalent) of taught MA modules in addition to the compulsory dissertation. A minimum of two units (or equivalent) must be selected from the MA modules in the History of Art and Archaeology department related to Contemporary Art and Art Theory listed below. Up to one unit (or equivalent) may be selected from the other MA modules in the department or from MA options offered by other SOAS departments, also listed below. Students must complete the Dissertation in History of Art and Archaeology: Contemporary Art and Art Theory of Asia and Africa (15PARC995).

Students may be allowed to study for the MA on a part-time basis. The part-time MA may be taken over two years, in which case the student takes two taught modules in the first year, and one taught module and the dissertation in the second. Alternatively, it can be taken over three years, in which case the student takes one taught module in each year. The dissertation can be written in any year, but it is strongly recommended that this be undertaken in the final year of the programme. It must be submitted in September of the year in which the student registers for it.

Teaching & Learning

- Teaching

Teaching consists of a combination of lectures and seminars. Classes are normally between two and three hours per week for each course. Teaching methods include lectures with discussion, seminars (at which students present papers) and museum visits. Students at all levels are expected to take an active part in class presentations. A particularly important element is the training of the student's visual memory.

In addition to their studies on the MA programme, students at SOAS can participate in a wide range of research seminars, lectures and conferences that regularly take place in the School and in the University of London.

- Assessment

For each of the three taught courses, the student will be expected to submit two or three pieces of written work usually around 3,000 to 4,500 words – for a total of 9,000 words per course. The emphasis is on developing essay skills during the session in preparation for the dissertation. In some courses the assessment is 100% on written work. On other courses, assessed course work forms 75% of the student’s final grade and an additional 25% is determined by slide quizzes, projects or other forms of assessment. The 10,000 word dissertation is submitted in September.

- Learning Resources

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Destinations

A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

Asia House
Bonhams
British Museum
Christie's Hong Kong
Design Museum
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum
Hong Kong Museum Of Art
India Foundation For The Arts
Museum of East Asian Art
National Gallery National Museum of Singapore
People Projects Culture & Change
Schoeni Art Gallery
Sotheby's
Taiwan Embassy
The Alliance for Global Education
The British Embassy
The Chester Beatty Library
The National Museum Of Korea
The Royal Collection

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

Manager of Communications
Culture Programme Coordinator
Research Assistant
Social Anthropology Lecturer
Specialist - Indian Art
Architect
Art Historian
Development Specialist
Archivist
Gallery Director Innovation Programmes Learning Manager
Creative Director
Organisational Consultant
Travel writer
Art Collector
Chinese Painting Specialist
Professor of Silk Road History
Rights and Reproductions Officer
Public Education Coordinator
Senior Curator of Photographs

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website (http://www.soas.ac.uk/careers/graduate-destinations/).

Find out how to apply here - http://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/howtoapply/

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In a world dominated by visual imagery, artists need the appropriate skills, reflexive approaches and attitudes of critical enquiry to work as effective professionals within their field. In this personalised course of study you can either explore your own specialism of fine art practice, or develop your practice across a broader range of interdisciplinary activity. In a supportive and challenging environment, you will be encouraged to be independent and enterprising in the promotion of yourself and your art.

The course is available to study either full-time over 1 calendar year or part-time over 2 calendar years. As a part time student it is possible to undertake the course from a distance and alongside existing employment.

You will develop new ways of looking at your own practice. You will explore distinct areas of contemporary fine art while reviewing your own and fellow students’ work-in-progress. Through negotiation, you will develop a proposal for new work that will form the framework for further development.

The course is structured to enable you to fully realise your ambitions for your practice. A lecture programme and regular contact with teaching staff, along with seminars from prominent practitioners, will assist you towards the production of a significant body of new work along with a key research folio within which you reflectively evaluate your practice. Students have in the past exhibited their final work at public galleries such as Chapter Arts Centre, Elysium Gallery, West Wharf Gallery and Arcade Cardiff.

See the website http://courses.southwales.ac.uk/courses/934-ma-arts-practice-fine-art

What you will study

The MA Arts Practice runs over two calendar years part-time or one calendar year full time:

- Part One:
Artist Practitioner 1 Critique 40 credits

Choice of one, 20 credit module from the three MA common modules, which you will study alongside Postgraduate students from other courses across the Faculty of Creative Industries:
- Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship
- Research and Practice in the Creative and Cultural Industries
- Research Paradigms

- MA Common Modules:
You will receive a strong grounding in research knowledge and skills, enterprise and innovation as part of the core MA Arts Practice course, but because everyone has different requirements of their postgraduate experience, you can choose to study one of the following three, 20 credit common modules. Each of these has a different focus, enabling you to select the module that will be most beneficial to you.

- Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship:
This module aims to develop your knowledge of the methods to identify, develop and manage enterprise and innovation in the creative sector. It will then help you apply this to your own entrepreneurial project.

- Research and Practice in the Creative and Cultural Industries:
The focus of this module is on the development of research knowledge and skills, while also encouraging critical engagement with approaches to creative practice. You will also explore ideas, debates and issues in the creative and cultural industries.

- Research Paradigms:
This module focuses on research paradigms and their theoretical underpinnings. It also looks at key conceptual tools drawn from a wide range of subject areas relevant to postgraduate research in the creative industries.

Part Two
- Artist Practitioner 2 Context (40 credits)
- Professional Practice in the Arts (20 Credits)
- Artist Practitioner 3 Major Project (60 Credits) or Research Project –Learning Through Employment (60 Credits)

Learning and teaching methods

The MA Arts Practice course is delivered using specialist facilities in our post-graduate studios which are available seven days a week. The programme makes use of lectures, guest speakers, workshops, demonstrations and tutorials, field trips and visits. The contact time you receive will include weekly workshops or seminars and regular group and individual tutorials. In addition, you will be expected to develop your area of practice independently.

Modules are taught via a combination of group seminars and lectures, with individual one-to-one tutorials taking place regularly to support your progress.

We encourage students to discuss and provide feedback on each other’s work, and to approach assignments in groups where appropriate to develop essential skills in teamwork and project management.

Work Experience and Employment Prospects

The course acknowledges the value of experience and partnerships to enable employability. A key element of the course involves establishing partnerships, internships, residencies and placements with arts organisations and galleries, NHS Trusts, social services, charitable trusts, schools, colleges, care homes and commercial companies to develop these. The course also develops your professional skills and positions your practice within critical and contextual frameworks.

- Work/study placements:
In addition to developing your personal area of art practice, you will benefit from the chance to gain practical exhibiting and curatorial experience and to explore other avenues of professional practice.

- Career options:
Graduates of MA Arts Practice (Fine Art), can progress to careers in academia, a Fine Artist, Teacher, Artist in residence, Public Artist, Community Artist, Ceramicist, Exhibitions Organiser, Socially Engaged Practitioner, Prop maker, Technician, Technical Demonstrator, Craft Designer, Gallery Owner, Art Dealer, Art Conservator, Curator, Art Gallery Technician, Art Transporter, Arts Journalist, Critical Commentator, Web Designer, Arts Administrator, Set Designer, Model Maker, Illustrator, Mural Designer, Creative Director, Art Director, Arts Business Manager or Arts Publicist.

Assessment methods

Modules are largely assessed via practical outcomes, project proposals and research folios. Some modules make use of presentations and discussion of working methods and final outcomes.

We will give you regular verbal feedback to help you develop your understanding during each module.

Facilities

Studying art at the University of South Wales means you can work in dedicated studio spaces and base rooms at our Treforest campus. Within your specialism, you will be able to accomplish a high standard of work in our extensive specialist facilities: 3D workshop, print room, and ceramic studios all equipped with traditional and state of the art facilities, including digital suites and a fully equipped lighting studio for photography. Opportunities are available to extend your technical skills through tailored undergraduate modules.

Facilities at our nearby Cardiff campus range from photographic darkrooms and professional-level printers, to video and audio production studios. While facilities are available in the first instance to students studying related courses, they are available more widely to students wishing to explore cross-disciplinary and multi-media techniques. You will be able to borrow a full range of equipment including cameras, microphones and lighting.

Our specialist library offers a comprehensive range of textbooks, research journals and other physical and online resources, as well as an interlibrary loan service.

Teaching

Our MA Arts Practice staff are actively engaged in research, they embody a high level of knowledge, expertise and professional experience across a range of arts practices. Students on this course will benefit from interdisciplinary teaching delivered by a teaching team with extensive experience in exhibiting; project management; project realisation and practice within the public realm, NHS and community contexts.

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This MA provides a structured introduction to the postgraduate study of the history and philosophy of art.

This programme allows you to spend your first term at our Canterbury campus with full access to its excellent facilities. For the spring term you relocate to our Paris centre to study in a historic corner of Montparnasse. This programme can also be studied in Paris only.

Particular focuses include contemporary art, photography, Renaissance art, medieval art, 18th-century British painting, 19th-century French painting, modernism, aesthetics and the philosophy of art and film. You may elect to take a Philosophy of Art & Aesthetics pathway, which draws on the expertise of our Aesthetics Research Group.

The programme is intended for graduates in art history, philosophy and cognate subjects, such as fine art. It gives you the opportunity to pursue your interest in visual art at advanced level, to develop a high level of expertise in topics in history and philosophy of art and to prepare for doctoral research in history of art or philosophy of art.

Visit the website https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/99/history-and-philosophy-of-art-paris
About the Department of History & Philosophy of Art

The History & Philosophy of Art Department provides opportunities for graduate study with well-established researchers in the fields of art history, philosophy of art and aesthetics. Staff research covers contemporary art and aesthetics, modernism, theories of art, the historiography of art and the Cold War; biographical monographs, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and North American).

Developing areas of interest include the cultural and historical significance of the print, and the role of performance and new media in contemporary art practices. In particular, postgraduates have the opportunity to participate in the activities of the multidisciplinary Aesthetics Research Centre and the Art History and Visual Cultures Research Centre. There is also a full programme of visiting speakers from across the constituent subject areas within the School of Arts, which includes Film and Drama.
Modules

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. Most programmes will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also have the option to take modules from other programmes so that you may customise your programme and explore other subject areas that interest you.

HA838 - Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art (30 credits)
HA841 - Modern Art in Paris (30 credits)
HA898 - History & Philosophy of Art Dissertation (60 credits)
Assessment

Assessment is by two assignments per module and the dissertation.

This programme is also available at Canterbury only or full-time at Paris.
https://www.kent.ac.uk/arts/study/postgraduate.html

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The idea of the Specializing Master comes from the profound change of the Brand system, a change that has put into crisis the traditional communication systems.

The Specializing Master is aimed at those who wish to do creative work with contemporary professional skills according to the profound transformations that communication professions are facing in the transition from Advertising to the new Brand Communication System.

To prepare young designers to deal with this new scenario, creative communication projects for traditional and new media will be proposed, under the direction of Creative Directors of the most important Italian and international communication agencies.

During the Specializing Master, students will acquire the necessary skills to start a career as Art Director or Copywriter in communication agencies as Digital Art Director, Digital Copywriter, Content Creator, with the ability to interact with all the processes and professional figures within the workflows. During the lessons will be presented an overview of other professions that, in synergy with the creative department, contribute to the implementation of Brand Communication Projects such as Strategic Planner, Project Manager, Social Media Strategist, Community Manager The Tv Producer.

http://www.polidesign.net/mac

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This is the only MA programme in History and Philosophy of Art offered by a British university in Paris and taught in English.

It provides a structured introduction to the postgraduate study of the history and philosophy of art and is intended for graduates in art history, philosophy and related subjects, such as fine art. It gives you the opportunity to pursue your interest in visual art at advanced level and within an interdisciplinary context, to develop a high level of expertise in topics in history and philosophy of art and to prepare for doctoral research in history of art or philosophy of art.

You spend the entire year in the French capital, which allows you to participate in excursions to prominent cultural locations and make use of research resources that are only available in Paris. You have the unique opportunity to study the arts at postgraduate level within the context of a city that has been at the very centre of many crucial artistic and art theoretical developments in the past few centuries.

About the Department of History & Philosophy of Art

The History of Art Department within the School of Arts provides opportunities for graduate study with well-established researchers in the fields of art history, philosophy of art and aesthetics. Staff research covers contemporary art and aesthetics, modernism, the history and philosophy of portraiture, the historiography of art and the Cold War, biographical monographs, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and North American).

Studying art as a postgraduate at the University of Kent in Paris will give you the opportunity to experience our rich resources of academic expertise and participate in the activities of the multidisciplinary Aesthetics Research Centre and the Art History and Visual Cultures Research Centre. Our research and teaching will engage you in a dialogue with aesthetic, conceptual and historical perspectives.

Course structure

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

Modules

The programme will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. The core compulsory modules are:

- Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art
- Modern Art in Paris
- Dissertation

In order to allow you to explore other subject areas that interest you will have the option to take one of the modules from other programmes that are on offer at the Paris campus:

- From the Idea of a City to Philosophies of Urban Design
- Architecture and Cities 1840s-1960s
- Modernism and Paris
- Film and Modernity
- Paris and the European Enlightenment
- Identity, Trauma and Sexuality in Modern French Literature
- Paris: Reality and Representation
- Best of Enemies: Images of Britain and France in the 19th and 20th Centuries
- Religion and European Thought

HA838 - Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art (30 credits)
HA841 - Modern Art in Paris (30 credits)
HA898 - History & Philosophy of Art Dissertation (60 credits)

Assessment

Assessment is by coursework only.


This programme is also available at Canterbury only or split site between Canterbury and Paris.
https://www.kent.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/search/subject_category/Arts

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This is the only MA programme in History and Philosophy of Art offered by a British university in Paris and taught in English.

It provides a structured introduction to the postgraduate study of the history and philosophy of art and is intended for graduates in art history, philosophy and related subjects, such as fine art. It gives you the opportunity to pursue your interest in visual art at advanced level and within an interdisciplinary context, to develop a high level of expertise in topics in history and philosophy of art and to prepare for doctoral research in history of art or philosophy of art.

You spend the entire year in the French capital, which allows you to participate in excursions to prominent cultural locations and make use of research resources that are only available in Paris. You have the unique opportunity to study the arts at postgraduate level within the context of a city that has been at the very centre of many crucial artistic and art theoretical developments in the past few centuries.

Students interested in taking this MA as a part-time option would take two modules each year (one per term), plus the dissertation in the final year. The programme can also be studied in Canterbury only or with the year shared between Canterbury and Paris.

About the Department of History & Philosophy of Art

The History of Art Department within the School of Arts provides opportunities for graduate study with well-established researchers in the fields of art history, philosophy of art and aesthetics. Staff research covers contemporary art and aesthetics, modernism, the history and philosophy of portraiture, the historiography of art and the Cold War, biographical monographs, the photograph (in its historical, contemporary and critical contexts), and the historical interplay of image, theory and institutions from the Renaissance to the present (especially European and North American).

Studying art as a postgraduate at the University of Kent in Paris will give you the opportunity to experience our rich resources of academic expertise and participate in the activities of the multidisciplinary Aesthetics Research Centre and the Art History and Visual Cultures Research Centre. Our research and teaching will engage you in a dialogue with aesthetic, conceptual and historical perspectives.

Course Structure

The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This list is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.

The programme will require you to study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. The core compulsory modules are:

Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art
Modern Art in Paris
Dissertation
In order to allow you to explore other subject areas that interest you will have the option to take one of the modules from other programmes that are on offer at the Paris campus:

From the Idea of a City to Philosophies of Urban Design
Architecture and Cities 1840s-1960s
Modernism and Paris
Film and Modernity
Paris and the European Enlightenment
Identity, Trauma and Sexuality in Modern French Literature
Paris: Reality and Representation
Best of Enemies: Images of Britain and France in the 19th and 20th Centuries
Religion and European Thought
Key Concepts and Classic Texts in History and Philosophy of Art
Modern Art in Paris
History & Philosophy of Art Dissertation

Careers

Arts postgraduates have gone on to work in a range of professions, from museum positions and teaching roles to marketing and gallery assistants. Our graduates have found work with Tate Britain, the V&A, Museum of Childhood and other arts, culture and heritage-related organisations.

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The Islamic Middle East has given rise to an impressive material culture that continues in the present. This programme covers an area stretching from Islamic Spain through the Arab countries, Turkey, Iran and Central Asia in diverse historical periods. It offers students an unmatched opportunity to study particular regions or categories of art, including Fatimid art; the architecture and urbanism of Morocco; Arab, Persian and Turkish painting; the calligraphy and illumination of the Qur'an; Mamluk art and architecture; the arts and architecture of the Ottomans in Turkey and the Balkans; and the material culture of western Iran. Archaeological issues of the Islamic Middle East are also considered.

In addition, the degree engages with trans-regional topics that extend beyond the Middle East, such as cultural and artistic relationships between the Islamic Middle East and Europe.

Students can decide to study complementary courses on non-Islamic traditions of the Middle East and/or the Islamic traditions of other regions.

The Department of the History of Art and Archaeology contains some of the world’s leading experts in the art history and archaeology of the Islamic Middle East, whose ground-breaking research informs and is informed by their teaching. Students benefit from the unparalleled knowledge and enthusiasm of staff. As members of the School of Arts, they profit from the insights of scholars and students working in other related fields, such as Music, Film and Media in the Middle East and the wider Islamic world. They can also select from courses in other departments, taking advantage of SOAS’s unrivalled expertise in the languages, history, religions and cultures of the Middle East.

A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

Visit the website http://www.soas.ac.uk/art/programmes/maaaime/

Structure

Students must complete three units (or 0.5 unit equivalent) of taught MA modules in addition to the compulsory dissertation. A minimum of two units (or equivalent) must be selected from the MA modules in the History of Art and Archaeology department related to History of Art and Architecture of the Islamic Middle East. Up to one unit (or equivalent) may be selected from the other MA modules in the department or from MA options offered by other SOAS departments. Students must complete the Dissertation in History of Art and Architecture of the Islamic Middle East (15PARC997).

Students may be allowed to study for the MA on a part-time basis. The part-time MA may be taken over two years, in which case the student takes two taught modules in the first year, and one taught module and the dissertation in the second. Alternatively, it can be taken over three years, in which case the student takes one taught module in each year. The dissertation can be written in any year, but it is strongly recommended that this be undertaken in the final year of the programme. It must be submitted in September of the year in which the student registers for it.

Teaching

Teaching consists of a combination of lectures and seminars. Classes are normally between two and three hours per week for each course. Teaching methods include lectures with discussion, seminars (at which students present papers) and museum visits. Students at all levels are expected to take an active part in class presentations. A particularly important element is the training of the student's visual memory.

In addition to their studies on the MA programme, students at SOAS can participate in a wide range of research seminars, lectures and conferences that regularly take place in the School and in the University of London.

Assessment

For each of the three taught courses, the student will be expected to submit two or three pieces of written work usually around 3,000 to 4,500 words – for a total of 9,000 words per course. The emphasis is on developing essay skills during the session in preparation for the dissertation. In some courses the assessment is 100% on written work. On other courses, assessed course work forms 75% of the student’s final grade and an additional 25% is determined by slide quizzes, projects or other forms of assessment. The 10,000 word dissertation is submitted in September.

Learning Resources

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Destinations

A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

Asia House
Bonhams
British Museum
Christie's Hong Kong
Design Museum
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum
Hong Kong Museum Of Art
India Foundation For The Arts
Museum of East Asian Art
National Gallery National Museum of Singapore
People Projects Culture & Change
Schoeni Art Gallery
Sotheby's
Taiwan Embassy
The Alliance for Global Education
The British Embassy
The Chester Beatty Library
The National Museum Of Korea
The Royal Collection

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

Manager of Communications
Culture Programme Coordinator
Research Assistant
Social Anthropology Lecturer
Specialist - Indian Art
Architect
Art Historian
Development Specialist
Archivist
Gallery Director Innovation Programmes Learning Manager
Creative Director
Organisational Consultant
Travel writer
Art Collector
Chinese Painting Specialist
Professor of Silk Road History
Rights and Reproductions Officer
Public Education Coordinator
Senior Curator of Photographs

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website (http://www.soas.ac.uk/careers/graduate-destinations/).

Find out how to apply here - http://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/howtoapply/

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This two-year programme combines the strengths of the MA History of Art and Archaeology of East Asia with intensive language training in Japanese or Korean. Students study the arts of China, Korea and Japan, exploring a wide range of East Asian arts, from Chinese archaeology to Japanese prints, Korean installation works to Buddhist monuments, in historical and contemporary periods. Instruction in the language of their choice is provided by teachers in the Faculty of Languages and Cultures. By the end of the programme, which includes a summer language school abroad, students have received sufficient instruction to reach near-proficiency in the language.

The Department of the History of Art and Archaeology contains some of the world’s leading experts in the art history and archaeology of East Asia, whose ground-breaking research informs and is informed by their teaching. Students benefit from the unparalleled knowledge and enthusiasm of staff. As members of the School of Arts, they profit from the insights of scholars and students working in other related fields, such as East Asian Music, Film and Media, as well as the expertise of specialist language teachers.

A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

Visit the website http://www.soas.ac.uk/art/programmes/ma-art-and-archaeology-of-east-asia-and-intensive-language/

Structure

Students take two intensive language units and one East Asian History of Art and Archaeology unit in their first year. During the summer, they participate in a summer school abroad. Upon their return, they take one intensive language unit in their second year and two East Asian History of Art and Archaeology units. The dissertation is written on East Asian History of Art and Archaeology and submitted in September of year 2.

Teaching

Teaching consists of a combination of lectures and seminars. Classes are normally between two and three hours per week for each course. Teaching methods include lectures with discussion, seminars (at which students present papers) and museum visits. Students at all levels are expected to take an active part in class presentations. A particularly important element is the training of the student's visual memory.

In addition to their studies on the MA programme, students at SOAS can participate in a wide range of research seminars, lectures and conferences that regularly take place in the School and in the University of London.

Assessment

For each of the three taught courses, the student will be expected to submit two or three pieces of written work usually around 3,000 to 4,500 words – for a total of 9,000 words per course. The emphasis is on developing essay skills during the session in preparation for the dissertation. In some courses the assessment is 100% on written work. On other courses, assessed course work forms 75% of the student’s final grade and an additional 25% is determined by slide quizzes, projects or other forms of assessment. The 10,000 word dissertation is submitted in September of year 2.

Learning Resources

SOAS Library is one of the world's most important academic libraries for the study of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, attracting scholars from all over the world. The Library houses over 1.2 million volumes, together with significant archival holdings, special collections and a growing network of electronic resources.

Destinations

A Masters from the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology provides students with expertise in the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Our postgraduates progress to work in arts, culture and heritage roles, including in galleries, museums, archives, conservation, publishing and arts administration. The large portfolio of transferable skills they acquire enables them to forge careers in a range of other fields across the world. Our Masters programmes are also an excellent foundation for MPhil/PhD research.

Graduates have gone on to work for a range of organisations including:

Asia House
Bonhams
British Museum
Christie's Hong Kong
Design Museum
Dr. Bhau Daji Lad Mumbai City Museum
Hong Kong Museum Of Art
India Foundation For The Arts
Museum of East Asian Art
National Gallery National Museum of Singapore
People Projects Culture & Change
Schoeni Art Gallery
Sotheby's
Taiwan Embassy
The Alliance for Global Education
The British Embassy
The Chester Beatty Library
The National Museum Of Korea
The Royal Collection

Types of roles that graduates have gone on to do include:

Manager of Communications
Culture Programme Coordinator
Research Assistant
Social Anthropology Lecturer
Specialist - Indian Art
Architect
Art Historian
Development Specialist
Archivist
Gallery Director Innovation Programmes Learning Manager
Creative Director
Organisational Consultant
Travel writer
Art Collector
Chinese Painting Specialist
Professor of Silk Road History
Rights and Reproductions Officer
Public Education Coordinator
Senior Curator of Photographs

For more information about Graduate Destinations from this department, please visit the Careers Service website (http://www.soas.ac.uk/careers/graduate-destinations/).

Find out how to apply here - http://www.soas.ac.uk/admissions/pg/howtoapply/

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Our MBA Museum Management equips you with the skills to become a successful manager or entrepreneur within the museum and gallery sector. If you are self-funding your studies, our MBA scholarship could offer you a £5,000 fee discount.

You gain a solid grounding in the essentials of business management, from operations and human resources to business strategy. You also learn the specifics of managing galleries and exhibitions, curation and art history, so you graduate with the necessary knowledge and skills to make a meaningful contribution as a leader within the arts sector.

This is a unique degree among Anglo-American universities, drawing on strengths from two of Essex’s world renowned Schools. Essex Business School is ranked in the UK’s top 20 (Association of Business Schools) and our Art History programme, home to the highly innovative Centre for Curatorial Studies, ranks 6th for research excellence.

With our MBA Museum Management, you benefit from a fully-rounded business education, centred on the themes of innovation, entrepreneurship, sustainability and international business, yet with the added benefit of acquiring expertise in the arts sector.

This course can also be studied part-time.

Our expert staff

Essex Business School is home to internationally respected academics and practitioners, who conduct world-class research in the areas of: business ethics and corporate social responsibility; organisation studies; leadership and strategy; finance and banking; risk management and international management. You are taught by staff from a wide range of nationalities, preparing you for an international career.

Our MBA Director, Nigel Pye, has academic and private sector experience, having held several senior positions at organisations such as Ernst and Young, KPMG, Warwick Business School and Cranfield University.

In Art History, our academic staff are experts in the history, theory and practice of curating art from the Renaissance to the present, as well as more unconventional forms of visual culture, such as protest placards and medical imagery. Here are a few examples of recent or current projects by staff members:
-Dr Gavin Grindon, Lecturer in Art History and co-director of our Centre for Curatorial Studies, recently curated The Museum of Cruel Designs and Guerilla Island at Banksy's Dismaland show. He also co-curated the Disobedient Objects exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, one of the best attended shows in the museum’s history. He has also widely published on activist art in leading journals such as Art History
-Dr Adrian Locke, a Visiting Fellow in Art History and Senior Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, has curated a diverse range of exhibitions, including Mexico: A Revolution in Art, 1910–1940 (2013) and Radical Geometry: Modern Art of South American from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection (2014). He also co-curated the exhibition Ai Weiwei, which opens at the Royal Academy in September 2015
-Dr Matt Lodder, Lecturer in Art History with an emphasis on modern and contemporary visual culture, is co-curating the exhibition Tattoo: Ancient Myths, Modern Meanings, which opens next year in the U.S
-Dr Michael Tymkiw, co-director of the Centre for Curatorial Studies, has a book under contract entitled Nazi Exhibition Design and Modernism. He has also just launched an interdisciplinary research project that focuses on using digital technologies to expand disability access in museums—a project that involves collaborations with several museums in Colchester and London, including firstsite and the Victoria and Albert Museum

Specialist facilities

You benefit from state-of-the-art facilities, including the new Essex Business School building - the first zero-carbon business school building in the UK.

You can enjoy a stunning working environment, including:
-A beautiful winter garden, which gives the building its own micro-climate
-A virtual trading floor with Bloomberg Financial Market Labs to practice trading stocks and securities
-Light and spacious teaching areas
-Study pods and innovation booths for group working
-A café with an adjacent sun terrace

Our art history facilities, where several modules are taught, also enable you to gain curatorial experience and engage in object-based learning, a cornerstone of our approach when teaching the history of art and its modes of display:
-Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) is the most comprehensive Latin American art research resource in the UK and has a state-of-the-art teaching and research space
-Our onsite gallery Art Exchange runs an ongoing programme of contemporary art exhibitions, talks and workshops by curators and artists, as well as exhibitions organised by our postgraduate students, including those who pursue the MBA in Museum Management
Colchester’s iconic Firstsite gallery features an exciting programme of contemporary art exhibitions, film screenings and talks, and exhibitions organised by our curatorial students
-Our Centre for Curatorial Studies is home to staff who specialise in the history and theory of exhibition design and who curate high-profile exhibitions

Your future

Our MBA Museum Management allows you to position yourself competitively for managerial positions in museum and gallery sectors, auction houses, art insurance and art law, or to begin your own entrepreneurial venture in the cultural industries. We equip you with subject-specific knowledge and encourage you to draw on your creativity, innovation and ethical awareness when solving business challenges.

You have access to Essex Business School’s employability team, as well as the University’s Employability and Careers Centre. Together, they can provide support when seeking additional work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

Example structure

-Business Research Methods and Skills
-International Business Environment
-Business Strategy
-People and Organisations
-Managerial Economics
-Venture Academy: Creating and Growing a New Venture
-International Marketing Strategy
-Sustainable Operations
-Accounting and Finance for Managers
-Managing Galleries and Exhibition Projects
-Critique and Curating
-Exhibition (Joint Project)
-Dissertation: MBA Museum Management

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Pursue your creative ambitions, experiment with a range of media and engage with the latest discourses in contemporary art, supported by experienced practitioners and a vibrant art school community.

Introducing your course

The MA Fine Art encompasses the diversity of contemporary art and values all types of practice. Working in purpose-built studios with superb facilities, you will have the freedom to realise your own ideas through a single medium or across multiple artforms, from painting, drawing and sculpture through to photography, video, site-specific work, digital media or performance art. We will also encourage you to explore your work intellectually, grounding your practice in the key ideas and issues that inform contemporary art today. Our staff are successful artists as well as experienced teachers, and are well placed to advise and guide you in the conceptual, technical and professional aspects of contemporary art practice. In addition, you will gain insights into life as a working artist through weekly guest lectures by leading practitioners, studio visits, opportunities to exhibit, and through a module devoted to specific arts-related professional skills. You will be part of a small, friendly and supportive community based on a dedicated art school campus within easy reach of London’s art scene – a unique environment in which we will nurture your creativity and help you to develop a career as an arts practitioner.

Overview

On the MA Fine Art we facilitate art and ideas across the full range of media, reflecting the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of contemporary arts practice. Intellectual engagement runs through every aspect of the course, and we aim to produce graduates with advanced critical capabilities. You will learn to reflect on and appraise your work in the context of personal influences and current concepts and debates in the wider world of contemporary art.

Our students benefit from being part of the University of Southampton, a world-leading Russell Group institution with an excellent reputation, while studying on a campus devoted to arts disciplines. The School of Art has an on-campus gallery, The Winchester Gallery, and there is a thriving art scene in the city of Southampton, including important regional galleries such as Southampton City Art Gallery and John Hansard Gallery, based at the new arts hub, Studio 144. 

View the programme specification document for this course

Career Opportunities

We create an environment in which you can develop a mature and independent approach to your work, and gain the confidence and professional skills that will enable you to take forward a career as an artist when you graduate.

Some of our graduates choose to undertake further study at PhD level, or to pursue a career in arts-related organisations and other sectors. You will graduate with the ability to think critically and creatively, solve problems and work with others – these transferable skills will be invaluable in a range of roles in the cultural and media industries.

Previous graduates are enjoying success as professional artists and in teaching, the media, animation and curation. For example, one recent graduate is now Director’s Assistant at the prestigious Today Art Museum in Beijing.

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Our MA Curating offers a practical and theoretical training in devising and curating exhibitions, as you work towards the preparation of an exhibition at our on-site Art Exchange gallery.

Our course combines practice, theory and histories of curating in equal measure. You will develop an essential base skills for a successful exhibition – from object handling to managing exhibition budgets – through visiting lectures by active museum professionals; practical workshops using our on-site collection and galleries; and competitive placements at leading institutions.

You will build your own confident grasp of the history and theory of exhibition-making, studying with academics who besides being active curators are producing new key texts on the curatorial history and theory. You study topics including:
-How an exhibition can be used as a means of social or political critique
-The historical role that museums have played in society
-Participation and social engagement between spectators, artists and curators
-A choice of history of art options

One of the major reasons for choosing Essex is the quality of the education you will receive. Our Art History programme is 6th in the UK for research excellence, with 89% of our work rated “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” (REF 2014), and we achieved an exceptional 95% student satisfaction in the 2016 National Student Survey.

Our expert staff

Our staff consists of a dynamic group of art historians. While our research interests span a range of cultures and media, from the early modern to the present, core specialties include exhibition design, modern and contemporary art, public engagement and activism.

Here are a few examples of recent or current projects by staff members:
-Dr Gavin Grindon, Lecturer in Art History and co-director of our Centre for Curatorial Studies, recently co-curated the Disobedient Objects exhibition at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, one of the best attended shows in the museum’s history. He has also widely published on activist art in leading journals such as Art History.
-Dr Adrian Locke, a Visiting Fellow in Art History and Senior Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, has curated a diverse range of exhibitions, including Mexico: A Revolution in Art, 1910–1940 (2013) and Radical Geometry: Modern Art of South American from the Patricia Phelps de Cisneros Collection (2014). He also co-curated the exhibition Ai Weiwei, which opens at the Royal Academy in September 2015.
-Dr Matt Lodder, Lecturer in Art History with an emphasis on modern and contemporary visual culture, is co-curating the exhibition Tattoo: Ancient Myths, Modern Meanings, which opens next year in the U.S.
-Dr Michael Tymkiw, co-director of the Centre for Curatorial Studies, has a book under contract entitled Nazi Exhibition Design and Modernism. He has also just launched an interdisciplinary research project that focuses on using digital technologies to expand disability access in museums—a project that involves collaborations with several museums in Colchester and London including firstsite and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Specialist facilities

At Essex, you have the best of both worlds: on the one hand, you are part of a tight-knit, campus community with close ties to several small but excellent museums in the nearby town of Colchester; on the other hand, you can travel from campus to London in an hour, which puts the world’s best museums and galleries at your fingertips.

Our facilities enable you to gain curatorial experience and engage in object-based learning, a cornerstone of our approach when teaching the history of art and its modes of display:
-Our Essex Collection of Art from Latin America (ESCALA) is the most comprehensive Latin American art research resource in the UK and has a state-of-the-art teaching and research space. Many of our students gain work and research experience through our collection
-Our onsite gallery Art Exchange runs an ongoing programme of contemporary art exhibitions, talks and workshops by curators and artists, as well as exhibitions organised by our postgraduate curatorial students
-Colchester’s iconic Firstsite gallery features an exciting programme of contemporary art exhibitions, film screenings and talks, and exhibitions organised by our curatorial students
-Our Centre for Curatorial Studies is home to staff who specialise in the history of exhibition design and curate high-profile exhibitions

Your future

The visual arts and culture industries have become an increasingly significant part of the national and international economy, and our art history graduates leave Essex with the skills to take advantage of this growing opportunity.

Graduates from our programmes are ideally prepared for roles in the media, in advertising, in museums and galleries, in education (in schools, universities, and cultural institutions), as conservators, as auctioneers, dealers and antiques specialists, in charities, in publishing, as specialist arts lawyers, as PR agents, in fashion, or to run their own galleries.

Our recent graduates have gone on to work for a wide range of high-profile companies including:
-National Portrait Gallery
-Victoria and Albert Museum
-Sotheby’s New York
-Momart Ltd
-John Lewis

We also offer research supervision for PhD and MPhil for those who want to continue with research. We cover the major areas of European art and architecture from 1300 to the present, as well as the art and architecture of Latin America and the United States.

We work with our university’s Employability and Careers Centre to help you find out about further work experience, internships, placements, and voluntary opportunities.

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