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Study your specialist subject in detail and take the opportunity to contribute to the world's knowledge in that area. Enhance your critical thinking, communication and problem-solving abilities and learn to create and assess new ideas.
Working alongside some of New Zealand’s leading academic staff, you'll complete a research thesis of up to 40,000 words and emerge as an expert in your subject with highly developed research skills.
Victoria's MA is offered in more than 40 subjects. Most programmes are by thesis only but some include coursework and require a shorter thesis, and others you can complete doing mainly coursework and a research project.
A Master of Arts will give your career prospects a boost and open doors to new opportunities. Be a leader in a humanities or social science field and help make New Zealand a better place.
If you are doing an MA by thesis you'll normally need to complete it within 12 months, or two years if you're studying part time.
If you are doing your MA by coursework and thesis you'll normally be able to complete your degree within 12 months, but you can take up to one year and six months. Part-time students can take up to four years to complete this MA.
If you are studying full time you can expect a workload of a minimum of 30 hours a week for much of the year. If you can't commit this many hours you should enrol as a part-time student.
Conceived in the context of world-systemic transformation, this MA will give you the analytical tools to understand contemporary developments and world(s) through an encounter with post-colonial theory and international political economic issues.
We're witnessing today a tectonic shift in global geopolitics. The emergence of China, Brazil and India as global players, the development of global governance, the financial crisis, climate change – are all symptoms.
On this Masters you’ll grasp concepts like race, diaspora, hybridity, difference, grassroots development, HDI, multitude, immanence, and human rights.
These concepts are used to analyse practical, policy and activist issues arising from globalisation: global civil society, the role of international organisations (the IMF, WTO, UN and World Bank and global NGOs), intellectual property rights, social capital, financialisation, global governance and deep democracy.
You'll deal with issues like terrorism, microfinance, indigenous people, gender and sexuality, multiculturalism and environmental justice.
The MA is ideal for anyone pursuing careers in policy research, NGOs, advocacy, charities, international organisations, cultural and political activism, global media, art and curating, as well as for further academic work leading to a PhD.
The Masters includes a supervised and assessed practical placement. This may be with NGOs in India or Africa, arts and conservation organisations in China, indigenous activists in Latin America, London-based global NGOs, diasporic communities, think-tanks, environmental organisations, publishers or financial/microfinance organisations.
You'll be taught by leading theorists and visiting lecturers drawn from a wide circle of activists, artists, film-makers, lawyers, economists, journalists and policy-makers.
Core modules
Recommended option modules
You take option modules to the value of 30 credits. Modules can be chosen from across Goldsmiths departments and centres. Option modules are subject to availability and approval by the module lecturer/convenor.
We offer a wide range of option modules each year. Below are some examples of modules that are currently running. For a full list, please contact the Department of Media and Communications.
Other option modules, by department
You may prefer to look through the full range of optional modules available across Goldsmiths departments.
Please note that not all the modules listed below may be open to you - your final selection will depend upon spaces available and timetable compatibility.
Essays and/or practical projects; dissertation.
The programme provides advanced training for labour market-relevant skills in transnational analysis of sovereignty, democracy, governmentality, financialisation, intellectual property rights, and the role of non-governmental organisations.
Suitable careers and areas of work for graduates of the programme include:
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
This MA allows you to build an individual, 'tailor-made' programme of study, which incorporates the intellectual concerns, skills and understandings that lead to a clearly focused research dissertation.
You choose four modules, including at least one of two core modules, which provide you with specific research skills relevant to your interests.
This route is appropriate for those who have a particular interest they wish to develop not covered by one of our specialist pathways, or for those who are seeking a broadly based programme of music study at postgraduate level (taking both core modules, for example, would provide exceptional training for those going on to doctoral study).
Applicants should note that departmental timetable restrictions apply; consequently, part-time study offers the most flexible range of potential course combinations. This programme is not suitable if you're keen to take composition or performance modules – if this is what you'd like to do, please explore our MMus study options.
The programme appeals to a wide range of students developing intellectual skills in music, perhaps as preparation for further postgraduate research, prior to entering teaching, or as a basis for a employment in arts administration, journalism, or other occupations in the creative and cultural industries.
Find out more about the MA in Music.
Core modules
Core modules
You choose three modules from a list that currently includes:
The International Business and Management MA and the International Business and Management MSc are two courses which are designed to advance your knowledge and develop the analytical and evidence-based skills that are needed in your future professional life. In terms of knowledge, the focus is on a range of business and management disciplines. In terms of skills, you will be helped in building up critical thinking, presentation, negotiation and communication skills, sound decision making and evidence based problem solving skills, all of which are desirable for effective business personnel and leaders in a fast changing global business context.
A highlight for many students is the study trip and company visits. The course team will continue to develop this kind of experiential learning that fosters an application-orientated approach.
The courses place much emphasis on the integration of theory and practice within an international environment and this is reflected in the teaching and learning strategies. A variety of teaching methods aim to enable you to master the key concepts in the business and management field and to achieve a deeper understanding of these. You will be encouraged to be proactive in your approach to learning, by undertaking research and working in teams. You will also be expected to spend an appropriate amount of time in private study.
Students are supported via the Virtual Learning Environment accessing their study materials and supporting resources on the Blackboard site. Each student has a personal tutor, who will provide you with academic support and guidance throughout your university journey so that you can achieve full academic and personal potential. Employability and career development is an important part of both courses. Our graduates have developed their careers in a wide range of multinational corporations, management consultancies, financial services, government institutions and also family businesses around the world. A number of our graduates have moved onto PhD study, developing a research-focused career in academia.
The International Business and Management MA and International Business and Management MSc are differentiated by one core module and options. The MA and MSc Project modules are distinguished by the focus of topic, the type of research method(s) and the type of data analysis applied in the project.
Download a suggested timetable for International Business and Management MA.
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Core modules – MA and MSc
Core module – MA
Core module - MSc
Option modules - MA
Option modules - MSc
This course is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI).
All students on our full-time Business Masters courses can apply to undertake the PG/MBA Internship Programme, which forms part of the Reflective Practitioner Module.
The internship allows you to test drive a career and explore one of your career interests before you complete your Postgraduate studies!
Completing an 8-12 week accredited internship helps students gain invaluable work experience. This fantastic work experience can be taken in addition to option modules. Students are responsible for finding their own internship with the support of the Business Experience Team.
To express an interest in the module, students must submit a completed application form and a copy of their updated CV. This will give students membership a dedicated website that offers exclusive access to internship vacancies, one to-one CV guidance appointments, mock interviews, employability workshops and much more.
Students can apply to London-based organisations and have the flexibility to take their internship in the summer period or alongside their studies.
Every year we receive very positive feedback from both postgraduate students and employers and expect that the internship programme will continue to remain popular amongst our students.
Find out about postgraduate internships
This Master's degree offer a strategic perspective on marketing management, a discipline that is increasingly being seen as critical to success in achieving business goals, and as a core function in many organisations. Depending on your choice of modules, your final award could be either Master of Arts (MA) or Master of Science (MSc).
Students on this course are eligible for an Affiliate Professional Membership of Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and access to a range of professional events.
You will develop a strategic perspective and broaden your existing understanding of marketing and its integration into an overall corporate strategy and structure. You will hone your capacity for analysing complex marketing and business situations and reaching decisions on appropriate courses of action. You will also improve your career prospects in marketing and general business areas.
A highlight for many students is the residential weekend organised as part of this course – a weekend away combining presentations and workshops with great opportunities to network and get to know your fellow students.
Students on this course benefit from free access to part of the material on the course reading list.
A fast-track route to the Marketing Management MA qualification is available for holders of the CIM Postgraduate Diploma in Marketing (or equivalent). Holders of this qualification will be exempt from all but two modules:
The fees will be proportional to the number of credits studied. Dissertation (40 credits) Quantitative Analysis for Marketing Management (20 credits)
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Core modules – MA
Core modules – MSc
Students on this course are eligible for an Affiliate Professional Membership of Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) and access to a range of professional events.
All students on our full-time Business Masters courses can apply to undertake the PG/MBA Internship Programme, which forms part of the Reflective Practitioner Module.
The internship allows you to test drive a career and explore one of your career interests before you complete your Postgraduate studies!
Completing an 8-12 week accredited internship helps students gain invaluable work experience. This fantastic work experience can be taken in addition to option modules. Students are responsible for finding their own internship with the support of the Business Experience Team.
To express an interest in the module, students must submit a completed application form and a copy of their updated CV. This will give students membership a dedicated website that offers exclusive access to internship vacancies, one to-one CV guidance appointments, mock interviews, employability workshops and much more.
Students can apply to London-based organisations and have the flexibility to take their internship in the summer period or alongside their studies.
Every year we receive very positive feedback from both postgraduate students and employers and expect that the internship programme will continue to remain popular amongst our students.
Find out about postgraduate internships
As a Marketing Management postgraduate, you can look forward to excellent career prospects in both UK and international specialist agencies and within in-house marketing departments.
With the MA/MSc Marketing Management, you will be particularly well-placed to pursue marketing opportunities with organisations who want marketing specialists with business analytical skills. And with the MSc, you'll also be well-placed to pursue opportunities with organisations involved in technical or financial products.
During your study, you will be offered one-year Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Affiliate Professional Membership and opportunities of attending the CIM professional development and networking events which are accredited towards your CPD.
The Media and Development MA is an interdisciplinary course that teaches main theories, concepts, case studies and practical media skills around the theme of media and development and its implications for less developed countries. The course will provide you with a unique blend of theory and practice teaching, aimed at deepening your knowledge of the history of communications within the development process of emerging economies. It will critically evaluate the impact of international and regional institutions from a critical political economic perspective. Teaching by academic staff, guest lecturers and other carefully selected staff from development organisations will provide you with an overview of the policies, actions and impact of state and non-state institutions within the area of communication media and development.
A distinctive feature is its emphasis on the practical role of communication media in development. You will participate in media production workshops and take part in our internship programme, offered in partnership with media and development organisations in London. As part of the work experience module, students participate in an extensive NGOs and media seminar series featuring experts and panel discussions. The work placement programme is in line with the University of Westminster’s strategy of nurturing of the critical practitioner.
The course team is led by Dr Winston Mano and includes Professor Daya Thussu, Professor Christian Fuchs, Professor David Gauntlett, Professor Naomi Sakr, Dr Anthony McNicholas, Dr Xin Xin, Dr Anastasia Kavada, Dr Maria Michalis, Dr Roza Tsagarousianou, Dr Tarik Sabry, Paul Majendie, Geoffrey Davies and Michaela O’Brien. Visiting Lecturers include Jackie Davies, founder and Director of the Communication and Development Network (C4D) (http://www.c4d.org), a community of professionals working in communication for development. As a peer network the C4D Network is aimed at communication for development practitioners plus allied development workers, donors, academics and communication experts from the BBC, UN and major development organisations. The joining criterion is an engagement in communication for development - either professionally or through academia. Students on the Media and Development MA have the option to join the C4D network and each can do a fellowship/internship with the network during the course.
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Core modules
One Semester One module from the below:
Semester 1 (option modules)
One Semester Two module from the below:
Semester 2 (option modules)
We have strongly developed links with media and development organisations such as UNICEF, UNESCO, C4D, BBC Media Action, Internews Commonwealth Public Media Alliance.
Our large network of alumni keep our name and reputation alive in the industry.
Graduates apply for posts in development organisations based in London such as OneWorld, Oxfam, Save the Children, Red Cross, ActionAid, Panos, DfiD, Intermedia, BBC, Institute of War and Peace, Christian Aid and War on Want. Some students were able to build on knowledge, skills and their background in working for governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental organisations (in Romania, Pakistan and India) and a range of international business organisations, including the BBC. The course also prepares students for further studies and for a higher degree, e.g., a PhD. Some students apply for PhD Scholarships advertised by the Faculty of Media, Arts and Design and they were all encouraged to join the Communication for Development Network (C4D) which meets once a month in London.
We are aware that the range of skills needed is exceptionally diffuse, and that students on the course hope to develop careers in a variety of fields in many different countries. We are also aware that we are preparing you for careers in a rapidly changing job market and the structure of the course allows you take advantage of change, and not to be its victim. It, therefore, would be misleading and unhelpful to place too much emphasis on acquiring a precise set of skills drawn from one part of the media and development sector. Finally, with a view to your professional development planning, the course is designed to give you a wide-ranging and critical knowledge of the development industry that you plan to enter.
The course is designed for recent graduates seeking a career in traditional and new media organisations. It provides a combination of business and media skills designed to equip you to take up an entry-level position in today’s media organisations.
You will learn how media organisations are engaging with the challenges resulting from the emergence of digital media technologies and platforms. The course introduces you to the processes by which media organisations develop their corporate strategies, business plans, marketing and production operations as they respond to radical change in the commercial environment.
The course is designed to enable you to find and take up work placements and internships at media organisations in London during the course of your studies. Our students have successfully completed internships at TV production companies like the BBC, technology companies like Google, as well as many other multimedia, advertising and news organisations in London. Some have successfully started their own businesses in the UK.
Whether you are planning a career in a media organisation or seeking to create your own new business start up, the MA International Media Business aims to provide the analytical insight, operational knowledge and planning skills you will need to prosper. The course is taught alongside a suite of Masters courses in Westminster’s highly successful Centre for Creative Industries Management.
The following modules are indicative of what you will study on this course.
Core modules
Optional modules (Semester 1)
Optional modules (Semester 2)
International Media Business students have gone on to work for many social media business including Facebook, Youtube, Google as well as traditional media firms like Sky, Disney and Bloomberg. They have also worked as creatives and digital content producers for small and large business including Land Rover, AEG and BSI Global. Others have continued their education at PhD level.
The MA in Music (Popular Music Research) engages with scholarly debates and public controversies around popular music, while examining and developing both traditional and innovative ways of researching popular music.
The Masters provides a grounding in the development of popular music research as a subfield of musicology, and encourages critical thinking about:
The course addresses contemporary issues of significance to academics, musicians, industries and organisations involved with popular music.
You'll develop research skills, critical thinking and rigorous methodological expertise with a range of applications both within the academy (at doctoral level) and outside (in music related industries, marketing, arts management, museums and archives, the sciences).
Although a knowledge of and passion for popular music is vital, it is not essential that your first degree is in music or popular music.
We welcome applicants from a wide range of disciplines: the course is designed to be of benefit not only to those wishing to continue their research at doctoral level, but also those wishing to reflect on their experiences as musicians, listeners, or media and arts industry professionals.
Ben Assiter, a student on the MA in Music (Popular Music Research) was awarded the prize by the International Association for the Study of Popular Music for an essay written as part of his coursework. Read his award-winning essay here.
Find out more about the MA in Music.
Core module
Option modules
You choose two modules from a selection that currently includes:
Dissertation
This MA addresses the fast-changing 'international' terrain including the 2008 economic crisis, EU fragmentation, questions of migration and human rights around the world.
It gives you the opportunity to explore the character of the contemporary world in an interdisciplinary manner, drawing upon a strong theoretical basis as well as an empirical grounding.
The programme offers great diversity in fields of study:
It also offers diverse subjects of study:
The MA is especially relevant if you are considering further study at PhD level, or if you want to work in areas where an understanding of international relations is essential (journalism, diplomacy, NGOs, international organisations, for example).
It offers valuable training and analytical skills for those working in non-governmental organisations, international institutions and corporations, diplomatic services, government offices, media industry and teaching.
This programme differs from MA degrees in international relations offered elsewhere because it provides a wider view of the ‘international’ that questions its necessary Western focus and looks for alternative ways of ‘knowing’, ‘encountering’ and ‘experiencing’ the world.
It also takes an interdisciplinary approach, allowing you to tailor the degree to your needs, and offers an unusual diversity in the areas of specialty of our staff, many of whom are internationally recognised for their expertise.
Core modules
You take the following core modules:
Option modules
Students can also choose to make up their remaining 90 credits from the following list of options:
Students may choose up to 30 credits of approved options from other departments at Goldsmiths.
Assessment consists of coursework, extended essays, reports, presentations, practice based projects or essays/logs, group projects, reflective essays, and seen and unseen written examinations.
You'll develop:
The MA is especially relevant if you are considering further study at PhD level, or if you want to work in areas where an understanding of international relations is essential (journalism, diplomacy, NGOs, international organisations, for example).
It offers valuable training and analytical skills for those working in non-governmental organisations, international institutions and corporations, diplomatic services, government offices, media industry and teaching.
Our graduates go on to work within these areas but many also undertake professional training in law, accountancy, journalism, business administration, teaching, social work or nursing.
If you would like to speak to some of our current students or alumni, please contact Dr Anca Pusca.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
The English Literature MA pathway is ideal if you don’t wish to be confined to a specific period or disciplinary area. It asks fundamental questions about our ideas of literature and how these might have changed over time.
The pathway’s compulsory module, ‘The Production of Texts in Contexts’, opens up these questions by looking at a broad array of literature from a variety of historic periods. It considers how innovations in printing and publishing have affected writing, and asks to what extent political and social change conditions and defines authorial identities and practices.
Apart from the compulsory core module briefly described below, students taking the generic English Literature pathway can freely choose their remaining three modules from all the other existing pathways and thus sample different topics from different periods. Below are additional links to those pathways that allow you to see the rich variety of staff research interests and specialisms.
The Production of Texts in Context
The Production of Texts in Context is a trans-historical module that ranges across many different literary periods from the early middle ages to the present day. The module is team-taught so students experience teaching by ten to eleven different staff members, each of whom presents a topic related to their own particular interests and period specialisms. The teaching team and the topics represented vary from year to year according to staff availability, with recent topics including Ballad and Carol (Alfred Hiatt), The Making of Paradise Lost (Joad Raymond), The Eighteenth-Century Newspaper (Chris Reid), Victorian Serialised Fiction (Matt Ingleby), Experimental Writing and Early Twentieth-Century Publishing (Scott McCracken), The Coming of Age Novel in Global Literature (Charlotta Salmi), Book Prizes and Literary Production (Huw Marsh), and Contemporary Graphic Narrative (Sam McBean). For the essay assignment students pick a subject relating to one of the topics and can seek advice from the relevant staff member. There is also a designated member of staff who acts as module convenor, sits in with students on the weekly seminars, and is able to offer general help and guidance.
You also choose one of the following
Researching Modern Culture; London Panoramas: Research, Culture and the Long Eighteenth Century, or The Material Text, 1300-1700
You choose three modules from a wide-ranging list of options that changes from year to year.
In 2017-2018 we hope to offer the following. If members of our specialist research staff win research funding it will mean that their module won’t run, so for that reason this list is indicative only.
Students may also opt to take a cognate elective module offered by the Schools in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences and by other Colleges of the University of London.
In addition to taught modules, we run a range of research seminars to which all MA students are invited. Some of these are linked to our interdisciplinary Research Centres, such as the Centre for Eighteenth Century Studies, the Centre for Religion and Literature in English and the Centre for the History of the Emotions. Others are collaborations with other institutions, such as the London-Paris Romanticism Seminar. With visiting speakers from across the world, these seminars are an opportunity to meet other postgraduate students and members of staff and to learn about the latest developments in research.
This course offers interesting and challenging modules and options. It will suit graduates intending to work in HR, as well as those already working in the field and wanting to advance their careers. Building on your understanding of the theory and practice of HRM techniques, it provides a professionally focused and research informed blend of academic and practical information, encouraging critical reflection on current HRM approaches.
Westminster Business School is a Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) approved centre. The course has been accredited by the CIPD as meeting the 'knowledge criteria' for professional membership. This means that once you have successfully shown the CIPD relevant evidence of your practice in the workplace, you will gain professional level of Chartered Membership, with the joining and initial membership fee paid for by the University.
The emphasis in the classroom is on blending theory and practice, problem diagnosis and the selection of managerial tools to provide the best fit with the situation. Classes are often run on a workshop basis, giving you the opportunity for students to pool their experience, as well as drawing on the expertise of the tutors. You will also have the opportunity to develop essential HR practitioner skills by attending a series of practical workshops.
The following modules are indicative of what students study on this course. All modules are subject to the CIPD and University of Westminster approval.
Core Modules
A choice of two of the following CIPD modules:
Option Modules
You will also choose two from the following additional option modules:
Additional option modules
Westminster Business School will pay your CIPD joining fee and your membership fees for the first period of your studies. You will also be provided with text books which contain the essential reading for the core modules.
All students on our full-time Business Masters courses can apply to undertake the PG/MBA Internship Programme, which forms part of the Reflective Practitioner Module.
The internship allows you to test drive a career and explore one of your career interests before you complete your Postgraduate studies!
Completing an 8-12 week accredited internship helps students gain invaluable work experience. This fantastic work experience can be taken in addition to option modules. Students are responsible for finding their own internship with the support of the Business Experience Team.
To express an interest in the module, students must submit a completed application form and a copy of their updated CV. This will give students membership a dedicated website that offers exclusive access to internship vacancies, one to-one CV guidance appointments, mock interviews, employability workshops and much more.
Students can apply to London-based organisations and have the flexibility to take their internship in the summer period or alongside their studies.
Every year we receive very positive feedback from both postgraduate students and employers and expect that the internship programme will continue to remain popular amongst our students.
Find out about postgraduate internships
After completing the course you can be expected to develop your career within HRM, either in the UK or abroad, or to continue your studies in HR-related fields. Providing a higher degree qualification in a well-established management area, the course will enable you to enhance your career prospects and marketability in the professional practice of HRM. Past students have become consultants (internal and external), HR managers, compensation and benefits managers, change management specialists, HR business partners/operations managers, civil servants and mediators. Employers of our students include the BBC, Cap Gemini, Linklaters, PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Royal Household.
As a Human Resource Management postgraduate, you can look forward to excellent career prospects in managerial or organisational roles which focus on human resources or people development. Past students have gone on to become consultants (internal and external), HR managers, compensation and benefits managers, change management specialists, HR business partners/operations managers, civil servants, and mediators.
With the MA Human Resource Management, you'll be particularly well-placed to pursue people focused career opportunities in areas such as change management and compensation and benefits.
The School is designated a Centre of Excellence by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD). The course has been approved by the CIPD as meeting the 'Knowledge Criteria' for Chartered Membership. This means that once you have successfully shown the CIPD relevant evidence of your practice in the workplace, you will gain the professional level of either Associate or Chartered Membership.
From analysing the theories of intellectual heavyweights such as Foucault and Bourdieu, to unpicking a global campaign, explore the hinterland between the big three promotional professions and the media and society on this innovative MA.
Right now the roles within public relations, advertising and marketing are converging. So this MA isn’t about studying ads – it’s about becoming a professional who can understand the dynamics of power that exist between these professions, and critically intervene in today’s media landscape.
At its core this masters looks at how we can better serve society by improving communications across these disciplines, and how we can develop as professionals who can adapt within a challenging media world. You’ll learn how to reflect on the intellectual theories of the past and apply them to the present, so you plan the first decade of your career.
We want you to understand the power struggles that exist between these three professions so we look at public relations, advertising and marketing as inter-related disciplines, drawing on theoretical and professional debates around issues such as globalisation and homogenised consumption. We also discuss current industry expectations looking at the crossovers that exist between creativity, management and strategy.
We’ll tackle some of the big things that are changing when it comes to the way the world works - aspects such as globalisation, the control of knowledge, digital technologies, and the way content is created. You’ll also get an introduction to media and cultural theory, which lies at the intersection between the promotional professions, media and society.
This is a theory-based programme, but it also offers vocational elements, so you can take practice-based options in subjects ranging from online journalism and social media campaigning, to design methods and media law and ethics. You'll also get the latest insights from industry professionals across a range of sectors through our visiting speaker series in the Spring.
We take fields such as sociology, anthropology media and cultural studies to understand how public relations, advertising and marketing get together, where they overlap and where the tensions lie. This means we might take an anthropological perspective on how the promotional professions work together to develop a product – not just in terms of its messaging – but in terms of how it was conceived and came to market in the first place.
It’s important to mention that this isn’t a business studies-style MA; it’s a rigorous, academic programme investigating promotional workers and their use of media in today’s campaigns and debates.
Throughout the core components of the degree, you'll examine the very wide range of ways in which public relations, advertising and marketing is represented in society, together with the skills and techniques enacted by practitioners in their day-to-day roles. You will be encouraged to develop your critical and analytical skills, but also to think creatively and become more confident in your aesthetic judgment.
Goldsmiths prides itself on its innovative and critical approach, and you will be encouraged to immerse yourself in its wider intellectual environment in order to deepen your understanding of the cultural infrastructure surrounding branding and promotional media.
Core modules
Option modules
We offer a wide range of option modules each year. Below are some examples of modules that are currently running. For a full list, please contact the Department of Media and Communications.
The MA is assessed primarily through coursework essays and written projects. Practical modules may require audiovisual elements to be submitted. It will also include a dissertation of approximately 12,000 words.
From account executives to digital copywriters and from product managers to media planners and sponsorship coordinators, our graduates enhance their careers by working across disciplines, across countries, and across everything from social media and content generation, from sponsorship and events marketing, to corporate communications or government communications.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
The MA in Queer History is a pioneering programme in one of the most exciting areas of historical enquiry, giving a voice to those who throughout much of history have been denied one.
This MA provides a comprehensive introduction to the themes and methods of Queer History as well as laying a solid foundation in general historical study. It offers a first-rate overview of important thought and methods from the fields of queer theory as well as the histories of gender and the body and sexuality.
This programme aims to historicise often binary categories, such as male/female, heterosexuality/homosexuality, active/passive, and uncover the processes through which these categories came to be seen as ‘natural’. It further pays close attention to questions of power, including how sexual orientation and race throughout history have often become interlinked in asymmetrical, oppressive ways.
Students conclude the programme with a 10,000 word dissertation on a topic of their own choice. The dissertation research is aided by access to the shared library and archival resources of the wider University of London and the city of London, one of the world’s queer capitals. Goldsmiths aims to build the Archive of Queer Life Histories and involve MA students in this process.
The emphasis of the MA is in the Early Modern and Modern periods. Both the Western invention of ‘homosexuality’ in the 1860s and the emancipatory movements, especially of the post-1969, post-Stonewall period, figure prominently.
You will take 3 core modules, as well as optional modules to the value of 60 credits.
Core modules
Optional modules
The programme will build skills in data gathering and analysis as well as effective written and spoken communication to prepare students for jobs in diversity administration in private business, government, National Government Organisations, the education sector and legal professions.
As opposed to primarily theory-oriented subjects the programme will lay a solid empirical foundation in queer history, arguably the best possible basis for sexual diversity jobs.
The MA in History is innovative, creative, free-thinking, stimulating, diverse and challenging – everything that is distinctive about history at Goldsmiths.
The Department of History’s approach is thematic and interdisciplinary, with staff expertise spanning the histories of Britain, East and West Europe, South Asia and Africa.
We are on the cutting-edge of our fields and the student-teacher ratio allows us to devote an unmatched amount of time to individual supervision.
Our focus is primary research and we encourage students to follow their own historical interests.
The MA in History aims to develop your research skills, and your understanding of key debates and methods in historiography. In addition, it allows you to develop their specific subject interests through a range of option modules and the dissertation.
Consequently, in addition to the compulsory core module (Explorations and Debates) and the Research Skills modules, you choose two options, one of which, if you wish, can be from another department at Goldsmiths or from the wide-ranging intercollegiate list (a list of MA modules available at other colleges of the University of London).
You'll end the programme by writing a 10,000-word dissertation on a topic of your own choice, based on primary research. The process of writing the dissertation includes participating in organising, and presenting at, the department's dissertation conference.
Compulsory modules
You take the following two compulsory modules:
Option modules
You also take two thematic option modules. You could:
The Department of History options encompass a diverse regional, conceptual and methodological range to investigate religious, cultural and political history in both the Western and non-Western world from the 15th century to the present. All options are based on the tutors’ current research, and currently include:
You also undergo training in Research Skills, which develops expertise in a variety of methodologies including the use of oral, visual and material, as well as textual, sources.
There will be a one-day, student-led, interdisciplinary research workshop to share ideas about projects and methodologies, and gain experience in event organisation.
And you'll complete a 10,000-word dissertation, based on primary research.
This MA develops a range of transferable skills which are highly valued in the jobs market. These include advanced research and analytical expertise; increased independence of thought; the ability to marshal, evaluate and communicate, in written and oral form, complex information and ideas; project management; teamwork and workshop organisation.
Graduate students from the department have continued to careers in museums and galleries, archives, journalism, charities, university and arts administration, local government and teaching as well as doctoral research.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.
The skills of storytelling are timeless. Tackle the creative, analytical and professional sides of script writing for film, television and radio on this industry-accredited MA.
With myriad new media platforms there are more opportunities to create content than ever before. And all these require a script and a story. But how do you get your work to industry-standard and in front of the right people?
The main question you have to ask yourself for this MA programme is: do I really need to be a writer more than anything else? That’s quite brutal, but script writing is a tough profession. You’re totally exposed as a creative person, it’s you and the page and the tradition in which you’re working, and that can be a liberating but also uncomfortable place to be.
The programme is not about learning how to be a writer; it’s about developing and pushing forward your own writing projects as far and as fast as you can within 12 months. You’ll be developing your own voice, learning how to critique the work of others, and getting to grips with marketing your projects. You’ll also be making industry contacts so you can pitch for employment in an extremely competitive industry.
You’ll cover every aspect of the writing process from getting ideas, maintaining productive writing practices and developing characters and story lines, to presenting your work to an industry standard and pitching your ideas. Writing is a lonely business – that’s why the community of writers that the programme gives you is such a creative advantage.
This is an MA that really focuses on you as the student. There are lectures, but most of the time you’ll be working one-to-one with a writing tutor or within small group workshops (with a maximum of 13 people).
We keep the course small deliberately. In this way we know your individual work and you know other students’ work through the weekly feedback process. We also believe you don’t know who you are until you’re relating to another person, and ultimately this is what script writing is about: making that connection.
A core course is designed to give you the skills and understanding required to develop your Treatment for a feature film or equivalent television or radio script. The course is taught mostly with workshops, in which you present and discuss your own work with other students in a supportive environment. There are also class exercises, lectures, screenings, master classes, seminars and individual tutorials.
Starting in the Spring Term, the course then develops your Treatment into a second draft feature script (or its equivalent).
You'll then be able to pick from a selection of option modules.
Modules
The MA is composed of:
You also produce a Reflection Essay (15 credits), and choose option modules to the value of 75 credits from the following list:
You are assessed on your portfolio, which consists of your long form treatment and second draft feature script or equivalent, your 4,000-word Reflection essay on this script, linked to issues in Media and Culture and a radio script adapted from a source text. In addition, depending on your options, your portfolio could also include a 10-12 page short script or script-editing proposal and coverage. Other modules are assessed by 5-6,000-word essays.
MA Script Writing is all about the product. So when you complete this masters, you leave with a whole portfolio of writing, a set of professional skills, a list of industry contacts, and a set of professional friendships through the Goldsmiths Screen School.
The programme gives you a safe, supportive and stimulating environment to unpack your ideas, get constructive feedback, make mistakes, and find the story you want to tell. In the end though, it’s down to you as an individual to become the writer you want to be.
Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths
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