Masters Degrees (Visual Arts)

The MA in Visual Arts and Culture at Durham is a distinctive interdisciplinary programme that invites students to develop their knowledge and understanding of the visual arts and of visual culture. To study visual arts and culture is a way of paying attention to phenomena that are literally everywhere. The concept of ‘visual culture’ acknowledges the pervasive nature of visual phenomena, and signals openness towards both the breadth of objects and images, and the range of theoretical and methodological perspectives needed to understand them adequately. Drawing upon research strengths across the departments that contribute to the programme, the MA in Visual Arts and Culture encourages you to take a broad view of geographical and chronological scope, while allowing you to engage with a wide range of visual phenomena, including fine art, film, photography, architecture, and scientific and medical imaging practices.

The importance of critical visual literacy in the contemporary world cannot be exaggerated. ‘The illiterate of the future’, wrote the Bauhaus artist and theoretician László Moholy-Nagy, ‘will be the person ignorant of the camera as well as of the pen’. This observation was made in the 1920s, when photography was first used in the periodical press and in political propaganda. The rich visual world of the early twentieth century pales in comparison with the visual saturation that now characterises everyday experience throughout the developed societies and much of the developing world. But the study of visual culture is by no means limited to the twentieth century. Turning our attention to past cultures with a particular eye to the significance of visual objects of all kinds yields new forms of knowledge and understanding.

Our programme facilitates the development of critical visual literacy in three main ways. First, it attends to the specificity of visual objects, images and events, encouraging you to develop approaches that are sensitive to the individual works they encounter. Second, it investigates the nature of perception, asking how it is that we make meaning out of that which we see. Finally, it investigates how our relationships with other people, and with things, are bound up in the act of looking.

Course structure

The course consists of one core module, two optional modules and a dissertation. The core module sets out the intellectual framework for the programme, offering a broad overview of key conceptual debates in the field of Visual Culture, together with training in analysis of visual objects of different kinds, an advanced introduction to understanding museum practice, and key research skills in visual arts and culture. The optional modules provide further specialised areas of study in related topics of interest to individual students, and the 12,000-15,000 word dissertation involves detailed study of a particular aspect of a topic related to the broad area of visual culture.

Optional modules

Previously, optional modules have included:
-Critical Curatorship
-History, Knowledge and Visual Culture
-Representing Otherness
-Negotiating the Human
-Theorizing History and Historicising Theory: An Introduction to Photographic Studies
-Digital Imaging
-Cultural Heritage, Communities and Identities
-Current Issues in Aesthetics and Theory of Art
-Ethics of Cultural Heritage
-Monumental architecture of the Roman Empire in the Antonine and Severan periods
-Art in Ecological Perspective
-Texts and Cultures I: Visual and Verbal Cultures (Early Modern)
-Energy, Society and Energy Practices
-German Reading Skills for Research
-French Reading Skills for Research

The Centre for Visual Arts and Culture (CVAC) brings together scholars from across and beyond Durham University in order to provide a dynamic setting for wide-ranging interdisciplinary research and debates about visual culture, a field that entails the study of vision and perception, the analysis of the social significance of images and ways of seeing, and the attentive interpretation of a range of visual objects, from artworks to scientific images.

Centre for Visual Arts and Culture

The Centre brings together scholars from across and beyond Durham University in order to provide a vibrant and dynamic setting for wide-ranging interdisciplinary research and debates about visual culture. The Centre provides a focus for cutting-edge research on visual arts and cultures: it aspires to train new generations of scholars through innovative postgraduate programmes, it fosters informed debate both nationally and internationally, and it offers an engaging, open environment for researchers at all levels.

CVAC takes a generous view of what constitutes visual culture and it is broad in both geographical and chronological scope, encouraging debate about the range of approaches, methods and theories that are most generative for research on visual phenomena. Durham’s current visual culture research includes the study of word and image, art and religion, medicine and visual representation, film, the history of photography, architecture, urban culture, heritage and philosophical aesthetics. It also includes the development of pioneering visual research methods and the study of vision.

Durham’s location itself provides a rich and inspiring environment for this field of research. It is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site that also includes Durham Cathedral; its acclaimed Oriental Museum is a significant asset which houses three Designated Collections, recognised by the Arts Council as nationally and internationally pre-eminent; alongside an outstanding collection of twentieth-century and contemporary art. CVAC has many established relationships with major national and international cultural organisations, and aims to develop further its links with museums, galleries and heritage sites.

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Programme Overview

MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating offers sustained engagement with the visual arts from an intercultural perspective, training students in marketing, public relations, development, management, curating and gallery education within a visual arts context. The programme brings art and design historians, theoreticians, professional practitioners and studio artists together to; 1) offer a thorough grounding in the interdisciplinary, theoretical and methodological issues related to the study of the visual, and 2) equip students with the professional skills and experience to work successfully in a variety of arts and cultural industries.

Why Study MA in Visual Arts & Curating?

MA in Visual Arts Management and Curating is designed to develop professional excellence in the field of contemporary curatorial practice. The course aims to develop Arts Management Leaders and Curators.

The programme focuses contemporary discourse and practice in curating and arts management
Archiving - Research and Relevance
Arts Curating Contemporary Arts/Historical Context
Public Relations and Marketing in the Visual Arts
Studio Art and Contextual Presentation
Commercial Perceptions and Value

Recent guest lecturers and visiting speaker

Danny Birchall, Wellcome Collection ; Russell Dornan, Wellcome Collection; Joanna Banham, V&A; Justine Locker, Tate; John Stack, Tate; Luisa Ulyett, Tate; Anita Bennett, Tate; Caro Howell, The Foundling Museum; Synthia Griffin, Tate; Emma Law, Camden Arts Centre; Jessica Stockford, Arts & Business; Kate Oliver, Horniman Museum; Tiana Tasich, Digitelling Agency; Matthew Cain, The Guardian; Claudia Lastra, The Arts Catalyst

Recent Study Visits – London

V&A; Tate; Wellcome Collection; British Library; Geffrye Museum; Serpentine Gallery; British Museum; Frieze Art Fair; Sotheby’s; Christies; National Art Library; British Museum; Camden Arts Centre; National Gallery; National Portrait Gallery; South London Gallery
Recent Study Trips – International:
Venice, Berlin, Istanbul

Core Modules

Arts Management & Marketing
Arts Policy
World Arts
Curating
Arts Education
The International Art Market

How to Apply

Apply online using the application form available at http://www.richmond.ac.uk/admissions/postgraduate-admissions/ Please send your completed form to us by email to [email protected] or by mail to the following address: Admission Office, Richmond, the American University in London, Queens Road, Richmond Upon Thames TW10 6JP, UK.

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The MA Visual Arts combines advanced studio-based work, contextual studies and critically reflective research, allowing students to increase the sophistication of their work in preparation for the transition to professional practice. The MA is an intensive programme of study that includes taught units and an independent project comprising practical and theoretical work.

::MA students can expect::

- Support in further consolidating studio practice to a level appropriate for accomplished practitioners
- Access to facilities, workshops and expertise for the fabrication of artworks relating to the individual student's ambitions
- Opportunities to employ innovative approaches to practical making through which conceptual ideas are tested and informed by use of selected media
- To gain a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research and scholarship
- Develop originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the Visual Arts
- To consolidate a systematic understanding and critical awareness of current debates in contemporary art practice
- To further develop aptitude for professional practice, independent research or employment, including opportunities for public exhibition
- To possess independence, self-reliance, as well as promotional enterprise skills, motivated toward professional practice or employment

::Learning Environment::

- Large individual studio spaces
- An excellent staff-to-student ratio with the possibility for weekly tutorial support
- A specialised programme of lectures, seminars and workshops
- Input from regular Visiting Lecturers and artists
- Expert support for a dedicated team of workshop technicians
- Professional development provision for gallery visits and other external events
- Contact with a regular series of professional Artists-in-Residence based in the Visual Arts studios throughout the academic year
- An immersive environment with rich connections to art history, particularly Surrealism, through the legacy of college founder Edward James

Facilities

All full-time Visual Arts students are provided with a large individual workspace in the Edward James Studios. In addition to specialist spaces dedicated to Painting and Drawing, Sculpture and Tapestry and Textile-based work, the studios also include Seminar Room, a materials and tool store, a small photographic darkroom, bookable exhibition and research spaces, plus an IT suite with digital editing software. A self-contained Print Room offers specialist facilities for etching, aquatint, monoprinting, woodblock and linocut. Students can work on a large-scale in the Sculpture Courtyard, which is also suitable for work in stone carving.

Students are encouraged to collaborate with other College departments - particularly the full-time programmes in the School of Conservation - making the most of the wide range of specialist knowledge, materials and equipment that is available. The Short Course programme also allows students to access a wide range of visiting tutors and specialist techniques that can further enhance their studies.

West Dean House and Estate offers students access to ambitious exhibition opportunities and unique research material. Students are able to submit site-specific proposals throughout the year and are encouraged to take part in the annual Open House event. The Edward James Collection is an outstanding resource for full-time students, given them access to a range of significant, even iconic, works of art as an ongoing source of inspiration and research.

The College's Arts and Conservation Library gives students access to thousands of specialist books, journals and databases to support their studies.

The Main House also contains West Dean Tapestry Studio, one of the world's leading producers of hand-woven tapestry. As well as having close contact with the expertise of Master Weavers and designers, students have access to the studio's Dye Rooms, a specialist facility for the dyeing of yarn. Find out more about the professional Tapestry Studio here - https://www.westdean.org.uk/study/school-of-creative-arts/tapestry-studio

View some of the work exhibited at Divergence, the West Dean Visual Arts Summer Show 2015 - https://www.westdean.org.uk/study/school-of-creative-arts/gallery

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Overview

This program in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies is the only study program in Europe associating the education in production of visual arts with a highly specialized curatorial program.

The two-year MA in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies aims to build the skills of artists and curators starting from the same shared exhibition environment, where the role and the talents of both are open frameworks to be redefined.

The program provides a range of interdisciplinary activities developed through lectures, workshops, seminars and exhibitions in order to create new educational and practical models in the field of contemporary art.

Graduates from this MA program enjoy professional careers as curators, editors of specialized magazines and books, journalists, and exhibition designers. Visual culture, visual and performing arts, curatorial studies and exhibition design are included in the research and analysis fields.

Among the main areas of studying there are visual culture, visual and performing arts, curatorial studies, exhibition design.

Language: Italian
Credits: 120 CF
Placement rate: 81%

Audience

Candidates holding a first-level academic diploma or BA degree, or about to graduate and with a knowledge of the Italian language (according to the medium of instruction of the program) equal to a B2 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
The program is open to young artists searching for a solid education in the field of visual arts production with a highly specialized curatorial program, with the aim of building the skills of artists and curators starting from the same shared exhibition environment.

Career

The two-year MA in Visual Arts and Curatorial Studies equips students with the necessary fundamentals to continue their studies or to enter the world of professional design and creative industries. Graduates may find employment as: Artists, Curators, Editors of specialized magazines and books, Art critics and journalists, Exhibition designers, Gallery and museum directors, Consultants at auction houses, Art dealers, Directors of public institutions.

Companies

NABA has developed strong relationships with leading companies which provide internships for NABA students. Among them are: Fondazione La Triennale di Milano, Fondazione Museion - Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea Bolzano, Form Content Londra, BAK, basis voor actuele kunst, Oliviero Toscani Studio, Sotheby's Italia, Skira Editore, Associazione Viafarini, Artshow Edizioni, Careof Organization for Contemporary Art,Open Care.

Admission

Discover how to apply: http://www.naba.it/admission-postgraduate-programs/processo-di-ammissione/?lang=en

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The MST in visual arts–all grades (art education) leads to initial/professional New York state certification in visual arts for grades K through 12. This certification allows applicants to teach in New York state public schools. The program features pedagogical studies, studio inquiry, and student teaching. The program prepares students to meet the national, state, and regional need for teachers of the visual arts and is designed for accomplished art educators and advocates for art and learning in all grades. The program is nationally accredited and is for teachers in art education who hold a BFA or BA (art major) degree. Classes begin each August and conclude in May. Graduates of teacher education programs at RIT have a 96 percent pass rate on the NY State Teacher Certification examinations.

Curriculum

- First Year

Child Development in Art
Inclusive Art Education
Multicultural Issues
Methods in Teaching and Learning
Methods II Studio Thinking
Professional Practices
Student Teaching
Graduate Seminar in Art Education
Graduate Studio Elective

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Introduction

MA Book Arts at Camberwell College of Arts focuses on debates concerning the cultural, creative and individual functions of the book. The course engages with aspects of the book such as sequence, poetry, structure and materials; encompassing printed multiples and sculptural one-offs.

Content

What students can expect from the course:

- To develop a project from proposal to final exhibition

- To research content, materials and technical skills, then produce written and practical work exploring a subject in relationship to contemporary practice

- To receive support and supervision throughout the course from specialist academic staff in workshops, individual tutorials, seminars and lectures

- To take part in staff and student-led seminars to help promote debate, and work-in-progress sessions that allow for supportive critique

- To develop research skills, professional practice and an understanding of the wider context of book arts as an area of fine art and design practice

- To take part in a shared lecture programme across the Visual Arts courses that draw upon the richness of research across Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges

- To get involved in artists book fairs and visiting special collections in London such as the Tate, John Latham’s Flat Time House and the National Art Library at the V&A Museum

- To explore the expanded book in a display or installation by showing work in public exhibitions

Structure

Unit One – Research, Development and Practice

Students will explore, experiment and research to further develop their Project Proposals. This unit introduces students to pathway specific issues and topics, research methodologies and techniques. It aims to orientate students and their practice within the course, and develop their contextual, critical and research skills at the onset of their MA learning.

Unit Two – Reflection and Presentation

Resolution and presentation of students' work according to their Project Proposal. A symposium will provide the opportunity to present their research and provide further peer feedback. Students' practice at this stage should synthesise their practical, conceptual and professional abilities and they will be expected to consider their future practice, audience and context of their work in contemporary practice.

The intention and context of students' work will inform their decisions they will take regarding a final exhibition. Students' will also be expected to work collaboratively with their peers to actively plan, organise and install an exhibition as part of their continued Personal and Professional Development.

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Introduction

MA Designer Maker at Camberwell College of Arts is aimed at practitioners with well-developed workshop skills who are seeking to develop a critical and reflective approach to their practice. Making and learning are intertwined, and through a contextual programme our students explore the position of the designer and maker within contemporary culture and society.

Content

What students can expect from the course:

- To develop a project from proposal to final exhibition

- To develop an innovative studio practice through exploring new and existing materials and processes

- Seminars and discussions that cover a wide range of subjects, including material culture studies, anthropology, philosophy, sustainability, consumerism, museum studies, psychology and literature

- Visits to collections, makers’ studios, galleries and museums

- To critically engage with contemporary debates in applied arts, design and object-based art through the development of a personal project, as well as collectively exploring human-object relationships and the meaning of making

- A shared lecture programme across the Visual Arts courses that draw upon the richness of research across Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges

- To produce a wide range of works during the programme and for the final show, which has previously included lighting, design, ceramic works, furniture, jewellery, as well as installations of small-scale sculptures

Structure

Unit One – Research, Development and Practice

Students explore, experiment and research to further develop their Project Proposal. The unit introduces you to pathway specific issues and topics, research methodologies and techniques. It aims to orientate you and your practice within the course, and to develop your contextual, critical and research skills at the onset of your MA learning.

Unit Two – Reflection and Presentation

Resolution and presentation of students' work according to their Project Proposal. A symposium will provide the opportunity to present their research and provide further peer feedback. Students' practice at this stage should synthesise their practical, conceptual and professional abilities and they will be expected to consider their future practice, audience and context of their work in contemporary practice.

The intention and context of students' work will inform their decisions they will take regarding a final exhibition. Students' will also be expected to work collaboratively with their peers to actively plan, organise and install an exhibition as part of their continued Personal and Professional Development.

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Introduction

MA Illustration at Camberwell College of Arts demands strong voices and entrepreneurial image-makers who can tell their own stories. This course builds on the skills our students already have, through personally ambitious projects and wider interaction with the artistic community.

Content

What students can expect from the course:

- A course that focuses on originality and authorship, aiming to encourage visual thinking, research skills and storytelling ability, while developing their entrepreneurial qualities, communication and professional skills

- A series of workshops, discussion groups, and one-to-one tutorials that help them develop a proposal for an ambitious and engaging project

- To test out and implement critical and practical skills, as well as consider how to develop their practice and any new directions they may take

- Studio based lecture programme, practitioner visits and seminars

- A shared lecture programme across the Visual Arts courses that draw upon the richness of research across Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges

- Visits to museums and engagement with the creative environment London has

- Students are also encouraged to take part in exhibitions, competitions and commissions that have previously involved collaborations with Wellcome Trust, Blackhall Studios as well as Purestone digital marketing agency

Structure

Unit One – Research, Development and Practice

Students will explore, experiment and research to further develop their Project Proposals. This unit introduces students to pathway specific issues and topics, research methodologies and techniques. It aims to orientate students and their practice within the course, and develop their contextual, critical and research skills at the onset of their MA learning.

Unit Two – Reflection and Presentation

Resolution and presentation of students' work according to their Project Proposal. A symposium will provide the opportunity to present their research and provide further peer feedback. Students' practice at this stage should synthesise their practical, conceptual and professional abilities and they will be expected to consider their future practice, audience and context of their work in contemporary practice.

The intention and context of students' work will inform their decisions they will take regarding a final exhibition. Students' will also be expected to work collaboratively with their peers to actively plan, organise and install an exhibition as part of their continued Personal and Professional Development.

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Introduction

MA Fine Art Digital at Camberwell College of Arts focuses on art that engages with, uses and is impacted by the digital. This course doesn’t focus on technology but presents it as a tool to facilitate ideas, placing emphasis upon its creative and artistic use. Our MA in Fine Art Digital is offered both as a studio based course and an online course.

Content

What students can expect from the course:

- To blur and break the boundaries between traditional Fine Art disciplines such as painting, sculpture and printmaking as well as exploring the space created by the digital

- Their programme of work to be supported by specialist academic staff in workshops, individual tutorials and seminars

- A shared lecture programme across the Visual Arts courses that draw upon the richness of research across Camberwell, Chelsea and Wimbledon Colleges

- The chance to get involved in projects, seminars and presentations across the University and at other institutions that have previously included the V&A, the Institute of Contemporary Arts, FACT in Liverpool, onedotzero as well as international galleries in China and Brazil

- To take part in a unique final exhibition, combining work from our students in London with that of our online students around the world at the end of the course

Structure

Unit One – Research, Development and Practice

Students will explore, experiment and research to further develop their Project Proposals. This unit introduces students to pathway specific issues and topics, research methodologies and techniques. It aims to orientate students and their practice within the course, and develop their contextual, critical and research skills at the onset of their MA learning.

Unit Two – Reflection and Presentation

Resolution and presentation of students' work according to their Project Proposal. A symposium will provide the opportunity to present their research and provide further peer feedback. Students' practice at this stage should synthesise their practical, conceptual and professional abilities and they will be expected to consider their future practice, audience and context of their work in contemporary practice.

The intention and context of students' work will inform their decisions they will take regarding a final exhibition. Students' will also be expected to work collaboratively with their peers to actively plan, organise and install an exhibition as part of their continued Personal and Professional Development.

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The one year MA in Art History offers training in the histories and theories of art and visual culture. The MA degree requires full-time study for three terms (fall, winter, summer) and has two streams, a course-based stream and a thesis-based stream. It prepares its graduates for advanced study in the field, as well as for careers in museums, galleries, and other areas of the arts.

In first semester, all MA and MFA students take a core course in art theory and research methods together, thereby providing opportunities for exchange between historical and contemporary perspectives. From there, students work in small seminar courses, complete a second language requirement, have the opportunity to undertake an internship, and complete either a major research paper or thesis, depending on stream.

Visit the website: http://grad.uwo.ca/prospective_students/programs/program_NEW.cfm?p=146

How to apply

For information on how to apply, please see: http://grad.uwo.ca/prospective_students/applying/index.html

Financing your studies

As one of Canada's leading research institutions, we place great importance on helping you finance your education. It is crucial that you devote your full energy to the successful completion of your studies, so we want to ensure that stable funding is available to you.
For information please see: http://grad.uwo.ca/current_students/student_finances/index.html

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The MFA in Visual Art offers training in contemporary visual art and prepares its graduates for professional careers as artists and curators, as well as for advanced training at the PhD level, and for a range of careers in galleries, museums, and other art world contexts. It combines an emphasis on critical theory with instruction in the studio arts.

In the first semester, all MA and MFA students take a core course in art theory together, thereby providing opportunities for exchange and collaboration. Students work in small seminar courses to develop their research and studio practice.

Visit the website: http://grad.uwo.ca/prospective_students/programs/program_NEW.cfm?p=147

How to apply

For information on how to apply, please see: http://grad.uwo.ca/prospective_students/applying/index.html

Financing your studies

As one of Canada's leading research institutions, we place great importance on helping you finance your education. It is crucial that you devote your full energy to the successful completion of your studies, so we want to ensure that stable funding is available to you.
For information please see: http://grad.uwo.ca/current_students/student_finances/index.html

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Introduction

MA Printmaking at Camberwell College of Arts encourages students to reflect on printmaking in its many contexts. The international success of our MA in Printmaking is due to how we explore this medium in its own right, as well as its relationship to wider contemporary practices. We respond to current debates about the role of skill and authorship in the creation of artworks, as well as the notion of the unique work of art.

Content

What students can expect from the course:

- To take an innovative approach, using all forms of autographic printmaking; these include intaglio, lithographic, relief print, screen-printing, letterpress and computer generated processes

- To investigate and reconsider assumptions underlying the applications of autographic processes and new technologies

- Their programmes of study to place the practice of printmaking in both a contemporary critical context as well as a wider, historical perspective

- To research the content, materials and technical skills appropriate to their projects, and produce written as well as practical work exploring their chosen subject area and relationship to contemporary practice

- Visits to important print collections and participate in symposiums and talks with curators and international artist.

- To develop a project from proposal to final exhibition

Structure

Unit One – Research, Development and Practice

Students will explore, experiment and research to further develop their Project Proposals. This unit introduces students to pathway specific issues and topics, research methodologies and techniques. It aims to orientate students and their practice within the course, and develop their contextual, critical and research skills at the onset of their MA learning.

Unit Two – Reflection and Presentation

Resolution and presentation of students' work according to their Project Proposal. A symposium will provide the opportunity to present their research and provide further peer feedback. Students' practice at this stage should synthesise their practical, conceptual and professional abilities and they will be expected to consider their future practice, audience and context of their work in contemporary practice.

The intention and context of students' work will inform their decisions they will take regarding a final exhibition. Students' will also be expected to work collaboratively with their peers to actively plan, organise and install an exhibition as part of their continued Personal and Professional Development.

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Still accepting applications for 2016/17

The MFA (Master of Fine Arts) at West Dean College is a two-year full-time programme of study designed to further advance students' capacities in practical, theoretical and professional domains, with an emphasis on specialist studio practice. The two-year structure provides students with sustained periods of studio-based activity, with dissertation requirements coming early in the second year of study. The emphasis on practice is nonetheless informed and supported by theoretical and professional Study Units throughout the academic year. Whether specialising in a single discipline or working across media, MFA students will have time to develop and expand their studio work to the highest standards, bringing in relevant historical, theoretical and professional perspectives.

::MFA students can expect::

- Support in consolidating studio practice to a level appropriate for accomplished practitioners
- Access to facilities, workshops and expertise for the fabrication of artworks relating to the individual student's ambitions
- Opportunities to employ innovative approaches to studio practice through which conceptual ideas are tested and informed by use of selected media
- To gain a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to their own research and scholarship
- To develop originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in the Visual Arts
- To consolidate a systematic understanding and critical awareness of current debates in contemporary art practice
- To further develop aptitude for professional practice, independent research or employment, including opportunities for public exhibition
- To possess independence, self-reliance, as well as promotional enterprise skills, motivated toward professional practice or employment

::Learning Environment::

- Large individual studio spaces
- An excellent staff-to-student ratio with the possibility for weekly tutorial support
- A specialised programme of lectures, seminars and workshops
- Input from regular Visiting Lecturers and artists
- Expert support for a dedicated team of workshop technicians
- Professional development provision for gallery visits and other external events
- Contact with a regular series of professional Artists-in-Residence based in the Visual Arts studios throughout the academic year
- An immersive environment with rich connections to art history, particularly Surrealism, through the legacy of college founder Edward James

Programme Aims

The MFA programme Aims and Learning Outcomes are consistent with the descriptors for a
qualification at QAA Level 7, as defined in the QAA Quality Code for Higher Education (Part A,
Chapter 1).

The programme aims are to provide:

Practical:

1. Provide a stimulating and supportive learning environment for students to develop their
creative, intellectual and material practices

2. Provide facilities and support through which students can further develop their skills and fluency
to an advanced level as accomplished practitioners, gaining a comprehensive understanding of
techniques applicable to their own research or advanced scholarship

3. Enable students to achieve a comprehensive understanding and detailed knowledge of key
aspects of their field of study, as well as creative originality in their application

4. Encourage and support advanced experimental, creative approaches to studio work, much of
which is at, or informed by, the forefront of academic discipline, field of study or area of
professional practice (QAA Quality Code Part A, Chapter A1, p12)

Theoretical:

1. Provide a stimulating environment where advanced research methods and critical practices can
be articulated and where a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to personal
research and advanced scholarship can flourish

2. Increase student’s ability to deploy accurately advanced techniques of analysis and inquiry within
their chosen discipline

3. Enable students to articulate an advanced critical understanding of studio practice and its
contexts within contemporary visual art culture, much of which is informed by the forefront of
art practice and theory

Professional:

1. Provide support for personal and professional development, including development and
application of transferable skills such as self-management, decision-making, communication,
collaboration, problem solving, IT and research skills

2. Educate students to possess independence, self-understanding, self-reliance motivated toward
future learning, practice or employment

Facilities

All full-time Visual Arts students are provided with a large individual workspace in the Edward James Studios. In addition to specialist spaces dedicated to Painting and Drawing, Sculpture and Tapestry and Textile-based work, the studios also include Seminar Room, a materials and tool store, a small photographic darkroom, bookable exhibition and research spaces, plus an IT suite with digital editing software. A self-contained Print Room offers specialist facilities for etching, aquatint, monoprinting, woodblock and linocut. Students can work on a large-scale in the Sculpture Courtyard, which is also suitable for work in stone carving.

Students are encouraged to collaborate with other College departments - particularly the full-time programmes in the School of Conservation - making the most of the wide range of specialist knowledge, materials and equipment that is available. The Short Course programme also allows students to access a wide range of visiting tutors and specialist techniques that can further enhance their studies.

West Dean House and Estate offers students access to ambitious exhibition opportunities and unique research material. Students are able to submit site-specific proposals throughout the year and are encouraged to take part in the annual Open House event. The Edward James Collection is an outstanding resource for full-time students, given them access to a range of significant, even iconic, works of art as an ongoing source of inspiration and research.

The College's Arts and Conservation Library gives students access to thousands of specialist books, journals and databases to support their studies.

The Main House also contains West Dean Tapestry Studio, one of the world's leading producers of hand-woven tapestry. As well as having close contact with the expertise of Master Weavers and designers, students have access to the studio's Dye Rooms, a specialist facility for the dyeing of yarn. Find out more about the professional Tapestry Studio here - https://www.westdean.org.uk/study/school-of-creative-arts/tapestry-studio

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The University of Windsor offers two distinct Master of Fine Arts programs:

MFA, Visual Arts

The Master of Fine Arts Program at the University of Windsor is a two-year, studio-centered program geared towards creative exploration, innovative experimentation and the development of a sustainable artistic practice. The program provides graduate students with a critical and theoretical framework that enables the independent development of artistic research and studio production that is supported by a range of dynamic faculty, visiting artists, curators and critics. Windsor’s School of Creative Arts | Visual Arts has one of the longest running MFA programs in Canada, founded in 1979. University of Windsor MFA graduates have gone on to establish significant careers as visual artists, educators, curators and arts professionals.

Our program is distinguished for its focus on intensive graduate supervision, spacious facilities and openness to unconventional practices. We encourage a multi-disciplinary approach to art that enables students to experiment with a variety of media and methods to discover those best suited to realizing their creative projects. Recently these have ranged from video installation, audio responsive installation, performance, social practice, bio art, and urban intervention.

MFA, Film and Media Arts

The School of Creative Arts also offers an MFA in Film and Media Arts program. Like the MFA in Visual Arts, the MFA in Film and Media Arts focuses on studio production with an emphasis on multidisciplinary collaboration. Students are expected to create films and multimedia works in a variety of genres en route to developing a thesis project.

Our faculty have established national and international reputations, exhibiting, performing, and screening films regularly in Canada and abroad. Currently, School of Creative Arts faculty members are working on a range of externally funded projects that explore multimedia performance, the intersection of art and biotechnology, ecology, architecture, documentary film, and urban culture. We encourage applications from artists working in a wide variety of contemporary practices.

Philosophy and Objectives

The MFA programs at the University of Windsor’s, are intensively studio-based programs that stress individual attention and the development of professional practice in contemporary visual art. Our program provides a critical and theoretical framework that fosters dialogue and experimentation through providing a challenging environment to expand definitions of contemporary creative practice.

The objective of the MFA program is to produce artists that are self-critical and culturally aware, capable of engaging in the contemporary art world independently and self-reliantly both in terms of technical abilities and expanding professional opportunities encountered beyond the university context. The work of the graduate students encompasses a broad range of practices, aesthetic issues, personal concerns and technical means. Our program typically attracts a select group of students who pursue studio work that dissolves the boundaries of traditional areas of specialization.

Program Structure

The MFA programs provide two years of advanced education and creative development in the student’s chosen area of research. The curriculum consists of a series of seminars and concentrated studio work. These are supported by critical dialogue among students, faculty, visiting artists, lectures and conferences. Students are required to complete the following courses: four semesters of independent studio practice, four semesters of graduate seminars, one seminar on contemporary issues, and one seminar on graduate research and writing. After the completion of the above, students prepare for their final support paper and individual thesis exhibition which is examined through oral defense.

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The MA by Research (Hispanic Studies) is a flexible programme that allows you to undertake in-depth study (both full and part-time), under the supervision of international experts, on a broad range of subjects, including literature, visual or cultural studies or comparative topics.

The core of the MA by Research is a 25,000 word dissertation on a subject of your own choosing, intended to give you the scope to explore your area of interest in real depth and to develop sophisticated critical and analytical research and writing skills.

You will also complete a research-focused, taught module which will equip you with a range of theoretical and historical approaches to the study of literature, art and culture, enabling you to articulate, refine and persistently test your approach to your chosen topic within this broader theoretical and methodological framework.

See the website https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/mllc/coursefinder/mahispanicstudiesbyresearch.aspx

Why choose this course?

You will get the opportunity to:
- Pursue in-depth, directed research through the 25,000 word dissertation with one-to-one supervision, regular feedback and other departmental support

- You will follow a taught course with your peers on theories of literature and visual culture

- Participate in the energetic research culture in the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and cultures and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Royal Holloway – libraries, seminars, symposia including the regular postgraduate work-in-progress seminars and our annual Postgraduate Colloquium

- Enjoy proximity to London’s unparalleled facilities, including the British Library, Senate House library, and the Institute of Germanic and Romance studies

- Take advantage of professional and research development training on campus and at the Institute of Germanic and Romance Studies

Department research and industry highlights

Research drives the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Royal Holloway. Academics in the School all contribute to teaching and are active researchers with international reputations. Our research environment has a basis in our expertise in French, German, Hispanic, Italian and Comparative Studies, and encourages collaboration and exchange across traditional disciplinary boundaries. Our strengths span literature, thought, film and the visual arts from the medieval to the twenty-first century.

Course content and structure

You will take one core taught course and complete a dissertation.

- Core course units:

Theories of Literature and Visual Culture (40 credits)
This course is the core taught course for all students and is taught across two terms. It provides y knowledge of a range of historical and modern theoretical approaches to the study of literature and the visual arts. It refines students' theoretical understanding and provides the methodological tools to proceed to PhD research if they so wish.

Dissertation (140 credits)
A 25,000 word dissertation on a subject of your choice. You will receive one-to-one support from your supervisor.

On completion of the course graduates will have:
- Joined a community of scholars who are working at the cutting edge of their chosen discipline.

- Learnt to undertake focussed research, developed written and oral presentation skills, and honed their skills in critical analysis.

- Gained an understanding and a critical awareness of current problems and/or new insights in literature, film, cultural studies or the visual arts.

- Demonstrated self-direction and originality and the independent learning and initiative required for continuing professional development

Assessment

The taught course is assessed by essay and presentation. The dissertation is examined by a visiting examiner and includes a viva voce.

Employability & career opportunities

Our graduates are highly employable and, in recent years have entered many different language-related fields including international management, consultancy, sales and marketing, media and publishing, banking, the arts, politics, the Civil Service, teaching, travel and tourism, translating and interpreting. This course also equips you with a solid foundation for continued PhD studies.

How to apply

Applications for entry to all our full-time postgraduate degrees can be made online https://www.royalholloway.ac.uk/studyhere/postgraduate/applying/howtoapply.aspx .

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