MA - Arts Administration and Cultural Policy

Using the many transferable skills I learned on the MA has enabled me to pursue a new career with an international humanitarian organisation.
Mervat has been working at NGOs for over 10 years in the UK and the Middle East. She is currently working as a Programme Officer (covering Iraq Programme) at an international humanitarian organisation.

Prior to that, Mervat was working in theatre management serving under-privileged children and young people through cultural and educational interventions. That’s what led her to completing her Master’s Degree in Arts Administration and Cultural Policy.

For Mervat, studying at Goldsmiths was one of the best experiences she had, the MA Degree allowed her to pursue a new career using the many transferable skills that she learnt, starting a new life in the UK and meeting many of her close friends there.

I graduated from MA Arts Administration and Cultural Policy in 2018, I am now in charge of research and international affairs at the Association for Corporate Support of the Arts. My main responsibilities include surveys for corporations and their art and cultural activities, I then issue research reports based on the survey results every year. Our surveys are a commisioned project from the Agency for Cultural Affairs for the Japanese government.

Before studying at Goldsmiths, I already studied for two Masters degrees in Japan: a Master of Business Administration and Master of Arts. Studying at Goldsmiths was an opportunity to get international knowledge and experience, and was really the final stage of my academic journey before working again. Regarding my current job, I always use what I learned during all of my studies. Having a knowledge of art and the cultural policy situation in the UK and other European countries is very useful for my research job.

I found out about Goldsmiths because of my previous boss in a gallery I worked at recommended it to me because. She said it is one of the most creative schools in the art field and it is well-recognised in China's art scene, which means it will better for my future job hunting after graduation. Before I came to Goldsmiths, I was working in MD Gallery, an international Gallery founded by a Paris woman. I was also working as a volunteer in Himalayas Art Museum, which is one of the largest museums in Shanghai.

I found my course a little bit tough as it was sometimes hard to find a balance between reading more books and seeing more exhibitions, while also spending a lot of time absorbing knowledge from lectures, too. As an international students, you can use a lot of energy to transfer English and Chinese and try to understand the deeper meaning of what the teachers said.

We all loved the college's atmosphere, both the physical environment and the artistic and creative atmosphere here. Everything here is so different from what I've experienced in former traditional study atmosphere. I would always walk in London centre and go to a lot of exhibitions as well. Finding new pubs or cafes in London helped me to immerse myself in London culture, too. The academic studies and research have been the most important channels to lay a solid foundation to realise my dream.

My ambitions to work as an excellent art administrator in an art institution such as an art museum have come true. Since completing my MA in ICCE, I now work as a core team member at the Start Museum. I am responsible for exhibitions assistance, researching artists and collections.

The Start Museum is a new contemporary art museum opening in Shanghai at the end of 2019. It's located near the West Bund Cultural Belt, Xuhui District in Shanghai, and was designed by the famous French architect Jean Nouvel.

Thanks to what I've learned and experienced during my MA, I have improved my thinking and research abilities and have helped my job.

Wanting to pivot my career from fashion retail management to working in the events industry, I was certain Goldsmiths was a great place to start that journey. I was eager to join a university that held innovation at its heart, and I was looking for a course heavily centred around the arts and creative practice. I was not disappointed when I entered university life and found the environment at Goldsmiths to my liking.

I chose the Masters in Events and Experience Management within The Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship. It contained theoretical and practical elements, mostly taught in lectures and seminars, with additional class excursions. We had many guest lectures from people in different areas of the events industry. Speakers ranged from smaller enterprises such as Mimbre Acrobats and The Twin Peaks UK Festival to larger companies such as Time Out, London & Partners and Broadwick Live. Being exposed to many high-quality employers gave ample opportunity to network. Connecting with one of the guest speakers, I have continued to work with her on various projects since I have left university.

The assignments were a mix of essays and group work, reflecting the course’s content of theory and practice. The practical tasks designed, gave us a true-to-life experience, and mimicked the world of work as closely as possible. One example was when we presented our group work to the events team at The National Gallery, a beneficial and useful exercise.

This MA was life changing. It gave me the tools, confidence and support to leave a corporate career and co-found CYD Connects, a strategic brand communications consultancy delivering social impact for our purpose led economy. We challenge clients to reorient their brand and communications towards good, turning social responsibilty into profitable, sustainable, long term competitive advantage.

The cohort was diverse and as well as making new friends we continually learn from each other. The educators went above and beyond to share all I needed and as alumni they continue to point me in the right direction. I cannot recommend this programme enough!

Like many ICCE students, I joined the MA with a clear idea of what I wanted to achieve… and left it with a very different future to the one I had planned.

Instead of being a full-time film programmer (as planned), I now work at Goldsmiths as a lecturer and project manager. I teach on the university’s Synapse programme, which embeds enterprise thinking into courses across Goldsmiths. We invite students to consider their own role in shaping their future, and making a positive impact on the world. I also look after a range of support for student entrepreneurs, including one-to-one coaching and funding opportunities.

In the years since graduating, I’ve also set up and managed international summer schools, degree show exhibitions and event programmes, and supported ICCE as an academic tutor, lecturer and admissions tutor.

My creative work has morphed in two directions. On one hand, I’ve converted my experience as a film programmer into a 12-week course, and am working to develop skills and networks for film programmers in South Africa. And on the other, I’ve taken my love of events and audiences into a new direction, organising a Parade of Friendly Monsters.

Studying at Goldsmiths gave me space to experiment (and sometimes fail!), develop my ideas, encounter new possibilities for my work, and experience first-rate creative entrepreneurship training. Rather than squishing me into a ‘business studies’ mould, ICCE enabled me to open up and think entrepreneurially in every direction.

MA in Luxury Brand Management has contributed not only to the comprehensive acquisition of new knowledge but also became a breakthrough in my career. It is worth to note that the structure of the programme is very well organised, therefore the concept of luxury is viewed from different perspectives. In addition to the required modules, there was an impressive selection of optional modules where students can choose the most suitable for them. Moreover, the guest lectures, which were on an ongoing basis throughout the course, made it possible to meet interesting and influential representatives from the luxury industries of various sectors (fashion, events, jewellery, wine, tourism, etc.).

Although the master’s degree is viewed more as an independent study, I entirely received support from the teaching staff to proceed and maintain a high level of performance. Overall, there was a sense of community, where everyone knows each other’s personal qualities and encourages an individual approach. It is especially delighted that the Programme Director & Lecturer, Dr Kelly Meng Parnwell always responded to any emerging issues and successfully solved them while being enthusiastic and professional. I am very grateful that I made this decision and applied for the Luxury Brand Management course which has become a valuable asset into my life.