Teaching:

You will learn in an international environment through interaction with academic experts, guest speakers and industry practitioners. The core modules are taught through a combination of lectures, workshops, seminars, and student-led presentations. The course is designed to facilitate participation and critical self-reflection. You will be engaging in discussions and debates about contemporary cultural policy issues with members of the teaching staff and your fellow students and examining current practice in the management of cultural organisations through case studies and insights from professionals in the field. By participating in group work and through individual research and reading you will develop your understanding of the contexts which frame cultural policies and learn how management methods and strategies are adapted to meet changing demands and changing political and managerial ideologies.

The course will enhance your research, writing and communication skills through guided and autonomous reading, group and solo projects, presentations, reports and essays. Depending upon your selection of option modules you will also have the opportunity to apply your learning in a professional context.Throughout the degree, you will also be guided and supported through personal tutorials so that your postgraduate study at the Centre will equip you with the professional skills you need for your chosen career path.

Contact Hours:

Typical contact hours range between 6 to 10 hours each week for core teaching – this excludes additional workshops, research seminars and guest speaker sessions.

Class Sizes:

There are between 15 - 30 students on each of the four taught Master's courses.

Assessment

• All coursework.
• Written assignments come in a variety of forms: essays, case studies, evaluations, reports, proposals, portfolios and business plans.
• Group presentations and tasks, team building exercises, and creative and practical projects
• Major Project represents a significant body of research and writing on a topic of your choice supervised by an experienced researcher

Core Modules:

The core modules from the foundation of the MA programme which examines the concept of cultural policy, the context and practices of cultural production and the intellectual history and framework of ideas relating to culture and policy.

As a student on the MA in International Cultural Policy and Management you will complete four core modules:

International Cultural PolicyLink opens in a new window

examines the relationship between government, the public cultural sector and the cultural industries and how these actors shape cultural policy

Cultural TheoryLink opens in a new window

engages with the work of a variety of commentators on the subject of the nature and function of the arts and culture and explores how their ideas inform cultural policy debates.

Placement and Case Study 
This module gives you the opportunity to apply your learning in situ or in practice related contexts, as it is one of the Centre's Applied Management Modules that take place during the Summer term.

Research Design

This module is a common Centre core module and aims to prepare you for your Major Project (see below.) It will equip you with a broad understanding of relevant research methods from which to select an appropriate approach for your own project. It will introduce you to ethical dimensions of research. It will equip you to write an effective proposal (including research questions, rationale, explanation and justification of research methods, identifying relevant literature and data sources). By the end of the module you should be ready to submit your proposal and equipped with a broad understanding of research methods in the cultural, creative and media industries field.

The final part of this Masters course is the Major Project, a substantial piece of independent research and writing on a topic of your choice which allows you to develop and critically reflect upon your ideas through further research in the field of cultural policy and management. To find out more details please visit this page.

Optional Modules:

In addition to your four core modules you will be able to determine the appropriate balance between applied and theoretical work by completing one optional module from a list available to all taught Masters students within the Centre.

Previously these modules have included:

• Developing Audiences for Cultural Organisations
• Managing Cultural Organisations
• Sustainable Creativity for the Cultural Industries
• The Global Audience
• Understanding Cultural Work

To view the full list of optional modules available in greater detail, please visit this page. * Link opens in a new window 

* The modules mentioned above and on our optional modules page may be subject to change. Please read our terms and conditions for more detailed information.

Whether your ambition is a career in the arts or cultural policy making, whether you are new to the cultural sector or an experienced professional, this course will help you to develop and take advantage of a range of career opportunities available to you. The course is designed for students seeking or developing careers in arts and cultural management either in the UK or abroad. The course is popular amongst UK and European graduates as well as students from all over the world such as China, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea, Japan, Azerbaijan, the USA, Mexico, and Turkey. Non-European students may be particularly interested in the study of alternative models of cultural policy.

Past students have taken up managerial roles in the creative industries and subsidised arts sector, work as policy makers and lobbyists in both governmental and non-governmental organisations and as arts and cultural planning consultants.

The course is also an excellent platform for PhD study if you are considering a research career in academia or industry.To find out more about PhD study at the Centre, please visit this page.

We maintain close links with Centre alumni who regularly notify us of job opportunities and work closely with advisors in the University Careers Centre who also offer specialist workshops and advice sessions.