MA Creative Producing and Arts Management is a workplace-focused, taught postgraduate degree. It provides you with knowledge and skills to support a career in arts management or administration, and to deliver contemporary performance projects as a producer, curator, artist or programmer. It is delivered with key partners: Warwick Arts Centre, the Belgrade Theatre, Motionhouse, and The Audience Agency. The first three organisations are based in the West Midlands, providing a distinctive geographical concentration and ease of access. The partners represent a range of organisational and operational models; and offer excellent insight into producing and managing in the performing arts in the UK and internationally.

The programme is rooted in industry contexts in order to provide close engagement with current principles, practices and developments within the sector. It addresses national and international arts policy and production, and critical frameworks for understanding and analysing them. It particularly focuses on the performing arts, drawing on the strengths of core partners, while the knowledge and practical skills that it develops are applicable in wider arts and cultural industries settings. It explores innovations in the rapidly changing field of creative arts and cultural production, and the ideas and directions that are shaping future work. The programme features a ‘Challenge Intensive’ led by one of the partner organisations, addressing a real-world challenge in the arts; and a ‘Building Takeover’ of Warwick Arts Centre, where the group curates its own programme of activities. A suite of seminars, case studies, workshops and skills classes help to develop your understanding, creative and analytic capacities, and practical and personal attributes in arts producing and management contexts.

You will complete a placement that supports a final individual project on a selected aspect of work as a creative producer/arts manager. The course incorporates a reflective learning framework: you are encouraged to set personal goals at the start of the programme; and supported in reviewing and working towards these across a variety of activities and projects.

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Core Modules

All modules on this course are core modules.

• Performing Arts Contexts
• Production and Curation
• Strategic Arts Management
• Themes in National and International Cultural Infrastructure
• Individual Project

Teaching

Classes take place on Fridays, with morning and afternoon sessions addressing different modules. If you are a part-time student, you will attend either in the morning or the afternoon. Additional sessions are scheduled to allow for peer-sharing and discussion, and opportunities to visit venues and see work. There is a residential ‘Challenge Intensive’ over three days in the Summer Term (April/May) and a one-day ‘Building Takeover’ in June. You will complete a placement of c. 100 hours, which can be undertaken at any time from the beginning of Term 2 and must be concluded in advance of submission of the final portfolio (September). Research modes and skills are taught by way of dedicated classes across the programme, with embedded study and activities within respective modules. Tutorials will be offered on Wednesdays (or by arrangement) in person, by phone or by skype.

The course is taught in close collaboration with four partner organisations: the Audience Agency, the Belgrade Theatre, Motionhouse, and Warwick Arts Centre. Other organisations and arts professionals will also be involved in delivering specific sessions and/or hosting placements.

A range of teaching methods will be used, including presentations by staff and industry practitioners, seminar discussions, workshops, site visits, placements, group project work, student presentations in groups and individually, independent study and preparation, and a placement. Seminars and workshops will normally consist of fewer than 15 students.

You are welcome to participate in departmental research seminars, where staff and PG students share their research through a wide range of formats. You may also attend a series of training lectures and workshops led by colleagues in the University.

Assessment and Feedback

The programme comprises a range of assessments that are designed to provide direct development of skills required in the workplace.

Assessment tasks include:

• 15-minute presentation on a challenge/issue in contemporary performance context
• Essay (3,000 words)
• Case study providing a critical report on a specific performing arts initiative (5,000 words or equivalent)
• Project pitch (4,000 words or equivalent)
• Group ‘building takeover’ project and individual critical review
• Challenge Intensive Critical Review (including onward proposal) (4,000 words or equivalent)
• Audience Study with accompanying materials (3,000 words or equivalent)
• Group presentation of business plan (15 mins) with subsequent development of plan
• Funding application for a designated funding scheme (3,000 words or equivalent)
• Individual Portfolio (10,000 words or equivalent)

You will receive feedback in both oral and written forms.

Skills from this degree

The course’s main learning outcomes are as follows:

• Demonstrate in-depth and extended knowledge of policies, contexts and frameworks for producing and management in the performing arts, informed by knowledge at the forefront of the discipline
• Demonstrate advanced understanding of key organisations in the field and the rationale underpinning different approaches and processes employed in the producing and management of theatre, performance and digital projects that may inform and enrich their own work in the field
• Evaluate research methods used in arts administration and management work, understand the issues involved in adopting these methods, apply them as appropriate, and develop critiques of them that can inform their own practice
• Understand the practicalities of working as a practitioner in a creative producing or arts management setting and the needs of different types of artists and organisations
• Evidence specific advanced skills in aspects of creative producing and arts management, for example in areas of company organisation, business planning and/or the curation of artistic work
• Demonstrate skills in collaborative working required to initiate, plan and facilitate work in performance arts contexts
• Apply skills of project design, project realisation and evaluation that are appropriate for a performing arts producing/management context, in relation to given parameters and in response to specific challenges
• Understand the requirements of different audiences for the performing arts and the use of market data to inform planning in relation to audience engagement
• Demonstrate the ability to work over an extended period at a suitable level in a professional organisation/workplace
• Demonstrate advanced knowledge and critical competencies by way of extended articulation and analysis over a long-form project or dissertation

The University of Warwick operates an Equal Opportunities Policy and values Diversity; it welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds.

Minimum requirements You will have, or be expecting to obtain, a First or 2:i undergraduate degree from a UK university or an equivalent qualification from an overseas university. Your degree will normally be in an arts, humanities, media or social science-related subject, or in areas cognate to the course, such as economics, business studies, IT, marketing and urban studies. Students with science degrees will also be considered, especially where an interest in (for example) public engagement and project management can be demonstrated. Alternative subject routes for entry are welcome if the applicant can demonstrate that they have suitable aptitude in order to meet the range of demands of the course.

English Language requirements Band B
Overall IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 and component scores

If English is not your first language you must demonstrate that you have oral and written fluency in English.

International Students
We welcome applications from students with other internationally recognised qualifications. For more information please visit the international entry requirements page.

For up-to-date information concerning fees, funding and scholarships for Home, EU and Overseas students please visit Warwick's Fees and Funding webpage.

Scholarship

In the academic year 2018/19, we awarded approximately £41 million in scholarship funding to postgraduate students. Warwick is also part of a number of prestigious government Scholarship schemes, including Chevening, Fulbright, Commonwealth and Marshall.

Additional course cost

Mandatory costs will include materials and printing for project assessment work at approximately £50 in total for the course. There may also be costs associated with travel to/from shows and other engagements with professional practice up to £60. Purchase of a laptop computer, at approximately £400, is recommended.

The MA in Creative Producing and Arts Management offers a range of transferable skills suitable for the following career trajectories, among others:

• Producer/Curator
• Programmer (Festival/Venue)
• Venue Manager
• Company Manager
• Concept Developer
• Partnership and Exchange Manager
• Promoter/Tour management/booking
• Marketing officer in a professional theatre/arts organisation/museum
• Arts Officer in Local Government

There are a number of different ways to visit the University of Warwick throughout the year. We host bespoke PG visits, where you can talk directly with your chosen department and explore our campus through a personalised tour. Some departments also host their own events and open days, where you can learn more about your department or course of study. To find out more about all of these opportunities, visit our Postgraduate Visits page.