MA (Specialist Title) for Creative Industries

• Normally, you should have at least a lower second class (2.2) honours degree in a subject relevant to the creative discipline(s) you wish to study during this course. Relevant subjects include (but aren’t limited to) animation, illustration, art and design, fine art, graphic design, media, performing arts, dance, photography, textiles and surface design, fashion, creative writing, games design, games art, special effects and visual effects. If you have expertise in another creative discipline and wish to combine this with the one you studied at undergraduate-level, we may be able to accommodate you, however, you’ll need to attend an interview and present a portfolio of evidence as described below.
• If you don’t have a lower second class (2.2) honours degree but do have significant experience in your field of creative practice and are able to present a strong portfolio, then we’ll be happy to consider your application. You’ll be required to attend an online or face-to-face interview and present evidence in the form of a portfolio of creative and written work that demonstrate your suitability and aptitude for the course. The evidence should be presented in electronic format and attested by an independent person. The independent person needs to be a current or former lecturer/employer (holding a more senior role than yourself). The University is looking for candidates who can demonstrate a clear style and commitment to their creative practice and who will benefit from experiencing this area of study.
• If English isn’t your first language you’ll also need IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band (or equivalent). We also accept a range of other English language qualifications – please visit our English Language Requirements web page for more details.

Want some reassurance or advice? Speak to one of our advisors. Email us at enquiries@bolton.ac.uk or call us on +44 (0)1204 903 903.

Where changes are made to material information contained in this course description or a decision is taken to suspend a course between the offer of admissions and enrolment, we will inform applicants at the earliest possible opportunity and will outline the various options available to the applicant.

The MA (Specialist Title) for Creative Industries offers named postgraduate routes for practice‐based areas including art and design, media, theatre and performing arts, creative writing, games art and development, special effects, visual effects, live events and dance. Additionally, it’s an excellent option if you’ve been working in a relevant field gaining degree-level knowledge through experience and self-study rather than formal education. This master’s aims to expand the knowledge and expertise you’ve gained through your undergraduate or professional work and pave the way for you to achieve your ambitions. The key ingredient found in many successful business people and leaders is ‘confidence without arrogance’. Successful people know how to use their skills and knowledge for maximum impact. An essential focus of this course is on giving you the confidence to promote yourself effectively by drawing on the most appropriate elements of your expertise, presenting your ideas and work in the correct way, at the right time and to the most relevant people. The University of Bolton’s strong and growing links with industry and professional practice across the North West sets a scene that allows for coaching, networking and employment opportunities. As a graduate of this MA, you’ll possess extensive skills in your field of the creative industries and a unique body of work that demonstrates your abilities and style. You’ll be able to act autonomously, and use your initiative, problem-solving and leadership skills to manage complex situations. You’ll have valuable skills in employability, problem-solving, and in collaborative and team working with creative practitioners, community members, and commercial organisations. Overall, the course offers no-nonsense guidance towards self-improvement. By the end of the course, you should have the skills to take charge of your personal and professional development and be able to reflect on your progress as you work towards your goals.

What can I do with this qualification?

This is an industry‐focused MA that provides you with an opportunity to develop your professional practice as well as clear plans as to how you will use this to progress your career in the creative industries, or as the basis for doctoral study. As a graduate of this MA, you'll be well prepared to seek employment or promotion, or become self-employed using the enterprise and innovation skills you’ve developed as part of the course. You'll possess the knowledge needed to submit financial/budget applications or business plans and to prepare and launch various projects. How you use your skills will depend on your chosen area(s) of creative practice and your personal interests and ambitions. However, you can rest assured that you'll have the confidence, knowledge and skills to drive forward in your career or enterprise development. On successfully completing the course, you’ll be invited to continue your education via the MPhil and PhD degrees that are available at the University of Bolton.

Alternative career options

Graduates can also use the qualification as a stepping-stone into a range of other careers. For some of these roles, both relevant experience and/or postgraduate study may be required. Some of these careers include:

• Leadership and management
• Arts administration and fundraising
• Arts and cultural leadership
• Marketing and public relations
• Social enterprise
• Policy management
• Education and teaching
• Advising and consultancy

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The fees for a student’s course of study will be set for the normal duration of that course subject only to inflationary increases – measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) recorded in March each year to take effect for subsequent start dates.

The university is currently awaiting government guidelines as to EU fee charges for students commencing study in 2021/2022.

Additional costs

There may be some additional or optional costs associated with this course. These will be published after approval of the programme.

Our team of academic and professional staff will use a variety of teaching and learning strategies to help you gain and develop appropriate concepts, knowledge and skills. You can expect practice-based enquiry, self-directed study, lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations and work-based learning. Scheduled sessions will be held in the evening, allowing full-time and part-time students to study together and offering opportunities for those working in professional/industrial environments to present live case studies.

It’s important to realise that the time spent with a tutor during formally scheduled activities is only a small part of the learning time identified for a module. You’ll also be expected to spend a significant amount of time in guided independent study, such as general background reading, preparing for seminar activities and working on assignments. We are committed to supporting you throughout your learning journey. Over time, our guidance will purposefully become less structured and prescriptive. This will encourage you to develop confidence and independence in your studies and take responsibility for managing your own learning time as you increase in autonomy.

The assessment strategy for the programme is designed to help you achieve the overall aims of the curriculum, as well as the learning outcomes for individual modules. As well as assessing your achievement, it helps to organise and develop your learning. Assessment feedback can help you develop your skills and an understanding of your strengths and weaknesses.

The types of assessment you’ll be required to complete fall into two general categories: formative and summative. Formative assessments help in learning and developing knowledge and skills. Summative assessments, on which grades are allocated, reflect the quality of the learning that has been achieved. Formative assessment will take place via tutorial discussion, group workshops including peer and tutor review, and guidance on work in progress. Formative feedback will be provided face-to-face via discussion, online or in written form. Summative assessments consist of both practical and applied theoretical work. These will include a range of assessments including practical projects, written work, presentations and portfolios.

Disclaimer

The university will use all reasonable endeavours to deliver your course as described in its published material and the programme specification for the academic year in which you begin your course. The university considers changes to courses very carefully and the university will minimise any changes. Please be aware that our courses are subject to review on an ongoing basis and changes may be necessary due to legitimate staffing, financial, regulatory and academic reasons. The content of course modules and mode of associated assessments may be updated on an annual basis. This is to ensure that all modules are up-to-date and responsive to employment and sector needs. The published course material and the programme specification contain indicative ‘optional modules’ that may be subject to change due to circumstances outside of our control. For this reason, we cannot guarantee to run any specific optional module.