Master of Arts in Creative and Cultural Leadership

at University of the West of England - Bristol - City Campus United Kingdom

Every student is placed within one of our partner institutions alongside a curator who will mentor the student through the year. Our industry partners are all renowned creative and cultural organisations.
This well-connected degree is for those wishing to explore curating and develop curatorial skills in one or more of the following areas: fine art, digital media, film, festivals and social history.

Why study this course?

• You will study alongside an intentionally small and supportive group of students with backgrounds in areas including fine art, sculpture, art history, architecture, 3D design, film studies and history, sharing practice and ideas and providing opportunities to work creatively and collaboratively on group projects.
• Our students value and thrive in a highly professional and creative learning environment led by experienced tutors in a lively and dynamic city with active and engaging cultural communities.
• Curating is based on Bristol's historic waterfront at Arnolfini. Situated above this internationally renowned centre for contemporary art you will be at the heart of Bristol's creative and cultural community, with access to UWE Bristol's City Campus and all it has to offer. Have a look at our UWE Curating blog to find out more.

Combine extensive practical experience with underlying theory and graduate confident, creative and ready for an exciting future as a performer.

Why study drama and acting?

• Contemporary acting is competitive. You need know your strengths as a performer and develop them to the highest level possible through practice and direction.
• When you audition for a role or drama school, you need to be able to demonstrate your range and ability in as little as three minutes.
• Being prepared isn't just about learning your lines, it's about choosing the right one and being ready for changes and questions on the day.
• Studying drama and acting prepares you for these challenges so you have the best chance to make an impression.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Drama and Acting is for those who love performing live and appreciate a challenge. You'll develop your performance skills through core modules in acting for stage and screen, and physical theatre.
• Work closely with our supportive theatre community to share ideas and work as collectively on productions.
• Build your skills in all aspects of performing and gain plenty of practical experience.
• Play a part in Bristol's vibrant culture, with regular exchanges between the university and local theatre network. Get support to form your own theatre company, producing your own extra-curricular work and making the most of rehearsal and performance space.
• As an actor, you will devise and perform original pieces of theatre. Specialist workshops led by staff and industry professionals will give you the chance to develop skills such as auditioning for theatre, film and television, and you'll showcase your work at the New Performance Festival.
• City Campus is a creative powerhouse that spans the city of Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• BA(Hons) Drama and Acting is based at the City Campus, and uses theatres and specialist spaces at the Arnolfini and Bower Ashton Studios.
• Shaping the course towards the type of acting, or area of theatre making you're most interested in, you'll emerge as a confident and creative practitioner, ready to thrive in your career.
• Showcase your work to potential employers at the final year Creative Industries Degree Show and build an impressive portfolio of work.

Where can it take me?

• Graduate in a confident position for a career performing for theatre, television and film.
• You could also progress to further study with one of the country's prestigious theatre schools such as the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

This course is affiliated with the leading professional body for photographers in the UK and beyond, the Association of Photographers.

Why study photography?

• Images are everywhere. Studying photography enables you to understand the language of images and develop your 'visual voice' to communicate effectively and with confidence.
• It helps you understand the contexts in which images exist and circulate, and locate opportunities to get your images published, exhibited and commissioned.
• Becoming a photography professional opens doors to a wide range of careers within a global landscape of creative industries.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Photography is based in the city of Bristol, a vibrant arts and media community that will challenge and inspire you.
• The course offers a vibrant, collaborative environment, modern facilities, supportive workshop instruction and expert input, all underpinned by theory and critique.
• Study at Bower Ashton Studios, part of our City Campus, where exceptional facilities and resources include industry standard digital media studios.
• Explore traditional tools and the latest technology in our production and fabrication workshops. Develop your creativity and the high-level practical skills needed to become a successful photographer. Work across all areas of the discipline, from editorial and documentary to fashion, advertising and fine art.
• We'll encourage you to transform your broad-based photographic practice into an individual visual style. On graduation, you'll have a unique and compelling body of work for the marketplace.
• Work to briefs set and assessed by external individuals and organisations, including photographers, filmmakers, publishers, clothing labels, product designers, theatre groups, musicians and festivals. Build your CV with work experience, and access to job opportunities, throughout the course.  
• Our partnerships with Bristol Photography Festival and IC Visual Lab, two highly reputable Bristol-based photography organisations with national and international influence, will provide you with a wide range of work experience placements and live briefs to work on. You'll also have access to industry talks, events and opportunities to display your work at prestigious exhibitions and venues.

Where can it take me?

• Our graduates work in fields from editorial and fashion to movie stills and medical photography. Employers include the BBC, Sunday Times Magazine and the Tate.  
• Past students have assisted photographers such as Steve McCurry, Zed Nelson and Tim Walker, and have been published and exhibited in FT Weekend, Vogue Italia, Oh Comely, The Photographers Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and the Tate.
• Graduates have also established important collectives and exhibiting networks such as The Lost Light Recordings, Loupe Magazine and Splash and Grab.
• Some graduates go on to further study at Master's level, including our own postgraduate MA Photography programme

Art and industry combine on this innovative, practice-based postgraduate course, designed to develop your creative promise, deepen your experience of photography and moving image, and optimise both your artistic and professional potential.

Taught by award-winning artists, photographers and leading academics in the field, our distinctive, practice-based MA in Photography will allow you to explore the diverse applications of the medium, and to deepen your understanding of photography as a discipline.

Through a course of intensive study, creative practice, and professional engagement, you will develop the passion that brought you to photography in the first place, and will be supported in the development and production of innovative work, whilst also building skills to maximise and contextualise your creative outputs.

 Work alongside independent and BBC audio producers, and award-winning academics, to gain valuable experience, insights and contacts for your career in audio journalism.

Why study journalism (audio, docs and podcast)?

• Today's fast-moving digital age has opened up enticing opportunities for journalists wanting to work in audio and radio.
• Producers are needed to create high-quality programs for podcasts, radio and audio documentaries - and graduates specializing in this field will build a compelling set of skills to develop a highly versatile portfolio career.

Why UWE Bristol?

• Offered in partnership with the BBC, our MA Journalism (Audio, Docs and Podcast) is for graduates with a passion for radio, and an interest in journalism and audio documentary making.
• Working with award-winning audio producers, you'll learn to develop your own radio documentaries and podcasts, as you build experience of audio collection techniques, sound and recording, working in a studio and using digital editing software.
• Based at the arts-focused Bower Ashton studios, you'll be immersed in audio and radio for the digital age, putting your skills into practice, and delving into the cultural industry and its supply chain.
• There's a strong emphasis on developing your technical expertise, alongside the skills needed to compete as a producer, such as commissioning, pitching and getting your documentaries to air. You'll also gain useful online skills to develop your own websites and podcasts.
• You will build experience on placements in some of Bristol's most innovative cultural organizations, get to pitch your work to Radio 4 editors and work on your own projects with mentoring from industry.

Where can it take me?

• By the end of the course, you'll be equipped to secure audio journalism work on a freelance or staff basis, in production companies and post-production facilities. You could work as a broadcast assistant, junior researcher, production assistant or studio manager.

Choose from a wide selection of modules to focus on areas of theatre making that you're passionate about such as writing, directing, devising physical theatre and acting.

Why study drama?

• Increasingly, independent professional theatre is about making your own work.
• A contemporary company needs to write, devise, direct, tech, and perform original theatre. Individuals may excel in one of these areas, but they also need a good working knowledge of everything else.
• It's all about sharing skills and working as a group to create exciting live performances.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Drama is perfect for those who love theatre making and appreciate a challenge.
• Work closely with our supportive theatre community to share ideas and work collectively on productions.
• Develop your talent on a path of discovery through every facet of theatre. Choose from a wide selection of modules to become a theatre maker with a wealth of experience, abilities and creativity.
• Focus on the areas of expertise you're passionate about such as writing, directing, devising physical theatre, and acting. Specialise in directing, technical theatre or writing and graduate with the degree title Drama with Creative Writing, Drama with Technical Theatre or Drama with Theatre Directing.
• You'll have a wealth of opportunities to develop personally and gain real-world experience. We work closely with the local theatre network and support you to form your own theatre company, producing your own extra-curricular work and making the most of our rehearsal and performance space.
• As a writer, director, technician, and/or performer, you'll write, devise and produce original performances for your assessed final year projects, which will then be featured in our end of year public Degree Show. Specialist masterclasses led by staff and industry professionals will give you the chance to develop specific skills in areas such as puppetry, auditioning and stage combat.
• City Campus is a creative powerhouse that spans the city of Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• Drama uses specialist spaces at the Arnolfini and theatre facilities at Bower Ashton Studios.
• Shaping the course towards the areas of theatre making you're most interested in, through your modules and assessments, you'll emerge as a confident and creative drama professional, one also equipped with soft skills such as collaboration, networking and organisation, and ready to thrive in the real world.

Where can it take me?

• Graduate ready for a career in theatre, television, film or education.
• You may also choose to progress to further study with one of the country's prestigious theatre schools such as the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).

This industry-led master's course offers you the opportunity to explore the politics, business and culture of immersive technologies. You will learn practical skills and develop your craft as a pioneering storyteller in virtual, augmented and extended realities.

MA Virtual and Extended Realities is an industry-led course designed to address increased demand for expertise in immersive storytelling. The course is open to passionate graduates who want to enter the radical world of virtual, augmented and extended reality production.

We welcome students from all disciplines and backgrounds, and are looking for people with ideas about how their unique perspective and diverse experiences can contribute to this young and fast-evolving industry.

Your background may be in journalism, filmmaking, experience design, education, marketing or theatre. Perhaps your specialism is in storytelling, software, sound design or circus.

Whatever you bring to the mix, this is a place for independent thinkers who thrive in experimental, collaborative and hands-on learning environments.

Why study this course?
Virtual and Extended Realities is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. There is a recognised shortage of graduates with the skills and experience needed to support transformation in every sector.

Why UWE Bristol?

• In this one-year, full time course, you'll combine theory and critical thinking with practical experimentation. Throughout the year, you'll learn from pioneering thought-leaders and work with internationally significant industry partners. This collaboration will allow you to create innovative work in virtual and extended realities.
• Previous partners include BBC R&D, Royal Opera House, English Institute of Sport and Ultraleap. You'll also benefit from the support of a personal mentor, hand-picked from our research and professional networks to support your development.

Develop strong production and research skills, hone in on your particular areas of interest, and carve out a niche as a digital creative media professional in a fast-paced sector.

Why study media production?

• Today's employers are in urgent need of graduates with skills in current practices in media, and can produce media content, with a particular focus on digital innovation and emerging technologies.
• Studying this subject will give you a broad overview of the industry, as you develop your skills in producing media across a range of formats and platforms from audio to video, and online to broadcasting alongside developing your writing and research capabilities.
• You'll learn to think critically and creatively about media, and graduate as a multi-skilled, flexible producer and communicator, in a strong position for building a media career.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Media Communications is for students looking to build their creative media skills, by understanding and researching audiences, and communicating ideas effectively to them.
• You'll design your own projects and work with our external partners in Bristol's unique cultural and media industries to create a portfolio of work oriented to your chosen career.
• Study a mix of theory, production and research-based modules, and carry out coursework, developing your confidence through writing, research, production, project design and coordination.
• Develop enterprise skills and strong self-reliance, and gain the confidence and flexibility to adopt digital media innovations just over the horizon.
• The course is immersed in diverse industry collaborations that link students to the city's key creative media makers and cultural organizations, including Watershed, the Pervasive Media Studio, Bristol Festival of Ideas, the Arnolfini and M-Shed museums.
• Showcase your work to talent scouts and potential employers at the final year degree show, and focus on one of four specialist pathways, to reflect your interests and career plans.

Where can it take me?

• Your expertise in media production, alongside your practical, research and creative thinking skills, will give you the edge in roles as varied as web content production, podcasting and digital media management. You could become a digital media producer or broadcast journalist, or work in social media.
• There are opportunities to progress to courses like our MA Journalism, MA Journalism (Audio Docs and Podcasts), and associated MAs.

Study in a renowned contemporary arts venue and take one of two available pathways - Fine Art or Art and Writing - to choose your creative direction.

Why study fine art?

• Fine Art sits at the centre of the UK's dynamic art scene. Showcased through collectives, galleries and public spaces, contemporary art generates powerful new ideas and platforms for debate.
• Artists develop ideas by making them visible, playing active roles in society as cultural commentators, teachers and activists. In addition to established artists' networks, contemporary art is circulated by curators, commissioners, and the private sector.
• Working as an artist is social, practical, and theoretical, and can involve you in an exciting range of cultural and educational activities in the UK and abroad.

Why UWE Bristol?

BA(Hons) Fine Art is a studio-centered course based at Spike Island, an internationally renowned contemporary art venue in the heart of Bristol. It's a vibrant creative environment where you'll get to connect with professional artists.

Benefit from free studio space and a range of work and volunteering opportunities, as well as excellent facilities at Bower Ashton Studios.

Choose from two pathways - Fine Art or Art and Writing.

• Fine Art develops your practice in areas such as painting, sculpture, installation, performance, video and digital media.
• Art and Writing critically engages you with your practice as you produce art works and written text, underpinned by theoretical perspectives.If chosen you will graduate with BA(Hons) Art and Writing.

All our staff are active practitioners, with the conceptual, technical and professional skills to support a wide variety of approaches.

Our City Campus is a creative powerhouse. It spans across Bristol, and is made up of Bower Ashton plus renowned contemporary arts centres Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.

We have strong links with many of the city's arts organisations, providing opportunities to exhibit, network, take part in projects and build your profile.

Tailoring the course towards your particular interests, you'll have the chance to work in any medium at any point in your studies, explore different avenues and shape your own professional journey.

Showcase your work to talent scouts and potential employers at our popular Creative Industries Degree Show and graduate with an impressive portfolio of work.

Where can it take me?

• Our students are regularly selected for fellowships and national competitions, including New Contemporaries, a platform for emerging artists.
• Benefit from opportunities to apply for British Council Venice Fellowships, Spike Island Graduate Fellowships, and Spike Associates Bursaries.
• Students recently took part in Tate Exchange, a public-facing performance event at Tate Modern, and staged events at Arnolfini and Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.
• UWE Bristol's fine art graduates possess skills and strengths that are important to a wide range of employers. Many are naturally entrepreneurial.
• Many go on to careers as artists, designers, curators, arts administrators and educators, or to postgraduate study such as master's degrees or teacher training.

Study in a studio environment with professional-standard facilities and the focus on the real-world skills you need to succeed in your career

Why study graphic design?

• Graphic design makes a powerful contribution to the cultural and economic life of contemporary society.
• It exists in the public domain, acts as an indicator of current cultural thinking and is a catalyst for social, cultural and political change.
• The role of the graphic designer in society and the professional world is multifaceted; designer as curator, author, craftsperson, editor, educator, collaborator and agitator.
• Studying graphic design is excellent preparation for a creative career in the UK and abroad.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Graphic Design is based at the Arnolfini, at the heart of Bristol's creative and cultural community. You'll learn from practising graphic designers in a professional studio environment.
• Past students have won awards in prestigious national competitions such as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) Student Design Awards and the International Society of Typographic Designers (ISTD).
• In recent years, graduates' work has been exhibited at D&AD New Blood, London, with several being identified as 'Ones to Watch' and commendations received for several collaborative projects.
• Our students are also regularly shortlisted for the Best British Book Design and Production Awards.
• Our City Campus is a powerhouse of inspiration and collaboration, and home to our many City Creatives. It spans Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton and renowned contemporary arts centres Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• Our strong industry links with the thriving city of Bristol ensure ongoing input from professional designers, with extra mentoring support also on offer through the West of England Design Forum.
• You won't be working on hypothetical designs. Projects are socially and culturally relevant, whether undertaken inside or outside the university.
• Go on work placements and internships, or volunteer, to gain valuable workplace experience.
• Attend talks from studios like OK/RM, Pentagram, Moving Brands, Mother London, Muf, APFEL and Book Works.
• Showcase your work to talent scouts and potential employers at the final year Creative Industries Degree Show.
• Focus on the avenues that most interest you, and graduate with an impressive portfolio of work, ready to make your mark in the industry.

Where can it take me?

• This course prepares you for an idea-driven, sustainable and flexible freelance practice, or studio career in graphic design.
• Many of our graduates find work with highly respected design studios in the UK and worldwide.
• Others go on to further study, such as a master's in graphic design or graphic arts, or pursue a career in research or education.