MA Creative and Cultural Industries

If you have applied to more than one course within the School, you will be asked to attend an online information session designed to help you decide which course to accept.  

Stage 1 information session: 20th December. 

Applicants with multiple offers will be invited by email on 11th December.

The MA Creative and Cultural Industries course will deliver comprehensive knowledge and understanding of theory and practice relevant to the broad field of Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs). Students will encounter key global theoretical perspectives and policy approaches, sector-based practices, issues and debates, tools and insights into evidence and decision-making for strategy and enterprise at individual, organisational and governmental levels. Through taught course units, practice-based learning and research, students will be prepared to undertake qualified management, lead business strategies, design policies and exercise entrepreneurship in CCIs.

We aim to:

• develop knowledge and critical evaluation of key debates and theoretical perspectives and enable application of this understanding to contemporary policy contexts, technological innovations and professional practices in the global creative and cultural industries;

• offer students an insight into, and direct experience of, the diverse range of professional opportunities in the creative and cultural sector and support the development of relevant and transferrable skills for employability;

• prepare students to develop careers in the creative and cultural industries and support the advancement of the sector through both the education of entry-level recruits and the continuing development of in-service professionals;

• contribute to the development of creative and cultural industries as a focus for interdisciplinary teaching and research both within and beyond the School of Arts Languages and Cultures, including the forming of academic and professional partnerships with external organisations;

• develop students' academic and intellectual skills, including independent research, data analysis and evidence to the point that students are capable of embarking upon further research at the highest level.

Work Placement

Whilst undertaking an MA in Creative and Cultural Industries, students will have the opportunity to apply to undertake a 20-day work placement on a relevant project or programme within a creative/cultural organisation. The Institute for Cultural Practices has many partners offering placements each year, such as the Science and Industry Museum, HOME, Contact Theatre, and Manchester International Festival).

Please note that the number of placements on offer varies yearly. There is also the potential for students to self-organise their own industry placement, subject to the approval of the course unit convenor.

Student projects

You will also have opportunities to design and participate in live projects with cultural organisations.

Creative and Cultural Manchester

Manchester is one of the UK's most important cultural hotspots. At the heart of the Northern Powerhouse, the city-region benefits from its thriving creative and digital economies and cultural infrastructure such as MediaCityUK, the award-winning Whitworth and HOME.

University Museums

You'll have opportunities to get trained by experienced museum staff at Manchester Museum and The Whitworth in different aspects of cultural professional practice including conservation, collections management and events management.

Teaching and learning will draw on online and blended content, enquiry-based and practice-based learning, guest lectures from industry specialists and fieldwork research. The programme will facilitate graduates to analyse scenarios, make decisions, practice entrepreneurship and policymaking, and intervene actively both in academic and professional contexts.

Students will also be able to undertake a substantial industry placement, co-supervised by their host organisation and with an academic tutor. Students will be able to further develop and apply skills, knowledge and understanding in relation to sectoral areas of the CCIs such as: fashion, publishing, music, the performing and visual arts and to take relevant free choice options available from the existing MA programmes available in the Institute of Cultural Practice, new courses and existing courses in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures and across the Faculty of Humanities.

Students will acquire the skills and training across a spectrum of roles and functions across the breadth of Creative and Cultural Industries, such as policymaking, individual entrepreneurship, academic research and industry-related jobs as well as specialist knowledge leading to careers in the individual subsectors. The opportunity for practice-based assessments and work experience through industrial placements will increase employability as will the potential to connect with and enhance retention in Greater Manchester's own creative industries.

Teaching will take place predominantly on-campus, augmented by digital content which will include use of video and audio content and other suitable presentational media. Contact hours will be provided through lectures, seminars, workshops, site visits and fieldtrips, office hours, group and individual tutorials. Students will also benefit from access to 20 day industrial placements which provide practical work experience and are assessed through critical reflective reports. Assessment formats will vary with course unit specifications, and will include: long and short-form academic essays, blogposts, policy and research reports, business plans, practical project portfolios, creative media content and funding applications. There will also be the opportunity for a practice-based research dissertation, comprising a practical project, which draws on the existing dissertation practice-research option offered by the Institute for Cultural Practices.

Students will be professionally prepared for careers in the growing creative and cultural industries sectors, including visual arts, performing arts, music, publishing, design, fashion, film and digital media, policy and leadership, and transferrable skills into broader industrial sectors and the digital and creative economy.

You will benefit from lots of CV building opportunities on the course, and your supervisor provides you with personal and career development support.

You'll also have access to the award-winning Careers Service of the University, which provides support and advice in career development.

Learn more on the Careers and employability page, and read profiles of our alumni to find out what they went on to do after completing the course.

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a student and for two years after you graduate. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability.