MA Arts and Cultural Management

As a creative person, you love arts and culture and understand why they are important. You'll have seen the benefits of creativity to people, places, and communities first-hand, and know that a creative career is viable, essential, and valuable.

You may be at the start of your career, or perhaps you've already begun to establish yourself as a practicing artist, independent producer, arts manager, or freelance creative. However you are looking to develop your practice and skills, expand your networks, and use your creativity to create change, this course has been designed to provide the tools for you to succeed.

Created with input from artist practitioners, independent producers, cultural business leaders, and leading arts organizations, this course provides opportunities to grow your creative entrepreneurialism and to meet with industry professionals from across the UK and beyond.

We've worked alongside nationally significant organizations such as UK New Artists and Threshold Studios to develop our curriculum and so industry connections and live briefs are hard-wired into the program. From the start of teaching, you will be meeting and talking to professionals from across the sector, working in a variety of roles and contexts. You will hear directly from potential employers and specialists, and receive bespoke advice to support your own career trajectories through our Professional Practice Clinic.

Based on the beautiful Brayford Pool Campus, and with significant professional and public engagement with Lincoln Arts Centre and the Barbican Creative Hub, (opening 2024), this program can help you to take your ideas further and create your own opportunities for success.

How You Study

The course consists of three terms, each with a selection of industry-focused modules. The themes of each term include Understanding the Sector, Project Planning and Communications, and Professional Practice.

The course offers the opportunity to benefit from the University's expertise in both creative arts and business and hear insights from industry professionals. You'll have the opportunity to develop practical skills such as developing funding applications, producing marketing materials, creating public-facing presentations, and much more.

Applicants will be able to apply for PGCert (Semester A only), PGDip (Semesters A and B), and the full MA course (Semesters A, B, and C)* in line with your own professional working practices. This presents the opportunity for you to engage on your own terms (financial and schedule-wise), and to consider returning later to advance your studies further.

*The total number of credit points required for the achievement of each level and exit award within this program are Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) = 60 credits, Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) = 120 credits, Master of Arts (MA) = 180 credits.

How You Are Assessed

We know that working in the creative sector often requires you to create a wide variety of public-facing outputs and documents. We take a no essays approach where every assessment type is designed to mimic the kinds of presentations and publications you might encounter in a creative career and help you gain valuable experience.

You'll have the opportunity to develop your professional skills, showcase your learning and create a range of industry-standard outputs for assessment that may include: -

• Creating a podcast episode about the work of a contemporary artist, company, or cultural organization
• Building a funding application based on a particular funding body's bid application process (e.g. Arts Council England)
• Creating arts marketing and comms documents including press releases, audience development plans, marketing campaigns, copy/blurb, and frameworks for evaluation
• Producing an infographic, poster, webpage, or similar to visually communicate your creative ideas
• Creating public-facing presentations which you can deliver directly to industry experts to pitch your projects and plans
• Participating in panel-style discussions with artists, cultural organizations, and academics
• Compiling critical evaluation reports around your own practice and the work of the sector

You will receive supportive feedback throughout your studies, as well as after each key assessment point. Your tutors and industry professionals will be on-hand throughout the course to offer advice to help you develop your professional practice and creative career.

Prioritising Face-to-Face Teaching

At the University of Lincoln, we strive to ensure our students’ experience is engaging, supportive, and academically challenging. Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, we have adapted to Government guidance to keep our students, staff, and community safe. All remaining Covid-19 legal restrictions in England were lifted in February 2022 under the Government’s Plan for Living with Covid-19, and we have embraced a safe return to in-person teaching on campus. Where appropriate, face-to-face teaching is enhanced by the use of digital tools and technology and may be complemented by online opportunities where these support learning outcomes.

We are fully prepared to adapt our plans if changes in Government guidance make this necessary, and we will endeavor to keep current and prospective students informed.

"This information was correct at the time of publishing (July 2023)"

The University of Lincoln is home to a growing community of students from around the world and we are delighted that you are considering joining us.

Since Her Majesty the Queen opened the first University of Lincoln building on the Brayford Pool Campus, we have welcomed more than 90,000 students from across 135 countries. Today, we are listed in the world’s top 150 universities in the Times Higher Education’s (THE) Young University Rankings 2020 and were also named as the Modern University of the Year in The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2021.

At the University of Lincoln, we put students at the heart of everything we do. We have a reputation for innovative teaching and were awarded a five-star score overall in the QS Stars rating in 2020 and were awarded Gold, the highest standard possible, in the national Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) 2017.

A Great Location

As a student at the University of Lincoln, you will be living in one of Europe’s great historic cities,

with a history dating back as far as 300BC. Alongside remains from Lincoln’s Roman heritage, the city is also home to a number of historical buildings and landmarks, including Lincoln Cathedral which was built in 1072 and was once the tallest building in the world. The city is also home to Lincoln Castle which has watched over the city’s skyline for almost 1,000 years.

Lincoln is a fantastic place to live, study and work and was named as one of Britain’s 20 Best Cities in 2017 by The Telegraph. In 2016, Lincoln was also named as the friendliest place in the UK by the Eden Project’s Big Lunch programme and those who live here. More recently, Lincoln was named as one of the most affordable student cities in the UK, according to The Times Good University Guide 2020.

You may not think you know the county of Lincolnshire, but our residents have helped shape history beyond its borders. As an example, renowned physicist and mathematician Sir Isaac Newton was born in the Lincolnshire village of Woolsthorpe-by-Colsterworth in 1642. Lincolnshire was also the birthplace of the UK’s first female Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, and the home of poet Alfred Tennyson.

With more than 2,000 years of history, the city of Lincoln has been used as a filming location in a number of period television series and films including Downton Abbey, The Da Vinci Code and The King.

Preparing you for your future career

Employers are increasingly looking for individuals who can make a difference in today’s global workplace. As a student at the University of Lincoln, we aim to prepare you for your future career by providing you with a range of opportunities to engage with industry and to develop career-ready skills. The University is proud to have developed innovative partnerships with a range of organisations, providing students with enhanced opportunities for work experience, networking, and access to the latest industry trends.

One of the best ways for you to show an employer that you are the right person for the job is to have a CV containing real-world experience alongside your academic achievements. At the University of Lincoln, we offer a range of opportunities to help you develop the skills and qualities employers are increasingly looking for. As an example, a number of our undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes provide the opportunity to apply to take part in an industry work placement or project. There may also be opportunities to hear from guest speakers and to participate in field trips to help you broaden your knowledge. To find out more, please visit the programme pages on our website.

Our courses have gained international recognition with Agriculture at Lincoln ranked in the top 250 in the world in the QS World University Rankings 2020, while Computer Science and Education are ranked in the top 250 in the world in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2021.

We want students to get involved in initiatives such as our Student Managed Investment Fund, and enjoy the benefits of our links to companies such as Siemens and Reuters. We have Bloomberg Terminals on campus, enabling business students and staff to monitor and analyse real-time financial market data, alongside laboratories, lecture theatres and seminar rooms

A Great Student Experience

Our Students’ Union (SU) can help to make your time at Lincoln a truly unforgettable experience.

Run by student leaders, the SU offers a range of opportunities and support for members of our student community whilst representing your academic interests.

Joining a club or society can be a great way to make new friends, creating bonds that can last a lifetime. The SU traditionally offers more than 100 different sports clubs and societies that anyone can join. They range from academic groups like the Computer Science and Law Societies to less traditional clubs such as the Harry Potter and Pokemon Go Societies.

Alongside it’s fascinating history and countryside, the county of Lincolnshire is renowned for regional food such as the Lincolnshire sausage, and there is lots to see and do, with countryside walks in the Lincolnshire Wolds and trips to the British seaside at Cleethorpes and Skegness nearby.

"This information was correct at the time of publishing (July 2023)"