Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ

The University holds regular events throughout the year, including webinars and the annual on-campus Master's Expo, all of which offer the opportunity to find out more about our facilities and courses from our academic and admissions staff.

We also attend a number of education fairs both in the UK and overseas throughout the year.

For more details on how you can meet us, visit out events page

To those for whom Engiish is not their first language:

Due to the high volume of applications to this course, we will only assess applications with standard English language test results valid for the start date of the course.

If you meet the requirements for indirect entry via our presessional English language course, you must pay for the course by 31st March or submit the scores that meet direct entry by 31st March.

Gain advanced insight into the industries shaping cultural production, creativity and innovation around the world.

This programme equips students with comprehensive knowledge of creative and cultural industries, combining global theoretical perspectives, policy approaches and sector-based practice. You will examine the factors that shape decision-making, strategy, enterprise and development across a wide range of creative sectors.

The course develops critical understanding of the tools, evidence and debates influencing organisations, governments and creative practitioners. You will analyse challenges facing the sector and explore how policy, entrepreneurship and innovation contribute to cultural and economic development.

A distinguishing feature of the programme is the opportunity to undertake a substantial industry placement, co-supervised by both an academic tutor and host organisation. This enables you to apply learning in a professional environment while developing practical experience and industry insight.

You will explore a range of areas including film and television, music, performing and visual arts, gaming, fashion, publishing, design, museums and heritage. The programme also examines emerging developments such as Generative AI and its implications for the future of creative and cultural industries.

Manchester's thriving creative ecosystem, together with links to cultural institutions including Manchester Museum and The Whitworth, provides a rich environment in which to study contemporary cultural production and industry practice.

For queries about academic content of the course, please contact the Programme Director, Roaa Ali-Moore (roaa.ali@manchester.ac.uk)

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, creation of collections and events coordination.

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 courses 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.

The programme supports careers across creative and cultural industries, including roles in cultural organisations, creative business development, policy, consultancy, museums, heritage, arts and cultural management, entrepreneurship and the public sector. Through its combination of policy, strategy, enterprise and industry-focused learning, graduates develop skills that can be applied across a broad range of creative and cultural settings. The substantial industry placement also provides valuable professional experience and sector insight.

Careers support

Whether you are interested in cultural organisations, creative enterprise, policy, consultancy or industry development, Manchester offers support to help you plan your next steps. At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help boost your employability, such as careers fairs, employer presentations, and workshops through the University's dedicated Careers Service. As a student at Manchester, you would have full access to this service during your studies and for two years after you graduate.