MA Arts Management

• You should have at least an upper second class (2.1) honours degree in an arts subject. Relevant subjects include Animation, Illustration, Art and Design, Fine Art, Graphic Design, Media, Theatre, Performance, Dance, Photography, Textiles and Surface Design, Fashion, English, and Creative Writing. However, those with a degree in another subject area with a passion for the arts will also be considered.
• If you don’t have this qualification but do have alternative qualifications or significant experience in a relevant field, then we’ll be happy to consider your application.
• We'll also consider applications where appropriate work experience can be demonstrated in lieu of, or in addition to, the published academic qualifications in line with the University’s Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) procedures.
• You may be required to attend an interview and/or provide a portfolio of work.
• This course involves working unsupervised with vulnerable adults and you must gain an Enhanced Disclosure certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) before starting your studies. Charges are payable to cover the cost of the DBS Enhanced Disclosure application and annual registration with the online Update Service.
• 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 admissions@bolton.ac.uk or call us on +44 (0)1204 903 394.

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.

Our industry-focused MA Arts Management is designed to appeal if you hold a degree in an Art and Design subject, Theatre, Performing Arts, English or Creative Writing, and are looking to forge a career in arts management. The University of Bolton’s strong and growing links with arts and cultural organisations across the North West means we can offer you relevant practical work experience that complements your on-campus studies of the theories and principles that underpin the practice of arts management.

As a graduate of this MA, you’ll possess valuable skills in collaborative working with artists, industry professionals, community members, and cultural and commercial organisations in a host of arts and cultural settings. You’ll be able to act autonomously, and use your initiative, problem-solving and leadership skills to manage complex situations. You should also 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?

After graduation, you’ll be well prepared to seek work on an employed or self-employed basis. There is enormous scope to undertake projects working with a range of arts and cultural organisations including performance venues, galleries and museums, as well as with companies, artists and communities. You may apply to join existing projects that are already in progress or seek funding for your own initiatives. As a graduate of this course, you’ll have the skills and commercial awareness to prepare your own funding bids and manage high-quality arts projects.

You may also choose to continue your education. PGCE, MPhil and PhD degrees 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:

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

Important note regarding tuition fees for the 2021/2022 academic year: EU nationals who meet residency requirements (have settled or pre-settled status) may be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status. If you do not meet these residency requirements, overseas fees will apply. Irish citizens living in the UK or Ireland will be eligible for ‘Home’ fee status under the Common Travel Area arrangement. Please read the student finance eligibility 2021/2022 policy on www.gov.uk for information.

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.

Bursaries

Click here for more information on our 2020 Master's Bursaries.

A variety of teaching and learning strategies will be used to help you acquire and develop appropriate concepts, knowledge and skills. You can expect practice-based enquiry, self-directed study, lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations and work-based learning. You may also wish to undertake a negotiated placement in an arts and cultural management context.

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, but as time progresses our guidance will become less structured and prescriptive. It‘s expected that you’ll demonstrate significant independence in your study, taking responsibility for the management of your own learning time and increasing in autonomy as your progress through the programme.

The assessment strategy for the programme is designed to help you achieve the overall aims of the programme, as well as the learning outcomes for individual modules. As well as being a way to assess your achievement, assessment also helps you 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. You’ll have formative assessment to help you learn and develop your knowledge and skills and summative assessment on which you are graded. 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 theoretical work. These will include practical projects, presentations, and written assessments in the form of essays, portfolios, funding bids and impact reports, practical portfolios, proposal documents and academic essays.

Modules

The modules listed below may be a mixture of compulsory and optional. You may not have the opportunity to study all the modules shown as part of the course.

• The Arts and Cultural Landscape
• The Professional Practitioner
• Arts Management Structures
• Inception to Impact: Project Design, Funding and Evaluation
• Masters Project (Full Time)
• Masters Project (Part Time)
• Masters Dissertation (Full Time)
• Masters Dissertation (Part Time)

Assessment methods

Learning activities

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.