Creative Media Practice
Award
MA
Duration & study mode
1 year full-time, typically 2 years part-time
School
Business & Creative Industries
Location
Ayr
Additional information
Course starting dates
-
Ayr*: January, September
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Our MA Creative Media Practice is ideal for those from various disciplines as well as industry professionals wishing to broaden their creative skills, knowledge and experience. This is a flexible MA suite of modules which will allow you to build up a strong portfolio of high-quality creative work across your chosen areas of practice.
The programme is aimed at graduates and industry professionals wishing to broaden their skills and explore and consolidate their creative identity across film, digital, media, photography, writing and performance.
The master's is delivered by expert practitioners, and will equip you for a creative media career, offering network contacts, the chance to build a portfolio, and essential practical skills. The MA also provides a solid foundation in practice-based research and an effective platform for pursuing further academic study at doctoral level.
Our course structure allows you to gain a personally tailored skill set, a detailed awareness of the fusion of creative, cultural, technological, social and political forces within the creative industries sector and screen and broadcast industries, and a deep understanding of the theories which underpin these areas.
Work-related learning is available either as a placement in the screen and broadcast industries and/or work on a professional project. Students are able to develop their professional practice in modules such as Creative Industries: Professional Practice.
Graduates in Creative Media Practice have found roles such as independent producer, scriptwriter, TV development producer, documentary-maker, digital media producer/developer, artist filmmaker, motion graphics designer and as media/arts practice teachers and lecturers.
Our graduates have gained positions with the BBC, independent production companies, Toronto Film Festival, community media organisations, theatre companies (eg Gaiety Theatre, Ayr – learning resource co-ordinator), and with media/arts departments in various universities and colleges. Others have developed successful freelance careers in creative sectors such as photography, media and arts practice, and several have set up creative media businesses.
A number of our MA Creative Media Practice graduates have also succeeded in gaining PhD scholarships.
We welcome Scottish, UK and international students and consider all applicants on an individual basis.
Don’t worry if your qualifications are not listed here, we take a range of factors into account when assessing your application and are happy to consider other alternative combinations of qualifications and experience
If you are applying with an EU or non-EU qualification, please check our Postgraduate Entry Requirements page which gives more information about country-specific entry requirements.
Entry to the MA is open to Honours graduates (minimum 2:2).
Applicants with relevant equivalent qualifications and/or professional experience will also be considered.
Overseas students must also meet UWS English language requirements.
For applicants whose first language is not English, the University sets a minimum English Language proficiency level. The qualifications below must have been gained within two years of the start of your course.
General English language requirements at UWS: International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)
Exceptions to this level of IELTS scoring exist for some accredited or professionally-recognised courses (see IELTS Score Exceptions section below for more details).
For our research degrees (MRes, MPhil, PhD, DBA, DProf) applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For all our Health, Nursing & Midwifery courses that lead to, or require professional registration with the Nursing & Midwifery Council, applicants are required to have an IELTS or Occupational English Test (OET)*.
For such courses, the IELTS score is as follows:
* Note that the Occupational English Test (OET) will now be accepted in addition to IELTS as proof of a Nurse's English Language Competence (Nursing & Midwifery Council, 2019).
For our BSc (Hons) Applied Biomedical Science, BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science and MSc Advanced Biomedical Science degrees, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
Our BSc Paramedic Science degree leads to professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC); it has different IELTS requirements than other Health-related courses. Although it is not possible to apply for this degree directly as an international student, for applicants who meet SAAS residency requirements and for whom English is not their first language, then the following IELTS scores are required:
Our BA (Hons) Social Work and MSc Social Work degrees are professionally-recognised by the Scottish Social Services Council; applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
For our Certificate of Higher Education courses, applicants are required to have an IELTS score as follows:
All stated English tests are acceptable for admission for both home/EU and international students for this programme:
TOEFL IBT*: 78; no sub-test less than:
* Please note that TOEFL is still acceptable for admission to this programme for both home/EU and international students.
For international students, the Home Office has confirmed that the University can choose to use TOEFL to make its own assessment of English language ability for visa applications to degree level courses. We therefore still accept TOEFL tests taken in the last two years for admission to this programme.
West African Senior School Certificate of Education (WASSCE) including acceptance of WAEC Scratchcard*
*UWS will accept a WAEC scratchcard confirming that an applicant has achieved C6 or above as evidence of meeting English language requirement from Nigeria if the student graduated within the last 5 years. After 5 years applicants would be required to provide the WAEC Certificate. WAEC Certificates should not be older than 10 years at the time of making the application.
Applicants who do not meet the minimum English language requirements have the option to study one of our preparatory and pre-sessional English courses. The UWS courses available are:
This is a flexible MA suite of modules which will allow you to build up a strong portfolio of high-quality creative work across your chosen areas of practice.
Depending on your ambitions and needs, you can exit with the Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert), which provides a range of focused modules, which you can select from, tailored to your individual requirements.
Moving on from this, the Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) provides a broader and more detailed set of modules including involvement in an interdisciplinary Collaborative Project and a highly focused and individualized programme of professional development in a range of relevant areas within the module Creative Industries: Professional Practice.
Core modules for the PgDip provide broad and detailed awareness and understanding of the Creative Industries, with embedded creativity and exposure to developing cultures of media convergence. Within the core modules and options students can select specific creative areas such as screenwriting, creative writing, motion graphics and digital filmmaking audio and radio production. Throughout the programme, students select which aspects and areas of their creative identities and skill sets they wish to develop.
There is a new strand within the programme focusing on multiplatform/ cross-media development and production (for broadcast and transmedia), starting in Creative Skills Development with the opportunity to carry this through to the final Master’s Creative Project.
For the Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) stage, you will study the following modules:
Options include:
Following the diploma level taught modules, the 60 credit Master’s Creative Project gives you the opportunity to complete a sustained piece of professional creative work such as a feature-length documentary, a piece of creative writing, a multimedia product, an exhibition or a performance:
Throughout the course, you will gain the critical awareness, creative focus and contemporary production skills necessary to advance your career. Through a wide range of guest lecturers and industry mentors you will be exposed to experienced creative media practitioners and professionals.
LEARNING AND TEACHING
ASSESSMENT
Assessment methods will include:
Find out more about the structure, learning outcomes, compulsory and optional modules in this course.
Graduates in Creative Media Practice have found roles such as independent producer, scriptwriter, TV development producer, documentary-maker, digital media producer/developer, artist filmmaker, motion graphics designer and as media or arts practice teachers and lecturers.
Our graduates have gained positions with the BBC, independent production companies, Toronto Film Festival, community media organisations, theatre companies (e.g. Gaiety Theatre, Ayr – learning resource co-ordinator), and with media or arts departments in various universities and colleges. Others have developed successful freelance careers in creative sectors such as photography, media and arts practice, and several have set up creative media businesses.
Work-related learning is available either as a placement in the creative industries and/or work on a professional project. Students are able to develop their professional practice in modules such as Creative Industries: Professional Practice.
A number of our MA Creative Media Practice graduates have also succeeded in gaining PhD study.
International students studying on the course, many of whom work in the creative sectors in their home countries as digital content creators, have come from USA, India, Pakistan, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Turkey and from across Europe.
£7,000 Cost of study
£11,250 Cost of study
£11,250 Cost of study
£14,500 Cost of study
£1,000 Cost per 20-credit module of study
£1,610 Cost per 20-credit module of study
£1,610 Cost per 20-credit module of study
£2,070 Cost per 20-credit module of study
£7,500 Cost of study
£11,750 Cost of study
£11,750 Cost of study
£15,250 Cost of study
£1,070 Cost per 20-credit module of study
£1,680 Cost per 20-credit module of study
£1,680 Cost per 20-credit module of study
£2,180 Cost per 20-credit module of study
Student Awards Agency Scotland (SAAS) postgraduate tuition fee and living cost loans may be available for eligible (Scottish/EU) students. Check SAAS website for more information.
The cost of attending university is an investment in your future career.
In addition to tuition fees and living expenses, some courses involve extra costs like study materials, field trips, equipment and uniforms.
Fortunately, there is a great deal of financial support available to help students meet the cost of their study. This ranges from:
The sections below provide details of additional costs that your course may involve along with any financial support that may be available.
You can also find additional information in our Postgraduate Money, Fees & Funding section.
Students on certain degrees will incur some additional costs not covered by their tuition fees. These could be for things like specialist equipment, study materials, work placements, graduation, membership of relevant organisations or costs related to carrying out fieldwork.
For students on course with an element of fieldwork, there may also be extra costs for travel and accommodation.
Please contact the course leader for details of the additional costs associated with this course.
Tuition fees are calculated based on where you are from and what you are studying. Some courses also involve additional costs, such as mandatory field trips, equipment or studying abroad.
Find out how much it will cost you to study at UWS as a postgraduate student.
Scottish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
English, Welsh and Northern Irish students studying at postgraduate level at UWS are entitled to various funds and support towards tuition fees and living costs.
EU students studying at postgraduate level of UWS may be eligible for SAAS funding, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
There are several scholarship and incentive schemes available to international students studying at postgraduate level at UWS, as well as support to meet the costs of childcare and various sources of additional funding.
UWS administer a range of discretionary and childcare funds. These are designed to support students who are experiencing financial difficulty or struggling to meet the costs of childcare.
Becoming a student can have an impact on your entitlement to certain benefits. It may mean you are no longer eligible to claim a benefit you have been receiving, or your new income from student funding may affect the amount you are able to receive.
If there isn’t a statutory source of funding for you or your course, or you are in need of additional financial support, you may wish to consider more alternative sources of funding such as trust funds and scholarships.
At UWS, we believe financial restrictions should never be a barrier to your education.
The WEST (Widening Education and Supporting Talent) Scholarship Programme aims to remove the financial barriers that stop talented students from progressing throughout their degree to graduation.
Choosing to become a student can have a big impact on your budget and you may need to reassess your spending to account for a reduced income. We’ve put together some guidance to help you manage your money and make the right financial choices for you and your family.
All students should apply directly to the University through our online application system. Before you apply, you should check that you meet our entry requirements and you should have all your supporting documents ready.
The first stage of the process is to create a profile; you don't have to complete the application in one session - you can complete it in stages by saving each section and return to complete it at a later date.
You will need to upload documents with your applications, which may include transcripts and degree certificates.
Most courses don't have a formal closing date, but they will close when they are full; apply early to avoid disappointment. There may also be funding deadlines that apply to you. Please be aware that programme fees are subject to increases each year.
Before you begin your application, it is important to read the Postgraduate & Post-Experience application step-by-step guide for a smooth process.
An ATAS certificate is not required for overseas students applying for this course.
Do you have a question about applying for this course? Get in touch. We are here to help!
We will always try to make sure that we publish accurate course information but we do not accept responsibility for any mistakes or omissions. We will also try to make sure that we deliver our courses in line with our published information. However, we may not always be able to do so and you can find further information about this in our enrolment terms and conditions.