Culture

The success of any nation is measured by its cultural output. That output generates enormous income which in turn enhances the lives of all citizens. Not only are the arts of great monetary benefit to a nation, the impact on national psyche and the well-being of its people is immeasurable. In Scotland alone, the creative industries generate a turnover in excess of £5.2 billion and employ over 58,600 people.

Why QMU?
What better place to study than THE Festival City? The Edinburgh International Festival, the jewel in the nation’s artistic crown; the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the world’s largest arts festival, the Edinburgh International Book Festival, the largest celebration of the written word in the world; the International Film Festival, the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Edinburgh International Science Festival, the Jazz and Blues Festival plus the national companies and the abundance of innovative theatre and dance companies are all waiting to be explored. As a postgraduate student, the opportunities to gain invaluable experience working directly with these companies, in a range of placements, are plentiful.

QMU is a leading provider of postgraduate level cultural studies in Scotland. We offer the MA Arts and Cultural Management and MA Festival Management with industry placement opportunities at their very core. We have close links with the industry in Scotland and across the UK and much of the teaching is undertaken by external, industry recognised professionals with many years of experience at their fingertips. Also, our internal experts have many years of experience in arts and cultural management and policy and ensure that there is a real focus on the importance of career development, CV writing and individual student’s future working needs embedded into the postgraduate courses.

Industry links
By maintaining very close links with the industry, we ensure that our courses are current and relevant. The placement opportunities, closely linked with the academic study, allow for the development of an understanding of the key issues affecting cultural policy makers in today’s fast changing and complex world. Our external specialist instructors provide a real insight and understanding of marketing and PR, financial and budgetary control, HR issues in the arts, project management and fundraising. Study is based on real situations using the specialist instructors’ own invaluable experience working with some of Scotland and the UK’s highest profile companies.

Our approach to learning and teaching
We fully understand and appreciate that at postgraduate level you will come to us with a whole host of skills and knowledge that you have acquired from a previous undergraduate degree or work experience. We anticipate that you will draw on your previous knowledge and skills to inform your postgraduate study and will benefit from a variety of interesting ways to participate and share experiences and opinions with your peers and indeed this is actively encouraged as a fundamental part of the learning experience. We aim to challenge conventional assumptions and actively encourage our students to develop collaborative partnerships both internally and externally that will feed the industry of the future. Teaching includes not only traditional lectures and tutorials but invaluable placement opportunities and collaborative and individual approaches to problem solving and management. The aim is to produce enlightened and focused industry professionals equipped to deal with the challenges of working in a complex and ever changing industry.

Career prospects and guideline salaries
Postgraduate study opens up a multitude of career opportunities as well as facilitating CPD for those already employed within the cultural industries or the performing arts. It is possible to take individual modules or the Postgraduate Certificate or Postgraduate Diploma as part of your ongoing career and personal development. Career opportunities include company and theatre management, cultural advisory positions within Government, artistic directorships, producing, teaching, fundraising, marketing and public relations, the leisure industry, the screen industries and all professions requiring skills in communication and management, as well as future PhD study.

We prepare our students for the challenges of the 21st century and actively encourage entrepreneurial understanding and aspiration. We develop students who have a clear idea of their individual style and connection to management of performance and the cultural industries, but most importantly, who have connected to a passion that is unique to the individual.

Our courses:

»MA/PgDip/PgCert Arts And Cultural Management

»MA/ PgDip/ PgCert Festival Management

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