New name for award-winning arts master’s degree
An award-winning Master’s degree, run by Queen Margaret University, has been renamed. Following discussions with industry and to more accurately reflect the aim of the course, the MA Applied Arts and Social Practice will now be known as the MA Participatory Arts.
The Master’s degree will continue to offer the same excellent content, and will be led by the same award-winning lecturers – the only thing that is changing is the course title.
As the only Master’s degree of its kind in Scotland, focussing on in-person learning about community-oriented arts and cultural activities, this valuable course is an important part of QMU’s suit of Master’s programmes.
We had been speaking to industry partners - galleries, theatres and museums - about our course name, and many felt that the previous course title complicated our offer. The new name was actually suggested by one of the partners, and she summed it up succinctly when she confirmed she’d be more confident employing a graduate from a ‘Participatory Arts’ Master’s degree - so the name change was a no brainer!” Current students have also indicated they are pleased by the name change.
The Master’s degree was also recently nominated for a ‘Widening Access’ award at the Herald Higher Education Awards 2025 for its “Connecting Craigmillar” project, which is a funded initiative that supports students to work closely with community partners in Edinburgh - including Connecting Craigmillar and Craigmillar Now - to produce community artworks. The project gives students an opportunity to develop their learning in real-world contexts, but also ensures space for community partners to creatively explore issues important to them. This project has been successfully funded by the “WISeR” programme for four years in a row, including being selected as a case study to present to the Scottish Government.
Last year, it was selected as ‘Programme of the Year’ at the QMU STAR (Student Teaching and Representation) Awards. It also completed a revalidation in May 2025, where it was interrogated by a panel of internal and external experts, resulting in it achieving a record-breaking 12 commendations. The panel confirmed it offered a “well-rounded foundation for students to enter the workforce.” Panellists also commented: “It is clear that the team has responded to feedback from students, industry partners and external examiners to ensure that the course is aligned with current shifts in the sector, and is ‘future-proofed’ to optimise continued employability.”
In the year that QMU celebrates its 150th anniversary, and its achievement of Institute of the Year at the Herald Higher Education Awards 2025, the academic team is committed to ensuring the newly named MA Participatory Arts continues to go from strength to strength.
Applications are still open for September or January starts. For more information visit the course page on the QMU website.
