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What makes the Masters in Creative Media at Worcester special?

Our Creative Practice MA is open to professionals and graduates who aspire to meet the evolving demands of contemporary creative practice. You will gain strong theoretical and cultural contextual knowledge and will hone your conceptual thinking and innovation. This course will enhance your career prospects in the creative industries and enable you to become an effective and confident practitioner.

Overview

Overview

Key features

  • A stimulating opportunity to work alongside practitioners from a variety of disciplines
  • A broad-ranging course that expands your creative horizons
  • Strong theoretical, experimental and professional practice strands
  • A community in the Institute of Arts and Humanities, of teaching staff and technicians who all have a professional track record in their field

Register your interest

Enter your details below and we will keep you up to date with useful information about studying at the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥.


Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

Either:

  • A first or second-class Honours Degree in a relevant, cognate discipline
  • Professional qualifications in an appropriate area
  • Relevant professional experience

All applicants will be invited to attend an interview and will be asked to provide a portfolio.

The IELTS score for international applicants is 6.5 (with no less 5.5 in each component). Other English Language qualifications will be considered, for more information please click here.

Other information

Portfolio requirements

We accept a wide variety of media (both digital and traditional) as part of your portfolio submission. Options include:

  • Graphic Design
  • Photography
  • Illustration
  • Film or animation
  • Painting
  • Printmaking
  • Sound design or music composition
  • Motion graphics
  • Game design concepts

How should I submit my portfolio?

Please email us your portfolio in a digital format (for example using a file-sharing site such as a drop box or as a web link) at the time of application. We will contact you to arrange an informal interview once we have received your full application. For international and EU students, this could be arranged using Skype.

If you have any questions at all about portfolio requirements, we are very happy to help. Please contact Course Leader, Dr Pippa Galpin p.galpin@worc.ac.uk

"I really can't express how much I have gained from completing the M.A., both personally and from a professional aspect. I now have a clear view of where I want to head with my work in the future."

Mark Daffin, Creative Media MA

Student work - Onyinye Muobuike, Self-Portraiture, 2021

silhouette of a girl at the window

Student work - Bashir Yusif, ‘Nomad’ 2020

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Course content

Course content

Our courses are informed by research and current developments in the discipline and feedback from students, external examiners and employers. Modules do therefore change periodically in the interests of keeping the course relevant and reflecting best practice. The most up-to-date information will be available to you once you have accepted a place and registered for the course. If there are insufficient numbers of students interested in an optional module, this might not be offered, but we will advise you as soon as possible and help you choose an alternative. 

Semester 1
  • Creative Identity: A practical project module, based on research, in which you explore your identity as a practitioner through a project of your own devising
  • Professional Practice: A module that expands your engagement with professional practice and the opportunity to work alongside a media professional

Semester 2
  • Creative Concept: Having established your identity, you are given the opportunity to build on this self awareness in a sustained practical project based on sound and relevant research
  • Portfolio: During this course you will create a substantial portfolio of work to showcase your technical and creative talents

Semester 3 (summer)
  • Independent Project: You will have prepared for this module in Creative Concept. It is the culmination of your experience on the course - a major practical project of your own devising that showcases your abilities and skills and which is underpinned with a theoretical critical statement.

Study options

It is possible to study towards a Masters award (five modules) or either of the interim awards:

  • Postgraduate Certificate – To gain a Postgraduate Certificate, students must successfully complete two modules.
  • Postgraduate Diploma – After completing the Postgraduate Certificate, it is possible to complete a further two modules to achieve the award of Postgraduate Diploma.
  • Masters – Having completed four modules, the student may proceed to the Masters by completing the Independent Project over the summer.
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Thomas Jack Brown

Thomas Jack Brown is a video artist, video installation artist and freelance media producer based in Worcestershire, United Kingdom. Thomas joined the Creative Media MA for the 2018/19 programme after spending several years in the media industry and in the Further Education sector.

He says of the course: “If I could use one word to sum up my experience of the MA course it would be ‘transformative’. The core of my creative practice, how I conduct my creative business and how I identify myself as a creative practitioner has changed for the absolute better”.

‘I decided to conduct my Master’s Education at the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ because of the high quality of teaching in my immediate local area. Being able to stay local and receive a quality post-graduate education was a big factor in deciding to attend the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥. The high quality facilities and incredibly supportive staff helped to push my practice-based and theoretical research skills and processes to a new level to enable me to bid for commissions, residencies and bursaries for new video work. A Master’s Degree is something I have wanted since completing my undergraduate. I am so thankful that I chose the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ for it’.

Since graduating in 2019, Thomas has received commissions, gallery residencies and had work selected for exhibition from arts organisations in The Black Country, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Central London, Northumberland, The Netherlands and is in discussion for screening work in San Francisco, USA. Thomas has also received direct funding from Arts Council England for producing video work for online/social media distribution.

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Sharon Dhesi

Sharon Dhesi graduated with a BA in Fine Art at the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥, in 2019 and went on to graduate with an MA in Creative Media in 2020. During her MA she developed her interests in the link between Fine Art and Graphics, a pathway that has led her to the career she is now on.

Sharon Dhesi says, “I am currently working within the marketing and graphics team for the JD Company. I commute to the head office for two days organizing photo-shoots and collect briefs of what needs to be done for future events and offers and then either work remotely at home or commute to other cities to be involved in the shoots. I’ve also continued with my freelance work along with this.”

Tania March

Tania March

Tania March is a figurative painter and photographer. She joined the Masters course after graduating from Worcester with a First Class BA Honours degree in Fine Art Practice.

She says of her course: “I enjoyed my time here as an undergraduate and found staff to be extremely friendly and helpful. I generally like the atmosphere at the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ and staff go out of their way to help. The facilities are very good. I have been able to undertake many different creative projects and learn how to use a variety of media. Technical support and teaching are brilliant."

After finishing her Masters, Tania went on to peruse a career as an independent portrait painter. She was awarded a Residency at Worcester Cathedral, which culminated in a very successful exhibition at the Cathedral. She was then commissioned to paint a portrait of the Dean, which was very well received at the unveiling in September 2018.

Andrew Robinson

Andrew Robinson

After working in the computer graphics field for many years without relevant qualifications, Andrew Robinson came to Worcester University as a mature student studying Creative Digital Media at BA level. In his time on that course he gained a reputation for producing highly polished commercial work, and graduated with a first class honours degree.

Choosing to continue his studies at Worcester University was, he says, a natural choice. “I had been consistently impressed with the staff and facilities at Worcester University, and the unique combination of a one-year Masters course with wide flexibility offered within the modules made the Creative Digital Media MA the ideal course for me.”

Andrew Robinson now teaches Creative Computing, Web Design, Applied Drone Technology to Undergraduates at the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ and supervises students graduate and undergraduate projects as well as providing support to students in the Business School Media Lab.   

Teaching and assessment

Teaching and assessment

You are taught through a combination of lectures, interactive presentations of your work, tutorials and workshops that are intended to enable the application of learning through discussion, tutorial guidance and small group activities in workshops. Presentations and tutorials enable the discussion and development of understanding of topics covered in lectures.

You will be expected to take responsibility for engagement with your learning experience but this will be supported continuously by close tutorial guidance.

You will be able to attend undergraduate module talks and visits in order to achieve additional subject knowledge. 

Practitioners from the creative industries will give talks on their work and provide input on the Professional Practice module.

Contact time

In a typical week, you will have around eight contact hours of teaching through two module sessions. This represents two half days per week in each semester. Lecturers will give further support by email if a student requests this.

Independent self-study

In addition to the contact time, you are expected to undertake around 16 hours of personal self-study per week. Typically, this will involve completing online activities, reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library and online and preparing coursework assignments and presentations.

Independent learning supported by a range of excellent learning facilities, including the Hive and library resources, the virtual learning environment, and extensive electronic learning resources.

Assessment

The course provides opportunities to test understanding and learning informally through the completion of practice or 'formative' assignments.

Each module has one formal or 'summative' assessment that is graded and count towards the final module grade. Assessment methods include practical projects, essays and reports. The summer Independent Project is the equivalent of the dissertation and is a self-directed investigation, originated by the student, in the form of a major practical project supported by a 5,000 word critical evaluation.

Feedback

Students will receive detailed feedback on all module assignments. Feedback is intended to support learning and you are encouraged to discuss it with personal academic tutors and module tutors as appropriate.

We aim to provide feedback on formal course work assessments within 20 working days of hand-in.

Programme specification

For comprehensive details on the aims and intended learning outcomes of the course, and the means by which these are achieved through learning, teaching and assessment, please .

Interior of the ÃÛÌÒÖ±²¥ Arthouse interior of the art house a grey path leading to city campus in the distance
Careers

Careers

If you are a media practitioner, you can find employment in design, film, television or photography studios. If your field is in fine art, you could find employment in galleries, curation or public and private commissions. Many of our graduates proceed to freelance careers. Others find vocation as teachers and lecturers.

We have designed this exciting course such that you may participate in any area that represents your practice. You might be a designer, filmmaker, illustrator, painter, photographer, printmaker, animator or practicing in any other creative field. One of the distinct aspects of our programme is that you will be working and studying alongside graduates in a range of disciplines: this is an unusual, and very stimulating, inspiring factor of the course. You will benefit from contribution and support from student colleagues from diverse disciplines that will broaden your outlook and vision.

Graduates of the current programme have been successfully placed in studios specialising in design, video editing, film production and photography. Many are now pursuing freelance practice.

Meet the team

You will be taught by a teaching team whose expertise and knowledge are closely matched to the content of the modules on the course. The team includes senior academics, professional practitioners with industry experience, demonstrators and technical officers.

Postgraduate students may also voluntarily contribute to some undergraduate sessions. Teaching is informed by the extensive industry experience of the lecturers, together with on-going practice and research. Permanent staff lecturing on the programme have higher education teaching qualifications and are Fellows of the Higher Education Academy.

ree-han

Ree Han

Head of Art 7Design Communication

  • Ree Han’s long and varied experience in graphic design ranges from private sector involvement in advertising ( she formally worked for Saatchi and Saatchi) to academic research and teaching. Since 2010, she has been Course Leader for the undergraduate Graphic Design and Multimedia at Worcester. Before joining Worcester, she was course Leader for BA and MA Animation & Interactive Media at the University of Gloucestershire, she was also its Education Faculty’s International Programme Director, working to develop international partnerships and collaborative programmes.
  • The focuses of Ree’s teaching is on multimedia communication and the interface between design and technological development. Her curriculum development work is particularly concerned with maintaining close ties with industry and engaging with new technology and design trends.
Costs

Fees and funding

Full-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fee for full-time home and EU students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes courses in the academic year 2025/26 is £9,450 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fee for full-time international students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes courses in the academic year 2025/26 is £17,900 per year.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Part-time tuition fees

UK and EU students

The standard tuition fees for part-time home and EU students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes/PGCert/PGDip courses in the academic year 2025/26 are £788 per 15-credit module, £1,575 per 30-credit module, £2,363 per 45-credit module, and £3,150 per 60 credit module.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

International students

The standard tuition fees for part-time international students enrolling on MA/MSc/MBA/MRes courses in the academic year 2025/26 are £1,492 per 15-credit module, £2,983 per 30-credit module, £4,475 per 45-credit module, and £5,967 per 60 credit module.

For more details, please visit our course fees page.

Postgraduate loans

The Government will provide a loan of up to £12,471 if your course starts on or after 1 August 2024 per eligible student for postgraduate Masters study. It will be at your own discretion whether the loan is used towards fees, maintenance or other costs.

For more details visit our postgraduate loans page.
How to apply

How to apply

Apply for enrolment

Please make your application via our online application form. If you have any questions, please contact the Admissions office on 01905 855111 or admissions@worc.ac.uk

International applicants

If you are an international student, please visit this page.

If you have any questions about the application process for international students, please contact our international team at international@worc.ac.uk / +44 (0)1905 542640. We are happy to help.

Get in touch

If you have any questions, please get in touch. We're here to help you every step of the way.

Admissions Office

admissions@worc.ac.uk
01905 855111

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