Art and Design: Interdisciplinary Practices, Postgraduate Taught - MA - 2022/23 entry

This stimulating course offers you an education in contemporary art and design from an interdisciplinary perspective. You will be supported as creative individuals from a range of tutors and practitioners, with the aim of pushing your existing practice in new directions. The course helps you develop a wider contextual understanding of your practice, while gaining strong research skills in order to develop interdisciplinary projects underpinned by contextual and theoretical debates.

You will be encouraged to develop independent study in relation to different cultural perspectives and a range of contemporary art and design practices, such as fine art, curation, visual communication, fashion, product and interior design.

Our graduates progress into many different careers including graphic design, independent contemporary art practice, typography, gallery education, arts administration, event management, photography, community arts and education. Our course prepares you for life as a creative professional, a PhD researcher or work in other career areas.

There is scope to work on external live projects and our academic staff are highly experienced with national and international research profiles.

Programme leader, Demitrios Kargotis is a designer and artist that works and lives in Birmingham, UK. Since graduating from the Design Products course at the Royal College of Art, he established the design action group Dash N Dem in collaboration with Dash Macdonald. The wide-ranging participatory projects centre on political education and engagement. Ideas inhabit varied media and platforms as a vehicle for agitation, using co-creation as a form of activism that provokes diverse audiences to speak out and think critically and creatively. Their work is exhibited nationally and internationally and regularly develop public talks, workshops, events and summer schools.

He is also co-founder of Post Workers Theatre (PWT), a design troupe investigating the future of politically engaged performance, reimagining historic forms of creative resistance for a contemporary context. Working across a rich profusion of forms, using co-production to confront social issues and create a shared learning experience. The aim is to work with diverse groups to explore and express complex topics in accessible ways. Through performance and play PWT look to share narratives of hope and resistance.

Bachelor Degree from a recognised university with a minimum grade of 60% / Good / 2.5 / C+

Even though you may have met the stated requirements, if your first language is not English, we may ask you to take an additional English Language Test when you arrive.

Based on the results of the test, you may be required to attend regular English classes to improve your level of competence. English classes are provided free of charge and are available to all non-UK students who wish to attain greater fluency in English.

Enhancing employability skills

While most artists are self-employed many already have or wish to gain employment in a range of related professions across the creative industries. Some people are looking for ways to enhance their skills set, some are seeking ways to advance in the profession they already have whilst others are seeking a change in direction enabling them to do what they have dreamed of.

The acquisition of transferrable skills: creative problem solving; communication and presentation skills; adaptability and flexibility; independence and teamwork and good time management is important. Specific modules have been designed to address employability e.g. Managing Arts Events and Projects; Technical Methods, Workshop Practice and Learning; Small Arts Business Set Up and Creative Publishing and Public Dissemination.

From the sample detailed in the employability section a significant number of our graduates have become highly successful arts professionals. Numerous others have been employed in a number of other professions including:

• Conference/ exhibition organisers
• Web designers
• Health professionals
• Graphic designers
• Business professionals
• Insurance underwriter
• Industrial relations officers

A significant number of our graduates have been appointed in Higher Education Institutions nationally and internationally.