Socially Engaged Arts Practice

University of Salford

United Kingdom, Salford

University RankQS Ranking

945

Apply Now!

Go to Official Website

Home/United Kingdom/Salford /University of Salford/Socially Engaged Arts Practice

University of Salford

United Kingdom , Salford

Key Facts

Program Level

Master by Course Work

Study Type

Full Time

Delivery

On Campus

Campuses

Main Site

Program Language

English

Start & Deadlines

Next Intake DeadlinesSeptember-2026

Apply to this program

Go to the official application for the university

Duration 1 year(s)

Tuition Fee

GBP 17,520 / years

Next Intake September-2026

Socially Engaged Arts Practice

About

Introduction

In a nutshell

Do you want to empower communities through the power of art?

Socially engaged arts practice seeks to do this, through collaboration and participation with people, through co-authored and co-produced activities that helps to define an environment, attitude or experience. Often the process of these interactions is as important as the visual artworks produced.

Students will be supported to consider pressing social issues such as inclusion, mental health, homelessness, regeneration and sustainability amongst many others to enable students of this course to explore a wider variety of real-life scenarios. Students will then be supported to apply an artistic approach and understanding to developing conversations and debate around these areas with relevant stakeholders within a community.

Artists have a history of using their creativity to highlight the topics that matter to them. If you want to be part of the next generation of socially engaged artists - through either full-time or part-time study - our socially engaged arts practice programme is for you.

We are also interested to hear from individuals who may be exploring curatorial or producing roles within social practice as well as artist delivery roles.

You’ll work with communities or projects that have a story to share, from youth clubs and local organisations, to cultural groups and institutions, such as the Turnpike Gallery in Leigh. You will use your arts practice to explore these compelling stories through the development of participatory events within this community, before potentially disseminating these findings to a wider populace, in a variety of forms. You’ll also gain an arts education relating to social issues, learning to use research and reflection to guide your creative process and create art that shines a spotlight on causes that matter.

This course is part of our suite of MA Art and Design programmes, which means you also get the opportunity to work collaboratively on a few modules with students from Socially Engaged Photography, Contemporary Fine Art, Visual Communications, and Creative Technology. We welcome and support you to work in a cross-disciplinary with your peers, echoing the way professionals work within the creative industries today.

Want to learn more about studying on this Master’s community arts programme? Come along to our Open Day or contact our MA Art and Design Programme Leader, Liz Wewiora: [email protected]

International applicants: Please check the international intakes page for the latest information and applicant dates.

You will:

Learn the skills needed to forge a professional career in the world of social and community art through engagement within dedicated communities
Develop co-authorship and co-curation skills in managing and producing community inspired and facilitated projects
Collaborate with other art and design students from different courses, strengthening your ability to work across multiple disciplines
Develop essential transferrable skills such as research, presenting, and self-reflection, as well as refine your artistic and creative abilities
Graduate with a strong portfolio of work

Placement

options available

International

students accepted

You’ll study at our New Adelphi building and join an Art and Design community where you’ll be supported and mentored.

Winners at the Create Student Awards 2022

Explore the outputs from students that study on this course, ‘Making a Change Project’ Horse and Bamboo

Explore the outputs from students that study on this course, Black History Month Project, 2019

Explore the outputs from students that study on this course, Tate Family Learning Project, Tate Liverpool ‘Beyond Walls’

Explore the outputs from students that study on this course, We Bear Project with artists Faye Claridge (Part of Coventry Biennial)

This is for you if...

You are a committed fine art or creative practitioner who wants to develop your personal practice in a community setting.

You want to learn by undertaking placements, residencies, and live project opportunities with communities, arts and public sector organisations.

You hope to develop your knowledge and skills relating to current debates and practices.

Requirements

Entry Requirements

Requirements

What you need to know

Applicant profile

To gain a place on this MA Socially Engaged Arts Practice course, youâll have to submit a personal statement and meet our entry requirements when you apply.

Within your MA Socially Engaged Arts Practice personal statement (up to 500 words), weâll want to understand:

What motivates you and what current experiences do you have in terms of art and design and community/socially engaged arts practice?
How have you been involved and what did you do?
Do you have any knowledge in the arts sector; are there any projects that inspire you?
What are your future goals; is it to work in the arts sector, for example?
Why is the University of Salford and this postgraduate degree the right choice for your future goals?

For some applicants, youâll be asked to provide us with a portfolio of work. This portfolio will be documentation of any relevant visual materials/projects completed within the last 10 years, including community or project partner testimony.

Once youâve made your application to study with us, weâll contact you and let you know the next steps.

Standard entry requirements

To join this MA you should have a second class honours degree, 2:2 or above.

Applicants are required to present a portfolio (or equivalent) at interview. Applicants are also asked to provide a short statement describing their practice to date and motivations for study.

International students

If you are an international student and not from a majority English speaking country, you will need IELTS 6.0 with no element below 5.5. We accept qualifications from all around the world. Find your country to see a full list of entry requirements.

We also accept a range of other English language qualifications. If you do not have the English language requirements, you could take our Pre-Sessional English course.

Alternative entry requirements

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)

We welcome applications from students who may not have formal/traditional entry criteria but who have relevant experience or the ability to pursue the course successfully.

The Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) process could help you to make your work and life experience count. The APL process can be used for entry onto courses or to give you exemptions from parts of your course.

Two forms of APL may be used for entry: the Accreditation of Prior Certificated Learning (APCL) or the Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL).

English Program Requirements

Equivalent qualifications

English language requirements are shown on individual course pages. Generally, this is shown as an IELTS grade, however we accept a range of equivalent qualifications.

As a general guide:

For undergraduate courses we require IELTS 6.0 (with a minimum 5.5 in each component) or equivalent

For postgraduate courses, we require IELTS 6.0 (with a minimum 5.5 in each component) or equivalent

For the International Foundation Year, we require IELTS 4.5 (with a minimum 4.0 in each component) in UKVI IELTS for UKVI (Academic)

The approved equivalent qualifications list includes the following:

Secure English Language Tests (SELTs)

University of Salford English language courses

Regional-based qualifications

Majority English Speaking Countries as deemed by UKVI

Medium of English Institutions

Applicants who require a Student Route visa to study in the UK may require evidence of a Secure English Language test rather than an examination or qualification due to visa requirements, as deemed by the UK Government Home Office, Visa and Immigration (UKVI).

Career

Employment and stats

What about after uni?

Employment

Upon graduating from this socially engaged art master’s programme, you may choose to pursue a variety of career paths. For example, you could become a freelance artist, working in galleries, prisons, youth centres, hospitals, and schools.

Alternatively, you may take the knowledge you’ve gained and go into teaching, through a variety of formal and non-formal workshop or residency settings. This could take place in primary and secondary schools, further and higher education, prison education, youth clubs, or residential and care homes, to name a few.

As well as that, you will also have a lot of options available from a wider perspective, thanks to the transferrable skills gained during your studies. Being able to research, develop and present ideas to a professional level is a skillset valued by many employers.

Additionally, you may decide to continue your practice-based and driven research, supported via MPhil/PhD courses, at the University of Salford.

Further study

Graduates showing strong academic and research skills can pursue a further academic research path through our doctoral (PhD) programmes on a full-time or part-time basis subject to a satisfactory proposal.

Career Links

Our MA Art and Design programmes have great working relationships key cultural organisations within the North-west. These include the Center for Chinese Contemporary Art, Hotbed Press, Turnpike Gallery, Islington Mill, Castlefield Gallery, International 3, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Artworks, Mark Devereux Projects, Textbook Studios, Dr Me, Magma Books and HOME. Talks are also in process with community organisations in Salford and the North-west, including Pendleton Together and The Children's Society and The Seashell Trust, which will provide opportunities for students to work with and respond to local communities and initiatives.

The range of opportunities for students spans from residencies and internships, to live projects and design briefs, to external mentoring and professional talks.