Cultural & Creative Industries

Cultural & Creative Industries is a unique interdisciplinary programme that draws on cultural studies, sociology and cultural management and makes use of London arts and cultural links with Tate Modern, Southbank Centre and the British Film Institute. Leads to careers in major cultural and creative organisations and smaller creative businesses.

• Located at the heart of London's arts and media industries.
• Guest lectures from industry professionals and researchers provide up-to-date knowledge of current debates and trends.
• Optional internship programme (selective intake) with opportunities in a range of leading organisations.

Student destinations Programme leader/s Awarding Institution Credit value (UK/ECTS equivalent) Duration Location Year of entry 2012
Offered by Closing date Intake Fees Contact information Email Website

Provides a critical understanding of the cultural and creative industries for graduates seeking a career in the arts or creative industries or for professionals wishing to enhance their existing knowledge and career prospects. Can also prepare students for doctoral research in culture, media and creative industries. Meanwhile, it is important to know that we are not a media, communications or journalism studies programme. If you wish to follow a career in these areas, MA CCI will only be relevant in so far as your interests relate specifically to the cultural and creative industries (e.g. performing and visual arts, cultural heritage, film and music).

This interdisciplinary programme allows students to examine the structure and history of the cultural and creative industries and explore practical and theoretical issues facing cultural entrepreneurs, professionals and policy-makers. It uses a range of analytical tools from sociology, history and cultural studies, and draws on teaching, research and professional expertise from both King's academics and professionals working in the field.

Core modules examine cultural theory and history and the nature of cultural industries and creative organisations. Optional modules include Art of Management, Contextualising Creativity, The Creative City, "Creatives", Culture and Commerce, Cultural Markets, Cultural Policy, Film and American Culture, Internship in the cultural and creative industries, Youth Subcultures, Music and American Culture, Digital Industries & Internet Culture, Fashion, Culture & Society, Bodies & Identities in Digital Media, The Aesthetic Economy & Aesthetic Markets, Culture, Media & Health, Gender, Media & Culture, Visual Culture and two modules on the contemporary museum taught at Tate Modern. Students on the internship module undertake work experience in the arts or creative industries, and write a self-assessment looking at the skills, knowledge and motivation needed to build a career in these industries. Previous students have interned at the National Theatre, Barbican Centre, British Council, British Film Institute, Hayward Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Creative Industries Development Agency, Screen Digest and the V&A Museum. Finally, students research and write a supervised dissertation on chosen topic within the field.

Core programme content

• Analysing the Cultural and Creative Industries
• Contested Culture: Formations
• Dissertation
• Research Methods

Indicative non-core content

• The Aesthetic Economy and Aethetic Markets
• Art of Management: Management of Art
• Contextualising Creativity
• The Creative City
• "Creatives":  Working in the Cultural Industries
• Culture and Commerce
• Culture, Media and Health
• Cultural Markets
• Cultural Policy
• Digital Industries and Internet Culture
• Fashion, Culture and Society
• Film and American Culture
• Gender, Media and Culture
• Inside Today's Museum (taught at Tate Modern)
• Internship in the Cultural and Creative Industries
• Music and American Culture
• Towards Tomorrow's Museum (taught at Tate Modern)
• Visual Culture
• Youth Subcultures
• The Department will be introducing more optional modules over the 2012-13 academic year, please check the webpages for information

Exams; essays; dissertation.


General entry advice

To apply for a place on MA Cultural & Creative Industries, please complete the online application process, myApplication (via the link above), making sure to provide the required supporting documents:

• two references from previous or current academic tutors
• a complete or partial transcript of your first degree results, showing your breakdown of marks module by module. This is obtainable from your degree-awarding institution.
• a sample of your previous academic writing (following the guidelines below)
• a personal statement
• if English is not your first language, and your degree was not taught and assessed entirely in English, we require relevant English language qualifications to be provided. Please note that we will still be able to consider your application even if you do not yet have an English language certificate. In this case, any offer made will be given on more the condition that you meet King’s College's English language requirements, which will be detailed in your offer letter.

We aim to make a decision within two weeks of receiving your complete application. The busiest times for year for applications are February to June. We do not interview applicants, but you are welcome to contact us and visit the department at any time in the year.

In assessing your application we will look for the following:

Academic capabilities:

• interest and ability in studying cultural theory and history, and in understanding the broad contexts of the cultural and creative industries
• appreciation of the cultural, social and economic importance of the cultural and creative industries
• potential to raise critical questions about existing knowledge and assumptions regarding the cultural and creative industries

Academic interests:

• should match the broad themes that inform MA CCI teaching, i.e. cultural theory and history, cultural production, cultural consumption and cultural governance.
  
  

Career interests:

• should correspond to the sectors on which MA CCI teaching focuses, e.g. visual arts, museums, performing arts, popular music, cultural heritage, cultural policy, film and media.

Applicants must submit both a personal statement and a sample of previous academic writing. The personal statement should explain why you wish to apply for this programme and why you feel it matches your interests, academic background, and, if relevant, your career plans. The personal statement should not exceed 500 words. The admission tutors strongly prefer succinctly written statements that show your capability to explain key points within the given limit of word count. The sample of previous academic writing should be minimum 2000 words, either originally written in English or translated into English by yourself. This writing sample will normally be an essay or part of an essay written for an undergraduate degree. It may include previous markers' comments in the margins. The essay should be a demonstration of your ability to investigate a well-defined topic or question, to undertake original research, and to construct a coherent argument well supported by relevant evidence and full citation of sources (i.e. footnotes or in-text referencing, and a full bibliography). We do not require the writing sample to be on a topic directly relevant to MA Cultural and Creative Industries, e.g. if your first degree was in philosophy, you should send us an essay in this area. If your first degree was in a discipline where research papers are not commonly assigned, please send in a sample of your written work from the final year of your degree, indicating the question and/or the brief that you were given for this assignment.

Self-funded; Graduate School and School of Arts & Humanities studentships and bursaries.