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Creative Industries Management and Policy at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS

Course options

2025 - 2026
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There are other course options available which may have a different vacancy status or entry requirements – view the full list of options

Course summary

Our creative industries management and policy course gives you a chance to explore the requirements and benefits of sustainable and strategic policy and management in the field of creative industries. Why choose this course?

  • This course incorporates a unique combination of professional development and theoretical exploration in creative industries management, policy theory and practice, cultural theory and planning.
  • It gives you the opportunity to analyse the major trends and current debates related to the creative industries
  • You will benefit from valuable links with creative organisations, including an optional work placement.
What you will learn The course provides you with a comprehensive overview of the sector. It balances theory and practice within the context of the current social, political, economic and technological environments. We invite you to develop and expand your key critical-thinking skills, focusing on creative industries development and analysis, addressing key commercial sector issues but also studying relations with the public and voluntary sector creative organisations. You will engage with historical and contemporary management and policy frameworks and practice in the UK, Europe and elsewhere and take an in-depth look at the working practices among organisations in the creative sector. You will then be able to tailor the course to your interests and career aspirations by taking option modules that are specifically designed to provide a strong theoretical and professional focus in areas relating to:
  • audiences
  • leadership in creative organisations
  • comparative cultural policies
  • digital culture.
How you will learn This course is available to study online or on campus, or via a combination of both with classes in the evening and some daytime sessions. As well as engaging in lectures, tutorials and workshops, you will also have the opportunity to take part in smaller discursive seminar groups. If you are keen to deepen your sector experience, we offer a placement option in which you can work on your own research interests within creative organisations. Past students have had valuable experiences in organisations ranging from the Greater London Authority to the Hackney Museum, and from the Big Dance Project to the Wallace Collection. We offer this course as a Master’s, or Postgraduate Diploma or Certificate. For the Diploma or Certificate you study fewer modules and do not complete a dissertation. This course is part of our new Birkbeck Flexible Master’s UK, which gives you the choice of how you want to study - on campus, online or via flexible learning, which combines both. Highlights
  • Birkbeck was ranked as one of the top four universities in the UK for its Art and Design research in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework.
  • We offer a one-to-one mentoring scheme, where students are paired for six months with alumni who have become well-established leaders in the cultural and creative industries. Mentors are based in a variety of arts organisations, such as Arts Council England, Craft Council, Tender Pixel, BBC, Camden Cultural Partnership and Boundless Theatre, or have pursued a successful freelance career.
  • Birkbeck has established a growing international reputation combining cultural studies with the latest ideas and techniques across film studies, journalism, screenwriting, arts management and digital media. You are welcome to attend events at BIRMAC (Birkbeck Interdisciplinary Research in Media and Culture) as well as the Birkbeck Institute for the Moving Image and the Vasari Research Centre for Art and Technology.
Careers and employability Graduates can pursue career paths in the national and international arts and cultural sectors in, for example:
  • development and marketing
  • audience development
  • strategic planning
  • programming and curating
  • management of art collectives and networking hubs.

Modules

For information about course structure and the modules you will be studying, please visit Birkbeck’s online prospectus.

Assessment method

Coursework: a combination of written work-related assignments, presentations, special projects and a research dissertation/independent study. You will find specific details of assessment on individual module pages.

How to apply

International applicants

If English is not your first language or you have not previously studied in English, the requirement for this programme is the equivalent of an International English Language Testing System (IELTS Academic Test) score of 6.5, with not less than 6.0 in each of the sub-tests.

Entry requirements

You should have a second-class honours degree (2:2) or above in an arts subject, or in any subject together with experience of administration/management in an arts/cultural organisation, or three years’ relevant experience, for example in a senior management role in an arts/cultural organisation. On the basis of prior learning and achievement, exemption may be possible for up to 50% of Year 1 elements of the MA. Applications are reviewed on their individual merits and your professional qualifications and/or relevant work experience will be taken into consideration positively. We actively support and encourage applications from mature learners.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

To be confirmed
Creative Industries Management and Policy at Birkbeck, University of London - UCAS