Postgraduate Life at Art
As a student with us you will become an important part not just of the Department but of both the School of Arts and Communication Design and the Faculty of Arts and Humanities. This offers collaborative opportunities and enriches your student experience. We offer a number of successful courses and attract a large number of students each year.
Student Community
A vital part of our School is its thriving student community, where you will meet people and make new friends. You will be helped to settle in during the postgraduate welcome week of events and social meetings, and throughout your time with us you will be encouraged to participate in seminars and events and social evenings as you widen your academic and social community both within your subject area and across the University. During your degree you will be able to take part in Staff/Student Committees within each subject area and provide the School with valuable feedback.
Seminars and Symposiums
There is an excellent seminar series of regular visits by artists, historians, critics, writers, and curators. You will also meet students pursuing doctoral research in your subject, and you will be invited to attend PhD research seminars. And at the end of the year there is a Postgraduate Symposium which will afford you the chance to meet researchers outwith the University in art practice, history and theory. At all times our dedicated teaching staff and friendly support staff will guide you during your time here at the University.
Resources
The University has major collections of visual material representing both high and popular culture, and the library has an excellent collection of holdings on contemporary visual art, the history of art and architecture, and critical and theoretical writing from the late nineteenth through to the present day, and of the Italian Renaissance period. Among other special collections the University has a Drawings Collection, a valuable research and teaching resource which comprises master drawings from the fifteenth to the twentieth century. And of particular interest to History of Art students is the Ure Museum of Greek Archaeology.
Alongside the academic environment of the School, facilities available to artists on the MFA programme include dedicated studio space with 24-hour access, and as well as your own studio area you will be able to book various rooms throughout the Department for the curation, presentation or experimentation of your practice. For History of Art students there is a Resources Room for each subject area.
Teaching Experience
As a Masters student you will have the opportunity to apply to join the Department's Postgraduate Teaching Assistant Scheme, offering teaching alongside Lecturers on the BA. Teaching opportunities include hosting seminars, practicals, and technical workshops. The scheme is overseen by the Head of Department and nominated staff members closely mentor PGTAs. The University's Centre for Staff Training and Development provides training specifically for postgraduates and you will be encouraged to attend.
Careers
Our Masters programmes are designed to prepare you for either a professional career, or for further research at doctoral level.
The MFA will give you the time and expertise to put yourself in a position to pursue a career as an artist, or to continue your research interests in contemporary art into a PhD.