Master of Fine Arts in Curating

at University of the West of England - Bristol - City Campus United Kingdom

Learn to create garments, accessories and textile collections for fashion and interiors through sustainably driven and digitally-enabled design.

Why study fashion textiles?

• Fashion and textiles are the UK's largest creative industries and are internationally renowned for quality and innovation.
• Today's fashion and textile designers are exploring new forms and materials and rethinking what fashion can be.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Fashion Textiles teaches you about fashion textile design: from designing and manufacturing fabrics through to garments and fashion related products.
• Discover the disciplines of fashion design and traditional craftsmanship by making garments, accessories and other fashion products. Translate your ideas from 2D to 3D by building your pattern-cutting skills throughout the course. Explore and develop concepts using technologies including digital print, digital embroidery and smart textiles.
• Tailor your degree to your creative strengths by specializing in fashion design, textile design or fashion textile futures, allowing you to develop a unique pathway and identify a career path that suits your ambitions.
• Learn from visiting industry experts in the studios. Work closely with industry partners on live briefs and competitions, to apply your learning and gain real-world experience.
• Engage with research as you develop your design practice.
• Professional practice is key to this course and there are placement and project opportunities every year to help you develop your professional skills. All students have the opportunity to undertake a year out in industry as part of the course.
• Showcase and sell your design work at high profile national and international events such as New Designers and Premier Vision in Paris, the world's largest fashion textile trade show.
• Our City Campus is a creative powerhouse. It spans Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton and renowned contemporary arts centres Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• Focusing on the avenues that most interest you, through your modules and assessments, you'll explore different career paths and graduate with the confidence and skills to succeed.  

Where can it take me?

• Our students go on to work in industry, develop enterprise opportunities or explore further research at the postgraduate level. Whatever you want to do, our team of subject and employability experts will support you.
• Many of our graduates go on to successful careers with high profile companies like Alexander McQueen, Matthew Williamson, All Saints, Cos and Victoria Beckham.
• Choose from roles such as fashion designer, textile designer, studio manager, art director, product developer, pattern cutter and materials research.
• Follow UWE Fashion on Instagram.
• Read about some of our successes:
• UWE Bristol launches 2020 Fashion Enterprise project
• Fashion Textiles students awarded prestigious bursaries
• Fashion Textiles student wins a UWE Bristol Enterprise 'Try It' Award
• Fashion Textiles student works with couture tailor to create range of masks
• Take a look at how our graduates are changing the future of fashion.
• Read how three of our former students won prestigious bursaries from The Worshipful Company of Framework Knitters.
• Have a look at some of our students' latest work in our 2019 Graduate Showcase, as well as our 2019 Yearbook and 2020 Yearbook. See more by watching the film.

This course is affiliated with the leading professional body for photographers in the UK and beyond, the Association of Photographers.

Why study photography?

• Images are everywhere. Studying photography enables you to understand the language of images and develop your 'visual voice' to communicate effectively and with confidence.
• It helps you understand the contexts in which images exist and circulate, and locate opportunities to get your images published, exhibited and commissioned.
• Becoming a photography professional opens doors to a wide range of careers within a global landscape of creative industries.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Photography is based in the city of Bristol, a vibrant arts and media community that will challenge and inspire you.
• The course offers a vibrant, collaborative environment, modern facilities, supportive workshop instruction and expert input, all underpinned by theory and critique.
• Study at Bower Ashton Studios, part of our City Campus, where exceptional facilities and resources include industry standard digital media studios.
• Explore traditional tools and the latest technology in our production and fabrication workshops. Develop your creativity and the high-level practical skills needed to become a successful photographer. Work across all areas of the discipline, from editorial and documentary to fashion, advertising and fine art.
• We'll encourage you to transform your broad-based photographic practice into an individual visual style. On graduation, you'll have a unique and compelling body of work for the marketplace.
• Work to briefs set and assessed by external individuals and organisations, including photographers, filmmakers, publishers, clothing labels, product designers, theatre groups, musicians and festivals. Build your CV with work experience, and access to job opportunities, throughout the course.  
• Our partnerships with Bristol Photography Festival and IC Visual Lab, two highly reputable Bristol-based photography organisations with national and international influence, will provide you with a wide range of work experience placements and live briefs to work on. You'll also have access to industry talks, events and opportunities to display your work at prestigious exhibitions and venues.

Where can it take me?

• Our graduates work in fields from editorial and fashion to movie stills and medical photography. Employers include the BBC, Sunday Times Magazine and the Tate.  
• Past students have assisted photographers such as Steve McCurry, Zed Nelson and Tim Walker, and have been published and exhibited in FT Weekend, Vogue Italia, Oh Comely, The Photographers Gallery, National Portrait Gallery and the Tate.
• Graduates have also established important collectives and exhibiting networks such as The Lost Light Recordings, Loupe Magazine and Splash and Grab.
• Some graduates go on to further study at Master's level, including our own postgraduate MA Photography programme

Learn in a creative and supportive studio environment with professional-standard facilities and a focus on helping you gain real-world skills for the workplace.

Why study illustration?

• Studying illustration opens the door to diverse careers in the creative industries.
• You will respond to ideas, explore narratives and work across a range of media, including 2D, 3D and moving image.
• Self-directed projects could range from editorial to narrative, 3D model-making to film, animation to artists' books, providing excellent preparation for the commercial world.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Illustration encourages you to create and develop your own personal visual language. Problem-solving through drawing and making is core.
• You'll be based at Bower Ashton Studios, part of the City Campus. Exceptional facilities and resources include industry-standard digital media studios and production and fabrication workshops.
• Explore a range of media and deepen your awareness of the ideas, concepts and contexts of illustration through theoretical studies. Build an awareness of the professional world and develop core skills through individual experimentation.
• Innovation and individualism are celebrated. Investigate potential contexts and audiences for your work and test yourself against industry expectations through live briefs, and national and international competitions.
• City Campus is a creative powerhouse that spans the city of Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• Our strong industry links with the thriving city of Bristol ensure input from illustrators and creatives. Visits from respected practitioners will keep you up to date with contemporary illustration practice.
• Attend lectures and seminars at the Arnolfini and Watershed and work in our production and fabrication workshops, equipped with traditional tools and the latest technology.
• Showcase your work to talent scouts and potential employers at the final year Creative Industries Degree Show and D&AD New Blood, London.
• Focusing on the avenues that interest you, you'll graduate with an impressive portfolio of work, ready to make your mark as an illustrator.

Where can it take me?

• This course prepares you for a sustainable and flexible career in illustration.
• Alongside established freelance illustration career paths, our graduates work as film directors, set designers, art/creative directors, illustration agents, visualisers, designers, model-makers, animators, storyboard artists, puppeteers and theatrical/film costume and prop designers.

Learn from world-class researchers, tap into Bristol's vibrant creative sector and gain the knowledge, skills and networks you need to forge a career in the film and television industries.

Why study the film and television industries?

There has never been a more exciting time to study the screen industries. The UK's screen industries are booming. Streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon are investing huge sums in original drama and documentary. This is transforming the way programmes are commissioned and how they reach audiences, and has major implications for the production, distribution and exhibition of both commercial and independent film and television. These changes pose a range of new opportunities as well as unprecedented challenges for audiences and industry professionals alike.

This MA Film and Television Industries course equips students with cutting-edge knowledge of the key drivers of change in the film and television industries. You'll study new and emerging structures and business practices, and learn how leading industry professionals are navigating the changes across finance, production, distribution, marketing and exhibition. You'll also gain the entrepreneurial skills needed to set up a screen business of your own, whichever sector you wish to work in. For those interested in pursuing PhD research, the course also provides the knowledge and skills required to study at that level, or to pursue a teaching career.

Explore the screen industry, tap into Bristol's vibrant creative sector, and build an excellent foundation for working on documentaries, feature films, TV and new platforms.

Why study screen business?

• The UK screen industry is booming, with companies like Netflix and Amazon investing huge amounts in creating original UK dramas and content.
• New platforms are also opening up new opportunities, and producers are needed to meet the ongoing demand for high-quality screen-based content in the digital space, animations and video games, as well as in TV and films.

Why UWE Bristol?

• MA Screen Business is firmly embedded in Bristol's vibrant creative sector and is delivered in partnership with Watershed, the leading film culture and digital media centre in the South West.
• Exploring the structure and operations that make up the contemporary global screen industries, you'll learn about areas such as production, distribution and exhibition, as well as the marketing and reception of film and TV.
• Studying this in Bristol, a UNESCO City of Film, means you'll be part of the city's rapidly expanding screen business sector, the third largest in the UK.
• Bristol is home to the BBC's world-famous Natural History Unit, Aardman Animations, the Bottle Yard Studios, and many leading independent production companies, as well as being one of two Channel 4 regional hubs, and the new production base for Netflix.
• The course draws on UWE Bristol's strong reputation in film studies and filmmaking, and the renowned research of our film and cultural studies staff.
• You'll learn about creative entrepreneurship and the practicalities of establishing yourself as a successful producer.
• There'll be opportunities to network with other future creative leaders, working alongside students on our other postgraduate screen courses.
• We hope to arrange a field trip to an international film festival, subject to Covid restrictions.
• Where possible, the course will include company visits and guest lectures by leading industry experts.

Where can it take me?

• You'll develop the skills to work on documentaries, feature films, TV and new platforms, as a production manager, line producer or production assistant.
• You could go into areas such as finance, distribution or exhibition in an established screen business, or set up your own start-up. Or progress onto further research or teaching.

Build an impressive portfolio, real-world experience, project management skills and the technical expertise needed for a successful career in interior design.

Why study interior design?

• Interior design is an exciting field that bridges the boundaries between architecture, art and design.
• Interior designers take a holistic approach to space, designing every element from structural interventions to specifying materials. Working to a level similar to that of an architect, they design for the retail industry, commercial offices, art galleries, private homes and the hotel and leisure sector.
• Working in this industry is exciting and varied. To succeed, you'll need creative flair, professional acumen and real practical skills.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Interior Design degree teaches you the professional skills you need to work in the interior design industry.
• You'll be based at Bower Ashton Studios, as part of our City Campus, which includes renowned contemporary arts centres Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed. Exceptional facilities and resources include industry-standard digital studios and fabrication workshops.
• This is a technical learning course, with a focus on lighting, heating, ventilation and acoustics. You'll learn to work with traditional tools and the latest technology, and develop the skills to design lighting, furniture, materials and entire interior projects.
• Learn to view spaces differently and seek new design opportunities within them. Push the boundaries of what interior design means and what it can achieve.
• Regular guest lectures and events will help you explore work opportunities. Develop your own independent projects and follow live briefs set and assessed by professionals in the field. This Interior Design course gives you the opportunity to spend a year in industry gaining real-world experience. You can also take on work experience and placements throughout the degree, including international exchange.
• Focusing on the areas that most interest you, you'll graduate with an impressive portfolio, and the skills to succeed as an interior designer.

Where can it take me?

• This Interior Design degree course offers excellent preparation for a professional career in commercial and domestic interiors, retail, leisure and exhibition design.
• You could also choose to specialize in furniture, product or lighting design, materials or architecture-scale projects.
• You could go onto postgraduate study, including our MA Design.
• Read how Emily's three-month placement is boosting her confidence and employability.

 Work alongside independent and BBC audio producers, and award-winning academics, to gain valuable experience, insights and contacts for your career in audio journalism.

Why study journalism (audio, docs and podcast)?

• Today's fast-moving digital age has opened up enticing opportunities for journalists wanting to work in audio and radio.
• Producers are needed to create high-quality programs for podcasts, radio and audio documentaries - and graduates specializing in this field will build a compelling set of skills to develop a highly versatile portfolio career.

Why UWE Bristol?

• Offered in partnership with the BBC, our MA Journalism (Audio, Docs and Podcast) is for graduates with a passion for radio, and an interest in journalism and audio documentary making.
• Working with award-winning audio producers, you'll learn to develop your own radio documentaries and podcasts, as you build experience of audio collection techniques, sound and recording, working in a studio and using digital editing software.
• Based at the arts-focused Bower Ashton studios, you'll be immersed in audio and radio for the digital age, putting your skills into practice, and delving into the cultural industry and its supply chain.
• There's a strong emphasis on developing your technical expertise, alongside the skills needed to compete as a producer, such as commissioning, pitching and getting your documentaries to air. You'll also gain useful online skills to develop your own websites and podcasts.
• You will build experience on placements in some of Bristol's most innovative cultural organizations, get to pitch your work to Radio 4 editors and work on your own projects with mentoring from industry.

Where can it take me?

• By the end of the course, you'll be equipped to secure audio journalism work on a freelance or staff basis, in production companies and post-production facilities. You could work as a broadcast assistant, junior researcher, production assistant or studio manager.

This industry-led master's course offers you the opportunity to explore the politics, business and culture of immersive technologies. You will learn practical skills and develop your craft as a pioneering storyteller in virtual, augmented and extended realities.

MA Virtual and Extended Realities is an industry-led course designed to address increased demand for expertise in immersive storytelling. The course is open to passionate graduates who want to enter the radical world of virtual, augmented and extended reality production.

We welcome students from all disciplines and backgrounds, and are looking for people with ideas about how their unique perspective and diverse experiences can contribute to this young and fast-evolving industry.

Your background may be in journalism, filmmaking, experience design, education, marketing or theatre. Perhaps your specialism is in storytelling, software, sound design or circus.

Whatever you bring to the mix, this is a place for independent thinkers who thrive in experimental, collaborative and hands-on learning environments.

Why study this course?
Virtual and Extended Realities is one of the fastest growing markets in the world. There is a recognised shortage of graduates with the skills and experience needed to support transformation in every sector.

Why UWE Bristol?

• In this one-year, full time course, you'll combine theory and critical thinking with practical experimentation. Throughout the year, you'll learn from pioneering thought-leaders and work with internationally significant industry partners. This collaboration will allow you to create innovative work in virtual and extended realities.
• Previous partners include BBC R&D, Royal Opera House, English Institute of Sport and Ultraleap. You'll also benefit from the support of a personal mentor, hand-picked from our research and professional networks to support your development.

 Every student is placed within one of our partner institutions alongside a curator who will mentor the student through the year. Our industry partners are all renowned creative and cultural organizations.
This well-connected degree is for those wishing to explore curating and develop curatorial skills in one or more of the following areas: fine art, digital media, film, festivals and social history.

Why study this course?

• You will study alongside an intentionally small and supportive group of students with backgrounds in areas including fine art, sculpture, art history, architecture, 3D design, film studies and history, sharing practice and ideas and providing opportunities to work creatively and collaboratively on group projects.
• Our students value and thrive in a highly professional and creative learning environment led by experienced tutors in a lively and dynamic city with active and engaging cultural communities.
• Curating is based on Bristol's historic waterfront at Arnolfini. Situated above this internationally renowned centre for contemporary art you will be at the heart of Bristol's creative and cultural community, with access to UWE Bristol's City Campus and all it has to offer. Have a look at our UWE Curating blog to find out more.

Combine extensive practical experience with underlying theory and graduate confident, creative and ready for an exciting future as a performer.

Why study drama and acting?

• Contemporary acting is competitive. You need know your strengths as a performer and develop them to the highest level possible through practice and direction.
• When you audition for a role or drama school, you need to be able to demonstrate your range and ability in as little as three minutes.
• Being prepared isn't just about learning your lines, it's about choosing the right one and being ready for changes and questions on the day.
• Studying drama and acting prepares you for these challenges so you have the best chance to make an impression.

Why UWE Bristol?

• BA(Hons) Drama and Acting is for those who love performing live and appreciate a challenge. You'll develop your performance skills through core modules in acting for stage and screen, and physical theatre.
• Work closely with our supportive theatre community to share ideas and work as collectively on productions.
• Build your skills in all aspects of performing and gain plenty of practical experience.
• Play a part in Bristol's vibrant culture, with regular exchanges between the university and local theatre network. Get support to form your own theatre company, producing your own extra-curricular work and making the most of rehearsal and performance space.
• As an actor, you will devise and perform original pieces of theatre. Specialist workshops led by staff and industry professionals will give you the chance to develop skills such as auditioning for theatre, film and television, and you'll showcase your work at the New Performance Festival.
• City Campus is a creative powerhouse that spans the city of Bristol and is made up of Bower Ashton, Spike Island, Arnolfini and Watershed.
• BA(Hons) Drama and Acting is based at the City Campus, and uses theatres and specialist spaces at the Arnolfini and Bower Ashton Studios.
• Shaping the course towards the type of acting, or area of theatre making you're most interested in, you'll emerge as a confident and creative practitioner, ready to thrive in your career.
• Showcase your work to potential employers at the final year Creative Industries Degree Show and build an impressive portfolio of work.

Where can it take me?

• Graduate in a confident position for a career performing for theatre, television and film.
• You could also progress to further study with one of the country's prestigious theatre schools such as the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA).