Creative Studies MA



Select individual modules to build a unique university award

Overview

The MA Creative Studies is aimed at students who want to develop their career in creative industries. It offers a flexible pathway to a Masters level qualification. You’ll have access to exciting creative challenges and relevant vocational training, supported by the expertise of industry professionals and experienced tutors.

You'll have the opportunity to create a programme of study that is tailored to your chosen subjects including journalism, writing, film and design. We offer modules from a range of subjects in the School of Arts & Creative Industries, and anticipate most students will select modules from their area of specialism to develop their skills.

This course is offered full-time (in one-year) or in a part-time flexible format, where you can build up credit towards an MA degree by studying individual modules to upskill in areas of interest, similar to CPD or training. The part-time flexible format is designed for people who are looking for specific professional development and training but cannot commit to full-time study. 

If you opt to study as a full-time student, you will study six taught modules across the first two trimesters. A standard module is equivalent to 200 hours of learning and on successful completion of each module you will achieve 20 credits towards your chosen award. In the third trimester, you will also undertake personal research and complete a dissertation or final project to gain 60 credits towards your master’s degree.

student in recording studio

Mode of Study:

Full-time (also available Part-time)

Duration:

1 years

Start date:

JanJunSep

Course details

Due to the flexibility of the course structure, it provides the perfect solution for people looking to upskill or update and further their knowledge in a particular area. 

Available modules include:

Trimester 2 (January - May 2026)

Art, Design & Photography Media & Humanities Screen & Performance

Trimester 3 (June - August 2026)

Art, Design & Photography

 

Dissertation Option

  • Major Project
  • Research Portfolio for Creative Practice
  • Journalism Major Project
  • Masters Thesis
  

Trimester 1 (September - December 2026)

Art, Design & Photography

Media & Humanities

Screen & Performance
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    How you’ll be taught

    This course offers 30+ module options which can be studied singly. Completing 9 modules of your choice (but including the 60-credit Dissertation/Major Project) will qualify for the award of the MA Creative Studies.

    Completion of each standard module will confer a Certificate of Completion and the accrual of 20 credits. The award of an MA requires a total of 180 credits. 
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    Assessments

     Assessment on this course takes many forms and is dependant on the specific modules you select. Our modules are practically focused and as such many of the final assessment approaches will see you producing and reflecting on creative artefacts and outputs. Some modules may see you undertake assessment in groups and others will require individual submissions. 
     
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    Facilities

    You will have access to outstanding facilities that mirror industry. These may include design labs, studios, computer labs and other specialist spaces connected to the modules you study.

    The facilities you will access are dependent on the modules you select. Most of the modules on offer are taught at Merchiston Campus, the hub for our School of Arts & Creative Industries. This is also where resources such as studios, specialist teaching spaces, and our specialist library are located.

     

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Creative Studies?

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at 2:2 or above. We look for applicants to have a background in any discipline in order to be eligible for the programme.

We may also consider lesser qualifications if you have sufficient professional work experience within the industry.

Can I get admission into Creative Studies based on my working experience in this sector?

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Usually, unrelated work experience is not considered sufficient for entry without meeting the minimum academic entry requirements. Please contact us with your specific circumstances by submitting an enquiry form above and we will be happy to discuss your options.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the postgraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test and our minimum English language requirements will apply.

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • MSc Nursing courses
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2025/26 2026/27
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £7,650 £8,030
Overseas and EU £19,750 £20,540
Tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other tuition fee matters, please see our Fees and Funding links above.
The University offers a 20% discount on Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online degrees. The discount can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount. For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount. Please read our full T&C here.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Careers

Since this course allows you to build your own study by choosing what modules suit you best, the career opportunities from this course are vast.

This course allows you to choose modules from courses across main different creative subjects, including Physical and Digital Design, Art, Creative Writing, Media, Sports, Film and much more, as a result, this course could help you build a career in any and all of these areas.

The transferable skills gained from studying a masters degree are also appealing to graduate employers in other fields.

photography exhibit