23 Part time Master Programmes in Art Studies in London, United Kingdom for 2024

The MFA Communication programme interrogates the fundamental ways in which communication shapes our lives, and uses this knowledge to develop new ways of experiencing, interacting and communicating with the world. The programme makes space for conversation, inter-cultural exchange, new ideas and diverse voices. You will explore social, political, environmental and philosophical implications of communication practices and how these may be manifested within the your chosen field of practice.

The MA in Classical Art and Archaeology course offers you the opportunity to study Greek and Roman art and archaeology at one of the largest Classics departments in the UK. The course is intercollegiate with options taught at King’s, UCL and Royal Holloway and you can take advantage of our close links to the Institute of Classical Studies, one of the UK’s best Classical libraries.

The Museums, Galleries and Contemporary Culture MA studies how museums, galleries and other cultural institutions are changing to meet the needs of the 21st century. The MA is for you if you're pursuing a career as a curator, arts organiser, museum professional or another cultural manager, and in particular if you want to know how these institutions face contemporary issues. The course looks at the changing role of cultural provision and how agencies, festivals and flexible organisations shape, house, fund, and disseminate culture today. It also gives you the opportunity to immerse yourself in the contemporary debates about working practices in cultural institutions and the changing context in which organisations operate. The MA focuses on professional practice, and you'll work closely with institutions such as the Museum of London and conduct case studies into creative projects run by organisations as diverse as the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Tate Modern, smaller independent galleries and London-based festivals and arts organisations. Classes are taught off-site at other institutions and involve professionals from the sector as much as possible to give you an understanding of vocational issues and a close involvement in the workplace.

While a research degree should be very rewarding personally, it is also a serious and sometimes intense undertaking. Under the current system, a full-time doctoral student has three years to complete a full draft of her or his thesis and then a further one year for writing up (known as a 3+1 degree). Research degrees are generally undertaken by individuals who aim to become professionals in the field of art history and/or archaeology, whether as academics who carry out research and teach in universities or as curators or educators in museums, libraries or archives, or in any number of other related areas such as academic publishing or even the commercial art world. It is generally a good idea to have some experience of work outside university before applying to a doctoral programme, for example, in some role in a museum or gallery.

Immerse yourself in exploring professional and practical approaches to children’s illustration as well as engaging in the academic study of children's literature, to gain an in-depth understanding of the relationships between image, text, readers and context in the world of children’s literature.

Extend your practice, locate and expand its professional potential and explore your agency in forging the future of arts and humanities.

Delivered from one of the world's cultural capitals, this MA is designed to meet the complex needs of today's arts and cultural managers and professionals. With its distinctive mix of theoretical, and arts-based knowledge and skills development, you will learn how to apply creative leadership and ethical principles in managing artistic excellence, cultural heritage, audience diversity and financial sustainability, at local and global levels.

The Art and Visual Culture MA is part of the Cultural and Literary Studies Suite, a cluster of four MAs that bring together academics, curators and practitioners who share a commitment to investigating modern and contemporary culture from aesthetic, critical, literary, and experiential perspectives. You'll share classes with students from the Cultural and Critical Studies MA, the English Literature: Modern and Contemporary Fictions MA, and the Museum, Galleries and Contemporary Culture MA, joining a fruitful and intellectually-rigorous environment designed to facilitate the sprouting of interdisciplinary thinking. As part of our Suite, you may also choose an option module from the other three MA programmes (what is referred to as an ‘elective’ module), a fantastic opportunity to explore a facet of culture outside of your chosen MA programme. The Art and Visual Culture MA is an interdisciplinary, visual theory-based course established around the belief that visual literacy and the impact of visual forms of thinking and working play significant roles in our society. In the course, we interrogate visual perception and representation in high and popular culture, explore how these produce meanings, and how such meanings shape societies and individuals.

The Islamic Middle East has given rise to an impressive material culture that continues in the present. This programme covers an area stretching from Islamic Spain through the Arab countries, Turkey, Iran and Central Asia in diverse historical periods. It offers students an unmatched opportunity to study particular regions or categories of art, including Fatimid art; the architecture and urbanism of Morocco; Arab, Persian and Turkish painting; the calligraphy and illumination of the Qur'an; Mamluk art and architecture; the arts and architecture of the Ottomans in Turkey and the Balkans; and the material culture of western Iran. Archaeological issues of the Islamic Middle East are also considered.

This programme is an unrivalled opportunity to study the arts of China, Korea and Japan. Students consider a wide range of East Asian arts, from Chinese archaeology to Japanese prints, Korean installation works to Buddhist monuments, exploring their specificity and the links between them, in historical and contemporary periods. In many parts of East Asia, archaeological evidence is key to understanding early societies. The programme, therefore, relates excavated materials to the history of art.

The MA in Contemporary Art Theory is for those with a special interest in contemporary art, and an aptitude for theoretical work in the subject.

Immerse yourself in exploring professional and practical approaches to children’s book illustration.

This programme is a unique opportunity to study the History of Art and/or Archaeology of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Students concentrate on architecture, sculpture, painting and the decorative arts and have the option of pursuing topics and approaches more archaeological in focus. They consider theoretical and methodological questions and are invited to question the relevance of the disciplinary distinction between History of Art and Archaeology to the study of the non-Western world. Courses cover a time period spanning from antiquity to present-day, contemporary art.

The MA Fine Art course at City & Guilds of London Art School focuses on a deep exploration of your own practice and its research territories and critical frameworks. Whether you are continuing after recently graduating in Fine Art or returning to study after some years as a practising artist (or from working in another related field), our aim is to help you to move beyond your current position, to exceed your expectations.

After many successful years running a Postgraduate Diploma in Conservation, the City & Guilds of London Art School is proud to announce our new MA Conservation that will run alongside our existing BA (Hons) Conservation Studies course from Autumn 2017. All of our Conservation courses will then be validated by our long-standing partner Birmingham City University.