Project Management for Creative Practitioners MSc

Why choose this course?

This course will help you to develop the skills and knowledge required to operate as a project manager in the creative industry. If you are a creative practice graduate who understands making and production processes and, you would like to perfect skills required to lead and design projects, then this is the course for you. Or perhaps you're a mid-career creative practitioner, who wants to develop your commercial and operational skills and understanding but, need to contextualise your learning within the collaborative manner of creative projects? If so, then this course is also for you. Creative careers are varied, full of change and frequently project-based, so developing project management skills, at postgraduate level, is a huge advantage. On this course you will also study for a professional Agile PM Practitioner certificate. This certification is accredited by the Agile Project Management Group and is internationally recognised. The inclusion of such a widely recognised certification process in the programme is to further enhance your career and employability prospects.

What you will study

The course is multi-disciplinary and practitioner-based. You will study with creative professionals and practitioners from across the creative practice (e.g. art and design) economy. Throughout your studies, the emphasis is on learning by doing/making/production/application: you'll develop a portfolio of projects, culminating with a substantive major project. You'll develop your project management skills relevant to creative practice, leading to a professional certification in Agile Project Management. Incorporated in the curriculum are general transferable skills including team building, collaborative practice, resource and stakeholder management, risk assessment, legal strategy and budget management. The key application is agility in project management for creative sector projects. The focus is on understanding both the language of management and leadership relevant to creative practice environments. While this will include the 'hard' skills of budget management, scheduling and legal strategy, there will be an important focus on understanding qualitatively, people; cultural context(s); and, the meaning of project 'outputs' and 'success' factors.

Teaching and assessment

Assessment is carried out through a blend of practice focused written reports and reflections; presentations; role play; simulations; live project briefs; and, project portfolio development.

After you graduate

This course equips graduates with the skills, knowledge and confidence (plus industry recognition) to work on creative projects as a team member or project manager.

Students need a BA(Hons) degree (or equivalent) in art and design practice disciplines or, have professional experience in the creative industries (this may also include performing arts practice). Candidates will be offered an interview. This will be a two way conversation, either at the campus or via Skype, about the course contents and, the experience and ambitions of the candidate.