The Centre for Cultural Policy Studies

The Centre for Cultural Policy Studies provides a focus for teaching and research in the fields of cultural policy and management, global media and the creative industries. The distinctive approach of the Centre is its engagement with both the practical realities of working in the cultural and media industries and with theoretical questions around the conditions of contemporary culture. We believe that this approach equips students with a set of ideas, strategies and knowledge which not only addresses immediate challenges but will remain relevant and transferable to their careers in the future. The Centre is part of an international network which connects students and alumni with researchers, cultural managers and organisations in many parts of the world.

The University of Warwick is set in the Warwickshire countryside close to Coventry, just an hour's train journey from London. The campus is home to Warwick Arts Centre, one of the UK's leading arts centres, and to a vibrant, diverse, international student community.

The Centre offers three MA programmes:

MA in Creative and Media Enterprises

The MA in Creative and Media Enterprises is designed for students seeking to set up or manage a business in the commercial creative industries. Students examine the theory and practice of running a creative business, from the global cultural and media industries to the freelance economy.

MA in International Cultural Policy and Management

The MA in International Cultural Policy and Management is designed for students seeking or developing careers in arts and cultural management, and in cultural policy. The degree is concerned with both the development of critical perspectives on cultural policy and the acquisition of skills in cultural management.

MA in Global Media and Communication

The MA in Global Media and Communication is designed for students wishing to develop careers in visual media, advertising and communication industries. The course examines how creative media communication is produced and consumed, how it is implicated in political and social change, and how media business is shaping our world.

Our curriculum takes as its starting point the knowledge and ideas students need to progress in their careers. Each of our courses has been designed around a set of professional needs and challenges for a specific sector. We recognise that students learn best in small groups and that they learn more by working with each other. Our MA programmes are taught in classes of 20 to 30 students. This allows for a diversity of inputs and experiences from students, but also a close interaction between students and staff. Alongside the taught programme of regular weekly lecture / seminars, students participate in group projects and pursue their own individual research interests. Visiting experts, practical projects and internship opportunities help to connect student learning to current practice.

We expect students to be strong academically and to have a clear sense of how studying at Warwick will benefit their future careers. We believe that a diversity of interests and backgrounds enriches the student experience, and that experienced professionals and recent graduates can both learn from each other as students in the Centre. We offer bursaries for international students and we will do our best to accommodate students who have professional commitments outside the university.

Most of our students want to work in the cultural or media industries as managers, practitioners, entrepreneurs or policy makers. Many of them have professional experience or have undertaken relevant internships or voluntary work in their chosen field. Our students are prepared to have their assumptions and beliefs challenged. They are interested in the ideas and questions which lie behind current dilemmas in the cultural and media sectors. They are ambitious, reflective and intellectually curious.

Currently students in the Centre have been working on applied projects with cultural and media organisations including Maverick TV in Birmingham and the BBC in London, as an alternative to traditional internships. Current staff projects include research into digital innovation in arts organisations (supported by NESTA), research on cultural value as part of a major AHRC project on cultures and communities, investigating cultural consumption in Finland and Chile and research on religion and cultural policy.

Graduates from the Centre have developed careers across the cultural sector, ranging from creative and media industries (film, advertising, music business, broadcasting, publishing) to subsidised arts (theatre and venue management, crafts, museums and galleries). Centre graduates also work as policy makers, cultural planners, researchers and consultants for governments, non-governmental organisations and as freelances. Some have set up their own businesses, others have undertaken further research and gone on to academic careers. Our alumni advise us on career development and we work closely with the University Careers Service to help students achieve their career goals.