Applications open for 2025
Newcastle University is a leading centre for Creative Practice and research. We offer distinctive master’s (MA) programmes across Fine Art, Architecture, Landscape Architecture, Film, Curating and Museum Studies. With excellent facilities and studios, and situated in a vibrant city, you will be taught by internationally leading artists, practitioners and academics.
We also welcome enquiries from artists and other creative practitioners who wish to conduct research and practice at PhD level. We support PhDs through both creative practice as well as via traditional routes. More information on PhD study at Newcastle is available on the school websites.
MA Fine Art—Our MA in Fine Art is a one-year full-time or two-year part-time studio-based programme in contemporary Fine Art practice. Guided by a diverse staff made up of practicing artists and art historians, you will develop skills as an independent artist and expand your knowledge of the contemporary art world.
MFA Fine Art—Our MFA (Master of Fine Art) is a two-year full-time studio-based programme in contemporary Fine Art practice. It is designed to enable students to develop careers as professional artists. It is for graduates in Fine Art and for those with other backgrounds who wish to establish or extend their position as leading practitioners in the contemporary art world. The programme also offers a grounding for those hoping to progress to PhD degree study.
MA Contemporary Art History and Curating—Our Contemporary Art History and Curating MA will help you develop the skills required to work in the contemporary arts sector. You will actively engage with artists, curators, scholars, and audiences; explore your own creative interests and research questions; learn to navigate the complexities of the contemporary art world with confidence and insight; build personal and professional connections to take into your future career.
Curating Art MA—Our Curating Art MA will provide you with the skills needed to work as a curator or gallery educator. We work in collaboration with our key partners in the region, including the Hatton Gallery and the Laing Art Gallery. You will have hands-on experience and curate an exhibition and coordinate a programme of public activities.
Architecture, Master of (MArch)—On our two-year programme you’ll engage with challenging ideas and theories, tackle meaningful problems through creative and exploratory design and research. Our diverse programme is structured around vertical design studios taught across both stages of the programme. Each studio sets an agenda and brief and will help you to develop and apply critical thinking, practical tools and methods to your own design process.
Landscape Architecture, Master of (MLA)—Our Master of Landscape Architecture is an innovative studio-based conversion course, for graduates from any discipline who wish to pursue careers in landscape architecture. The course is fully accredited with the Landscape Institute. We focus on a series of principles that envisage landscape architecture as a conduit for planetary health and well-being, and social and eco-justice. Those principles build on one another and are threaded by art and ecology which are intertwined in the practice of Landscape Architecture.
Advanced Architectural Design MSc—Our MSc Advanced Architectural Design is aimed at international designers who want to enhance their design and research skills. This post-professional degree helps you consolidate your own identity as a designer. You’ll develop your own distinctive specialisms through research-led design, with an emphasis on sophisticated representational techniques. Our aim is to help you become a leading architect in the profession.
Museum Studies MA—Our Museum Studies MA will provide you with the knowledge and skills needed to move into or enhance your career in the museum sector. The course will equip you with the necessary skills to operate a museum and you’ll explore theories behind the societal role of museums. You’ll curate group exhibitions or organise and deliver complete education and learning events.