MA Photography (Online)

Mode of study: Part-time
Study location: Online
How to apply: Apply directly to us

Overview

The MA Photography (Online) course at Arts University Bournemouth is a part-time flexible course that integrates practice and theory through intensive online study.

The course will offer you an opportunity to develop and realise your creative ambitions while exploring new approaches to your photographic practice. You'll work in the context of an international learning community that foregrounds peer feedback and research driven experimentation.

Throughout, you'll be encouraged to apply thinking through practice in ways that respond to the contemporary world and question established mainstream modes of photographic practice. The experiences and knowledge that each of you bring are central to the course as you dynamically expand your body of work during a series of structured creative projects. You'll be encouraged to critically interrogate your practice through bespoke mentorship ultimately leading to the conceptualisation and manifestation of your final thesis project.

Image: Anthony Chris Schmidt

A woman sits on a wooden fence overlooking a flock of sheep in an open field. She wears a beige oversized sweater and leans forward with her chin resting on her arms, while a vehicle is visible in the background among the rolling hills.

What is Photography now?

The course recognises and celebrates an expansive and progressive understanding and definition of photography, its audiences and the sites and contexts in which it can be presented.

During the course you may choose to experiment with different photographic modes (including but not exclusively) documentary, fashion, street, still life, landscape, fine art or other works that emphasise innovation and a commitment to examining form and content.

A close-up of two hands grasping each other, one hand is painted yellow and the other blue. The hands are positioned against a plain white background, and the grip is firm, with visible details of the paint on the skin.

Online and flexible

The course is designed to be highly flexible, utilising an online delivery mode that brings practitioners together with distinct interests and cultural perspectives. It's designed for students that want to maintain continuity in their professional and personal lives while refining a creative methodology and enhancing career prospects in their chosen specialism over the two-year period of study.

At the beginning of the course, you'll explore and develop your creative point of view by reviewing earlier practice, positioning your work by understanding relevant fields or references, and establishing a reflective journal. You'll then join a carousel of seven individual 15-credit units, each fostering distinct processes of making, thinking, and reflecting through short practice based, research led projects. In the second year of the course, you'll begin to work towards your final thesis project. You'll be supported in conceptualising and communicating your intentions in a detailed proposal in preparation for the resolution phase in which you will receive more individual supervision and support.