Master of Arts - Arts and Education Practices

The MA Arts and Education Practices programme is designed for artist educators seeking to develop and refine their skills in working with others through artistic practice. It engages students with education as a practice of freedom (Hooks, Bell, 1994) and as a space for growth and transformation.

Based at the Birmingham School of Art, the course provides a collaborative platform for both experienced and emerging artist educators to explore the challenges and opportunities within contemporary creative education. Students work with specialists and engage with a range of contexts in which creative education takes place, including community projects, artist-led spaces, galleries, schools, colleges, universities, and peer-led or family-based learning environments.

The programme develops skills that enable students to work across projects informed by creative pedagogical models that connect artistic practice with teaching and learning. It also encourages exploration of both freelance and permanent career pathways within creative education, equipping students with relevant professional skills.

A strong emphasis is placed on self-development through collaboration and engagement with lifelong learning and creative pedagogy. Students examine how artistic practice can inform teaching approaches, while also reflecting on how their own experiences of pedagogy shape their work.

Throughout the course, students investigate past, present, and future creative practices while developing projects and learning programmes across diverse contexts. Opportunities are provided to expand subject knowledge through collaboration, live projects, and visits to a range of educational settings. The course ethos centres on facilitation, mentoring, and collaboration, promoting a critical pedagogical approach grounded in dialogue and shared enquiry.