Course information

Length

1 Year full-time, 2 years part-time

Course overview

Events managers of the future need to be versatile and confident, managing a wide array of events in innovative ways. This degree equips you to take your place in the events industry, leading the way in events and experience management for the fast-paced creative and cultural industries.

  • From immersive theatre performances to pop-up gigs, there is an increasing demand for events management skills and knowledge to bring these projects to life. The MA Events and Experience Management at Goldsmiths is a truly unique course that will focus on creative and cultural industry events experiences. Combining theoretical knowledge and practical experience this degree is specifically aimed at enabling you to run creative events in this constantly changing environment.
  • The MA Events and Experience Management at Goldsmiths is rare in its close linkage with the creative and cultural industries, and offering modules across three departments. This approach will allow anyone wishing to pursue a career in the cultural and creative industries to gain valuable and cutting edge experience and knowledge.
  • You’ll benefit from close connections to the events industry throughout your time at Goldsmiths, from opportunities for practical work experience to learning from the experiences and insight of our guest speakers. Practical experience is built into the content of the course which allows you to apply your theoretical and strategic knowledge to real events, honing your planning, organisation and marketing skills.
  • You’ll work with an arts organisation or events manager to put on an event that meets their needs and there will also be opportunities to support the running of festivals like Wilderness.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Sara Linden.

What you'll study

Compulsory modules

You'll take the following compulsory modules, including a 60-credit dissertation:

Module title Credits
Creativity, Events, and Eventfulness 30 Credits
The Events Experience - Theory and Design 30 credits
Festival Management 30 Credits
Dissertation 60 Credits

Optional modules

You'll also take one other 30-credit option module, allowing you to tailor the programme to your specific interests. This may include areas such as tourism, project management, arts management and music. The list of modules will change on an annual basis, and recent examples have included:

Module title Credits
Cultural and Creative Tourism 30 credits
Culture, Tourism and Regeneration 30 credits
Tourism in Asia 30 credits
Cultural Relations and Diplomacy I: Foundations 30 credits
Cultural Relations and Diplomacy II: Explorations 30 credits
Entrepreneurial Modelling 30 credits
Interpretation, Education and Communication in the Art Museum 30 credits
Introduction to Audience Development n/a
Music Management 30 credits
Project Management 30 credits

Download the programme specification.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

What our students say

Siyan Zhang

MA Event & Experience Management allowed me to explore my enthusiasm for Arts & Culture. Studying at Goldsmiths/ICCE has enriched my career plans. 

I graduated from MA Events & Experience Management in 2018, the programme was the best choice to start my academic journey at Goldsmiths.

The course blended theoretical research and practical projects. In the first term, under supervision of our course leader, Dr Sarah Linden, we did a project at the National Gallery with their Events Team. From looking at the floor plan to pitching our ideas at the National Gallery, we quickly gained first-handed events planning experience.

This course also supported us to attend social networking events such as a conference held at the National Gallery, which invited many directors from a diverse set of museums. These events gave us the platform and opportunities to build connections with experts in the Arts & Culture Industry.

For my optional module, I chose Education, Interpretation and Communication in the Art Museum led by Dr Sylvia Lahav. We visited different museums each week, including Tate, V&A, Museum of London; we also had various workshops at different museums. It was a truly valuable experience to touch on what it looks like from the inside of Art Museums. I learned so much from each module.

Inspired by my studies at Goldsmiths, I volunteered at the Freud Museum London, working with the Education department and Events department. I enjoyed my working time with my dear colleagues at the Freud Museum, I always think they have the most creative team for a small museum.

The Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship allowed me to explore my enthusiasm for Arts & Culture, question what I wanted to learn, and how I wanted to learn. The staff are always supportive and encourage you to explore your ideas, get in touch with professionals in various institutions and give you the freedom to chase your dreams. We also held our own branding events while we were studying.

I now work in London as an Events Manager for an educational charity specialising in psychodynamic psychotherapy

Caroline Hambly

Being exposed to many high-quality employers gave ample opportunity to network.

Wanting to pivot my career from fashion retail management to working in the events industry, I was certain Goldsmiths was a great place to start that journey. I was eager to join a university that held innovation at its heart, and I was looking for a course heavily centred around the arts and creative practice. I was not disappointed when I entered university life and found the environment at Goldsmiths to my liking.

I chose the Masters in Events and Experience Management within The Institute for Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship. It contained theoretical and practical elements, mostly taught in lectures and seminars, with additional class excursions. We had many guest lectures from people in different areas of the events industry. Speakers ranged from smaller enterprises such as Mimbre Acrobats and The Twin Peaks UK Festival to larger companies such as Time Out, London & Partners and Broadwick Live. Being exposed to many high-quality employers gave ample opportunity to network. Connecting with one of the guest speakers, I have continued to work with her on various projects since I have left university.

The assignments were a mix of essays and group work, reflecting the course’s content of theory and practice. The practical tasks designed, gave us a true-to-life experience, and mimicked the world of work as closely as possible. One example was when we presented our group work to the events team at The National Gallery, a beneficial and useful exercise.

In addition to my core lectures, I also took up the opportunity to audit various subjects. I sat in on classes from tourism, cultural policy, social media, arts administration, and music. I found the level of teaching particularly high and both lecturers and administration staff were incredibly supportive. Our MA class included students from many countries. It was fantastic to work with and learn from so many nationalities.

Goldsmiths gave me many opportunities. I set up student events and was graciously awarded funding from the university to do so. I also had the opportunity to undertake two internships alongside my studies. I worked with The Imperial War Museum to conduct research into their audience visits and worked on the sponsorship conference, Think!Sponsorship, which has led to a lasting relationship both in business and friendship.

One of the most significant aspects of the course was the opportunity to collaborate with fellow students. I was involved in many projects throughout my time at Goldsmiths that taught me a lot about staging events and engaging with others. I now live with one of my fellow classmates, continuing to inspire each other; we started a podcast during the Coronavirus pandemic that focusses on female interest stories, alongside running online art workshops.

The opportunities from Goldsmiths have given me a great starting block for my career. I know when I apply for new jobs, my CV stands out with all the activity I undertook whilst at university, and I have gained many freelance roles through the connections I have made at Goldsmiths.

Entry requirements

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard.

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

  • Home - full-time: £12520
  • Home - part-time: £6260
  • International - full-time: £22640

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system. 

Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:

  • Details of your academic qualifications
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
  • Copies of your educational transcripts or certificates
  • personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online. Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

Find out more about applying.

Careers

As a graduate from this degree you will be perfectly placed to enter the events industry as an events manager, particularly in the exciting creative and cultural sectors.

This could include:
• Working in an events role for a company or organisation
• Putting on your own events as part of marketing and branding your company
• Running events to promote and support your artistic practice

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