Applying and entrance requirements

You can apply directly to Goldsmiths via the website by clicking the ‘apply now’ button on the main programme page.

Before submitting your application you’ll need to have: 

• Details of your education history, including the dates of all exams/assessments.
• The email address details of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively an electronic copy of your academic reference.
• A personal statement. This can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online.
• If available, an electronic copy of your educational transcript (this is particularly important if you have studied outside of the UK, but isn’t mandatory).

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.

When to apply

We accept applications from 1 October to 1 April for students wanting to start the following September. 

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place that is conditional on you achieving a particular qualification. 

If you're applying for funding you may be subject to an application deadline. Find out more about funding opportunities for UK/EU students and international students. 

Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.

Selection Process

Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally, we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.

Entrance Requirements

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least second class standard in a relevant/related subject. 

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.

We also accept a wide range of international equivalent qualifications, which can be found on our country-specific pages. If you'd like more information, please contact the Admissions Office.

English Language

If your first language isn't English, you need to demonstrate a minimum score of 7.0 in IELTS (including 7.0 in the written element) or equivalent to enroll and study on this programme.

Please check our English Language requirements for more information.

Find out more about applying 

• Entrance requirements
• English Language requirements
• Returning your work
• Associate Graduate and Associate Research Students
• Fees and Funding

Contact us 

Get in touch via our online form

UK/EU

+44 (0)20 7919 7766
course-info@gold.ac.uk

International (non-EU)

+44 (0)20 7919 7702
international-office@gold.ac.uk

Courses and Structure

The Master’s programme contains four taught courses and a further dissertation/portfolio component. You will have a range of choices through
the degree enabling you to design a pathway that is most relevant to your academic, business and career ambitions. All students take courses I and III, and you can choose between options offered for your chosen pathway for courses II and IV. Attendance is mandatory for all taught sections of the programme. To maximise flexibility, some elements of the Master’s programme will be available as stand-alone CPD/short courses, for example Entrepreneurial Modelling. Home/ EU Students will also have the opportunity of completing the Master’s programme
over an extended period of part-time study (full-time only for international students). In order to enable collaborative learning amongst those seeking to develop creative and cultural businesses and those already within them, we intend wherever possible to teach all students together, irrespective of the particular route on which they are registered.

Course I: Theories of the Culture Industry: work, creativity and precariousness (30 CATS)

This course sets out the key theorisations of the culture industry. While incorporating classical figurations of the culture industry, the course is primarily concerned with assembling a clear engagement with contemporary research, such as that spearheaded by leading researchers at
Goldsmiths. The organisation and substance of work and of precarious labour; the developing debates and mechanisms of ‘intellectual property’; cultural workers’ development of institutions and networks; and contemporary configurations of the professional will be discussed. Students will learn to strategise cultural production and intervention through exploration of relevant material. The globalisation of the culture industry will provide a persistent and ambitious point of reference.

Course II: Creative Practice (30 CATS)

In line with the ethos of this programme, which seeks to foster the development of creativity and entrepreneurship as related activities rather than bringing entrepreneurship or business to creativity, this course allows participants to continue to develop their understanding of a creative practice. This course, therefore, comprises studies in one area of creative practice e.g. music, theatre, design, creative computing, creative writing, film etc. It will normally be necessary for a student to have a background in the area they wish to continue to study as this course is primarily concerned with the creative discipline rather than its management or entrepreneurial potential. However, many of the
students already taking these courses do not come directly from a creative background in that particular discipline but have a keen interest in it, and as such these courses are designed to accommodate this approach. Students will be closely tutored on which course is most suitable for them. Each department contributing to this Master’s programme will make available a range of courses relating to the study of practice.

Computing offers Courses to the value of 30 credits from: Advanced Programming in Computer Games and Entertainment; Maths and Graphics for Computer Games; Artificial Intelligence for Games and Special Effects; or Physics and Animation for Games and Entertainment Systems. 

Design offers Either Studio Practice Model (30 credits) or two of the following 15-credit courses: Methods and Processes I; Methods and Processes II; Practice of Space; or Creative Technologies.

Theatre and Performance offers Any one of the following 30-credit courses: Cultural Policy and Practice; The Sociocultural Analysis of the Musical; New Performance Writing in the UK; Performance Art and Health; Perfomance Praxis.11

Fashion offers A course focusing on the 21st century fashion landscape and considering ethical and environmental concerns, feminism and fashion and the role of the designer in the fashion business. Please note: this pathway is still ‘subject to approval’.

Media and Communications offers One 30-credit course from a range of courses including Political Economy of the Mass Media and The Structure of Contemporary Political Communications plus a number of other theory or practice options that are offered subject to availability.

Music offers One of the following 30-credit courses: Contemporary Ethnomusicology; Encounters in African American Music; Ethnographic Film and Music Research; Modernism and Post-modernism; Musicological Theory; Philosophies of Music; Popular Music and Cultural Theory; Post-Tonal Theory and Analysis; Research Methods in Music and Contemporary Culture; Sound Agendas; Sources and Resources; Soviet Music and Politics; Traditions of Practice; Working with Original Musical Documents.

Course III: Entrepreneurial Modelling (30 credits)

This course aims to nurture the skills and attitudes of students to allow them to become innovators and to provide models of entrepreneurial/business support relevant and useful for creative entrepreneurs. This course will provide a link between the theoretical
aspects of a broad overview of the sector and the practice specifics, and work to focus on how creativity can be strengthened when put through creative commercialisation modelling techniques. The course has evolved from NESTA’s Creative Pioneer Programme and will use the Modelling Techniques that were designed and have evolved from ‘The Academy’ and ‘Insight Out’, which provide approaches to commercialising creativity. It will critically review the key characteristics of successful enterprises, entrepreneurs and leaders, within the cultural and more commercially focused creative industries. It will look at the range of business models that exist, and review how best to build a financially sustainable organisation.

The key areas of modelling techniques covered are: Relationship Modelling – this will assist you to understand the range of business models in the creative industries, and to create the most appropriate route to market. It will consider the relationship that the originator of the creative idea has to the production, distribution and the audience/customer/client; and uncover your relationship to ‘reward’. Evidence Modelling – this model uses Marshall McLuhan’s Tetrad Model to review the likely impact of the idea. It helps make the enterprise tangible and to ensure that the entrepreneur remains in control of the effects of their ideas. Using this modelling technique helps you to articulate your values and the
benefits of your ideas. Blueprint Modelling – an approach to creating an operating plan that will move your idea to market, articulating all of the activities and responsibilities required. Consequence Modelling – using all of the knowledge from the modelling techniques, this will uncover the financial consequences of the decisions made. It will introduce you to basic financial modelling concepts, and ensure you are comfortable with the financial language of creative entrepreneurs.

Course IV (i) and (ii): Entrepreneurial Practices and Modes of Production within one creative industry sector (30 CATS)

(i) College-based Delivered by the partner departments – these courses deal with creative sector issues and case studies within a specific discipline, although taking into account the cross-over with other areas – including Performing Arts (theatre and dance), Visual Arts, Music, Design, Media & Communications, Publishing and Computing. As well as studying producing companies, this would also include consideration of creative agencies relating to the above. The programme will start with the above areas but in this modular system can easily expand to include other subjects. 

Computing offers Sector overview: Games and Interactive Entertainment Industries.

Design offers Sector overview consisting of: Component A – Design and Futuring, and Component B – Business and Design, or an industry
placement.

Drama offers A Sector overview: Cultural Policy and Practice combined with management practice in audience development and fundraising.

Fashion offers Designing Fashion, taught by the Department of Design (subject to approval). Media and Communications offers Either an industry placement, assessed by placement report, or an industry contextual course: Media Landscapes.

Music offers Sector overview of Music industries (a) combined with management practice in audience development and fundraising

OR

(ii) Internship Students will undertake an internship within an SME, Producing or Research Organisation within the cultural and creative industries. There will be initial taught/tutorial sessions on managing an internship and experiential learning and assessment would be by an analytical report on the ‘culture of management’ of the organisation. In some pathways this will be augmented by classes in specific skill areas (such as marketing) as students are likely to be working in skill-specific departments of organisations. It is envisaged that the internship would be the equivalent of two to three days a week for three months, however each internship will be individually negotiated between you, the organisations (learning partner), and the department. Although duration and attendance pattern of each internship will vary, it will provide
you with the context and experience to undertake the assessment. Please note that these course options are subject to ongoing revision. Any changes will be available at the start of the programme.

Course V: Dissertation or Project/Portfolio plus reflective analysis (60 CATS)

The content and research imperatives of the dissertation/portfolio can be developed in tutorials with staff to address your individual needs.
It could range from an entirely written document researching a particular area of the cultural and creative industries to a fully developed proposal for a new business.

Student and Graduate profiles

Careers

It is intended that students completing this programme will seek employment primarily in two areas. Firstly: self-employed in their own social enterprise or a member of a team of an SME developing from an existing or new practice. Secondly: within government or NGO organisations concerned with developing the infrastructure and environment for new social enterprises to flourish.

Skills

The skills you'll develop throughout the MA include: entrepreneurial knowledge and skills; a critical understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of social entrepreneurship; the ability to critically examine the conditions required for innovation and entrepreneurship to make a strong impact on societal problems; the ability to apply entrepreneurial approaches to projects; effective business and communication skills.