This course gives you the opportunity to challenge yourself, taking your practice to the next level by generating a significant body of contextualised work.
All students need to have a range of basic photographic skills when they join the course. You can work traditionally or update your skills by engaging with new technologies and differing means of communication.
Study routes
You can study this course:
Our MA by Registered Project is a flexible route that can be adapted to your individual studying needs.
Scholarships
The School of Art & Design is offering a number of scholarships for full-time Masters study. To find out more visit our Postgraduate Scholarships webpage.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about the content of this course or admissions, please contact us.
Please note the following information for applicants
Course focus
The academic team have expertise across a wide range of specialist photographic practices and an excellent reputation. They also have an international focus with excellent contacts and links across Europe.
Workshops on specialist photographic techniques are also available.
The School of Art & Design is well known for the strength of its contacts with the creative industries in this subject area. It benefits from a visiting lecturer series featuring renowned photographers and artists.
Alumni callback events, featuring past photography students now working in the industry, are encouraged.
Assessment
Assessment is by coursework and a presentation at the end of each stage, culminating in the exposition of your work towards the end of the course
Course content includes:
- Beyond the Portrait
- Documentary Photography
- Landscape and Topographic Surveys
- The Photographic Print
- Still and Moving Image Practice
- Photography as Conceptual Art
- Photography and Ethics; and
- Strategies of Contemporary Photographic Practice.
How you study
Learning takes place within tutorials, workshops and seminars, where you will present and critique work and debate issues arising from these learning opportunities.
You will also join in lectures, presentations and events led by professionals from within the industry and from broader contexts of photography.
All students are allocated a personal supervisor who will provide academic support and guidance. Your supervisor will also support you to develop the brief for your photography project.
Throughout the course, you will develop and maintain a reflective journal. This is a record of your project’s journey and will include critical analysis, research, evaluation professional theory and practice in relation to your chosen subject.
Special facilities
- black and white and colour darkrooms, enlargers and processors
- three full-size photographic studios with backgrounds and lighting
- comprehensive Mac editing suites, video editing facilities; and
- an on-site printing bureau.
The NTU library also has an extensive collection of photography books for research and inspiration.
Students can hire a wide range of traditional and digital photographic equipment, including 35 mm, medium and large format cameras, and specialist Digital Back equipment loaned to the School by industry frontrunners Phase One.
Learning opportunities
Recent guest lecturers include Martin Parr, Edmund Clark, Dan Holdsworth, Orphelia Wynn, The Jackson Twins, Andreas Schmidt, Simon Roberts, Melanie Gibson and Jo Irvine.
Recent workshops include:
- a guest lecture and competition project by Alamy, the world’s largest stock photography website
- specialist talks on copyright by the British Association of Picture Libraries and Agencies; and
- open technology days run by Canon and Calumet featuring talks, workshops and insights into the latest film, video and photography equipment.
The photography department runs annual international photography trips to events like the Festival of Light series in Paris, Berlin and Bratislava, as well as major exhibitions in London, New York and Bilbao. During the year there are additional study trips to the British countryside to develop outdoor photography techniques.
Career destinations
MA Photography will equip you with the knowledge, skills and experiences to advance your career or enable further study and research.
Our graduates have a wide range of potential career opportunities including working as photographers in a studio, journalism, fashion, portraiture, architecture, sport and events. You could also develop a career as a studio manager, photographic agent, film and print services developer (traditional and digital), image editor, photographic technician, teacher, researcher, publisher, artist, curator or festival and gallery manager.
If you are interested in starting your own creative business, the University provides start-up training and support through The Hive business incubator unit.
Work placements
Although this course does not offer a formal placement, all of our courses are vocationally focused and benefit from strong links with industry.
How to apply
Apply online now for our MA Photography.
You can study this course:
Our MA by Registered Project is a flexible route that can be adapted to your individual studying needs.
Application deadline
Applications should normally be received by the end of July for entry in September.
Overseas applicants must take into account the time required to apply for a visa (if applicable) before applying for an MA course.
Personal statement
Your course of study will be based on the research, development and production of a major project that you'll propose.
Your personal statement should be submitted as part of your online application form in the personal statement field.
It should be approximately 500 words and include the following:
- your aims and motivations to study within Photography
- what you hope to achieve upon graduation from this course
- any specialist areas or ideas that you'd like to explore within your studies
- any practical skills that you possess that you think are relevant to your studies.
Please also include what your expertise is within the subject area, and whether you have any professional working experience.
Examples of work
In order for us to consider your application, we need you to submit examples of your practical work.
Please upload these as part of your online application.
For full details on what we require, please read our Masters Work Submission information 
.
English language requirements
English language entry requirements for courses in the School of Art & Design, and a full list of all English language qualifications accepted by the University are available on our website.
Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes (PEAP)
If you don't currently have the English Language requirements for this course, we offer a range of PEAP courses that will help you improve your language skills.
We offer six to thirty-week courses, according to your current language level. Even if you have achieved the English language requirements for this Masters course, our six week course is highly recommended as it is an ideal preparation and study skills course which is very important for successful academic study.
Find out more about our Pre-sessional English for Academic Purposes courses.
Postgraduate scholarships
The School will be offering a number of scholarships for students commencing their studies on one of our postgraduate art and design courses. Find out more about these scholarships.
Postgraduate open evenings
Our postgraduate open events are a great opportunity to meet our postgraduate teaching staff and students, visit the University, find out about the courses we offer, bursaries and funding opportunities. Find out more and book your place.
Any questions?
If you have any questions about the content of this course or admissions, please contact us.
