MA Arts in Health

OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRAMME

As services are pushed into the community to relieve pressure on acute health service provision, artists are becoming more and more valuable to the delivery of social healthcare. Our MA Arts in Health course offers an innovative way of meeting the dual challenge of:

• needing to find new and more urgent solutions to a range of public health issues
• publicly funded arts organisations needing to engage wider audiences in order to survive.

Our course, co-produced with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s Arts in Health and Wellbeing co-ordinator who will act as an advisor, also has input from two experienced arts in health researchers with national influence and expertise to provide strategic direction and a national platform for the course.

Amongst only a handful of courses offered nationally, our course offers a distinctly art-based MA rooted in art practice with dedicated studio spaces in a traditional art school setting. Students will learn how Arts in Health activities complement biomedical models of healthcare through a holistic and ‘person-centred’ approach to interventions facilitated through art (including visual arts, music, performing arts, design etc.) and will benefit from our strong connections with the local health board, local county art officers and third sector organisations for effective placements.

ASSESSMENT & TEACHING

Assessment will be conducted throughout the course and will require evidence of coursework (typically portfolio) including evaluations of the practical work for each module.

CAREER PROSPECTS

This course will impact directly on students’ employability as it will equip them with the skills artists need when working in healthcare settings and enable them to work in the growing field of arts and health within hospital or community settings.

Employment opportunities exist within arts, health and the third sector, including community arts projects. Funding opportunities for arts in health will be the focus of one of the modules and self-employment or studying for a research degree are other career options.