Provision and participation in postgraduate creative arts and design

1
Provision and participation in postgraduate
creative arts and design

• What do we need to know and why?

2
Why is taking stock important?

• Expanding sector increasing and widening
• Postgraduate study route to creative careers
• Strategic importance of creative industries
• Concerns about widening participation
• BUT lack of data to
• take stock where are we now?
• move forward where do we want to be?

3
What does our sector look like?

• 374,000 UK postgraduates creative arts share?
• Narrow definition 3
• 11,000 across 135 HEIs (20 in NALN)
• visual arts, performing arts, crafts, design
• Broad definition 5
• PLUS architecture, media, journalism/publishing
• 20,000 across 146 HEIs (12 in NALN)
• Specialists (NALN) and generalists

4
Are we different?

• Yes
• Regional bias
• Dominance of taught masters
• Less part-time provision
• NALN - all this and more

5
Are our students different?

• Yes
• Younger (but also more 50)
• Fewer BME
• Better representation of males
• Different issues for NALN
• BUT no data on social class
• Study preferences within student body

6
How do our students get here?

• Difficult to measure
• Importance of first degree
• Work experience prior to re-entry
• Single application was common
• Ease of application process
• Importance of portfolio and interview

7
Why do they come?

• Motivations career and personal
• Importance of course content and reputation
• Postgraduate study valued
• BUT uncertainty about necessity
• AND concerns about costs

8
What happens to our students?

• Short-term destinations
• fewer in work
• flexible/less stable work
• qualification not a passport to a job
• importance of contacts/networking
• dominance of London
• entry to creative industries and beyond
• What happens next?

9
Is there a need for change?

• Less flexibility
• Dominance of London
• Some under-representation
• Dominance of first degree route
• Importance of work experience
• Less favourable initial destinations
• Limited data

10
thank you
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