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Contemporary Art Photography

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Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

MA (eca) Contemporary Art Photography - 1 Year (Full-time)

MA (eca) Contemporary Art Photography - 2 Years (Part-time)

MFA Contemporary Art Photography - 2 Years (Full-time)

Information on fees & costs

Individual programme fees are linked above. For detailed information on fee status, policies, payment and funding opportunities see:

Contact information: ECA Graduate School
Phone: +44(0)131 651 5736
Email: ecapgtdegrees@ed.ac.uk; Neil Mulholland (Programme Director)
Phone: +44(0)131 651 5881
Email: N.Mulholland@ed.ac.uk; Address: Edinburgh College of Art
The University of Edinburgh
Evolution House, Grassmarket
Edinburgh
EH1 2LE

Entry requirements

You should hold an honours degree with classification 2:1 or above or an equivalent professional qualification in a related field of study.

This programme requires the submission of a portfolio and study proposal. For more information click here:

ECA Graduate School - How To Apply

International students

All applicants must meet our general entry and language requirements. Detailed advice for international students is available here:

Programme description

This programme is taught by Edinburgh College of Art. Since 1 August 2011, Edinburgh College of Art has been part of the University of Edinburgh.

Students on this programme will benefit from studio-based learning in ECA's historic Lauriston Place campus, along with the exhibitions and events associated with a vibrant art college. The art college experience will be complemented by the University's extensive range of student support facilities, its libraries, student societies, and student accommodation.

The Photography programme primarily enables you to use lens-based media to examine and explore themes of your own choosing and to produce a resolved body of work allied to rigorous research and professional practice.

Our students consistently demonstrate exceptional levels of achievement across an impressive range of practice including Landscape, Documentary, Portraiture, Still Life, Video.

Whatever the approach, it is undertaken within contemporary contexts allied to historical/cultural awareness of the medium in the context of contemporary art practice and underpinned by academic rigour.

Students have access to a wide variety of equipment and resources, including digital SLRs, analogue cameras (35mm through to 10" x 8"), digital darkroom, analogue darkrooms (B&W and Colour), two full length portraiture studios.

A defining aspect of our masters photography programme is that it places emphasis upon questioning accepted notions of photographic production as a means of encouraging you to develop a highly ambitious art practice.

To this end, we provide specialist support for students wishing to pursue practices in established lens-based photographic media while fully engaging with the ever-changing context of emerging intermedia and innovative forms of critical and organisational praxis.

We also encompass approaches to practice that are not media-specific, including time-based arts, performance, installation, public art, artwriting, criticism, curating and related methodologies.

Programme structure

You can choose to complete the MA in one year or continue on to the MFA for another year. In the first year, you will produce a body of work on an agreed proposed topic. In the second year, you will develop an extended body of work demonstrating a strong element of research and originality. You will have studio space and access to a wide range of studio equipment, technicians and resources, including photography, printmaking, metal, wood, casting, painting, reprographic and digital facilities.

Our students often work in groups across the subject areas in the School of Art as part of the programme, collaborate throughout the year on critical, creative and curatorial projects where relevant. This gives you a unique opportunity to integrate the fields of art practice, art-writing and curating, culminating in an exhibition of your own work or in a Research Project of your own design.

We regularly organise field trips to European cities and offer short residency and project opportunities with our local and international partners.

The programme also involves the theoretical study of this family of media and approaches, drawing on related fields and methods.

Career Opportunities

This programme enables you to develop an ambitious art practice as well as provide you with the organisational and economic knowledge required to thrive as a self-employed photographer. You will also be qualified to teach studio art in higher education and to work in the contemporary art sector.

Funding

Edinburgh College of Art are offering scholarships to applicants for postgraduate programmes in our five schools:

Edinburgh College of Art PhD and PG Scholarships (Session 2013-14)

Please see Scholarships and Student Funding Services for other funding opportunities:

Scholarships and Student Funding Services

Further Information

This article was published on Apr 25, 2013