Photography MA at Teesside University

Forge a specialism and career as you explore artistic, documentary, commercial and socially engaged photography at an advanced level of technical and conceptual creativity.

Course Overview

Embrace the interdependence of aesthetic, technical and conceptual approaches as you take an integrated approach to theory and practice. You are encouraged to challenge your ideas and develop adventurous and compelling photography through research and experimentation. This is a demanding course and requires a high level of self-direction and independent study in addition to the taught sessions. You are supported to produce critically engaged photographic work that is distinctly yours.

Facilities and Creative Tools

We welcome analogue, digital and post-photographic approaches, and you have access to traditional chemical darkrooms alongside professional studios and the latest industry-standard digital tools as part of Adobe Creative Campus. Audiences are essential for a successful photographic practice, and you become confident in the communicative potential of different formats and platforms.

Course Structure and Core Modules

The program is built around the following core modules which guide your development:

• Approaches and Images: You consider aesthetic, technical, and conceptual approaches to image-making, and employ these in the planning, development, and resolution of a photographic project. You are encouraged to experiment, test new ideas, and actively challenge and develop your previous work.
• Audience and Encounters: Explore the ways in which photographs can be deployed and disseminated, and how they might be engaged with by viewers. You consider aesthetic, technical and conceptual approaches to produce a photographic artefact made for an intended audience.
• Master's Project: Photography: Undertake a major, in-depth, individual study into a specialisation relating to your discipline. This project is appropriate to commercial, industrial, creative, or research-based fields according to your own interests and career aspirations. You are responsible for the conceptualisation, research and development of the project, producing an end product relevant to your field of study.
• The Connected Practitioner: Elevate your creative research skills, a cornerstone of all creative disciplines, fuelling both academic and creative work.

A unique feature of the course is the interdisciplinary module The Connected Practitioner, which allows for creative alternatives to a traditional written dissertation, enabling you to articulate your vision in a way that’s right for you.

Professional Development and Employability

Professional development is embedded throughout, and you engage with legal and ethical concerns and build ‘future-ready’ entrepreneurial skills. Take advantage of our Creative UK membership and help futureproof your career, with networking events, a resource hub to support professional development, and bespoke workshops in partnership with industry leaders and mentors. You can also sign up for free student membership to get opportunities, events and newsletters sent directly to your inbox.