Photography MA

Postgraduate

Photography studio with a white background, coloured lights and equipment around

Our Photography MA course offers a comprehensive curriculum focused on mastering image-making and engaging with audiences, placing these elements at the core of your learning about photography.

Year of entry

2025-26

Location

Coventry University (Coventry)

Study mode

Full-time

Duration

1 year full-time

Course code

CAST022

Start date

September 2025
November 2025
January 2026
March 2026
May 2026
June 2026

How to apply

Book an Open Day

Postgraduate events

Ask a question

Course overview

With a clear focus on your practice, this course is ideal for graduates, emerging practitioners looking to up-skill and those looking to transition from related fields.

The course is centred around your own practice developed through the year with key questions regarding intent, concept, scale, space, material and light, alongside other interventions designed to highlight the role of process and presentation in conversing with audiences through publishing your work.
The course culminates with a major project (Making and Making Public) that will see your portfolios and projects realised across walls, pages and screens relevant to your work and career.
Central to our course is the relationship between how we present our work and its impact on its reach and reception. We challenge the finality of publishing and strive towards tiered, iterative and conversational publishing.

5 QS Stars for Teaching and Facilities

QS Stars University Ratings

Ranked 9th Modern University in UK by the Times

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2025

Ranked 8th for Overall Satisfaction in PTES

Postgraduate Taught Experience Survey (PTES) 2024

Why you should study this course

This course aims to give you the knowledge and skills to identify and communicate in agile and impactful ways.
You are encouraged to work in ways that help you build a sustainable career. This may involve undertaking projects with external institutions and clients or collaborating with individuals inside or outside the university.²
You will have access to a wide range of facilities and expertise. You will work with and utilise traditional and innovative technologies to achieve your goals. You will have access to facilities ranging from metalwork and ceramics to immersive studios equipped with the latest VR technologies.⁴
You will become part of a creative international community of makers and researchers spanning diverse fields of practice, from curation and graphic design to printmaking and virtual reality. Together, this community is forging productive interdisciplinary collaborations and professional networks to support your career in the creative and cultural industries.
All members of the course team have extensive pedagogical experience alongside research profiles that position them as experts in particular areas of photographic practice. These areas span family photography and the role of the studio, photobooks and their readers, photography as a participatory practice, and the materiality of the archive. (Staff are subject to change.)

Collaborations

Endorsement: Royal Society for Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA)

Coventry University and the RSA have partnered on a module concerning social and ethical responsibility. You will be entitled to a 12-month fellowship of the RSA so you can access all RSA resources and platforms during your period of study. Once you have successfully passed the Professional Practice and Innovation module, you will receive an RSA digital credential.

Art and Design Graduate Showcase 2024

The Coventry Degree Showcase is an annual event to celebrate and showcase our graduating students’ work.

What you'll study

Modules

Paper, Pixel, Light, Pigment - 30 credits

Co-Create - 30 credits

Collaborate on a simulated or real-life project created by industry experts. Work with students from other postgraduate courses in the School of Arts and Creative Industries, applying your specialist discipline knowledge to form an essential part of a wider team. Explore design theory and practice, research methodologies and build professional development skills like project management, delegation and problem-solving. Build strong relationships, foster a supportive community and develop a resilient skill set based on agility, flexibility and emotional intelligence.

Compulsory

Present and Publish - 30 credits

Explore how presentation strategies can enhance your photographic work and engage with clients, communities and other practitioners. You’ll experiment and bring your work to life beyond the university, with support from a publishing-experienced team. Access the university library's valuable resources, including the Small and Independent Photographic Press collection, and utilise Adobe Creative Suite and print facilities to create both physical and digital works. Workshops will help you translate images into experiences, focusing on sequence, space and scale.

Compulsory

Professional Practice and Innovation - 30 credits

Explore ecologies of the creative industries, considering the interrelations between independent, commercial, and public sectors. The module is designed in collaboration with The Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA) from which you’ll have a 12-month fellowship so you can access all RSA resources and platforms during your period of study. Receive an RSA digital credential once you have successfully passed the module.

Compulsory

Making and Making Public: Final Project - 60 credits

Using your newly acquired skills, you will build on prior experimentation to develop an original body of work. This module gives you the freedom to produce work aligned with your personal goals while developing the skills needed to complete high-quality work beyond the university setting. You will accompany your final project with a supported argument for the relevance and merit of your work.

Compulsory

We regularly review our course content, to make it relevant and current for the benefit of our students. For these reasons, course modules may be updated.

How you'll learn

Teaching and learning methods may include:

lectures
seminars
tutorials
presentations
demonstrations
group projects
workshops
practical studio sessions
external visits.

A vital component of the course is to instil confidence and purpose in how you use technologies, processes and mediums which are important to your practice. This means that your engagement with professional facilities and resources in the school will vary, but could include lighting on location, studio practice, printmaking, bookbinding, digital and analogue photographic printing, as well as a variety of other mediums and methods.⁴

These skills are always developed from introduction to refinement through doing and making to ensure practical mastery that will see you able to contribute positively and with assuredness to professional scenarios beyond the university.

Teaching and learning hours

As a full-time postgraduate student, you will study modules totalling 180 credits each academic year. A typical 30-credit module requires a total of 300 hours of study. Study hours are made up of teaching contact hours, and guided and independent study.

Teaching hours

Teaching hours may vary, depending on where you are in your studies, but on average you will have between 8 and 12 teaching and learning hours each week. You will also have the opportunity to attend optional sessions including time with a Success Coach or to meet with staff for advice and feedback.

Guided and independent learning

Throughout your studies, you will be expected to spend time in guided and independent learning which will make up the required study hours per module. You will be undertaking a variety of activities, learning through guided background research, planning and preparation, studio activity, creative practice and making, reviewing what you have learned and completing assignments. This can be completed around your personal commitments. As you progress towards the end of your studies, you will spend more time on independent learning.

Online learning

As an innovative university, we use different teaching methods, including online tools and emerging technologies. So, some of your teaching hours and assessments may be delivered online.

Assessment

This course will be assessed using a variety of methods which could vary depending on the module. Assessment methods may include:

presentations
group projects
live simulations
individual application development work
portfolios
written documentation.

The Coventry University assessment strategy aims to ensure that our courses are fairly assessed and allows us to monitor student progression towards achieving the intended learning outcomes.

Entry requirements

Typical entry requirements:

An honours degree 2:2 or above (or international equivalent) in a relevant discipline.

We recognise a breadth of qualifications; speak to one of our advisers today to find out how we can help you.

Portfolio

You may be asked to show a portfolio of your creative work.

Select your region to find detailed information about entry requirements:

You can view our full list of country specific entry requirements on our Entry requirements page.

Alternatively, visit our International hub for further advice and guidance on finding in-country agents and representatives, joining our in-country events and how to apply.

Typical entry requirements

An honours degree 2:2 or above (or international equivalent) in a relevant discipline.

Portfolio

You may be asked to show a portfolio of your creative work.

English language requirements

IELTS: 6.5 overall, with no component lower than 5.5.

If you don't meet the English language requirements, you can achieve the level you need by successfully completing a pre-sessional English programme before you start your course.

For more information on our approved English language tests visit our English language requirements page.

Fees and funding

Student	Full-time	Part-time
UK, Ireland*, Channel Islands or Isle of Man	£11,200	Not available
EU	£11,200 per year with EU Support Bursary £18,600 per year without EU Support Bursary	Not available
International	£18,600	Not available

For advice and guidance on tuition fees³ and student loans visit our Postgraduate Finance page and see the university's Tuition Fee and Refund Terms and Conditions.

We offer a range of international scholarships to students all over the world. For more information, visit our International Scholarships page.

Tuition fees cover the cost of your teaching, assessments, facilities and support services. There may be additional costs not covered by this fee such as accommodation and living costs, recommended reading books, stationery, printing and re-assessments should you need them.

The following are additional costs not included in the tuition fees:

Any optional overseas ﬁeld trips or visits: £400+ per trip.
Any costs associated with securing, attending or completing a placement (whether in the UK or abroad).

*Irish student fees

The rights of Irish residents to study in the UK are preserved under the Common Travel Area arrangement. If you are an Irish student and meet the residency criteria, you can study in England, pay the same level of tuition fees as English students and utilise the Tuition Fee Loan.

**EU Support Bursary

Following the UK's exit from the European Union, we are offering financial support to all eligible EU students who wish to study an undergraduate or a postgraduate degree with us full-time. This bursary will be used to offset the cost of your tuition fees to bring them in line with that of UK students. Students studying a degree with a foundation year with us are not eligible for the bursary.

How do you know if you need to pay UK or international tuition fees?

We carry out an initial fee status assessment based on the information you provide in your application. Your fee status determines your tuition fees, and what financial support and scholarships may be available to you. The rules about who pays UK (home) or international (overseas) fees for higher education courses in England are set by the Department for Education. The regulations identify all the different categories of student who can insist on paying the home rate. The regulations can be difficult to understand, so the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA) has provided fee status guidance to help you identify whether you are eligible to pay the home or overseas rate.

If you meet all the criteria required by any one category, including any residence requirements, your institution must charge you the home rate. You only need to find one category that you fit into.

Facilities

Exterior front of the Ellen Terry building.

Media loan service

Our media loan service provides you with access to the equipment and support you need to excel in your studies – from basic audio recorders to professional cameras and expert advice from our technicians.

Professional studios

The school has leading facilities, from metal work and ceramics to immersive studios with innovative VR technologies. We have dedicated photography studios for students to work in which feature Profoto lighting, tethering capabilities and a variety of stands and backdrops.

Male student setting up a photography light in a studio.

Photography suite

A space for students to process, print and play with images in a professional environment. Black and white darkroom, high-end film scanning and large format giclee printing are all available for use.

Facilities are subject to availability. Access to some facilities (including some teaching and learning spaces) may vary from those advertised and/or may have reduced availability or restrictions where the university is following public authority guidance, decisions or orders.

Careers and opportunities

The course aims to shape you to be a maker and thinker working in a variety of roles in photography, the visual arts and beyond. On successful completion, you could go on to work as a:

freelance photographer
publisher
visual artist
picture editor
curator
archivist
researcher
writer
gallery and museum educator
art therapist
teacher.

On successful completion, you should be able to:

propose and develop unique and creative works, backed by advanced research and a deep understanding of the relevant context
use a strong critical-creative approach and apply advanced technical and methodological skills in the creation of photographic work
experiment with, assess, and use different methods to communicate your photographic work to targeted audiences
improve your practice through continuous creation and critical experimentation
show a thorough understanding of photographs and their production and presentation processes within the context of your chosen photographic practice
work with professionals from related fields to creatively respond to topics such as social, political, technological, or artistic issues, using advanced tools and methods aimed at driving social change
examine and assess changes in work and business within local, national and global social contexts, while reflecting on the relevance and future of your own creative practice and career goals.

Where our graduates work

Alumni from photography courses at Coventry have set up their own publishing imprints, commercial studios and other freelance careers as well as working with organisations like:

Arts Council England
Multistory
Grain Projects
NHS England
The British Journal of Photography.

How to apply

UK students

To apply to study for a postgraduate course at Coventry University, you can apply online. Please read the entry criteria page before applying.

Full-time applications

For further support or more information about your course get in touch with us today.

+44 (0)24 7765 2222

ukadmissions@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

International students

Full-time international students should apply directly to the university. Please read our application pages to find out your next steps to apply.

How to apply

For further support for international applicants applying for postgraduate degrees view our International hub.

You can also download our international mini guide for an overview of study options and why you should study with us.

Get in touch with us today for further advice and guidance.

+44 (0)24 7765 2152

applications.io@coventry.ac.uk

Complete our contact form.

Disclaimers

Coventry University together with Coventry University London, Coventry University Wrocław, CU Coventry, CU London, CU Scarborough, and Coventry University Online come together to form part of the Coventry University Group (the University) with all degrees awarded by Coventry University.

¹Accreditations

The majority of our courses have been formally recognised by professional bodies, which means the courses have been reviewed and tested to ensure they reach a set standard. In some instances, studying on an accredited course can give you additional benefits such as exemptions from professional exams (subject to availability, fees may apply). Accreditations, partnerships, exemptions and memberships shall be renewed in accordance with the relevant bodies’ standard review process and subject to the university maintaining the same high standards of course delivery.

²UK and international opportunities

Please note that we are unable to guarantee any UK or international opportunities (whether required or optional) such as internships, work experience, field trips, conferences, placements or study abroad opportunities and that all such opportunities may be unpaid and/or subject to additional costs (which could include, but is not limited to, equipment, materials, bench fees, studio or facilities hire, travel, accommodation and visas), competitive application, availability and/or meeting any applicable travel, public authority guidance, decisions or orders and visa requirements. To ensure that you fully understand any visa requirements, please contact the International Office.

³Tuition fees

The University will charge the tuition fees that are stated in the above table for the first Academic Year of study. The University will review tuition fees each year. For UK (home) students, if Parliament permit an increase in tuition fees, the University may increase fees for each subsequent year of study in line with any such changes. Note that any increase is expected to be in line with inflation.

For international students, we may increase fees each year, but such increases will be no more than 5% above inflation. If you defer your course start date or have to extend your studies beyond the normal duration of the course (e.g. to repeat a year or resit examinations) the University reserves the right to charge you fees at a higher rate and/or in accordance with any legislative changes during the additional period of study.

⁴Facilities

Student Contract

By accepting your offer of a place and enrolling with us, a Student Contract will be formed between you and the university. A copy of the current 2024/2025 contract is available on the website for information purposes however the 2025/2026 contract will apply for the 2025/2026 intake. The Contract details your rights and the obligations you will be bound by during your time as a student and contains the obligations that the university will owe to you. You should read the Contract before you accept an offer of a place and before you enrol at the university.