Close

Education (Artist Teacher Practice)

MA

Expected move to Headington Campus for the start of the 2025/26 academic year

Start dates: September 2025 / September 2026

Part time: 3 years

Location: Harcourt Hill, Distance learning

Department(s): School of Education, Humanities and Languages

Overview
Course details
Careers
Entry requirements
How to apply
Tuition fees

Find a course

Expand

Overview

Art is a catalyst for social change. Developing your artist teacher practice will help the next generation of artists shape society, start important conversations, and spark innovation.

Our MA Education (Artist Teacher Practice) will help you understand your artist teacher roles in a wider context and provide the space to explore complicated issues. You’ll develop a meaningful artistic practice, push boundaries, and take creative risks to broaden your art teaching skill set.

Surrounded by art educators and professional artists from across the world, you'll have the freedom to take your practice in any direction you choose. You will develop a professional artist profile and exhibit to different audiences. You will choose different locations to work in, whether that's schools, colleges, artist studios or museums and galleries.

By the end of the course, you’ll be equipped to take your teaching and making to the next level with a professional practice that stands up to artistic scrutiny.

Attend an open day or webinar Ask a question Order a prospectus

Three female students talking on the way to a lecture

Why Oxford Brookes University?

  • Flexible learning
    We offer on-campus and distance learning options to suit your lifestyle and location, meaning you can work alongside the course and join from anywhere in the world.
  • Home to experts
    You’ll be taught by expert academics with significant experience in teaching, making art and research, as well as international and national profiles.
  • Enviable partnerships
    Working closely with the Pitt Rivers Museum, you’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with curators, researchers, makers and many more.
  • Be at the cutting edge
    Develop a meaningful artistic practice, exploring the complexities of hot topics like decolonisation, misappropriation of culture, gender, and discourse in society.
  • Boost your career
    Many of our graduates go on to gain promotions. With the support of academics and alumni, you’ll be ready to advocate for art in the setting you work in.

Course details

Course structure

You’ll be taught by artist educators and benefit from our industry links with creators and arts community workers. You’ll be inspired by staff with extensive experience working in hospitals, schools, museums, galleries and community groups.

We have links to national agendas through our connection with the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD). Benefitting from this, you’ll be encouraged to present at conferences, write articles for academic journals, and more to boost your experience and skill set.

This course can be studied on campus or online, so you can join us from anywhere in the world without having to put your career or personal responsibilities on hold. You could learn through a mixture of whole-day sessions, independent learning and weekend or twilight seminars. Or learn through our interactive and high-quality online resources.

You’ll keep a journal, blog or sketchbook to demonstrate your progression, and exhibit your artwork to a range of audiences and develop an online artist profile. You’ll also receive support from alumni to progress your career.

Male student taking notes

Learning and teaching

If you choose the on-campus mode of study, you’ll learn at Harcourt Hill, our Education campus. Your learning will combine whole-day intensive sessions, plus online and independent learning. On-campus sessions are on intermittent Saturdays, supported by regular online twilight seminars. You’ll be able to balance your learning with other commitments. 

If you choose to do the course via distance learning, you’ll learn via interactive and high quality online resources. And you’ll participate in live online seminars.

Your learning will be visual, written and verbal - with equal emphasis on written and visual work. Each module builds upon the last, helping you meaningfully deepen your practice. And you’ll be closely supported by your tutors as you transition to build your research skills and deepen your academic abilities.

Assessment

You’ll be assessed in different ways - you’ll have the opportunity to develop and showcase your strengths. All your assessments will incorporate your professional practice.

Your assessments will include methods like:

  • portfolios
  • exhibitions
  • presentations
  • reflective journals
  • essays
  • criticals

Field Trips

We are partnered with the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, and work with other Oxford University museums as well. You’ll have the opportunity to collaborate with teams and practitioners across the Pitt Rivers, like:

  • curators
  • researchers
  • artists, designers and craftspeople
  • the Learning and Community Team

The Pitt Rivers has a diverse and dynamic collection - including temporary exhibitions and community projects. You’ll have opportunities to work directly with the many professionals involved in the museum’s work, and participate in innovative projects.

Study modules

You’ll need to achieve 180 credits over the course of your studies. This includes 140 credits of compulsory modules, and 40 credits from optional modules.

Taught modules

Compulsory modules

  • Research Methods (20 credits)

    You’ll develop your knowledge of research approaches, methods and techniques for the study of children and childhood, education and language. You’ll explore the interdisciplinary nature of work in and across these areas. After taking this module, you’ll be well prepared for the methodological aspects of your dissertation.

  • Integrating Artist Teacher Pedagogies in the Classroom (20 credits)

    You’ll explore your initial artist teacher practice in your professional setting with a focus on interpretation and meaning making. To achieve this, you’ll work with gallery and education specialists to improve both your practical skills and your visual art subject knowledge.

    You’ll take part in lectures, seminars and practical classes which focus on visual culture in galleries and museums and debates around decolonisation of the art curriculum. You’ll consider how this links both to teaching practical art activities and helping learners develop their interpretation skills.

    In a three-day workshop at the Pitt Rivers Museum and Oxford Brookes University, you’ll learn from art and education specialists. You’ll plan, deliver and assess a project which explores interpretation and/or meaning-making in art, craft or design. Through your research and reflection on Art and Design education, you’ll identify potential methods for enhancing your personal and professional artist teacher practice.

     

  • Developing Personal Artistic Practice (40 credits)

    This is a chance to develop as a skilled, reflective artist practitioner and professional. We want to take you back into the studio, where you can extend your knowledge, skills and understanding of contemporary art practice through a personal, practical investigation.

    You’ll work to a deadline to develop a portfolio of contemporary art practice. You’ll also keep a reflective journal, blog or sketchbook to demonstrate your progression in making and thinking. 

    During the module you’ll have access to seminars and workshops in specialist settings, which will help you to extend your subject knowledge. You’ll reflect on your personal practice and link this to theory and contextual studies. Finally you’ll evaluate how this has impacted your professional practice through a presentation of ideas.

     

Optional modules

Investigating Professional Practice (40 credits)

You’ll undertake an action research project of your choice, with the ultimate aim of improving your own practice. First, you’ll learn about a range of action research approaches and methods. You’ll be supported throughout the project, from establishing a viable focus to planning, designing and carrying out your action research, and writing up your report. You’ll strengthen your research skills, and also make a contribution in your practice area – as we intend your research results to feed into a wider network of good practice.

The Inclusive Curriculum (20 credits)

You’ll explore key aspects of curriculum design and delivery, in relation to access, equality of learning opportunity and inclusion. You’ll look at how cultural values influence curriculum content and organisation, and explore theories of decolonising the curriculum. The module content is relevant whether you’re a primary, secondary, FE or HE practitioner.

Children’s Imaginative Worlds (20 credits)

You’ll explore the ways in which children and young people appear to use their imaginations to do two distinct things – to create alternative worlds to occupy, and to make sense of their experiences. In doing this, you’ll explore the developmental and psychological purposes of imagination. You’ll have the chance to study one particular domain of imaginative experience in depth, working together with others in a choice of reading groups.

Final project

Compulsory modules

  • Dissertation (60 credits)

    In your dissertation or project, you’ll carry out a sustained piece of educational research. You’ll analyse and report your findings at a high critical level, justifying and supporting them with detailed reference to relevant theories and concepts. This work will comprise one third of the work for your degree.  

    If you’re writing a dissertation, you'll focus on a research problem of particular interest. If you’re enrolled on a named route of the MA Education, your topic will be relevant to your route (e.g. childhood and youth, L&M, SEND, TESOL, higher education). 

    If you’re working on a project, you’ll undertake a shorter piece of independent investigative or literature-based research. You’ll also produce a creative piece or artefact.

     

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Research

The School of Education, Humanities and Languages is a thriving centre for educational research and teacher professional development. Students on master's level programmes therefore join a large research community comprising researchers at all levels of higher education study.

We hold two major research conferences each year - the School of Education Research Conference and the EdD Colloquium. All students are invited to attend our annual Research Seminar Series (which attracts both internal and external speakers). We also organise a number of conferences, lectures, seminars and debates, some of which have an international reach.

The School’s six research groups exist to encourage engagement in research, publication, conference presentations, seminars and workshops:

  • Inclusion and Wellbeing
  • Policy, Partnership and Leadership
  • STEAM pedagogy and learning
  • Humanistic Perspectives on Education
  • Early Years
  • Applied Linguistics

View all staff profiles for the School of Education, Humanities and Languages

Girl working on laptop

Careers

Secondary art teachers, primary art coordinators, teaching assistants, youth workers, artists-in-residence – we take on students from a broad and diverse range of arts education backgrounds.

Perhaps you have experience with early year pupils, higher education students, or you’re an artist with an interest in education – looking to be challenged in your subject. Maybe you’re determined to develop your own practice, meet your CPD needs and progress your career. Or you could be searching for community in your field. Whatever your background, you don’t need a qualification in teaching. However, we do ask that you have an undergraduate degree or significant experience in your field, and work with art and education in some capacity.

After you’ve completed the course you’ll have developed a strong skill set as an artist teacher and be prepared to step into the professional art scene. You could be influencing school leadership, managing OFSTEDs, progressing to head of department in school, jumping into university teaching and research, or launching your career as a professional artist.

Related courses

Related course
Education
Related course
Education - Artist Teacher Practice
Left
Right

Entry requirements

How to apply

Application process

All UK and International applications for this course; please make your application direct to the university.


Apply Now

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
Home (UK) part time
£980 per single module
Home (UK) distance learning
£980 per single module
International distance learning
£1,850 per single module
Home (UK) part time
£1,030 per single module
Home (UK) distance learning
£1,030 per single module
International distance learning
£ 1,860 per single module

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Tuition fees

2024 / 25
Home (UK) part time
£980 per single module
Home (UK) distance learning
£980 per single module
International distance learning
£1,850 per single module
2025 / 26
Home (UK) part time
£1,030 per single module
Home (UK) distance learning
£1,030 per single module
International distance learning
£ 1,860 per single module

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year, your fees will increase each year.

The following factors will be taken into account by the University when it is setting the annual fees: inflationary measures such as the retail price indices, projected increases in University costs, changes in the level of funding received from Government sources, admissions statistics and access considerations including the availability of student support.

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds please visit our Refund policy page

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Funding your studies

Financial support and scholarships

Featured funding opportunities available for this course.

Dean's Postgraduate Scholarship Postgraduate Master's Loan - England

All financial support and scholarships

View all funding opportunities for this course

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.