Overview

This MA Photography course will build upon your existing skills and passion for photography and visual arts, supporting you as you develop and refine your unique photographic practice and gain confidence in relevant research methodologies.

By extending your photographic work to postgraduate level, you’ll be encouraged to pursue an understanding of the contexts that situate your practice, engage with the debates informing and underpinning contemporary photographic practices, and hone your authorial voice.

This Master’s in photography degree course will provide you with the core knowledge and skills to work effectively across photography-related industries as an artist, educator or researcher, or in broader creative and artistic roles like writing, curating and picture editing. It will also equip you to pursue further study and research at PhD level.

With many opportunities to network, publicise and market your work publicly, you'll be better prepared to take your creative career to the next level once you graduate.

Course highlights

  • Utilise our extensive photographic studio facilities, including: flash and tungsten lighting set ups, digital and traditional darkrooms supporting colour and black and white photography, high-end negative scanners, ink jet printers and projection facilities
  • Optimise and fine tune your portfolio with our powerful PCs and Macs, loaded with the software used by professionals, high-spec printers, and film, video and photography editing facilities
  • Take part in study visits to galleries and photography festivals
  • Connect with internationally-renowned visiting speakers and practitioners – recent speakers have included: Anna Fox, Oliver Chanarin, Maisie Cousins, Faisal Abdu'Allah, Eric Kessels, Laura Pannack, Tom Hunter, Eva Stenram, Bettina von Zwehl, and Sunil Gupta

Careers and opportunities

As a successful graduate of this course, you'll have developed and refined your individual photographic practice to a point where you will feel confident enough to exhibit your work within the context of professional art.

Through seminars, project work, training and work experience, the MA Photography course will help you to engage with the creative industries of photography and its ancillary industries to be better equipped for employment and further career progression.

Graduates of this course have gone onto roles in:

  • Freelance photography
  • Editorial photography
  • Picture editing
  • Publishing
  • Digital printing and retouching
  • News / Press industries
  • Picture agencies
  • Curation
  • Galleries and museums
  • Design
  • Teaching
  • PhD research / Research related careers
MA Award
September Start
Full-time, Part-time Study Mode
1 - 2 years Duration

Entry Requirements For This Course

A minimum of a second-class honours degree in a related subject, or equivalent professional experience and/or qualifications. An interview or online portfolio submission will be required as part of the selection process.

English language proficiency at a minimum of IELTS band 6.5 with no component score below 6.0.

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Upcoming Open Days at University of Portsmouth

19
FEB

Postgraduate Open Day

19 Feb 2025, 08:30 AM - 19 Feb 2025, 15:00 PM University of Portsmouth
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07
MAY

Postgraduate Open Day

07 May 2025, 09:00 AM - 07 May 2025, 15:00 PM University of Portsmouth
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Come to our next event to talk to our course and research representatives, expert support teams and current students.
02
JUL

Postgraduate Open Day

02 Jul 2025, 09:00 AM - 02 Jul 2025, 15:00 PM University of Portsmouth
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Come to our next event to talk to our course and research representatives, expert support teams and current students.

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