PgCert Applied Arts | Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh

Postgraduate Taught

Applied Arts - PgCert

There is a growing interest in the role artists and other creative practitioners can play outside of traditional cultural spaces such as galleries, theatres and museums. Creative individuals can indeed apply their skills within health, education, social welfare or other sectors and this PgCert in Applied Arts and Social Practice will allow you to develop a better understanding of how you can apply your skills in social contexts.

The knowledge and skills that you will gain on the course will prepare you to work with organisations with community-based outreach departments, but will also enable you to develop an exciting freelance career.

The course will appeal to a range of people including:

those who already, or want to, work within socially engaged art and want to broaden your understanding of your professional practice;
those with significant workplace experience who want to gain a formal qualification in a flexible manner; and
recent graduates of fine, contemporary or performing arts courses, especially those who have developed a set of artistic skills and want to learn how to apply them to community projects.

The course is delivered both full time and part time with start dates in September and January, and offers the flexibility to allow you to develop your skills and knowledge whilst in employment.

Why ��Ⱥ��?

Flexible study options that are particularly suitable if you are already working in the sector or wish to do so when studying: Available full time, part time or by single module study, you will be able to develop your skills and knowledge whilst in employment.
A course that will assist you in your current role or create a route to a new career: You will be qualified for a broad range of management positions within a wide spectrum of cultural organisations and festivals.
Our small class sizes are perfect for sharing experiences and fostering new ideas: Enjoy the support of staff and encouragement of fellow students. While lecturers are experts in their fields, we believe it is vitally important to have a strong community of learners around you as these will no doubt be more important to your learning and development, but also as future colleagues and support networks.
Unique course content designed to prepare you for this broad sector: Our focus on the relationship between theory and practice aims to ensure that you become a reflective practitioner that is not only aware of the insights of festivals and cultural management, but that you are aware of the contextual realities of this practice.
Teaching team with wide ranging expertise: Our staff are significantly experienced in both the theory and practice of applied and socially engaged art practices, and all come from very different perspectives, giving our students a broad overview of the subject. The lecturers have collectively been involved in such activities as delivering international socially engaged art projects; guiding international research; leading cultural projects and businesses; and advising government on cultural policy. Our team’s research has also been published and exhibited widely - including several books on the subject - and we have written reports for national bodies on a wide variety of subjects. As such, we hold significant and broad knowledge about the sector to share with students.
Great location for studying and future employment in this area: Our location, just six minutes by train from the heart of the world’s greatest festival city, is sure to enrich your learning experience and provide many opportunities for work-based experience and future employment.
You’ll be part of an international cohort of students: Students on this course come from across the globe and sharing your experiences will prove to be of real benefit.
Optimum balance of theoretical and practical learning: The course offers a variety of learning experiences, including industry-based learning, which are sure to enrich your studies. Real-world assignments are designed to develop and consolidate your new key skills.
Industry input and our professional links ensures you are up to date with key developments: You’ll benefit from a range of professional expertise as well as insight from key cultural organisations working this way across Scotland. Teaching staff have extensive professional experience and networks to draw from including local and national bodies. We also have formal partnerships with a variety of organisations such as Out of the Blue, Craigmillar Now, Artlink Edinburgh and North Edinburgh Arts that students can access as part of their learning.

Studying Applied Arts and Social Practice

More about Applied Arts and Social Practice (PgCert) and what you will achieve

Over the past three decades within the UK, there has been a significant and sustained growth of the arts within a social context. Indeed, the current national cultural strategy in Scotland looks at embedding artistic and creative practices across numerous sectors, inviting artists, theatre makers, musicians and all creative practitioners to be productive within industry, business, education and social settings.

Concurrently, the arts are becoming more important within health and wellbeing contexts and the national report ‘Creative Health: Arts for Health and Wellbeing’ calls for artists to play a vital role in the social health and well-being of the population to the extent that GPs in England can prescribe artistic activities in order to tackle social issues such as obesity, loneliness and depression. This PgCert will introduce students to the main concepts that this growing sector is wrestling with and provide a strong base to build and develop your career as a creative practitioner working alongside communities.

You will complete three modules on this block-taught PgCert, touching on the most theoretical and practical elements, including an analysis of the ethics of working within communities, practical skills of engaging with groups as well as fundraising and finance. This provides students with a good base of knowledge, skills and experience to best prepare them for applying the arts and creativity to areas such as third-sector organisations – ie public health, social welfare, or education.

How will I be taught?

Structure and exit awards

You will complete three 20-credit modules to obtain a PgCert (60 credits). This PgCert also counts as credit towards our MA Applied Arts and Social Practice, after completion of the PgCert, you’ll have the option to obtain the MA on a part-time basis the following year by completing three additional modules and a dissertation.

You can also register as an associate student to complete a single module for CPD. On completion of a single module, you may wish to complete further modules and progress your studies to a named award. Please contact Anthony Schrag for more information on single module study.

Teaching, learning and assessment

Teaching comprises a combination of lectures, seminars, tutorials, case studies and projects. Assessment will take the form of essays, reports, exams and presentations.

Teaching hours and attendance

Our 10-week semester offers some flexible attendance: please speak to the Programme Leader to get insight on how to make this flexible schedule work for you.

Placement/industry-based learning

We require students to take up industry-based learning opportunities where they can put theory into practice. Although we support students to find opportunities, you are responsible for securing your own arrangements in line with your personal interests. We have numerous connections across a wide variety of organisations and we are particularly well considered by our industry peers in the cultural sector. If you are already working in the sector, you can use your existing employment as the location for your industry-based learning.

Class sizes

Normally, there are around 10 – 15 students enrolling on the course each year.

Teaching staff

You can read more about the teaching staff on this course at the bottom of this page. You can also click on the staff profiles immediately below. Please note that teaching staff is subject to change.

Modules

You will study the following modules:

Social Practice: Working With People (20 credits): This module examines the practical skills required to engage with people, examining concepts such as dialogue, inter-personal skills, group facilitation skills. The most practical of the modules, you get to try out and engage with groups and communities in order to expand your skillsets and experience in working with people.
The Only Way is Ethics: Art Representation and Ethics (20 credits): The module is designed to develop critical and practical skills needed for you to engage with the public in the delivery of cultural projects. It looks at examples from history as well as contemporaneous projects that engage with people at the ethical edges of participation to challenge you to develop your own ethical frameworks.
Fundraising, Finance and Development (20 credits): This module will equip you with a critical understanding of the principles and practices of fundraising, development and financial management. The assessments invite you to examine financial support mechanisms (eg completing a funding application or designing a sponsorship pack) as well as financial literacy exam. This module marks our course as quite unique in this regard.

NB The modules listed are correct at time of posting (October 2024). This course is going through a routine re-validation process over the next year and these are subject to change. Any changes to course content arising from this will be reflected on this webpage.

Career opportunities

The course meets the growing needs of organisations with community-based outreach departments, but it will also prepare you with the practical and enterprise skills to develop a sustainable freelance career in your chosen field.

Even though the course is relatively new, our current graduates have already gained work with, for example, the Lyceum Theatre; have set up their own organisations; or are working in the field as successful freelance artists.

Applied Arts (PgCert): Entry requirements and how to apply

Entry requirements

A UK honours degree or equivalent OR significant work experience in cultural organisations or festivals.

International: You will be required to provide evidence of English language competence at no less than IELTS 6.5 with no individual component score less than 6.0.

Disability/health conditions

If you have a disability, long-term physical or mental health condition, or learning disability, it should not stand in the way of your studying at ��Ⱥ��. However, if you are not sure whether your disability might be a barrier in your studies or in relation to the professional standards, please contact the disability service who will be able to have a conversation with you about reasonable adjustments and supports available to you.

Applying for this course

For more information on applying, or to apply for this course, please follow the links in the 'Start your application' box at the top right of this page.

Application deadline

Home students: End of August for September 2025 start and December for January 2026 start.

International students: This course is not open to international students.

Terms and Conditions

The delivery of this course is subject to the terms and conditions set out in our 2025/26 Entry - Terms and Conditions (Postgraduate).