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MA Cities

About this course

Dive right into contemporary UK and international cities from an exciting socio-economic, cultural, theoretical and practical perspective with this cross-disciplinary masters.

Get ready to explore how people and policy shape our cities, and the key role culture and creativity have in driving the development of modern cities.

• Gain understanding of key urban theories, trends, policies and dynamics
• Examine how cultural policy fits with broader strategies for re-imagining and regenerating cities
• Examine grassroots culture, social infrastructure and community development through captivating case studies and field visits
• Explore concepts such as city marketing, place identity, place brand and branding
• Develop your research design, project management and qualitative research skills
• Critically engage with the theories, principals, debates and policies that underpin the study of cities, cultures and creativity
• Benefit from our partnerships with LJMU’s Cities Lab, FACT cinema and media art gallery, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Liverpool Biennial festival, the Everyman cinema and theatre, Tate Liverpool art gallery, the Institute of Cultural Capital (ICC), the Liverpool Business School, and the School of Humanities and Social Science

Course modules

Core modules

• Understanding Cities: Theory, Culture and Social Change (30 credits)
  • This module develops your knowledge of theoretical approaches to understanding cities.
  • It focuses on interrelationships between cities, culture, and urban change.
  • It provides:
    • an understanding of cities, culture and creativity in a different range of contexts
    • the necessary knowledge to understand the social and cultural importance of cities
    • an understanding of contemporary debates and their historical context
    • an awareness of key urban theories, economic changes, cultural policy, trends and underlying dynamics
• Re-imagining Cities: Using Cultural Policy and Place Marketing (30 credits)
  • This module discusses how urban images and identities are constructed/reconstructed, by whom and for what purpose.
  • You will explore in-depth concepts such as city marketing, place identity, place brand and branding.
  • You will also investigate city service systems and the increasing importance of digital place to cities.
  • Case studies from a wide range of cities are used to identify the multiple expressions of urban imagining and imaging globally.
• Creative Communities (30 credits)
  • This module explores a series of case studies using differing scales of creative practice and interventions led by or instigated at individual or community level.
  • The case studies will bring you an understanding of complex issues arising from creative communities as a focus of research or study.
  • It aims to:
    • provide an appropriate range and depth of theoretical and professional knowledge to enable you to understand the key issues and challenges for creativity and /or culture-led community interventions
    • critically evaluate the impact of arts and culture on community building, civic participation and enhancing personal wellbeing, through a series of case studies and opportunities for critical inquiry
    • develop your ability to evaluate critically established practices, paradigms and/or methodologies and foster the formulation of new critical insights into creative practices
• Research Inquiry (30 credits)
  • This module is shared by all students studying on taught Art and Design, MA Cities and Immersive Media postgraduate programmes.
  • The Research Inquiry module aims to develop and improve your research and analytical skills.
  • Analysis and problem-solving skills are critical to student employability and subsequent success in most types of careers post MA.
  • Students are immersed in a range of methodological approaches across the arts and social sciences, and will develop an in-depth understanding and knowledge of contemporary approaches to research in their field of study.
  • This will be crucial in laying the foundation for developing their own subsequent projects.
• Dissertation (60 credits)
  • This module aims to support you in applying critical skills in advanced research methods and methodologies.
  • It helps you to identify appropriate methodologies, theoretical frameworks and resources to complete your dissertation successfully.
  • It also supports you in developing and modifying your dissertation through discussion, reflection and feedback.

Your Learning Experience

• Teaching Assessment
• Study hours: The majority of teaching takes place on Wednesdays and Thursdays, with an intensive period of contact time at the start of semester one to kick start the programme.
• Teaching methods: The course will be delivered via a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops and field visits.
• Applied learning: You will hear from a range of high profile speakers, not only from LJMU's vibrant academic community, but also from elsewhere in the commercial, cultural and policymaking sectors.
• Assessment: You will be assessed via: presentations, essays, a practical portfolio, research-based exercises, critical reviews, research plans, student defined assessments and the dissertation.

Career paths

• Further your career prospects
• LJMU has an excellent employability record with 94% (HESA 2022) of our postgraduates in work or further study fifteen months after graduation.
• Our applied learning techniques and strong industry connections ensure our students are fully prepared for the workplace on graduation and understand how to apply their knowledge in a real world context.
• Career opportunities for graduates include positions in: culture, heritage and creative industries within urban environments, museums, community and voluntary sectors, cultural centres, city councils, festival organisation, charities, regeneration projects, marketing and communications, public relations, arts and cultural bodies, administration, management, funding management and monitoring, teaching, research and academia.

Tuition fees and funding

• Home: £8,740
• International: £17,750
• Fees quoted above cover registration, tuition, supervision, assessment and examinations as well as library membership and student IT support with access to printed, multimedia and digital resources including programme-appropriate software and on campus wifi.
• Additional costs: Accommodation, travel costs and field trips unless paid for by LJMU, stationery, IT equipment, professional body membership and graduation gown hire.

Entry requirements

• Qualification requirements: A minimum 2:1 honours degree in a related subject plus a reference
• Additional requirements: Relevant work experience
• International requirements: IELTS 6.5 with no component less than 5.5 or equivalent
• RPL is accepted on this programme

How to apply

• To apply for this programme, you are required to complete an LJMU online application form.
• You will need to provide details of previous qualifications and a personal statement outlining why you wish to study this programme.
• To apply for this programme you will need to submit a completed LJMU online application form, your academic transcript or equivalent and an academic reference.