Program Overview

Master of Arts in Art and Environment

Overview

The MA Art and Environment is a unique Masters programme delivered across multiple geographic sites. Run by the School of Art and Design at TU Dublin, it offers a unique opportunity for students to develop interdisciplinary study in the West Cork Archipelago. Developed in collaboration with Uillinn (The West Cork Arts Centre) and the Sherkin Island development society (SIDs), the MA Art and Environment combines post-studio practice, intellectual and historical inquiry, virtual teaching and community engagement.

Course Details

• TU Code: TU290
• NFQ Level: Level 9
• Award Type: Major
• Award: Master of Arts
• Duration: 1 Year
• Course Type: Postgraduate
• Mode of Study: Full Time
• Method of Delivery: On-Campus
• Commencement Date: September 2025
• Location: Grangegorman, Sherkin Island
• Fees: €5,500 Total Fee (EU), €14,500 Total Fee (Non-EU)

What is... Art and Environment?

The MA Art and Environment instructs students in artistic research through a ‘world centered’ pedagogical framework. This framework allows specialisation within a dynamic mix of practical and critical disciplines, placing particular emphasis upon socially engaged practices within environmental contexts.

Minimum Entry Requirements

• Bachelor Degree (Honours 2.1 or above) in relevant disciplines.
• If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency as detailed on our website. Applicants for this course should have a minimum IELTS (Academic Version) English Proficiency of 6 overall (or equivalent) with nothing less than 6 in each component.

Course Content

The MA Art and Environment is a twelve-month, full-time programme divided between three key modules, which specialise in critical mapping practices, environmental artistic research practices and socially engaged, environmental interventions. The course is designed to equip students with a historical understanding of environmental art informed by diverse geographic contexts and artistic research practices.

Key Areas of Practice

• Mapping: Environmental art, earth sciences; critical cartography, island studies, art practice, art history, virtual environments, digital.
• Sensing: Sonic cultures, culinary arts, zoology, socially engaged art, artistic research, performance art, virtual environments.
• Hacking: Digital culture, public art, ecological art, archipelagic studies, feminist discourses, critical pedagogy, community engagement, art intervention, decolonialism.

Module Listing

• Year One
  • Semester 1
    • Mapping the Environment [Mandatory]
  • Semester 2
    • Sensing the Environment [Mandatory]
• Year Two
  • Semester 1
    • Hacking the Environment [Mandatory]

Assessment

Assessment is by final project, research portfolio and presentation. The course culminates in the completion of a major project, a critical essay and a presentation.

Schedule

The course is full-time and students will take a total of 30 credits of coursework per semester.

Other Information

This course takes place over the following campuses:

• TU Dublin Grangegorman, Dublin 7
• TU Dublin Bolton Street, Dublin 1
• Uillinn, West Cork Arts Center, Skibbereen, West Cork
• Sherkin Island Community Center, Sherkin Island