Cultural Policy and Management

Overview

Enrolling for postgraduate research is an undertaking to work independently under the guidance of an assigned supervisor. This includes taking full control of the research plan, meeting all Faculty of Humanities timelines and requirements, meeting all Ethics training and application timelines and requirements, setting up appointments with your supervisors, reading widely to ensure that the literature pertinent to the chosen research topic has been identified and fully consulted. There is a misleading impression and perspective that postgraduate research is much lighter than coursework. The opposite is true, CPM prepares a series of research workshops that are compulsory, and these are aimed at supporting your research journey. Your full focus, attention, effort and commitment is required. Research areas include: Arts and Culture Management, Arts and Creative Marketing, Creative Economy, Cultural Policy, Governance of arts and culture organisations, Public Funding of arts and culture organisations, arts and culture and digital transformation, and Cultural Diplomacy.

MA by Coursework and Research Report

Currently the full time two year Masters is CPM’s flagship programme. The foundational course, offered in the first semester of the first year, is Cultural Policy and Leadership. This is followed by two analytically challenging but practically oriented courses in the second semester of the first year; Culture, Creativity and the Economy or Arts Marketing and Creative Markets. In the second year of study, students embark on individual research projects with supervisors in the research fields listed below. Students are also invited to attend the CPM Research Methods Course in year 2 which introduces students to both conventional research methodologies (social science and humanities research methods) as well as to creative methodologies  (including cultural mapping, photovoice, storytelling and empatheatre).

MA by Dissertation

Research Areas

Enrolling for postgraduate research is an undertaking to work independently under the guidance of an assigned supervisor. This includes taking full control of the research plan, meeting all Faculty of Humanities timelines and requirements, meeting all Ethics training and application timelines and requirements, setting up appointments with your supervisors, reading widely to ensure that the literature pertinent to the chosen research topic has been identified and fully consulted. There is a misleading impression and perspective that postgraduate research is much lighter than coursework. The opposite is true, as you will see in the series of research workshops prepared for you. Your full focus, attention, effort and commitment is required. Some of the reseasearch areas include: Arts-culture Management, Arts-culture Marketing, Creative Economy, Cultural Policy, Governance of arts-culture organisations, and Public Funding of arts-culture organisations.  The MA Code for this course is WSOA 7117A

Programme Coordinator

Munyaradzi Chatikobo,  Email address: Munyaradzi.chatikobo@wits.ac.za

Curriculum

These foundation courses, Cultural Policy and Leadership and Public Culture are taken in the first semester of the Masters Programme in Cultural Policy and Management, and in Heritage Studies respectively and they cover the following:

Cultural Policy and Leadership has three interrelated areas: 1) It critically examines policy frameworks within which arts, culture and heritage managers operate in Africa and internationally; 2) It analyses the nature of cultural leadership and cultural governance required in the arts, culture and heritage sector 3) It introduces students to a range of professional research skills required for effective leadership in the arts, culture and heritage sector relating to policy making, valuing the cultural economy and assessing the value of the arts to society. This course provides the foundation for further courses offered in strategic planning in the arts and marketing sponsorship and funding. The MA Semester 1 Course Code is WSOA 7114A

Public Culture critically examines a cluster of concepts that have become central to the interdisciplinary field of Heritage Studies within Cultural Studies more broadly. The course foregrounds how notions of culture are deployed in the public sphere, for various audiences. We examine the concepts of heritage, public art, public memory and the like with reference to their associated practices of collecting and display in museums, galleries, other cultural institutions, festivals, etc. The course provides the conceptual groundwork for further courses offered in curating, archiving, public history and the associated humanities.

Both courses are designed to invite reflection and dialogue on how notions and practices of culture intersect with the domains of policy making and inform the state’s engagement with culture. We believe that by offering the course in tandem, students will be exposed to numerous debates, concepts and theoretical reflections which they can draw on in their individual assignments and, for the Masters students, for their future research reports. The MA Semester 1 Course Code is WSOA 7017A (Offered in the Department of History of Art and Heritage in the Wits School of Arts (WSOA)

Cultural Creativity, and the Economy course focuses on four primary areas of contemporary critical investigation of the cultural and creative economy in which arts and cultural managers work:

1. The cultural and creativity economy (definitions; measurement; evaluation of value and of impact; contribution; value chains; mapping; and clusters);
2. Digital culture and cultural managers (the impact of digital media on the relationship between cultural institutions/individuals and their users);
3. Cultural production in contemporary cities (urbanisation and industrialisation; trends and impact on cultural production; consumption and production of cultural goods and services; regeneration outcomes);
4. Entrepreneurship and cultural economy (managing a for profit enterprise; innovation in the cultural economy; creativity and entrepreneurship in the cultural economy). The MA Semester 2 Course Code is WSOA 7104A

Arts Marketing and Creative Markets

The course focuses on marketing, fundraising and audience participation as important management functions within arts organisations. In this course marketing is taught as an integrated function with fundraising, sponsorship and audience participation. These themes function in tandem and work to increase visibility, generate funds and create loyal audiences. In a fast-paced arts and entertainment industry, the art of marketing is changing rapidly due to technology and increased interaction with audiences online, leading to the growth of social media marketing. The course explores traditional and digital marketing concepts as essential tools for communicating with audiences and funders in a changing arts and culture environment.  The MA Semester 2 Course Code is WSOA 7116A

Entry Requirements

 Applicants should have demonstrable interest and some practice in creative industries/ cities/ cultural policy/community arts centres/visual culture/creative arts field.

Applicants must be in possession of a BA Honours degree (or equivalent) in any cognate field of study.

Additionally,

1.An applicant must have an average of at least 65% in the final year of her/his Honours degree or Honours equivalent year of study.

2.In addition to an online application, an applicant must submit:

1. a) a cover letter/letter of motivation indicating reasons for applying for the CPM MA
2. b) a written expression of interest outlining the proposed topic of research (if for the MA by dissertation)
3. c) a scholarly sample of writing for assessment of suitability for MA level of research and writing.
4. d) curriculum vitae/resumé
5. e) academic transcripts of all prior degrees or diplomas

3) Applicants will be required to present themselves for an interview in person, or via telephone or videoconference, to a selection panel.

All MA By Dissertation/ Research Candidates are required to submit a draft research proposal ready as part of the application supporting documents

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Requirements. We also consider applicants with either a Matric certificate with endorsement OR a mature age exemption certificate from the South African Matriculation Board , National Diploma in a related field AND at least 3-4 years of professional practice in the field of cultural policy, arts administration, arts management, cultural governance, cultural entrepreneurship (or a related field in cultural policy and management in the creative arts field) may be considered based on Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL).

For further Information about MA Programme contact Munyaradzi Chatikobo: Munyaradzi.chatikobo@wits.ac.za

For Application, enrolment and registration contact: pg-wsoa@wits.ac.za

Additional requirements may apply.

University Application Process

University Fees and Funding

Click here to see the current average tuition fees. The Fees site also provides information about the payment of fees and closing dates for fees payments. Once you have applied you will be able to access the fees estimator on the student self-service portal.

For information about postgraduate funding opportunities, including the postgraduate merit award, click here. Please also check your School website for bursary opportunities. NRF bursaries: The National Research Foundation (NRF) offers a wide range of opportunities in terms of bursaries and fellowships to students pursuing postgraduate studies. External bursaries portal: The Bursaries South Africa website provides a comprehensive list of bursaries in South Africa.