| UCAS code | 1234 |
|---|---|
| Duration | 1 year full time |
| Entry year | September 2026 |
| Campus | St Luke's Campus |
| Discipline | Education and Teacher Training |
| Contact | Programme Director: Dr Kerry Chappell |
| Typical offer | We will consider applicants with a 2:2 Honours degree or above in a humanities, social science, or arts-based subject. |
|---|---|
Overview
- Build expertise in creative and arts-based education, exploring how the arts enrich learning, support wellbeing, and foster inclusive, responsive approaches to the complex challenges of 21st-century education.
- Learn through real-world creative practice, with visits to schools, galleries, community organisations, and cultural or creative industries that actively shape contemporary arts education.
- Design a pathway that fits your goals by specialising in visual art, music, dance, or drama—or by choosing a transdisciplinary route that connects the arts with broader fields and practices.
- Study with leading researchers and practitioners in arts and creativity education, gaining insight into innovative pedagogies, current research, and community-engaged creative projects.
- Discover how the arts enhance wider learning, including STEAM and interdisciplinary teaching, and how creative pedagogies can address social, cultural, and environmental challenges.
- Join a vibrant, international student community enriched by diverse cultural backgrounds, professional experiences, and creative perspectives that deepen collaboration and shared learning.
82% of our Education research has internationally excellent impact
Based on research impact rated 4* + 3* in REF 2021
Top 150 in the world for Education
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2025
Home to one of the largest Education libraries in the UK
Top 150 for Education in the Shanghai Rankings of Academic Subjects 2024
82% of our Education research has internationally excellent impact
Based on research impact rated 4* + 3* in REF 2021
Top 150 in the world for Education
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2025
Home to one of the largest Education libraries in the UK
Entry requirements
We will consider applicants with a 2:2 UK Honours degree (or international equivalent) or above in an arts-related, social science, or humanities subject. While we normally only consider applicants who meet these criteria, we also welcome applications from those with different academic backgrounds, arts-related qualifications equivalent to degree level, or relevant professional experience.
Please also see our guidance on essential documentation required for an initial decision on taught programme applications.
Entry requirements for international students
English language requirements
International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B1.
Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.
Course content
The MA Creative Arts in Education at Exeter is one of the UK’s most established and respected programmes in the field, shaped by leading thinkers in creativity research. Based on the beautiful and historic St Luke’s Campus, the programme offers a supportive and inspiring environment to explore how the arts enrich learning and contribute to social, cultural, and educational transformation.
Across the programme, you will work closely with experienced practitioners and researchers in visual art, dance, drama, and music. Our core arts education modules introduce you to a wide range of arts-in-education settings and interdisciplinary practices, providing practical and theoretical tools for identifying and fostering creativity in and through the arts.
Optional modules enable you to tailor your programme according to your professional and academic interests and the two dissertation pathways allow you to pursue your own research interests with expert supervisory support.
You must complete 180 credits to be awarded an MA qualification. This consists of 120 credits of taught modules and a 60-credit dissertation, or a combination of taught modules, dissertation, and accredited prior learning or experience.
The modules outlined here reflect recent academic teaching. Future module availability may vary depending on staff expertise, research developments, timetabling and student demand.
The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.
Fees
2026/27 entry
UK fees per year:
£11,000 full-time
International fees per year:
£25,550 full-time
Scholarships
The University of Exeter offers a wide range of scholarships to support your education, with £7 million available for international students applying to study with us in the 2026/27 academic year, including our prestigious Exeter Excellence Scholarships *. We also provide awards for sport, music and other achievements, as well as regional and partner scholarships with organisations such as Chevening, The Beacon Trust and the British Council. For more information on scholarships and other financial support, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.
University of Exeter Alumni Scholarship
We are pleased to offer University of Exeter alumni beginning a standalone postgraduate programme in 2026/27 with us a scholarship towards the cost of your tuition fees. Full details can be found here.
*Terms and conditions, including deadlines, apply. See our website for details..
Teaching and research
Teaching and learning
Learning in the MA Creative Arts in Education is dynamic, inclusive, and grounded in both theory and practice. Across our wide range of modules, students engage in accessible, supportive learning environments designed to meet diverse needs and creative strengths. Learning methods may include:
- Lectures and research-informed seminars
- Interactive workshops
- Peer-led and collaborative activities
- Use of multimodal and online resources
- Studio-based and classroom practice
- Creative field trips, site visits, and school-based experiences
- Arts-based inquiry and reflective practice
Our Education Studies module also provides a strong foundation in education research, theory, and practice, with a focus on applying ideas in meaningful and socially responsive ways. Every other week, students participate in practical, hands-on activity sessions such as:
- Dialogues and activities led by psychology and education practitioners
- Designing creative and inclusive learning materials—for example, resources addressing racial inequality in schools
- Working with specialists in young people’s relationships and wellbeing education
- A short series of pedagogy-focused workshops for those preparing to work with young people in educational or community settings
Assessment
All modules are assessed through course work and there are no final examinations. Assessments are varied and include:
- Essays
- Online projects
- Portfolios
- Presentations
Facilities and support
You'll be assigned a personal tutor and have access to module tutors via face-to-face and/or email or online tutorials. You'll also have access to a range of support including lecture notes, presentations, film clips and reading materials through our online learning environment.
Campus-based modules are taught at the School of Education at the St Luke's Campus in Exeter, which offers an excellent range of specialist facilities and one of the UK's largest Education libraries.
Research-led teaching
You will join a vibrant postgraduate community at the School of Education, studying with some of the leading scholars in their disciplines.
You will benefit from our active research culture, which promotes the sharing of ideas and knowledge to encourage innovation. Our research centres provide a focus for research and discussion for academic staff, researchers and practitioners, and organise seminar series, visiting speakers, conferences and other events.
Visiting speakers
In addition to benefiting from the expertise and experience of our academics, on this course you will also engage with high profile arts education providers.
We bring visiting speakers and organisations into our modules, as well as providing opportunities for students to understand local arts education community to see practice in context via field visits. Below are examples of the partners we work with to achieve this:
Road-STEAMer
Road-STEAMer is a major European initiative (2022–2025) developing a comprehensive STEAM roadmap to transform science education across the continent. The project aims to guide the EU’s key research and innovation strategy on how to encourage greater engagement in STEM by integrating the Arts (STEAM) to foster creativity, inquiry, and holistic problem-solving.
Road-STEAMer draws on a wide community of stakeholders, including educators, researchers, creative practitioners, policymakers, students, and industry partners. By mapping existing STEAM practices, identifying policy gaps, and highlighting best-practice examples, the project provides evidence-based recommendations to embed creative, inclusive, and socially relevant science education across Europe.
Creativity Collaborations
The Penryn Partnership is one of the national Creativity Collaboratives funded by Arts Council England. These school networks test innovative practices in teaching for creativity and share learning to support system-wide change.
The Penryn Partnership explores how teaching for creativity prepares young people for a rapidly changing future. Working with Penryn College, local primary schools, industry partners, and the University of Exeter, the project researches and develops new creative pedagogies aimed at sustainable, long-term change.
Daisi
Daisi’s vision is for artistic and cultural experience to be at the heart of young people's lives and learning. Daisi’s mission is to work in partnership with artists from a broad range of artistic disciplines, and educators to enable arts and culture to enrich and inspire the lives, learning and futures of children and young people in the South West region.
Within this remit Daisi has a close affiliation with the MA Creative Arts in Education.
Daisi believes that engagement and learning in and through the arts transforms lives, and that young people contribute to the cultural lives, futures and heritage of all of us. They aim to celebrate their achievements and to contribute intelligently to the arts education sector's evidence base of the positive impact of arts education activity on outcomes for young people. Daisi is committed to designing, supporting and sharing innovative, diverse and relevant approaches to learning in and through the arts through partnerships, such as the affiliation with the MA Creative Arts in Education course and collaborations across sector boundaries.
Associate Professor Oded Ben-Horin
Associate Professor Oded Ben-Horin (Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Norway) held a “Science Opera” workshop for University of Exeter’s Creative Arts students as part of the European Commission’s CREATIONS project. During the workshop, students were introduced to pedagogical features of the CREATIONS project, which seeks to raise interest in science and scientific careers through a specific approach to creativity in science education: the inter-disciplinary meeting of science and art in the classroom. Two cases were demonstrated: Write a Science Opera (WASO) and Global Science Opera (GSO). In the former, students experienced exercises which may be used to realize science/art activities with a class of pupils. In the latter, the students were introduced to how global opera productions are realised in collaboration with international scientific institutions.
What I enjoy the most about my course is that I not only feel empowered to integrate the arts and creativity into my teaching but I also feel capable to support other teachers with how to do it. Visits to creative schools and galleries have given me interesting ideas on making the arts a part of my curriculum.
Kelly
Student (MA Creative Arts in Education)
Education Placement
The Education Placement module (EFPM379) is available as an optional module in term 2. This provides a unique opportunity to observe, experience and reflect on practice and enhance your employability skills.
Students undertake an education-related work placement with an external organisation (that includes schools, tutoring programmes, education charity etc.), or a teaching and learning placement within the university. We guarantee a placement within the university, if students do not take up an external placement.
Alongside this placement, lectures and seminars provide the tools to reflect critically on your experience of educational practices. You will consider how your experience on placement relates to the wider issues, processes, practices, policies and theoretical ideas that you have explored in your academic study. This module thus strongly supports you in connecting theory and practice.
A variety of placement options are available. Students may secure their own placement (with support from university advisors). Others may undertake a placement within the university, observing and working with teaching staff in the department. A small number of competitive placements may be available to apply for directly from university partners. Students may also opt for an online placement involving curated digital activities. You are encouraged to think about the variety of settings where education might occur and to consider experiences which will challenge your existing assumptions, perspectives and skill sets.
To access some placement options, you may require Disclosure and Barring Service clearance, which will incur a cost. Note that the administrative process for this can take several months, and international students may need to obtain documentation in their home country before applying for clearance. Please see information on DBS.
Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures
You are invited to consider taking Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures as an optional module in your course. It's available in two formats: 15 credits (EFPM838) or 30 credits (EFPM839).
Our Transdisciplinary Collaborations for Creative Futures module will give you the competitive career advantage of understanding how to bring your disciplinary knowledge into active dialogue with students and staff from other disciplines in order to tackle global sustainability challenges.
This module is taught by staff from across the University of Exeter and is grounded in the University's School of Education research, which shows that the best way to tackle complex real-world challenges is to creatively collaborate across disciplines and with stakeholders.
The challenges will come from external University strategic partners, ensuring issues are current, cutting edge and relevant, whilst supporting employability. The module aims to teach you how to collaboratively, and critically, produce original ideas, and think innovatively about the future through research-based activities, fieldwork and creative workshops that blend the arts, sciences, social sciences, humanities and business.
Using appropriately innovative assessment techniques, the module will equip you to respond to the global complexity and uncertainty that you will inevitably encounter when you graduate. You will be taught using pedagogical innovations, working in transdisciplinary teams with facilitation through cutting edge Creative Pedagogies and Design Thinking.
This module is particularly appropriate for international students seeking insight into UK business, creative industries and cultural contexts and employment possibilities.
Feedback from students who have taken this module highlights its value and the additional skills it helps them develop:
"This module has changed my perspective and transformed my vision. I now have a new understanding of how educational processes and practices should be designed so that learners can acquire skills such as problem-solving, collaborative working, critical and creative thinking in a transdisciplinary way." - Canan, MEd TESOL
"This module has made me more deeply understand the importance of interdisciplinary cooperation. This diversity is also a key reason why I chose this course. I hope to interact with people who have different viewpoints and come from different fields to help me look at problems from various perspectives." - Joey, MA Creative Arts in Education
"Taking this module is one of the best things I've done as part of my studies at Exeter. This is the most exciting and creative course I have ever attended." - Linh Le, MEd TESOL
"I would definitely recommend this module, not only can students learn by means of interdisciplinary cooperation through group cooperation, but also can expand the scope of communication, promote international students to know more about local culture, and promote the communication between international students and other students, which is really very good." - Sherry, MA Creative Arts in Education
Careers
Throughout the year, you will develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to apply what you learn across a wide range of educational and creative settings—including schools, galleries, cultural organisations, community projects, and beyond. The programme encourages you to pursue your own areas of interest while equipping you with both theoretical understanding and practical expertise to support your next steps.
Our past graduates have gone on to roles in schools, higher education, community arts initiatives, arts organisations and charities, cultural and creative projects, and consultancy roles within government and sector-wide initiatives. Many also progress to doctoral research.
Please note that, due to data protection, the job titles and organisations listed below are independent and do not correspond.
Job Titles
- Teacher
- Subject Specialist Teacher (including music, arts, drama)
- Community Artist
- Gallery or Museum Educator
- Special Needs Teacher
- Head of Department
- Arts Manager
- Educational Therapist
- Education Officer
- Dyslexia Assessor
- Headteacher/Principal
- Education Consultant
- Dean, Faculty of Arts
- Lecturer
Employers
- Ofsted
- Devon Education Authority
- Jersey States Education Department
- Plymouth City Council
- FEA Training and Development Centre
- Camden LEA
- Exeter College
- Hong Kong SAR Government
- Danish National School of Contemporary Dance
- Ministry of Education, Cyprus
- Saltash Community School
- University of Reading
Career support
Careers support including skills training, internships, jobs vacancies, employment fairs and other events is available through the Career Zone.
Top 150 for Education in the Shanghai Rankings of Academic Subjects 2024
