Study Guide

Descriptions

Objective of the programme

The environment in which art and culture professionals operate is in a constant state of flux. The students of the Master’s Degree Programme in Contemporary Contexts of Arts examine and produce art in different spaces, contexts, processes and among different practitioners or audiences. The objective is to expand the students’ core competences and to improve their communication and networking skills as well as their ability to work in and manage creative communities and projects.

The graduates of the programme are artistic professionals who are well-networked and innovative experts of teamwork and have the talent for recognising new earning opportunities in the changing operating environment. Strong development skills provided by the programme are a major asset when seeking employment in various expert roles. A Master’s degree gives eligibility both for public posts, which require a Master’s degree, and further postgraduate studies.

Contents of the programme

The programme is aimed at professionals in different fields of arts willing to improve and expand their skills and to find new locations, spaces, audiences, communities and contents for their work. The students will learn how to position their own competences in relation to new contexts and to utilise and apply their skills in new ways. The students will use their strong professional background in their respective fields of art and build their motivation to improve their skills sets as a response to current and future challenges.

Artistry and working life of today require professional skills in various contexts and a capacity to collaborate with different partners in different professional settings. There is a demand for experts who are able to develop and experiment with bold, new solutions. A multidisciplinary and multiprofessional approach plays a central role in the programme.

The programme emphasises network- and community-based working methods. An art professional operating as part of a network is an active practitioner with a good understanding of the world of work and an ability to coordinate and add value to multiprofessional teams. Collaboration takes place between different artistic disciplines as well as between different professional fields. Central themes in the studies include multidisciplinary networks, creative teams, new job descriptions in the field of art and the professional identities of innovators and developers in the field of art.

Structure of the programme

The Contemporary Contexts of Arts is a Master’s degree programme (60 ECTS) that takes an estimated three terms (1.5 years) to complete. The studies are organised as part-time studies and can be completed while working. The curriculum is flexible and the studies can be completed in as little as one year of full-time study.

A key element in the programme is the Thesis module (30 ECTS), which runs through the entire duration of the programme. The purpose of the Master’s thesis is to develop professional practices in the field of culture while meeting the requirements of the customer or other commissioning organisation. The thesis includes artistic and practical content in accordance with the objectives of the development task. The thesis work begins immediately at the start of the studies and continues throughout them.

Development work is always based on intensive research and analysis and it is carried out using methodologies and tools relevant to the development task. The thesis also involves documentation and reporting on the development process. The methodological skills required for development work and reporting are taught on the Research and development methods course (5 ECTS) in the Thesis module.

The student may link the development project with the topics and activities of the research groups of the Arts Academy or TUAS. The students can find support for their development project from their own networks or other networks operating within TUAS. The thesis may also be written as teamwork.

The Contemporary Contexts of Arts module (20 ECTS) covers the core competences required for professional development in the students’ own fields of art. The focus of the studies will be on 1) building the students’ own professional identity and identifying their personal strengths and development needs, 2) analysing and anticipating current and future operating environments, 3) examining the new contexts of art and placing their artistic and pedagogical work within the new framework, 4) producing art in different environments, spaces, contexts, processes and by various practitioners. The students will strengthen and expand their own artistic and methodological competences through topical themes in applied arts, contemporary art, community arts and multiprofessional teamwork.

The students may use elective studies (10 ECTS) to expand their competences in areas and methods relevant to their work. Courses may be selected from the offering of TUAS and other higher education institutions. The students may also complete project-based studies in the RDI projects at TUAS, in external projects or as their own working life projects

The students will set their personal learning objectives and build their competence track and further their professional development with the support of tutoring, the individual study plan and the professional autobiographical process, which forms a part of the module Contemporary Contexts of Arts. The professional autobiographical process supports students’ continuous reflection on their professional identity, strengths, skills and development needs and competence development during the studies. The process is influenced by changes in the professional field of art and the new job descriptions emerging in the fields of culture, such as cultural well-being and the collaboration between business life and art and science. While recognising their identities and strengths as artists, the students will develop their abilities to analyse and anticipate current and future operating environments and to build a more developmental approach.

The programme emphasises network- and community-based working methods. An art professional operating as part of a network is an active practitioner with a good understanding of the world of work and an ability to coordinate and add value to multiprofessional teams. Collaboration takes place between different artistic disciplines as well as between different professional fields. Central themes in the studies include multidisciplinary networks, creative teams, new job descriptions in the field of art and the professional identities of innovators and developers in the field of art.

Master's thesis

The purpose of the Master’s thesis is to develop professional practices in the field of culture while meeting the requirements of the customer or other commissioning organisation. The thesis includes artistic and practical content in accordance with the objectives of the development task. The thesis work begins immediately at the start of the studies and continues throughout them.

Development work is always based on intensive research and analysis and carried out using methodologies and tools relevant to the development task. The thesis also involves documentation and reporting on the development process. The methodological skills required for development work and reporting are taught on the Research and development methods course (5 ECTS) in the Thesis module.

The student may link the development project with the topics and activities of the other research groups of the Arts Academy or TUAS. The students can find support for their development project from their own networks or other networks operating within TUAS. The thesis may also be written as teamwork.


Qualifications and career opportunities

The programme leads to a Master’s Degree in Culture and Arts. Master’s programmes at TUAS Master School comply with the European Qualification Framework (EQF) and Finnish National Qualifications Framework (NQF). Learning outcomes of the Master’s programmes are at level 7, as in any other Finnish or European university.

A Master’s degree from TUAS Master School gives formal eligibility to pursue suitable postgraduate studies and for public posts that require a master level university degree

Objective

• position his/her own competences in new professional contexts as well as use and apply his/her skills in new ways
• identify and analyse changes and opportunities for new earning models in his/her operating environment
• work creatively as part of a team simultaneously developing his/her problem solving skills
• develop his/her skills on the fringes and boundaries of their artistic field
• build and maintain collaboration as well as domestic and international networks to complement his/her own competences
• communicate about his/her own competences and development work to domestic and international networks