LASALLE College of the Arts

MA Arts and Ecology

Singapore, Singapore

DURATION

1 Years

LANGUAGES

English

PACE

Full time, Part time

APPLICATION DEADLINE

30 Mar 2025

EARLIEST START DATE

Aug 2025

TUITION FEES

SGD 31,500 / per year

STUDY FORMAT

On-Campus

Key Summary

About: The MA Arts and Ecology program explores the relationships between art, ecology, and the environment. It's designed to challenge students to think critically about the role of art in environmental issues. Through a blend of practice and theory, students will engage with various artistic methodologies to address ecological concerns.

Career Outcomes: Graduates can pursue careers in areas such as art curation, environmental advocacy, community art projects, and educational roles that focus on ecological awareness and artistic engagement.

Introduction

Establish your artistic voice on ecological issues of our time.

Arts and Ecology studio-based programme is located in one of the greenest cities in the world, Singapore. This is a unique and pioneering transdisciplinary programme in Asia for creative practitioners, ecologists, and researchers, and for those who seek to explore critical environmental discourses, address questions around ecological crisis, and build sustainable environments through art and creative practices.

It grounds itself in rigorous artistic research with a profound understanding of ecological concerns that you have. You will study real-world concerns and conditions through collaborative and field-based research and creative practice. The programme aims to develop your critical unpacking of ecological discourse through a range of modules such as Critical Discourse in Arts and Ecology, Eco Studio and Social Studio through lectures, workshops, scientific and intellectual inquiry, and community engagement.

You will be encouraged to engage with the diverse cross-fertilization, of contemporary creative and expressive practices, and be supported in establishing partnerships with stakeholders and engagement with community, business, and enterprise as relevant to your practice.

Graduates are independent thinkers, creative practitioners, and solution-oriented individuals who want to make a difference on the earth.

Why apply

Forward-looking learning environment: Be a pioneering eco-arts professional at Singapore’s first and only arts university that supports Singapore’s Green Plan 2030 and aims to foster responsible creative global citizens.

Practice-led laboratory approach: The programme is designed to foster laboratory, student-centred learning that encourages collaborative, community-driven, field-based research and art-making.

Professional and industry networks: Take advantage of the programme’s established and emerging partnerships with arts institutions and environmental organizations such as Singapore Art Museum, National Gallery Singapore, Nature Society (Singapore), Earth Observatory of Singapore, Singapore Zoo, Singapore Botanic Gardens, and S.E.A. Aquarium.

Career Opportunities

Curriculum

Full-time

Critical Discourse in Arts and Ecology (30 credits)
Social Studio (30 credits)
Eco Studio (30 credits)
The Agora (30 credits)
Final Research (60 credits)

Modes of assessment

Written Assignment
Seminar Presentation
Thesis or Project Work
Student Designed Assessment

Curriculum framework

The LASALLE MA framework aims to provide graduates with a competitive edge that will meet the demands of the dynamic cultural and creative sector.

The MA framework has the following common structure:

Core modules

You will study three core modules* according to your chosen programme of study. These modules aim to equip you with discipline-specific skills relevant to your area of research inquiry.
*For the MA Art Therapy and MA Music Therapy programmes, there will be additional modules for clinical placements.

Common module – the Agora

The common module, the Agora, has been designed to prepare you for the intensely collaborative experience of a creative career. You will be guided to reflect on the ‘place’ of your particular discipline in society, the economy, and the environment. You will consider and experiment with combining your discipline with others (multidisciplinary), blending your skills and knowledge with those of other disciplines (interdisciplinary) or even discovering new ways of working together (transdisciplinary).

The Final Research module

Research methods will be embedded into the Final Research (thesis) module. Within this module, formal and dedicated ‘research weeks’ will occur in the first and second semesters. The research weeks will be distinctive points within your programme to allow you to concentrate fully on your research. The spread of its delivery is intended to provide you time to reflect, synthesize and consolidate your learning, and develop your research questions. You will also be provided six hours of supervision of your research.

Besides the immersion in the postgraduate research culture built through shared learning modules, the MA framework provides a transformative educational experience designed to shape you into a future-ready professional, equipped with the skills and expertise demanded by the industry.

Sustainability and care

LASALLE recognizes the important role of artists and designers in creating a sustainable and caring world. The curriculum provides opportunities for students to identify and explore issues around sustainability (from ecology and global climate change to the sustainability of their creative practices and wider cultural communities) and care (for the well-being and advancement of oneself and others).

The College actively encourages students to engage with and investigate these crucial contemporary issues as part of their studies, including through their projects, and critical and creative outputs. Through interdisciplinary learning and strong engagement with these topics, the aim is to empower students to lead the way toward sustainable practices and caring communities within the cultural and creative industries.

Materials

Basic learning materials are provided by the College.

As a developing artist, you are required to have certain items that are personal to you and cannot be shared. Such items include books, dance shoes, rehearsal clothes, safety boots, portable musical instruments, paints, canvas, basic tools, design software, cameras, etc., that will support you through your three-year learning journey. The College does not encourage the purchase of extravagant or costly materials or equipment. Our lecturers can provide you with affordable suggestions.

You are also encouraged to have your laptop for education. If you do not own one, computer labs are available on campus with requisite software for you to undertake your work.

There may be opportunities for you to undertake extra-curricular study trips to enhance your overall learning. Trips are not compulsory and may incur additional costs.