Manchester Metropolitan University
MA Photography
Manchester, United Kingdom
MA
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 22,000 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* EU and non-EU international students full-time fee
MA Photography is a practice-based programme designed to test, push, and extend the boundaries of contemporary photography. With a specialist focus on the materials and technologies of publishing and exhibition making, you will work in a critical and supportive environment alongside a diverse group of peers. Through practical exploration and critical research, you will develop a unique practice tailored to your individual creative and professional ambitions.
Through hands-on experimentation and research, you’ll be encouraged to question and redefine photography, engaging with emerging technologies and new ideas that shape the field.
Based at the School of Digital Arts (SODA), you will join a vibrant creative community with access to state-of-the-art facilities. These include analogue and digital darkrooms, fully equipped photography studios, 3D printing facilities at PrintCity, as well as sound, green screen, and editing suites.
Features and benefits
- Industry links
You will join a course that fosters engagement with industry connections within Manchester, the region, nationally and internationally. This could include the opportunity to work on live briefs with external partners and communities. - Creative community
You will become an integral part of SODA - home to a creative community of research active staff with expertise in diverse fields of practice such as animation, filmmaking, photography, games art and sound design. - Expert staff
Learn from internationally recognised, expert tutors who are active artists and practitioners. You'll also have support from a team of specialist technical staff who offer bespoke inductions and support for software, hardware and studio spaces. - State-of-the-art facilities
You'll have access to a full suite of industry standard facilities, including analogue and digital darkrooms, fully equipped photography studios, and 3D printing facilities based at PrintCity, as well as sound, green screen and editing suites. - Cultural partners
MA Photography has cultural partners including HOME, BBC, Open Eye Photography Gallery, Red Eye Photography Network, and a range of international partnerships. - PrintCity
You will have access to Manchester Met's 3D printing technologies and be able to take part in collaborations across the university, where photography can be explored in different ways.
Course information
MA Photography is a practice-based course encouraging experimental practice, production and craft, with an emphasis on the medium as a process of enquiry. We understand photography in its widest array of uses and applications, encouraging you to think through its possibilities and consequences, affecting our ways of seeing, thinking and acting.
Working with a team of artists, photographers, writers and publishers, who are internationally recognised and subject-leading, the course offers a supportive and open-ended environment. You will be supported to test the possibilities of photography, find your own creative methods and approaches, and build professional relationships to support your development.
The course is situated inside the School of Digital Arts and Manchester School of Arts. You will be able to encounter the way that images are translated and transformed through AR and VR, 3D scanning and printing, and UV printing, as well as image transfer to CNC milling and laser cutting. You'll also have access to the full range of hands-on art school technical resources, including black, white and colour darkrooms, photographic and moving image studios, screen printing, bookbinding, and wood workshops. You will benefit from being situated in an art school environment whilst working on a city-centre University campus surrounded by many disciplines. You will have access to Manchester Met PrintCity's 3D printing technologies fabrication lab and be able to take part in collaborations across departments, where photography can serve many functions and be explored in different ways.
The MA course is taught by Duncan Wooldridge and David Penny and is supported by members of the wider photography programme. The programme leader for this course is Sylvia Waltering.
Recent visiting speakers/tutors have included: Aron Mörel, Hannah Hughes, Anthony Luvera, Jaskirt Dhaliwal-Boora, Felicity Hammond and Sunil Gupta.
Examples of recent external partners and projects include Dark Peak Photography Festival, Format Photography Festival, and Bound Artist Book Fair. The course is a partner of the Global Photographies Network, a cluster of universities and photographic organisations exploring international contemporary photographic practices.
Core modules
- Photo Publishing
- Co-Creation for Sustainable Futures
- Photo Installation
- Positions and Propositions
- Independent Project
The course, and wider faculty within which SODA is based, offer excellent links with partners within Manchester, nationally and internationally. It has enabled previous creative graduates to benefit from the incredible opportunities that the city has to offer.
Graduates from the course will be equipped to go into diverse fields of employment related to their subject, such as teaching, research, publishing and curating. Additionally, they could work as independent artists and freelance creative practitioners within the cultural, digital and creative arts sectors in Manchester, the UK and abroad.
Study
- Full-time 20% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 80% independent study
- Part-time 20% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 80% independent study
Assessment
- Full-time 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination
- Part-time 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination