Cultural Events Management MSc

Course modules

Modules

Events Leadership

Addresses the needs of individuals leading cultural and commercial events and events management organisations. It explores the advantages and weaknesses of public versus private ownership, and the skills needed to motivate, manage and organise staff and other stakeholders to create excellent events.

Festivals and Events Practice

Examines the context, content and practice of the expanding market of cultural festivals and events that has exploded across the globe in the last two decades. It will explore the political and cultural forces that have contributed to this expansion. The scope of the module will cover a range of community based celebrations such as Mela and Carnivals, to the network of established festivals, such as the Edinburgh Festivals and other European ‘high’ art festivals such as Salzburg as well as ‘mega’ events brought together for reasons of city marketing as much as for their artistic content e.g. Liverpool 2008.

Marketing for the Creative Entrepreneur

Examines the key marketing and corporate strategy issues that affect a designer. You will develop your own marketing strategy and carry out an analysis of the competitive environment.

Research Methods (Compulsory)

Teaches you a range of conceptual and practical research skills, such as questionnaire design and interview techniques. As part of this module, you will formulate your major project proposal, specifying your aims, objectives, research methods and expected outcomes. You will also learn how to undertake the literature review for your major project.

Business Planning for the Creative Entrepreneur

Develops your business knowledge and planning skills enabling you to identify the potential for a new product or service. You will study the key issues in starting a business and covers topics such as business plans, leadership, investment and risk management.

Live Music Events

Provides an opportunity not only to examine the nature and landscape of the live music industry in the UK and globally but also discuss some historical context to deepen the understanding of specific aspects.

Cultural Policy and Planning

Provides definitions of national and local cultural policies that, although unseen, often influence the working lives of cultural events managers. You will also explore the wider cultural policy and planning frameworks as well as its application.

Museum Exhibition and Design

This module considers the broad concepts of museum design and exhibition display. It examines the semiotics of display and communication of meaning, including the museum as a repository of cultural identity.

Managing Business Web Presence

Teaches you how to critically appraise website designs, social media activity and wider networking channels while learning about creative production and management processes. You will learn how best to evaluate the role of website design in business, marketing and the creative industries, while examining advances in web architecture, technology, interface and management.

Dissertation

Sees you undertake independent, sustained research into an area related to the Cultural Events Management master’s. Your chosen area of research may be drawn from one of the taught modules, linked to a wider issue touched on only briefly during your course or it may be based on a completely new area, not covered during your studies.

OR

Work Based Project

Allows you to develop and demonstrate your skills in a practical context such as undertaking a work placement. Ideally, this work-based project, which will see you complete at least 400 hours, will include working on the development, promotion and delivery of a festival or event.

Teaching and assessments

Overview

The programme takes a very case-study and primary research approach to teaching, combining academic study with practical experience in organising specific events, thanks to guest lectures and workshops you will also meet a host professionals from the cultural events industry. These national and international specialists range from those working for specific festivals and events, to local authorities and industry organisation professionals as well as technicians from the security and health and safety fields. In addition, as DMU is a member of the European Festivals Research Project, you will also meet respected international academics.

Assessment is continuous through methods such as reports and essays, portfolio, proposals, presentations as well as either a work-based project or a dissertation at the end of the course.

All the tutors teach modules within their own research specialisations placing you at the forefront of new discoveries and developments in areas such arts and cultural events, strategic planning, the use of public space and communicating through media and advertising. DMU staff recently completed a major piece of research, funded by the EPSRC, which explores how issues of sustainability can be promoted with, and through, festivals.

Along with other experts in the field, Chris Newbold and Jennie Jordan have recently published two new books, Focus on Festivals: Contemporary European Case Studies and Perspectives (2015) and Focus on World Festivals: Contemporary case studies and perspectives (2016) examining the basis for the remarkable growth in festivals worldwide.

As well as running DMU’s Cultural Exchanges Festival, many of them are also researching festivals such as Latitude and Dave’s Leicester Comedy Festival and various carnivals and melas. Their involvement in these projects creates opportunities for your own research projects and work placements as does DMU’s link to festivals and events across Europe through its membership of the European Festivals Research Project.

Contact hours

In your first two terms you will normally attend around 12 hours of timetabled taught sessions including lectures, tutorials and workshop and studio sessions each week, and be expected to undertake at least 23 hours of independent study each week. Your third term will be pre-dominantly self-directed (including meetings with your supervisor), during which you can expect to undertake 35 hours of independent study each week.

Part-time study is normally undertaken on a half-time basis.