Quite recently, there was a lecture in professional practice about further information about MA & Postgraduate Study. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend because I was on my way home from Chester, and I was still travelling. Luckily, I could catch up on the session through it being recorded, which I was very grateful for as I could have missed out on important information.
This lecture was mainly about the postgraduate studies that Chester has available, which was interesting to listen to. If I was to further my education at a postgraduate level, I would be more interested in the MA design course we have available. This is because this could allow me to further experiment with games design and graphic design in general whilst gaining a better understanding of my design practice and how I approach each brief.
It was interesting to note that Alan implied that we could learn more about the theories behind our practice and suggested further research behind our work. I really liked that, as art history is something that I would like to research more about, especially the practice I would like to further create, which would be games design. This would be an excellent opportunity to learn more about its history and expand upon that. I wish we could have more lectures about learning more about the history of creative practice throughout the second and third years.
Listening to Alan's talk inspired me to further research what Chester has available at a MA level. As I still have a lot of questions about my own practice and subjects I want to explore specifically as I feel like, at the moment, I haven't had a chance because of other priorities with live briefs or group projects that were more demanding throughout this year.
Further, into the talk, Alan then talks about what the course is intended for. He states that it is mainly beneficial for practitioners with a range of design disciplines who want to advance their professional and personal design practice. This was really fascinating to hear as I feel like I often jump between different design disciplines, especially illustration, game design and animation. So developing further in my studies could allow me to take the time to develop the skills I want to focus on rather than what the university thinks I should know as a designer.
The last part of Alan's talk was how the course would be broken down so if it was a full-time programme, it would run over 1 year and be taught on 2 days per week. However, if it was a part-time programme, it would run over two years where you would only attend 1 day, which would usually be in the afternoon or evening.
To begin studying at the postgraduate level, you are introduced to a variety of research skills and design theories to apply them to your own research directions whilst dipping your toes slightly in design practice. Later in the year (or two), you work on how to structure and externalise design research projects. Focusing on how to communicate your technique and theory in a professional format. After learning how to approach this way of design, you then complete your Master's Major project that would best showcase what you have learned throughout the study.
Overall, this was a fantastic lecture. At first, I wouldn't have considered studying MA at the University of Chester because I wanted to create more specialised work and learn more about Game art theory and practice. However, after hearing this talk, there is a lot of creative freedom to really explore what you want to research and practice.
Unfortunately, I don't think I will be returning to the University of Chester next academic year for MA studies because I won't be able to afford it with just one loan alone. Furthermore, I would like the chance to be more independent in my own practice first and gain professional experience before I spend another year studying. On the other hand, this doesn't mean I am ruling out looking for a master's in general, as I would like to definitely return to studying at some point once I gain more experience as a creative practitioner and to be more financially stable before studying again.
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