Course advice

[Steve]

I've been a keen amateur for 20+ years. Mainly film and I have a darkroom at home.

I've been taking evening classes in photography for the last couple of years and in June will have completed the final City and Guilds lvl 3 I have been doing and there is no evening course to follow on from this. Most students will go from this to a BA Photography degree, but I can't do this as:

1. Nick 'Pinocchio' Clegg didnt keep to his tuition fee pledge and I really cant afford £27k fees.
2. BA degrees appear to be mainy full time and I couldnt cope with that - I need a part time course.

I've thoroughly enjoyed the evening classes as a focus to improve and really want to pursue some further courses to both continue my education and enjoyment of my hobby. I've really enjoyed being in contact with other students so dont think distance learning would work for me. Also I cant travel any great distance so any course needs to be close to home.

So I'm looking at something to replace the evening classes and am considering the MA/MFA Photography at Manchester School of Art (Manchester Met Uni) which is 10 minutes from where I live and £5k for the MA or £10k for the MFA and both can be done part time.

I'm confident that I can manage the academic rigour of the MA/MFA, but was after advice from anyone as to whether the jump from my current ability level to MA/MFA may to too big. There is an open day for post grads at the end of May that I will attend but I really wanted to get some thoughts together on the feasibility of this before attending.

Alternatively, am open to any suggestions on an other ideas to replace the evening classes with something else.

I have no intention of pursuing a career in photography, This is just something I want to do for personal interest and improvement.

Thanks

 

[deprivedofsleep]

Any reason you don't join a local photography club? I'd expect you get the same social element and learning opportunities albeit with no formal outcome.

 

[Pookeyhead]

There are plenty of part time BA (Hons) courses, and then there's the FdA option, and they pretty much ALL have a part time pathway.

A Masters is a good route to take, and actually cheaper However, the interview and selection process will obviously be much more demanding, as is the academic content of the course. Man Met is a good choice though.

 

[Steve]

Any reason you don't join a local photography club? I'd expect you get the same social element and learning opportunities albeit with no formal outcome.

Good idea. I hadn't really considered a photography club, and have probably been a bit biased against them from reading too many negative posts about them on this forum. But I should really try my local one with an open mind as the social element is of importance to me.

There are plenty of part time BA (Hons) courses, and then there's the FdA option, and they pretty much ALL have a part time pathway.

A Masters is a good route to take, and actually cheaper However, the interview and selection process will obviously be much more demanding, as is the academic content of the course. Man Met is a good choice though.

I couldn't see a part time option for the BA or FdA at any of the local institutions I looked at; Manchester Met, Manchester College, Stockport College and Trafford College. Didn't look further afield as travelling is an issue. But even if they did offer a part time option, the fees would be a problem unless I could get them down to an annual equivalent of under £3k which is why the MA at £2.5k/ year is affordable.

Was a bit worried that skipping a BA and going straight to MA might be a non-starter. I realise it will be a big jump and happy to work at it. Maybe best to attend the open day for post grads at Manchester Met, take my portfolio along and have a long chat with a tutor.

 

[Pookeyhead]

Good idea. I hadn't really considered a photography club,

They'll stifle any critical thinking or creativity if you ask me. I'm not sure someone considering a Masters Degree should be joining a local camera club. You'll NOT get the same learning opportunities at all. If you just want to polish technique etc, then fine, but a Masters will include pretty much NO technical photography teaching whatsoever.

Was a bit worried that skipping a BA and going straight to MA

To honest, so would I be. If you've had no real introduction to critical academic work, it will be a steep learning curve. The biggest question I'd be asking, is what do you want to study? I know it's photography, but what about it do you want to learn more about?

There's also the very real possibility you'll not be accepted, as it's a post graduate qualification, and not already having a degree in this subject would mean you'd need to demonstrate a great deal of ability academically, both written and your photography.

Maybe best to attend the open day for post grads at Manchester Met, take my portfolio along and have a long chat with a tutor.

That's exactly what I'd do in your position, yes. But you really need to have a clear idea of why you'd want to do a MA.. and what it will entail.

 

[Cheese Scientist]

Hi, I did an MA in a subject I had no experience in, nor had studied at degree level.
Dedication and enthusiasm can be more important.
You should bear in mind that a part time MA would be taking-up at least 16 hours a week so it's no small undertaking.
Good luck if you do it.

 

[Steve]

They'll stifle any critical thinking or creativity if you ask me. I'm not sure someone considering a Masters Degree should be joining a local camera club. You'll NOT get the same learning opportunities at all. If you just want to polish technique etc, then fine, but a Masters will include pretty much NO technical photography teaching whatsoever.

I think that was my reservation from what I've read on forums, and the fact that my local one is called a 'camera club' doesn't inspire me.

Thinking about what I want is to:

1. Get out of the house once or twice a week to study something art related to photography that I can then take further and research/work in my own time, and meet like minded people who are interested more in the art side of photography.

2. Main interest is film, and really want to investigate and learn more about alternative techniques.

3. Aim towards completing some projects. I've got several in mind from small to large. Currently want to design and create a set of photographic tarot cards (major arcana only) using wet plate collodion process. I could do this by myself but just want to be in a supportive artistic environment to help achieve this.

 

[Steve]

Hi, I did an MA in a subject I had no experience in, nor had studied at degree level.
Dedication and enthusiasm can be more important.
You should bear in mind that a part time MA would be taking-up at least 16 hours a week so it's no small undertaking.
Good luck if you do it.

Thanks Amanda. Did you enjoy the MA and was it what you expected or hoped for?

 

[FredDee]

OCA (Open College of the Arts) do a part time BA Photography course

here : www.oca-uk.com/

 

[Cheese Scientist]

Thanks Amanda. Did you enjoy the MA and was it what you expected or hoped for?

it wasn't a photography MA, it was general broadcasting so different than you're proposing.
Any MA is going to be pretty heavy on the academic side so you're going to have to be prepared to write a lot of essays when you might wish that you were out taking photos! Sometimes it felt like I was learning more about how to write than about the subject itself.
Great sense of achievement when it's done though.

 

[viewfromthenorth]

I did the C&G Level 3 a few years back but ran out of options to study after I finished. I did consider the OCA but at the time the syllabus was a bit limited, it does look a bit better now though. One of the other guys on the C&G went to do a part time degree at Bolton, but he managed to arrange his work hours around it somehow.

Speaking as a camera club member (and as someone who gives talks to clubs as well) I don't think the camera club route would be for you, unless you go to a specialist group like Lancashire Monochrome, or manage to find one with a different ethos to the majority of clubs.