Year in Creative and Cultural Industries
Go behind the scenes of the creative sector and work alongside industry pros, supported by academic seminars and lectures.
Open doors to the creative sector with a Year in Creative and Cultural Industries. In the creative world, your connections make your career. With the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries, you'll get a jump start networking, getting hands-on experience, and going behind the scenes of arts, creativity and culture.
The Year in Creative and Cultural Industries enables you to:
- Build your creative and professional network
- Develop your understanding of the creative and cultural sectors
- Explore career opportunities in the arts, cultural, and creative sectors
- Enhance your degree with employability and careers-focused learning
- Apply the skills and lessons you've learned in your degree
- Try out a potential career path and reflect on new experiences
- Develop key professional attributes sought after by graduate employers
- Take ownership of a substantial project, from ideation to delivery, within the context of a creative or cultural industry placement
- Enhance your employability and self-awareness, and boost your application and interview skills
What is the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries? A full-year offering of modules and placement hours taken after the first two years of undergraduate study. The Year in Creative and Cultural Industries is a competitive, selection-based opportunity for students to obtain practical employment experience in the creative industries. Time spent on placement will be complemented by academic seminars and lectures, centred on getting the most from your industry experience and preparing you for a creative future.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries open to?
Who is the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries open to?
The Year in Creative and Cultural Industries is selected on a competitive basis and dependent on cohort size.
It is open to students studying:
How can I apply for a placement opportunity?
How can I apply for a placement opportunity?
You can apply for exclusive roles created in partnership with employers from a range of creative and cultural sectors, including: small businesses; charities; social enterprise; arts; culture and heritage; and the public sector. You can also talk to us about sourcing your own opportunity (either by applying for advertised internships or approaching organisations speculatively).
What are the associated costs of the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries?
What are the associated costs of the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries?
This is a year of academic study that includes a sizeable placement component in industries specific to the creative and cultural sectors. Since it is not a full placement year, students are eligible for a full maintenance loan, and the tuition fees are set at the standard rate.
How will I be assessed?
How will I be assessed?
The Year in Creative and Cultural Industries is structured so that you'll learn as much as you can while engaging with your industry placement. You'll be working on relevant activities such as project reports, presentations, portfolios, reflective journals and written assignments.
What are the time requirements of the placement?
What are the time requirements of the placement?
The placement component of the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries runs predominantly in Term 2 (352 hours), with some placement hours in Term 1 (176 hours). There will be a total of 528 hours on placement.
This means that Term 1 is predominately study “on campus” and Term 2 is predominately study “on placement”.
What support will be available to me through the year?
What support will be available to me through the year?
The Year in Creative and Cultural Industries combines placement components with academic contact hours that include lecture, seminar, tutorial and action learning set support through the year, with regular touchpoints.
You'll retain your personal academic tutor and continue to be able to access all other student resources offered by the university.
What do I get at the end of it?
What do I get at the end of it?
Successful students will graduate with a degree in their home subject, with the addition of 'with Year in Creative and Cultural Industries'.
The Year in Creative and Cultural Industries is assessed on a pass/fail basis and will not contribute to the final degree classification.
How do I apply for the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries?
How do I apply for the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries?
There's no need to decide now, you will be able to apply for the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries in the second year of your studies at Birmingham following a discussion with your tutor.
Contact
Contact
For enquiries about the Year in Creative and Cultural Industries, please contact Dr Amanda Patten A.L.Patten@bham.ac.uk
I gained a valuable insight into the workings of an arts charity and the work that takes place in exhibition planning. I have gained commercial awareness and improved upon my own professional skills including adaptability, perseverance, flexibility, and communication.