Academy of Visual Arts

Master of Arts in Visual Arts

The Master of Arts in Visual Arts (MA in Visual Arts) programme is a 1-year full-time / 2-year part-time taught-postgraduate programme with two study-terms per year. It requires the completion of total 30 credit units, balanced across a spread of theory-based and studio-based courses. The MA in Visual Arts offers two concentrations - Studio & Media Arts (SMA) and Craft & Design (CD). The programme provides students the flexibility to employ and investigate diverse media in creative practice according to their declared concentration as well as to interact and explore cross-disciplinary possibilities among concentrations.

The programme aims (1) to nurture creative talents with contemporary research methodologies, in-depth professional knowledge and skills as well as cross-cultural and interdisciplinary awareness in diverse visual arts studio practices; (2) to locate students’ artistic and academic practices in global and local socio-cultural contexts; (3) to enable students to develop their own creative profiles according to their research interests in a specific visual arts discipline (their declared concentration); and (4) to meet the growing demand for professional practitioners in the cultural and creative sectors in Hong Kong and beyond.

Concentrations

1.	Master of Arts in Visual Arts (Studio & Media Arts)
2.	Master of Arts in Visual Arts (Craft & Design)

Curriculum and Programme Structure

The structure of the curriculum is as follows:

I)	Core Courses	12 units
II)	Concentration-based Courses	18 units
		───────
		30 units

The MA in Visual Arts programme structure consists of two types of courses with different emphases:

Core Courses
Students from both MA in Visual Arts concentrations will jointly attend the four Core Courses (3 credit units each), which include two theory-based courses – namely Research Methodology for the Visual Arts and Visual Arts Theory & Criticism – as well as two practice-based courses – namely Critically Engaged: Creative Practices in Context and Arts & the Public: Interpretation & Presentation. The Core Courses introduce common knowledge and skills for practitioners in different visual arts disciplines (the two concentrations on offer), as well as encourage interdisciplinary integration through collaborative group projects.

Concentration-based Courses
Two Concentration-based Courses (9 credit units each) – namely SMA/CD Studio Project I and SMA/CD Studio Project II – will be offered for each individual concentration, Studio & Media Arts (SMA) or Craft & Design (CD) in the two semesters of the full-time teaching mode. In these two concentration-based courses, students have to continuously develop a self-directed project under tutorial supervision to investigate an identified issue / theme / creative approach in their respective creative practice. For the part-time teaching mode, the two concentration-based courses are year-courses spread across two semesters. Students have to successfully complete the SMA/CD Studio Project I in order to progress to the SMA/CD Studio Project II.

Students’ continuous development in the two concentration-based courses will form the final creative project to be presented in the Graduation Exhibition. For SMA/CD Studio Project II, final project works should be appropriately set up in the exhibition venue for assessment before the opening of the Graduation Exhibition.

Requirements

I.	Core Courses			12 units
	VACC	7010	Research Methodology for the Visual Arts	3 units
	VACC	7020	Visual Arts Theory & Criticism	3 units
	VACC	7030	Critically Engaged: Creative Practices in Context	3 units
	VACC	7040	Arts & the Public: Interpretation & Presentation	3 units

II.	Concentration-based Courses			18 units
	One of the following concentrations:
	Studio & Media Arts
	VASA	7010	SMA Studio Project I	9 units
	VASA	7020	SMA Studio Project II	9 units
	Craft & Design
	VACD	7010	CD Studio Project I	9 units
	VACD	7020	CD Studio Project II	9 units
				──────
				30 units

In both the full-time and part-time study schedules, the four core courses run in parallel with the concentration-based, self-directed studio projects (SMA/CD Studio Project I & II). The taught components in the core courses inform and inspire students' independent creative investigations, and simultaneously, students' continuous development in the studio projects enables them to exercise and articulate their learning.

To enable students to contextualize their personal creative practice within a broader theoretical framework, the two theory-based core courses (Research Methodology for the Visual Arts and Visual Arts Theory & Criticism) are sequenced before the two practice-based core courses (Critically Engaged: Creative Practices in Context and Arts & Public: Interpretation & Presentation) in both study modes, though in the part-time study schedule students will take one core course per semester only.

In the first study term the two concentration-based studio projects (SMA/CD Studio Project I) emphasise research, idea development and conceptualisation in the trial execution of a personal practice work. After that, students realize and complete their creative project in the SMA/CD Studio Project II under the guidance of their assigned supervisor(s), in which they demonstrate their mastery of the knowledge, skills and professional attitude acquired throughout the programme.

Students who have not completed all courses may only be awarded Certificate of Attendance for the courses taken.