Creative Health MASc

at University College London

The MASc in Creative Health is the first of its kind in the UK, providing the first Masters level ‘Arts and Sciences’ degree at postgraduate level, with a focus on arts and health sciences. The programme seeks to address growing interest in the fields of Arts and Health, with a focus on research-led practice, community engagement, non-clinical interventions (esp. social prescribing) and experiential teaching.
 

The MASc will create a new generation of socially engaged scholars and practitioners to meet the needs of a changing health, social care and voluntary third sector, where personalised care and the patient experience are mainstreamed into primary, secondary and community health.
 

There is a growing national and international interest in the area of arts, health and wellbeing.
 

Over the last two decades, the field of Arts in Health has grown rapidly, facilitated by a number of major advances in research, several key policy documents released by Arts Councils and central government, and the growing participation of the arts and cultural sector in health and wellbeing. However, the recently-completed All Party Parliamentary Group for Arts, Health and Wellbeing Creative Health Inquiry has identified a need for more training opportunities for those interested in working in the sector. This need is particularly acute given that there are still very limited opportunities available for health and social care professionals, researchers or people from wider backgrounds interested in the field to receive specific training, let alone an academic qualification. If the field is to continue to develop and promote high-quality research and practice, the development of such training opportunities is going to be vital. To this end, the MASc Creative Health will offer a range of taught and research-led modules providing students with an in-depth understanding of the depth and breadth of the arts and health field, including practice, policy shift and research innovation.
 

Taught modules will provide the necessary grounding in arts and health for students to understand scope of research, policy and practice. The research dissertation will be undertaken with a community partner, providing practical experience of the role of community organisations in supporting different aspects of health and wellbeing, with a focus on developing and applying research and evaluation skills.