Visual Culture
University of LiverpoolLiverpool, United Kingdom
Course overview
The MA in Visual Culture offers an exciting opportunity to engage with current debates about visual culture in relation to the changes wrought by contemporary media on everyday life. We look at visual media such as photography and film, cultural institutions, such as museums and galleries, as well as ordinary, everyday cultural practices. Study in a department currently ranked within the world top 75 and 5thin the UK for Communication (Shanghai Global Rankings of Academic Subjects 2025).
We study the changes, and challenges for visual culture in the twenty-first century, while emphasising the importance of paying close, critical attention to visual artefacts and cultural experiences while situating them in a wider historical context. As well as considering questions of visuality and examining images, the programme addresses questions of modernity and social change, ranging from experiences of everyday space, time and mobility, to the impacts of media on self and identity; how we access, ‘store’ or remember the past; and the broader environmental, infrastructural and social contexts of contemporary visual culture. The programme is widely interdisciplinary in scope, drawing on perspectives from disciplines such as cultural studies, anthropology, Latin American studies, art and cultural history, cultural geography, urban studies, games and memory studies.
The programme is built around three core modules which focus on: You will develop skills that directly enhance employability, including applying critical thinking skills, giving presentations, data management, problem-solving, team-working and research design and implementation. You’ll be able to pursue your own specific research/study interest visual culture via a 12,000-15,000 word dissertation and by choosing from a range of master’s-level module options offered by the Department and wider School. The course will be of interest to students with an arts, humanities or social science background who wish to develop th
Key highlights
- Department ranked world top 75 and 5th in UK for Communication
- Explores photography, film, museums, galleries and everyday cultural practices
- Interdisciplinary: anthropology, urban studies, games, memory studies and more
- Independent research through a 12,000–15,000 word dissertation
- Optional modules from across the Department and wider School
- Builds presentation, data management, team-working and research design skills
Entry requirements
- Degree: 2:2 — Postgraduate entry requirements: We accept a 2:2 honours degree from a UK university, or an equivalent academic qualification from a similar non-UK institution.
Scholarships
Chevening Scholarships
E. Allison Peers Masters Scholarship in Iberian and Latin American Studies
The scholarship provides £5,000 towards fees, plus a £5,000 stipend, for students undertaking a Hispanic topic in any master's programme in the Department of Languages, Cultures and Film at the University of Liverpool.
Up to £5,000Health, Cultures and Societies Bursary
The successful candidate will receive a one-off fee reduction of £5,000.
Up to £5,000Hodgson Law Scholarship
Liverpool Excellence Scholarship for Postgraduates
If you're an international student, you could be eligible for a tuition fee discount of £7,000.
Up to £7,000Liverpool Law School Hong Kong Scholarships
Two scholarships worth £1,000 each.
Up to £1,000Liverpool Law School LLM Bursaries
Two bursaries worth £500 each for Home students. Two bursaries wroth £1,000 each for international students.
MA in Chinese-English Translating and Interpreting Scholarships
Students awarded this scholarship will receive a fee reduction of £5,000.
Up to £5,000Management School MBA Excellence Scholarship
50% tuition fee discounts are available.
Up to 50% of feesManuel Irujo Scholarship in Basque Studies
The scholarship provides approximately £5,000.
MusicFutures Scholarship for International Intellectual Property Law LLM
Up to five scholarships are available, each worth £12,500 in the form of a tuition fee discount.
Up to £12,500Peter Astaire Memorial Scholarship in Beatles Studies
Up to two awards are available in each academic year, with each award worth £4,000.
Up to £4,000Scholarships for MA Political Science and International Relations
The Department of Politics is pleased to announce two £5,000 scholarships for students wishing to pursue the MA in Political Science and International Relations.
Up to £5,000Scholarships for Master's in Public Administration and Policy
Successful candidates will receive a fee reduction of £5,000.
Up to £5,000Scholarships for Postgraduate Study in Education
Successful candidates will receive a fee reduction of £5,000.
Up to £5,000Scholarships for Postgraduate Study in Film Studies
Successful candidates will receive a fee reduction of £5,000.
Up to £5,000Scholarships for Postgraduate Study in History
Successful candidates will receive a fee reduction of £5,000.
Up to £5,000Scholarships for Postgraduate Study in Translation
Successful candidates will receive a fee reduction of £5,000.
Up to £5,000University of Liverpool Humanitarian Scholarships for Master's Programmes
University of Liverpool International College (UoLIC) Excellence Scholarship
£5,000 tuition fee reduction for the first year of study.
Up to £5,000
Careers this course leads to
- Museum or gallery curator
- Arts and heritage officer
- Cultural researcher
- Media and communications officer
- Arts journalist
- Visual content producer
Cost of study
UK/Home: Full-time place, per year - £12,500; Part-time: £6,250 | International: Full-time place, per year - £28,000; Part-time: £14,000
Admission
Applications are made through AHZ at no cost. Share your transcripts, English test scores and personal statement, and your AHZ Counsellor will review your profile, submit your application to University of Liverpool, and guide you through interview, offer, CAS and visa — right up to enrolment.
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