Cultural Studies, M.A.

Overview

‘Cultural studies’ refers to a specific type of critical analysis and interpretation of culture, looking into how people construct and participate in everyday life. It studies and compares the meaning, political power and the social impact of varied cultural practices worldwide. The KU Leuven team is proud of their longstanding reputation as an active contributor and specialist in this field. 

The term ‘cultural studies’ also refers to the study of cultural policy at all levels of policy-making in the public, and more often non-profit sectors. Smart cultural policies are anchored by intelligent practices and legal frameworks. This master’s programme provides a research-based approach to both the design and the application of these smart cultural policies. 

The MA in Cultural Studies places the following emphases:  

• cultural theory and concepts
• applied narratives
• art, media and performance
• contemporary culture
• interdisciplinary objects of study and methodologies
• project-based learning

You can choose between two trajectories within the program:

• The 'creative practices' track focuses on contemporary art and culture creation, across the boundaries of genres and media, with a lot of attention for the creative industries.
• The 'cultural memory and identity' track focuses on the impact of the cultural past on the contemporary cultural landscape, and the relationship between culture and forms of identity.

Objectives

The Master of Cultural Studies is an interdisciplinary programme that aims at preparing the student for a wide range of executive functions in the cultural field (cultural mediation, criticism, media, heritage). In order to achieve this goal, the programme offers a combination of theoretical and practical modules.

At the end of the programme, graduates:

• have an in-depth knowledge of the structure of the cultural field and the aims and functions of cultural policy in Flanders (to a lesser extent) and Belgium/Europe (to a larger extent);
• are fit for employment in a cultural institution or organisation;
• are aware of the current definitions of culture and the theoretical debates on these definitions;
• are capable of writing an individual research report;
• have developed a solid scientific attitude towards the major methodological aspects and issues in the field of cultural studies.

Career perspectives

As both a hands-on and theoretically oriented programme, the Master of Arts in Cultural Studies prepares students for careers in a wide range of fields. A great many of our graduates become public servants and cultural policy officers at all levels of government (local, regional, national, international); others enter into the broad field of the creative industries (music, television, print and online media).

A fair number of students combine their studies (in 2 years) with a teachers' training programme, which prepares them for a career in teaching. In addition, the programme's regularly updated internship database provides a good overview of the possibilities open to students of cultural studies.

Students who are eager to find their way into the cultural sector should take into account that careers in culture rarely deliver traditional nine-to-five jobs and competition for appointments is often fiercely competitive. Special qualities such as passion, enthusiasm, creativity, flexibility, teamwork and good verbal and communicative skills are crucial for success. This programme aims to hone these transferable qualities in addition to the specialised academic framework. 

The Cultural Studies programme is offered at KU Leuven.

Questions about student life in Belgium, life at KU Leuven or more information about a specific course? Chat with our students: www.kuleuven/be/chatwithourstudents.