The University of Galway School of English, Media and Creative Arts delivers transformative undergraduate and postgraduate programmes spanning literature, digital media production, theatre practice, creative writing, journalism studies, film analysis, and cultural curation through its distinctive fusion of theoretical inquiry and hands-on creative application within a dynamic research-intensive environment.  

Thank you for visiting Art Institutes, don't forget to subscribe to the Art Institutes Newsletter!

Known for its innovative fusion of traditional arts education with cutting-edge digital media practice, the University of Galway’s School of English, Media and Creative Arts has established itself as Ireland’s leading institution for creative and critical studies. The school is particularly renowned for its unique integration of Ireland’s rich literary heritage with contemporary media production, offering students unparalleled access to world-class archives like the John McGahern Papers while providing state-of-the-art facilities such as the UNESCO Galway Media Lab. Its distinctive industry partnerships with organizations like the Abbey Theatre and TG4, combined with a strong emphasis on practice-based learning, produce graduates who are equally adept at critical analysis and creative production. The school has gained international recognition for pioneering research in digital humanities, Irish literature, and immersive storytelling, while maintaining deep roots in Galway’s vibrant cultural scene as a UNESCO City of Film.

Art8 "Webinars for Creatives" https://art8.net

University of Galway School of English, Media and Creative Arts

Academic Programmes Structure

The School offers diverse pathways integrating critical analysis with creative practice:

• Undergraduate Degrees: BA in English & Creative Writing (GY120), BA in Media & Communication (GY104), BA in Film & Digital Media (GY118), BA in Drama, Theatre & Performance Studies (GY119), and BA Connect with Creative Writing
• Postgraduate Taught Programmes: MA in Literature & Publishing, MA in Digital Media, MA in Drama & Theatre Studies, MA in Creative Writing, MA in Journalism, MA in Global Media & Communication
• Research Degrees: Structured PhD programmes across five research clusters with dedicated supervision in specializations like digital humanities, Irish literature, media archaeology, performance studies, and postcolonial theory.

Distinctive features include the “Creative Practice” concentration within English degrees, mandatory industry placements for media students at organisations like RTÉ and TG4, and the Druid Academy partnership offering masterclasses with Ireland’s national theatre company.

Research Excellence & Faculty

Internationally recognised research unfolds through dedicated centres:

• Centre for Irish Studies (integrating literary archives with cultural policy)
• Digital Cultures Initiative (exploring AI ethics in creative industries)
• Moore Institute (humanities research hub with special collections)

Faculty include Booker Prize-nominated novelists, documentary filmmakers with TIFF premieres, EurOpean Research Council grant recipients, and editors of leading journals like Irish University Review. Recent projects include the “Nation, Memory, and Conflict” oral history archive and the UNESCO-backed “Galway Media Lab” for immersive storytelling.

Creative Infrastructure

Purpose-built facilities enable experimental practice:

• Digital Innovation Lab with AR/VR studios and Foley sound suites
• Black Box Theatre with motion-capture technology
• Media production complex featuring broadcast-standard equipment
• Special Collections housing the John McGahern Archive and Abbey Theatre Digital Repository

The School manages the 120-seat O’Donoghue Centre for Drama, Theatre & Performance, hosting the annual Galway International Arts Festival fringe programme and Cúirt International Literature Festival events.

Industry Integration & Alumni

Strategic partnerships provide real-world pathways:

• Creative Europe collaborations with BBC Northern Ireland and Bavaria Film
• TG4 (Irish-language broadcaster) newsroom embedded in journalism courses
• Druid Theatre residency programmes for playwrights
• Penguin Random House editorial workshops

Notable alumni include Oscar-nominated animation director Tomm Moore (Wolfwalkers), Booker Prize winner Anna Burns (Milkman), RTÉ Director of Content Jim Jennings, and Abbey Theatre Artistic Director Caitríona McLaughlin.

Student Development Ecosystem

Beyond curricula, students access:

• Skein Press: Student-run publishing imprint producing award-winning chapbooks
• FLUX: Digital media gallery showcasing interactive installations
• Theatre Soc: Producing 15+ shows annually at NUIG’s Mick Lally Theatre
• Gaf Film Society: National student film award winners

Global opportunities include Erasmus exchanges with Utrecht University’s Media Studies programme and Columbia University’s Creative Writing MFA, plus field trips to Berlin Film Festival and London publishing houses.

Location Advantage

Housed in the iconic Quadrangle building (1849) alongside modern facilities in the Human Biology building, the School leverages Galway’s UNESCO City of Film designation and proximity to Connemara Gaeltacht regions. The campus riverside setting adjacent to the Salmon Weir Bridge provides creative inspiration, while downtown Galway’s vibrant arts scene – including the An Taibhdhearc theatre and Galway Arts Centre – functions as an extended learning space.

Through its dual commitment to intellectual tradition and avant-garde experimentation, the School maintains unique position bridging Ireland’s cultural heritage with emergent digital practices, evidenced by its leadership in the €2.3-million Creative Europe “Future Memory” project preserving intangible cultural heritage through immersive technologies. The 2023 establishment of the Irish Centre for Poetry Studies further underscores its evolving interdisciplinary mission.

Undergraduate Degree Programmes

BA in English and Creative Writing

This four-year honours degree integrates literary analysis with practical writing workshops. Students examine global literatures from medieval to contemporary periods while developing specialized writing skills across fiction, poetry, screenwriting, and creative nonfiction. The programme features archival work with the John McGahern Papers and includes mandatory modules in digital storytelling. Third-year students undertake professional placements with publishers like Salmon Poetry or participate in the Erasmus exchange programme.

Career Outcomes: Graduates emerge as published authors, literary agents, content strategists, and publishing editors with portfolios demonstrating genre versatility.

Duration & Structure: 4 years full-time (120 ECTS). Includes foundation studies in Year 1, genre specialization in Year 2, international exchange/placement in Year 3, and a major creative dissertation in Year 4.

BA in Media and Communication

Focusing on digital media ecosystems, this programme combines critical media theory with hands-on production. Students master documentary filmmaking, data journalism, media law, and audience analytics using broadcast-standard equipment. The curriculum includes an industry placement at organisations like RTÉ or Bauer Media Academy and courses in AI-mediated communication. Final-year projects are screened at the Galway Film Fleadh.

Career Outcomes: Prepares students for roles as broadcast producers, digital marketing managers, media policy analysts, and multimedia journalists.

Duration & Structure: 4 years full-time (120 ECTS). Features theoretical core modules, technical skill-building laboratories, and a 30-ECTS professional practice component.

BA in Film and Digital Media

An intensive practice-based degree covering cinematic history, visual anthropology, and digital content creation. Students gain certification in Adobe Creative Cloud, participate in VR filmmaking workshops, and collaborate on the GUFS (Galway University Film Society) short film slate. The programme includes location shooting in Connemara Gaeltacht regions and masterclasses with Galway Film Centre professionals.

Career Outcomes: Graduates enter careers as cinematographers, film archivists, festival programmers, and interactive media designers.

Duration & Structure: 4 years full-time (120 ECTS). Combines film theory seminars with technical modules in editing, sound design, and motion graphics, culminating in a public exhibition.

BA in Drama, Theatre and Performance Studies

This conservatory-style training emphasizes both classical and devised theatre practices. Students engage with the Druid Academy for actor training, study Beckett in the Abbey Theatre Digital Archive, and create original productions in the Black Box Theatre. The curriculum incorporates European theatre history, somatic movement techniques, and community arts management with placement opportunities at Macnas or Galway International Arts Festival.

Career Outcomes: Prepares graduates for careers as theatre directors, arts administrators, drama therapists, and performance scholars.

Duration & Structure: 4 years full-time (120 ECTS). Includes performance laboratories, theatre historiography, and a final-year production season.

Postgraduate Taught Programmes

MA in Creative Writing

A workshop-intensive degree offering specialisation in fiction, poetry, or scriptwriting. Features the “Writer-in-Residence” mentorship programme with figures like Mike McCormack, publishing industry workshops with Lilliput Press, and field research at literary festivals. Students produce a 25,000-word manuscript and participate in the Over the Edge reading series.

Career Outcomes: Graduates become published authors, script editors, arts journalists, and literary festival curators.

Duration & Structure: 1 year full-time (90 ECTS). Consists of core workshops, elective modules (e.g., “Writing for Games”), and a major creative project.

MA in Digital Media

Focuses on emergent media technologies including UX design, immersive storytelling, and digital curation. Students access the Media Lab’s motion capture studio, complete industry certifications in Python for media, and develop projects with the Insight Centre for Data Analytics. Includes collaborative work with the European Capital of Culture programme.

Career Outcomes: Leads to positions as AR/VR developers, digital heritage specialists, social media architects, and interactive documentary makers.

Duration & Structure: 1 year full-time (90 ECTS). Combines technical studios, critical theory seminars, and a 30-ECTS applied research project.

MA in Journalism

An NCTJ-accredited programme delivering multimedia news production skills with specialist tracks in data journalism or Irish-language broadcasting. Features a working newsroom partnership with TG4, court reporting practicums, and mobile journalism training. Students produce content for the NUIG student newspaper Sin and complete placements with the Connacht Tribune or Reuters.

Career Outcomes: Prepares graduates for roles as investigative reporters, broadcast correspondents, digital editors, and media regulators.

Duration & Structure: 1 year full-time (90 ECTS). Includes news production intensives, media law certification, and a major investigative project.

MA in Literature and Publishing

Examines the publishing ecosystem through modules in editorial practice, bibliographic studies, and literary marketing. Students operate Skein Press (the student-run imprint), complete placements at Kenny’s Bookshop, and engage with the National Print Museum’s archives. Includes typesetting workshops and digital repository management training.

Career Outcomes: Graduates enter publishing as commissioning editors, literary scouts, rights managers, and rare books specialists.

Duration & Structure: 1 year full-time (90 ECTS). Combines print culture history, contemporary publishing workflows, and a 30-ECTS industry placement.

MA in Drama and Theatre Studies

Blends performance theory with practical directing laboratories. Students collaborate with Druid Theatre Company, study at the Dublin Theatre Festival archive, and develop productions for the O’Donoghue Centre. Specialisations include applied theatre, scenography, or Irish theatre historiography with access to the Abbey Theatre Digital Performance Repository.

Career Outcomes: Graduates become theatre directors, dramaturgs, arts policy advisors, and performance researchers.

Duration & Structure: 1 year full-time (90 ECTS). Includes performance-making laboratories, critical theory modules, and a practice-as-research project.

MA in Global Media and Communication

Analyses transnational media flows through modules in platform governance, crisis communication, and intercultural media production. Features case studies with Al Jazeera and BBC World Service, simulation exercises at the European Parliament, and digital activism workshops. Includes language studies in media Arabic or Mandarin.

Career Outcomes: Prepares students for international careers as diplomatic media advisors, NGO communications directors, and global brand managers.

Duration & Structure: 1 year full-time (90 ECTS). Combines comparative media policy analysis, strategic communication planning, and fieldwork with international partners.

Postgraduate Research Degrees

Structured PhD Programme

A four-year research degree with five thematic pathways: Digital Cultures; Irish Literature & Diaspora Studies; Media Industries & Policy; Performance & Performativity; Textual Scholarship & Editing. Candidates complete advanced training modules, teach undergraduate tutorials, and present at international conferences. Access to the Moore Institute’s research infrastructure and the Hardiman Library’s special collections.

Research Environment: Includes dedicated workspaces, annual research funds, and interdisciplinary supervision teams with external examiners from global institutions.

Duration & Structure: 4 years full-time. Combines 30 ECTS of research training, teaching practicum, and a 50,000-word dissertation with viva voce examination.

Practice-Based PhD

For creative practitioners producing original works alongside critical exegesis. Supported by the Creative Arts Research Centre with access to media production facilities, theatre residencies, and writing studios. Outputs include feature films, theatre productions, poetry collections, or digital installations exhibited publicly.

Research Environment: Connects candidates with industry partners like the Galway International Arts Festival and provides technical support for complex productions.

Duration & Structure: 4 years full-time. Requires a substantial creative work (70%) with a 15,000-word critical commentary, documented through professional exhibition or publication.

CONTACT University of Galway School of English, Media, and Creative Arts:

University of Galway,
University Road,
Galway, Ireland
H91 TK33
T. +353 91 524411