MA Contemporary Art and the Moving Image 

i Anthony McCall. "Line Describing a Cone" (1973), during the twenty-fourth minute. Installation view at the Whitney Museum of American Art exhibition "Into the Light: the Projected Image in American Art 1964-1977" (2001). Photograph by Hank Graber. 

Course Overview

Status

Applications are now open for 2025/26 entry through the KCL website.

Location

Vernon Square, Kings Cross & KCL

Duration

12 months, full time

Awarding body

Kings College London and The University of London

Intake

10 students per year

The MA in Contemporary Art and the Moving Image (CAMI) is a new, collaborative degree programme focused on the vibrant intersection of contemporary art and moving image practice. CAMI is the first programme to emerge from the strategic partnership between The Courtauld and King’s College London, and enables students to access and benefit from the key strengths of both institutions.

This unique course merges the expertise in film studies and critical theory in the Film Studies department at King’s College London with the specialised knowledge in modern and contemporary art history at The Courtauld. Shared between these two leading institutions, CAMI enriches students’ learning by enabling both cross-disciplinary and cross-institutional exposure and experiences.

Students in CAMI immerse themselves in a range of perspectives on contemporary artists’ moving image that draw from art history, film and media studies, exhibition history and curatorial practice, among other fields. They are taught by a variety of specialist staff across the two institutions in modules that focus on artists’ film and video, contemporary cinema, digital and time-based media, and curatorial practice, across different disciplinary and geographical contexts.

Students enrolled in CAMI become part of an exceptional academic community. They benefit from our combined expertise in film studies, art history, and curatorial practice, all of which are necessary to understand this expansive and evolving field of study. In writing their dissertation, they will be empowered to explore a research question that excites them, with support from academics who are leaders in their fields.

The programme is designed to help students develop their critical thinking, research, writing, public presentation and programming skills, which prepares them to work and excel in a wide range of professional and academic settings.

Apply here through the KCL portal

Careers and Employability

MA Contemporary Art and the Moving Image students will develop:

  • an in-depth grasp of the study of contemporary art and the moving image, and the intellectual, political and institutional issues raised by its study;
  • familiarity with a substantial body of moving image and media art, and associated critical literature and scholarship;
  • historical and theoretical frameworks of interpretation for contemporary art and the moving image;
  • advanced research, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

This knowledge base and skill set aims to prepare students for careers in film and moving image curation, arts and cultural management, film distribution, film and moving image criticism/journalism, and film and media education. Students may also choose to pursue academic careers through further study at PhD level.

Programme Leader - The Courtauld

Dr Johanna Gosse

Lecturer in Lens and Time-Based Art Histories

Teaching and programme structure

Courses are divided into modules totalling 180 credits. Students will take 50% of modules at the Courtauld Institute of Art and 50% of modules at King’s College London. Both institutions are centrally located on the Strand in London. Modules will offer a combination of historical, theoretical, and practical or applied approaches. Students will take two required core modules, one at The Courtauld on moving image art history and one at King’s College on London Film Cultures, which involves site visits to galleries and cinemas across the city.

 

Required modules

 Required Modules (150 credits) You are required to take:

  • Histories and Theories of Contemporary Art and the Moving Image (30 credits) at The Courtauld
  • London Film Cultures (30 credits) at KCL
  • Critical Debates (15 credits) at the Courtauld
  • Examining Exhibitions (title tbc) (15 credits) at the Courtauld
  • Dissertation (60 credits)

 

Optional modules

Optional Modules (30 credits) You are required to take 30 credits from a range of optional modules in the Film Studies department at KCL, which may typically include:

  • Media Aesthetics
  • Topics in American Cinema
  • Thinking Cinema
  • Critical Media Practice
  • Topics in Global Cinema
  • Topics in European Cinema
  • Topics in Asian Cinema
  • Media, Space and Place
  • History, Society and the Screen

 

King’s College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant programmes of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on KCL’s website for updates. Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a variety of coursework (contributing 100% of your final mark). Forms of assessment may include:

  • Essays and short reports
  • Individual and group projects
  • Filmmaking, curating, and other forms of audio-visual presentation
  • Dissertation

Entry Requirements

Please see KCL’s webpage for this programme to see details of entry requirements.

Fees and funding

Please see KCL’s webpage for this programme to see details of fees and funding.

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