Explore the arts and creative industries, from Fine Art to Social Media Management, with our insightful articles, blogs, interviews and case studies.
The Creative Lives programme gives you an insight into the artistic process through a series of talks from local and nationally-renowned artists
Learn more about the Creative Lives programme
Our annual Degree Shows celebrate the work of our final year Art and Design students.
Learn more about the University of Sunderland's Art and Design Degree Shows.
Employability days organised by the University and the opportunity to showcase her portfolio of work to industry experts in the Design Degree Show led Shauna Hambley to her dream career: working as a Graphic Designer with design specialists at Everything Different. Here she shares her best practice for getting the most out of your Design course and landing your dream job.
Read Shauna's tips for beginning your graphic design career
Read more about university life with our student blogs
UNILIFE: UNLOCKEDWe had a chat with Dr Manny Ling, Senior Lecturer in Design, to find out what Sunderland has to offer Design students.
Read more about graphic design
Creative Industries Week, which takes place in November, offers a change in pace from your usual teaching sessions and gives you the chance to gain a wider view of the arts and creative industries.
Learn more about Creative Industries Week
The Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries has a sustained six-year collaboration with Northumbria Police’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC), affording drama and media students the opportunity to produce films that increase awareness of complex category serious crime.
Find out more about a collaboration between SARC and The Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries
We had a chat with Dr Andrew Livingstone, Reader in Glass and Ceramics, to find out what you can expect from the Glass and Ceramics degree at Sunderland.
Read more about the glass and ceramics facilities at the University of Sunderland
Thinking about a creative degree but unclear about the career prospects? Here are some compelling reasons for a career in the creative sector.
Discover some compelling reasons for a career in the creative sector
A few years ago, the idea of being a ‘Social Media Manager’ would have been almost laughable – how hard can it be to ‘manage’ your notifications!? Social media is so much more than taking selfies, instagramming your breakfast or sharing memes on Facebook though, it’s a powerful business tool that has resulted in an explosion of exciting jobs and careers.
Find out where a degree in social media can take you
We place a strong emphasis on ensuring you have the skills and experience that will catch the eye of a wide range of employers and prepare you to start your career from the moment you graduate. As a result, our graduates have gone on to enjoy careers in a range of varied and diverse careers including performance, management, education and many more.
Learn how to begin your Performing Arts career
Here at the University of Sunderland, you’ll be at the centre of a city teeming with culture, working alongside a dedicated and highly skilled team of staff in the ideal surroundings to hone your craft. Lecturer Adelle Hulsmeier gives her five tips to getting the most out of your drama degree.
Discover how to get the most out of your Drama degree
For anyone who has a passion for performing, a degree in Performing Arts can be your path to a fulfilling and hugely engaging career. Here at the University of Sunderland, our Performing Arts department has a proud history of delivering quality degrees that are an immersive, enlightening and interactive experience for students.
Read more about studying Performing Arts
For any creative, receiving international recognition for your work is surely the ultimate accolade. Yet for Jay Sykes, it was something that he managed to achieve less than a year after graduating from MA Radio at the University of Sunderland.
Find out how to make award-winning radio
Jay Sykes, received international recognition for his work less than a year after graduating from MA Radio at the University of Sunderland. His radio drama SeaBurn received universal acclaim, winning Best Student Drama Program at the the New York Festivals World’s Best Radio Programs. Here, he shares his insight about why Sunderland is a great place to study radio.
Explore how to get the most out of your Radio course
We had a chat with Dr Martin Shingler, Programme Leader for Film and Media Studies to find out how to get the most out of studying Film, Media and Cultural Studies at degree level.
Explore how to get the most out of studying Film, Media and Cultural Studies
With an array of different options in a fast-growing industry and a whole host of career paths, a degree in Film Production has the potential to not only equip you to find a job in the sector upon graduation, but also hand you the transferable skills that are attractive to employers in a range of sectors.
Find out how to get the most out of studying Film Production
For any budding filmmaker, receiving recognition from the Royal Television Society is not only acknowledgement of the quality of your work but can also lead you to a career within the industry. Natacha Richardson and Ellie King achieved just this at this year’s awards, triumphing in the Comedy and Entertainment category for their film The Family Food Fight.
Learn how to triumph at the RTS Awards
Want to know what it’s like to study Photography, Video and Digital Imaging at the University of Sunderland? And what it's like to work as a freelance Photographer? Here, graduates Esme Fletcher, Charlotte Draper and Nat Wilkins share their experiences.
Read more about working as a freelance photographer
The opportunity to work in the National Glass Centre and the overwhelming support from staff are just some of the reasons that Sarah Heseltine was happy with her decision to study Glass and Ceramics at the University of Sunderland. Here, she shares her insight into getting the most out of your course while studying for your Glass and Ceramics degree.
Find out how to get the most out of your glass and ceramics course
Why study a fine art degree? We often get asked this at the University of Sunderland. Find out why from Fine Art graduate Stephanie Goldsmith.
Read more to find out why you should study a fine art degree
Getting into journalism can be challenging, but here at the University of Sunderland, we give you all the tools you need to make it as a great journalist. Here are just a few of the ways we equip you to make it in the industry.
Find out how we equip you to make it as a journalist
Sports Journalism student Matt Riggs scored a full-time job with West Ham United before he even graduated from the University of Sunderland. Matt beat hundreds of other applicants to land the 12-month editorial internship at the Premier League club, writing for the Hammers’ various publications and producing content for their multi-media platforms, from match day programmes to Snapchat.
Find out more about Matt's new role with West Ham
One University of Sunderland journalism graduate who decided to move into Public Relations is Amy Watson, Communications Manager at Sunderland Software City. Here, she shares her career insight into how transferable journalism is and offers advice to current students and graduates to achieve career success.
Discover how transferable journalism is
Want to know what it takes to become a journalist? We asked British political journalist and Associate Editor at the Daily Mirror, Kevin Maguire, to share his expert insight into what it takes to make it in the journalism industry.
Find out what it takes to become a journalist
With a journalism career spanning 25 years, Carole Watson is now Programme Leader in Fashion Journalism at the University of Sunderland. Here, she shares an insight into her distinguished career and talks about the opportunities Sunderland has to offer aspiring journalists.
Get an insight into Journalism at Sunderland
Journalism may have been regarded as a soft option a few years ago. This is no longer the case, according to award-winning Journalist and Broadcaster Alastair Stewart OBE. A revered media presence, here he shares his expert insight into the changing face of journalism and offers advice to aspiring journalists.
Discover what it takes to become a journalist
In February 2019, the UK Government announced that it will make social media companies sign a legally-binding code of conduct that imposes on them a duty of care towards young users. This is a welcome change following the case of 14-year-old Molly Russell, who took her own life in 2017.
Find out how and why social media should be regulated
The University of Sunderland’s School of Media and Communications has a range of opportunities and an experienced academic team to help our journalism graduates stand out in a competitive sector.
Find out how to get the most out of your Journalism degree
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