The Master of Fine Arts in Artistic Research is a two-year full-time programme. The aim of the programme is to prepare artists in defining and formulating a research project in fine arts, aiming for admission to a doctoral programme in fine arts. The programme has a distinct international profile and prepares students for an international career.

The focus is on the individual research project that the applicant applied to the programme with and develops during the programme. Based on this project, students are encouraged to develop research questions that emerge from individual research processes and artistic methods. These are discussed and developed in relation to other methods that have emerged from other relevant research fields in close collaboration with existing academic disciplines. Through this training, students are stimulated to develop their own methods, which are different to those applied in other fields of research.

The types of instruction include both seminars and courses. The seminars include seminars within the programme as well as joint seminars together with the doctoral programme at Malmö Art Academy, in which the students will participate as observers. The courses cover methodology courses specialising in artistic research projects but also more general methodology courses with guest researchers and artistic researchers from Lund University and other higher education institutions. A course in research ethics is also given.

An important part of the teaching consists of individual supervision during the course of the programme, as well as reviews of the individual study courses. It also includes the aforementioned seminars and reading seminars. However, the largest part of the programme will be dedicated to field projects and work on the students’ individual art projects specialising in research.

Another part of the programme involves organising and presenting lectures on topics related to the Master’s programme for both the rest of the academy and the public. Self-organised seminars or minor exhibitions may also occur.

Students are assessed through a joint exhibition/seminar/printed material/conference in which the individual project is presented as well as extended individual written assignments that are to develop into a proposal for a research project with a research question and schedule.

The programme also provides a specialisation in methodology from other research disciplines, which serves as a foundation for students wishing to go on to doctoral studies in visual arts. The language of instruction, supervision and assessment is English.