Photography has become the most pervasive medium through which individuals share their lives on a daily basis. This new programme explores the power of photography when working with real communities to co-author meaningful culture. This course will be delivered through a partnership between University of Salford and Open Eye Gallery. You will work with active practitioners and academics to rethink the role of photography in society today, to develop your creative practice and your professional profile. The course will give students support in producing creative projects with both arts and non-arts commissioners in mind, exploring how to create socially engaged art that is meaningful to both audiences and participants. Students will develop and deliver live projects with partners working in health, youth, community and justice, all embedded within a critically engaged and ethical framework. We will provide professional practice surgeries, from understanding legal, ethical and safeguarding frameworks, to developing your professional profile, the latter including a free year-long membership and digital profile awarded by partner Axisweb. You will have opportunities to engage directly with national debates and Open Eye Gallery's national network for socially engaged photographic practice.<br><br>This course is built around preparing students for a career in the arts, applying your expertise in socially engaged photography and visual representation to real life projects. Graduates may join Open Eye Gallery's Associates programme, meeting with fellow practitioners to share learning, best practice, and opportunities for collaboration. Those leaving the course may choose to develop specialist knowledge in specific settings such as prisons, youth centres, hospitals and schools. There will be opportunities within the course to look specific routes to establishing professional practice and profile in these areas. Photographers/artists leave the course as professional freelancers, understanding the opportunities to work in a variety of formal and informal project settings, including residencies. They will have an understanding of both arts and non-arts funding opportunities and a similar range of commissioners, as well as approaches to profile their work and develop useful networks. The school co-ordinates a range of enterprise projects and initiatives that can benefit graduating students, in order to assist their career opportunities or routes into self-employment.