Creative and Cultural Enterprise

Culture

The course supports learners in extending their practice, enhancing employability or career progression and fostering an entrepreneurial mindset that could help them to diversify or grow within the sector in which they practice, are currently employed in, or aspire to. The Creative and Cultural Industries are diverse, and range in scale from individual practitioners/makers to complex, large scale organisations. 

Those working within the sector will benefit from the opportunity to develop enhanced understanding of theories and concepts; exploring topics such as postmodern culture, celebrity culture, nostalgia, heritage, cultural appropriation and cultural value encourages new ways of thinking, working and innovating. Evaluative tools are utilised to encourage detailed analysis of systems, organisations and businesses within the sector to foster connectivity and develop a critical understanding of this network of businesses, bodies, craftspeople and organisations.

Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is a key aspect of the BA Creative and Cultural Enterprise course, capitalising on the expertise of RGU’s award-winning Enterprise and Innovation Group. Innovation requires vision, passion, the ability to recognise opportunities and strong problem-solving skills. Business models, value propositions, customer personas and customer journey mapping all form part of an entrepreneurial toolkit that empowers learners to develop viable creative and cultural ideas. These might be for new businesses, products and services but might also include new directions and extensions to current businesses and organisations, creating additional value. Developing an entrepreneurial mindset enables learners to ideate, assess, plan and deliver projects with confidence, whether large or small scale, start-up or established.

Research

Strong research and evaluation skills are fundamental to the creative and cultural sector; in an age of information overload, knowing how to find credible sources, assess their reliability and use them ethically is vital. Research skills are ultimately highly transferrable; constructing well-supported arguments, writing, presenting, communicating and collaborating are key to many roles and continued professional development. Integrity and ethics are especially important to this sector, where respecting intellectual property while drawing on historical, cultural and creative outputs is increasingly under scrutiny.

Research skills developed on the course seek to encourage exploration, support iterative processes and help practitioners understand their target markets, audiences, trends and new technologies, building experience and capacity for activities such as grant proposal writing, preparing exhibitions and events, pitching ideas that are underpinned with evidence and articulating visions clearly.

Our sustainability commitment

From a cultural enterprise perspective, sustainability involves Decent Work and Economic Growth (UN SDG 8), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (UN SDG 9), Reducing Inequalities (UN SDG 10), Sustainable Cities and Communities (UN SDG 11), Responsible Production and Consumption (UN SDG 12), and Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (UN SDG 16), underpinned by a sense of partnership and shared responsibility. Creative Industries leaders have a key role to play in driving more ambitious future action on the climate and environmental crisis; thus, the course focuses on sustainability both in terms of implementing sustainable practices within the sector and the storytelling skills inherent in the various industries (e.g. advertising, publishing, film and tv) that can be leveraged to engage with consumers and influence their behaviour.

Learning Methods

This online course is taught through Moodle, the university’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) which offers you flexibility of where and when you can study. You will benefit from being part of a group of learners with the invaluable opportunity to participate in active, group-related learning within a supportive online community setting. 

Students on the BA Creative and Cultural Enterprise course work on one module at a time, enabling them to become immersed in that topic and mindful of the need to balance academic study with workplace and personal commitments. All essential module delivery is asynchronous, ensuring students can access learning materials and study at their preferred time and pace. Learning is delivered via short chunks of content that can be read or listened to, depending on learning preferences. Informal (formative) assessment activities (e.g. short quizzes or forum discussions) are used to test understanding and reinforce learning during the module delivery.

Combining full time study with work requires a significant level of commitment. For full time study, two 30-credit modules will be completed each semester. Typically, a 30-credit module might involve:

• 10 hours of interaction per week with module content via Moodle, including reading through, listening to or viewing lecture content, interacting with asynchronous online forum discussions, and undertaking informal online quizzes to check learning.
• An optional 1-hour weekly live session with the Course Leader; an opportunity to ask questions about the course, raise concerns, seek clarification, provide feedback and network/interact with peers.
• An optional 1-hour weekly live session with the Module Coordinator; an opportunity to ask questions about the module content and assessment, seek feedback, and network/interact with peers.
• Approx 240 hours of further reading, research, investigation and preparation for assessment across the module duration.

The part time study option allows students to undertake one 30-credit module per semester. The delivery of the module content and expected interactions would be the same as for full time study, however the 240 hours of further reading, research, investigation and preparation for assessment extends across the remainder of the semester, affording part time students more time to prepare for their assessment submission.

Activity Summary

• Lectures - 20 students per group, 4 hours per week in weeks 1-6
• Seminars - 20 students per group, 2 hours per week
• Independent Study - 20 students per group, 30 hours per week for full time students, 15 hours per week for part time students
• Webinars - 20 students per group, 2 hours per week
• Tutorials - 20 students per group, 2 hours per week

Independent Study

Each module on the course has six weeks of content delivery, teaching and support, followed by a period of independent study leading towards the assessment deadline. 

It is expected that students need to undertake 30 hours of independent study per week for full time students, 15 hours per week for part time students.

Assessment

Final assessments are coursework-based, emulating tasks and formats used within the workplace. There are no formal exams.

During the course, typically students are assessed:

• 2 project outputs

Staff Delivering on This Course

The teaching team are a key strength within the course. It capitalises upon the broad Creative Industries experience across Gray's School of Art, which celebrated its 140th anniversary in 2025. The School's long history has evolved into a vibrant community of alumni across the creative and cultural sector (fine art, product design, fashion, jewellery, ceramics, film, media and communications, illustration), and students on the BA Creative and Cultural Enterprise will benefit from this community's expertise and connections, as well as additional features such as the monthly Guests@Gray's series of talks, which are recorded and made available for on-demand viewing.

Feedback

We aim to provide you with feedback within 20 working days of hand-in for all written exams, coursework and practical exams.

Job Prospects

The BA Creative and Cultural Enterprise course aims to produce confident, multi-skilled graduates with an excellent knowledge of the interconnected nature of the Creative and Cultural Industries, nationally and internationally, and the ability to identify, develop and deliver new initiatives, experiences, products and services within the sector. The course aligns with Robert Gordon University's focus on developing students with an Entrepreneurial Mindset, at a time when the UK government has identified the Creative Industries as a growth-driving sector and the United Nations highlight the importance of the creative economy regionally and globally. Networks and connections, sustainability, entrepreneurship, research and analysis are key within the course curriculum. The online delivery provides an opportunity for those in the workplace or with their own business anywhere in the world to conceptualise and reflect upon their own practices, situate their work within current and future opportunities and gain a qualification while working.

Standard Entry Requirements

What is needed for the BA Creative and Cultural Enterprise course?

As this course involves direct entry to Stage 3, entry requires successful completion of a Higher National Diploma (HND) qualification or Diploma of Higher Education (DipHE), equivalent to 240 Award Credits, in a subject relevant to the Creative and Cultural Industries. This includes subjects such as advertising and marketing, architecture, art, computer games and software, craft, design, fashion, film, tv and radio, music, performing arts, and publishing. Given the wide scope of the Creative and Cultural Industries, this list is not exhaustive and other HND qualifications such as business/management studies, museum and gallery studies, and cultural studies would also be relevant.

Alternative Qualifications

Given the global scope of the creative economy, applications from overseas students are welcome and equivalent overseas qualifications will be considered.

Entry to the course may also be available via Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) for those with a minimum of 3 years relevant experience within the Creative and Cultural Industries sector, and who can evidence learning equivalent to 240 Award Credits within that experience through the submission of a detailed portfolio of evidence. This entry route may be relevant to practitioners currently running their own Creative Industries business or service, or those who have entered a related role within a business or organisation without a formal qualification.

International Students

International students who do not meet our direct entry requirements for this course can gain additional entry points through our International College at Robert Gordon University.

English Language Requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English should have an IELTS of 6.0 overall, with no component lower than 5.5, or an equivalent.

We accept a variety of in-country and secure English language tests, find out more:

Please note, some courses may require a higher standard of English than stated in this page. Contact admissions@rgu.ac.uk for further information.

Academic Year 2026-2027

• All fees for this course are to be confirmed