Admission process Master’s Programme in Contemporary Circus Arts

This is the admission process for the Master’s Programme in Contemporary Circus Arts. The entire process will be carried out digitally.

Timeline

15 January 2024: Your last date of application

1 February* 2024: Deadline for you to submit documentation supporting eligibility requirements
_{*5 July is the deadline for you who need to submit a proficiency test in English}

5-15 February 2024: Qualification test, part 1

19-23 February 2024: Invitations for Qualification test, part 2, online interviews and practice-based tasks, are sent out

11-15 March 2024: Qualification test, part 2. This test requires applicant participation online. Please make sure you are available this week!

18-24 March 2024: Selections. The selection do not require applicant participation.

6 May 2024: Admission decisions are sent out

Assessment of entry requirements

Assessment of the general entry requirement of a Bachelor's degree as well as the specific entry requirements, degree of Bachelor of Fine Arts or other relevant Degree of Bachelor of Arts and English 6, will be assessed by the Swedish Council for Higher Education and the SKH Education Administrative Department. The specific requirement 5 years professional work experience in circus as well as applications for recognition of prior learning will be assessed by a specially appointed teacher.

A grade of pass in the qualification test Experience in and Artistic ability in circus. This will be assessed by an admission group. The qualification test has two parts. All applicants who pass qualification test, part 1, will be invited to qualification test, part 2. Applicants who do not pass the qualification test, part 1, do not qualify and will therefore not be invited to continue with qualification test, part 2.

Qualification test, part 1

This test does not require applicant participation. The admission group will assess the materials you submitted with your application for part 1 of the qualification test against the qualification test criteria.
If you pass part 1 of the qualification test, you will be invited to part 2 of the qualification test.

Part 1 of the qualification test is based on the following four materials uploaded by the applicant:

Video
Project Description
Reflection on given text
Letter of Motivation

as specified under "How to apply" on the Master’s in Contemporary Circus Arts website page.

The assessment of submitted materials will be made against the following criteria:

Criteria Video
The admission group will evaluate the level of the applicant’s circus technique by looking at the film and will evaluate:

innovation and originality within a high level of craftsmanship
the clarity of artistic expression in the work.

Criteria Project Description and Letter of Motivation
In the applicant’s Project description and Letter of Motivation, the admission group will evaluate the level of articulation in terms of:

Artistic intention
Contextualization within the field of circus
Methods of working
The ability to clearly state a position within the larger field of contemporary artistic production.

Criteria reflection on given text
Reflection of the given text will be assessed according to:

Understanding of the basic concepts within the text
Ability to formulate links between theory and practice

The assessment relates to the above criteria for the submitted material. The applicant has to get the grade of pass regarding all the materials in the qualification test, part 1. The scale for assessing the qualification test, part 1 is:
Pass: The applicant demonstrates the requested ability.
Fail: The applicant does not demonstrate the requested ability.

Applicants with a grade of pass from qualification test, part 1, will be invited to attend qualification test, part 2. Invitations will be sent out during 19-23 February. Whether you are proceeding to qualification test part 2 or not, we will let you know either way.

Qualification test, part 2

Part 2 of the qualification test happens online 11-15 March 2024. It consists of an interview and practice-based assignment via Zoom. You will need to participate for 2-4 hours during one of the days this week, time and date to be confirmed. You will need a computer with a good internet connection to meet us on Zoom and be set up in a space where you can carry out a practice-based task involving your circus discipline.

Interview
Applicants will be invited to an interview with the admission group, where the applicant is given the opportunity to answer questions about their practice and project. The admission group will focus on the applicant’s conceptual, aesthetic and theoretical interests, their ability to reflect on their own artistic expression as well as their visions for a two-year period of study.

At the end of the interview, there will be the opportunity for the applicant to ask questions. This part of the interview is not evaluated.

Practice-Based Assignment
The applicants will be given a practice-based assignment. The presentation of the assignment will be followed by a short discussion.

In the presentation of the completed assignment, the admission group will assess the applicant’s ability to absorb and process information according to:

The applicant’s capacity to generate new ideas, positions and physical material from outside input.
The applicant’s ability to solve given assignments and creative problems.
The applicant’s openness to new working processes.
The applicant’s ability to respond to feedback.

The scale for assessing the qualification test, part 2 is:
Pass: The applicant demonstrates the requested ability.
Fail: The applicant does not demonstrate the requested ability.

Selection

Should there be more eligible applicants than places in the programme, there will be a selection. Every applicant who fulfils all the general and specific entry requirements will be considered in the selection. The admissions group will make the selection by revisiting the materials you submitted with your application, your interview and the practice-based assignment. The admission group look at how well the applicant demonstrates the requested abilities. The admission group will suggest which applicants are to be admitted and which should be placed on the waiting list. You will receive the result of this process on the 6th of May.

The Admission Group

The assessment of the qualification test and the selection is made by an admission group with expertise that reflects the current education. The admission group consists of members working at Stockholms konstnärliga högskola (Stockholm University of the Arts). A student representative can also participate in the admissions group, but will not take part in the assessment.