Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA)

Creative Change

The LICA building overlaid with roughly-sketched lines

Studying at LICA means you will benefit from a high-quality teaching and research environment. Our subjects address real-world issues, such as sustainability, the climate emergency, and health inequalities. Our work generates new perspectives and globally recognised solutions – putting creative thinking into practice.

A quote from Alan Marsden Head of Department

Explore our courses

  • Architecture

    Develop an unbeatable mix of practical skills, creative vision, and real-world experience. Your career in Architecture starts here.

  • Design

    Respond to complex business and societal challenges by honing practical skills in design research and collaborate on industry projects.

  • Film

    Study the aesthetic and intellectual complexity of cinema and gain a rich understanding of the ways film shapes identities and experiences.

  • Fine Art

    Equip yourself with the skills and experience to succeed in the creative economy. Fulfil your creative potential and ambitions in Fine Art.

  • Theatre

    Create ground-breaking and thought-provoking performances that respond to the world around us. Socially engaged theatre at the heart of LICA.

  • Doctoral Research

    Refine your doctoral research with support from internationally renowned researchers and cutting-edge creative practitioners.

LICA Degree Shows

Our students possess bright creative talent and enquiring minds.
View their outstanding work here.

A woman dancing under stage lighting.

Research Centres

LICA is committed to leading interdisciplinary and international research in contemporary arts and rigorous enquiry into the relationship between creative practice, theory and criticism. Research at LICA

  • ImaginationLancaster

    ImaginationLancaster is an open and exploratory design research lab which conducts applied and theoretical research into people, products, places and their interactions.

  • Creative Cultures and Context

    Creative Cultures and Context bring together colleagues across all disciplines to conduct historical and theoretical research about cultures, art, and interconnecting lives.

  • Practices

    The Centre for Interrogating Practices is a forum for advancing creative, critical, and theoretical understanding of practice-based research in the contemporary arts.

  • Lancaster Arts

    Lancaster Arts: a place where ideas, creativity and people connect.

CUT/TO Film Journal

CUT/TO, the Lancaster University Film Journal, was created by students to explore and exhibit all the ways we value films in our lives through a combination of academic, comical, and thought-provoking media. 
Read the latest issue here.

The cover of CUT/To issue 3 (The Lancaster University Film Journal).

A welcoming community

The Lancaster Institute for the Contemporary Arts (LICA) is home to over 500 undergraduate students and 145 postgraduates, with sister campuses at Beijing Jiaotong University (BJTU), China and Sunway University, Kuala Lumpur. We're proud of our diverse community and collaborative partnerships.

  • Sustainability at LICA

    Being a part of LICA means you’ll join a passionate team who are focused on embedding sustainability and collaboration at all levels of study.

  • Discover our global experiences

    Connect with world-leading creative institutions, travel internationally, and learn from eminent artists and designers.

BurnOut Magazine

Lancaster Architecture students founded BurnOut Magazine as a way to express their ideas and thoughts about architecture and student life in a creative and collaborative way.

The magazine includes original articles by students, exclusive interviews with academics and professional architects and documents the society's latest events.

Lancaster University Design Society

The Lancaster University Design Society is a vibrant and dynamic community of creative minds, dedicated to encouraging innovation and design excellence on campus and Lancaster. With a diverse range of design disciplines, the society provides a platform for collaboration, skill development, and networking opportunities. From workshops and guest lectures to design competitions and exhibitions, the Design Society empowers students to explore their passion for design and make a meaningful impact both within the university and beyond.

Lancaster University Design Society
Geometric Banner on a black background with coloured shapes.

News

Linked icons