Masters Degrees (Ceramic)

MA Ceramic Design is recognised worldwide as one of the leading postgraduate programmes in ceramic design for small and mass manufacture. Taught in Stoke-on-Trent, the home of UK ceramics for over two centuries in the Potteries, this long-established course consistently produces career-ready graduates that are in demand by leading ceramic companies both in the UK and overseas. With world-famous ceramic manufacturers quite literally on the doorstep, Stoke-on-Trent provides a unique venue for the study of ceramic design.

This course provides a design-led creative experience of ceramics within a broad subject context. Designing through intelligent making allows you to access ideas through a unique material. The deep knowledge of one material helps you to appreciate the opportunities in ceramics but also its translation into other materials and professional opportunities. Whether your personal aspirations are embedded in 2D surface and pattern, and or 3D shape, form and function.

The relationship between the course and the global ceramic industry is mutually beneficial and is primarily responsible for the unique character and international reputation of the course. The strength of this award lies in the accumulated wealth of specialist knowledge and practical skills, which are the essential tools of the ceramics designer; and in the good working practices developed over many years. In the close working relationship with industry, and in the clarity of purpose that ensures academic coherence, and the credibility of the award.

Students are encouraged to pursue new and innovative ideas, redefining established ceramic craft and ceramic design market opportunities. These ideas may now be less wedded to the immediate perceived needs of the mass manufacturing industry and for the mass market. As a consequence encouraging students to take a wider perhaps more entrepreneurial, enterprising standpoint – working as designer-producers for example, engaging with small to medium sized factories in developing aspirational products of contemporary relevance with ‘added value’ aimed potentially at new and different niche markets.

The MA Ceramic Design course has in recent years provided the creative genesis for The New English ceramic design brand and the University’s unique Flux, blue and white fine bone china collection.

This course can be studied part time. For more information on part time study, see the website: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/SSTK-06801.jsp?utm_source=findamasters&utm_medium=courseprofile&utm_campaign=postgraduate

Course content

Semester 1
-Tools and Techniques
-Collaborative Project

Semester 2
-Ceramic Design, Professional Pathways
-Creativity & Innovation

Semester 3
The Masters Project

Graduate destinations

Many of our Ceramic Design graduates now work as designers or senior managers and creative directors within the ceramics and related creative industries. Some have set up in business as designer-producers or as freelance design consultants. And others have become retail developers, stylists, buyers, trend forecasters, lecturers and teachers.

Other admission requirements

For you to be able to execute your own ideas whilst on the course, You would be expected to demonstrate:
-Your ability to communicate your creative design ideas visually, this is critically important. Through traditional sketching and drawing (drawing with your own hand) and through digital techniques (the use of appropriate computer softwares).
-A broad understanding and experience of ceramic moulded techniques (the use of plaster moulds, typically slipcasting) or hand making techniques would be expected.
-Alternatively you may be interested in ceramic surface, ideas for surface pattern design whether this be for graphics; textiles or ceramics.
-Evidence that you have an awareness of the global marketplace for ceramic design, and as such develop innovative ceramic ideas informed by this knowledge.

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MA Ceramic Design is recognised worldwide as one of the leading postgraduate programmes in ceramic design for small and mass manufacture. Taught in Stoke-on-Trent, the home of UK ceramics for over two centuries in the Potteries, this long-established course consistently produces career-ready graduates that are in demand by leading ceramic companies both in the UK and overseas. With world-famous ceramic manufacturers quite literally on the doorstep, Stoke-on-Trent provides a unique venue for the study of ceramic design.

This course provides a design-led creative experience of ceramics within a broad subject context. Designing through intelligent making allows you to access ideas through a unique material. The deep knowledge of one material helps you to appreciate the opportunities in ceramics but also its translation into other materials and professional opportunities. Whether your personal aspirations are embedded in 2D surface and pattern, and or 3D shape, form and function.

The relationship between the course and the global ceramic industry is mutually beneficial and is primarily responsible for the unique character and international reputation of the course. The strength of this award lies in the accumulated wealth of specialist knowledge and practical skills, which are the essential tools of the ceramics designer; and in the good working practices developed over many years. In the close working relationship with industry, and in the clarity of purpose that ensures academic coherence, and the credibility of the award.

Students are encouraged to pursue new and innovative ideas, redefining established ceramic craft and ceramic design market opportunities. These ideas may now be less wedded to the immediate perceived needs of the mass manufacturing industry and for the mass market. As a consequence encouraging students to take a wider perhaps more entrepreneurial, enterprising standpoint – working as designer-producers for example, engaging with small to medium sized factories in developing aspirational products of contemporary relevance with ‘added value’ aimed potentially at new and different niche markets.

The MA Ceramic Design course has in recent years provided the creative genesis for The New English ceramic design brand and the University’s unique Flux, blue and white fine bone china collection.

Course content

Semester 1
-Tools and Techniques
-Collaborative Project

Semester 2
-Ceramic Design, Professional Pathways
-Creativity & Innovation

Semester 3
-The Masters Project

Many of our Ceramic Design graduates now work as designers or senior managers and creative directors within the ceramics and related creative industries. Some have set up in business as designer-producers or as freelance design consultants. And others have become retail developers, stylists, buyers, trend forecasters, lecturers and teachers.

Other admission requirements

For you to be able to execute your own ideas whilst on the course, You would be expected to demonstrate:
-Your ability to communicate your creative design ideas visually, this is critically important. Through traditional sketching and drawing (drawing with your own hand) and through digital techniques (the use of appropriate computer softwares).
-A broad understanding and experience of ceramic moulded techniques (the use of plaster moulds, typically slipcasting) or hand making techniques would be expected.
-Alternatively you may be interested in ceramic surface, ideas for surface pattern design whether this be for graphics; textiles or ceramics.
-Evidence that you have an awareness of the global marketplace for ceramic design, and as such develop innovative ceramic ideas informed by this knowledge.

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About the course

Ceramic materials range from new electroceramics and high-temperature materials for aerospace, as well as other engineering applications, to the more traditional refractories and cements where new systems are being developed. Our course introduces you to the theories and concepts that make it all possible.

A welcoming department

A friendly, forward-thinking community, our students and staff are on hand to welcome you to the department and ensure you settle into student life.

Your project supervisor will support you throughout your course. Plus you’ll have access to our extensive network of alumni, offering industry insight and valuable career advice to support your own career pathway.

Your career

Prospective employers recognise the value of our courses, and know that our students can apply their knowledge to industry. Our graduates work for organisations including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, the National Nuclear Laboratory and Saint-Gobain. Roles include materials development engineer, reactor engineer and research manager. They also work in academia in the UK and abroad.

90 per cent of our graduates are employed or in further study 6 months after graduating, with an average starting salary of £27,000, the highest being £50,000.

Equipment and facilities

We have invested in extensive, world-class equipment and facilities to provide a stimulating learning environment. Our laboratories are equipped to a high standard, with specialist facilities for each area of research.

Materials processing

Tools and production facilities for materials processing, fabrication and testing, including wet chemical processing for ceramics and polymers, rapid solidification and water atomisation for nanoscale metallic materials, and extensive facilities for deposition of functional and structural coatings.

Radioactive nuclear waste and disposal

Our £3million advanced nuclear materials research facility provides a high-quality environment for research on radioactive waste and disposal. Our unique thermomechanical compression and arbitrary strain path equipment is used for simulation of hot deformation.

Characterisation

You’ll have access to newly refurbished array of microscopy and analysis equipment, x-ray facilities, and surface analysis techniques covering state-of-the-art XPS and SIMS. There are also laboratories for cell and tissue culture, and facilities for measuring electrical, magnetic and mechanical properties.

The Kroto Research Institute and the Nanoscience and Technology Centre enhance our capabilities in materials fabrication and characterisation, and we have a computer cluster for modelling from the atomistic through nano and mesoscopic to the macroscopic.

Stimulating learning environment

An interdisciplinary research-led department; our network of world leading academics at the cutting edge of their research inform our courses providing a stimulating, dynamic environment in which to study.

Teaching and assessment

Working alongside students and staff from across the globe, you’ll tackle real-world projects, and attend lectures, seminars and laboratory classes delivered by academic and industry experts.

You’ll be assessed by formal examinations, coursework assignments and a dissertation.

Core modules

Functional and Structural Ceramics; Glasses and Cements; Science of Materials; Materials Processing and Characterisation; Materials Selection, Properties and Applications; Technical Skills Development; Heat and Materials; Research project in an area of 
your choice.

Examples of optional modules

Solid State Chemistry; Materials for Energy; Nanomaterials.

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MA Ceramics is a challenging course that embraces the unique creative potential of clay and diversity of opportunities within ceramics. This postgraduate course embraces all facets of ceramic work, including: craft and design, functional or decorative, one-off or mass production and sculptural and architectural.

Postgraduate Ceramics is rooted in ‘making’, the course offers a distinctive blend of practice and theory, with the theoretical components underpinning and informing the practical components of the course. The fundamental philosophy of the course is providing the opportunity for students to explore and realise their individual aspirations and potential; creating a framework for students to develop the skills necessary for a career in professional practice. Through discussion with course supervisors, students are able to form a uniquely individual, tailor made programme of study.

INDUSTRY LINKS

The course has links with UK based ceramic organisations and events, together with a number of international ceramics programmes; allowing the opportunity for overseas study.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

Through the collective community, students have access to a wide range of staff expertise and extensive workshops and studio resources. All MA Course Tutors are highly regarded professional practitioners. They are actively involved within various facets of ceramic research and regularly publish and exhibit their work both nationally and internationally.

There are broad outlines to the nature of the deliverable aspects for assessment, but the final form of the assessment strategy and criteria is the result of collaboration between student and staff.

FURTHER INFORMATION

You get to see the best of contemporary work and the most influential historical work. Final year study is tailored to individual student interests and professional opportunity. Tutors have both national and international profiles and are well known for their innovative approach to the discipline.

Work within any area of contemporary ceramic practice – design (tableware, sanitary-ware, domestic products, surface, architectural etc.), production (prototyping, hand formed, or sculptural) or applied technology.

The theoretical modules inform and underpin the practical aspects of the course, providing the contextual framework for the study of contemporary ceramic design and craft practice. Throughout the duration of the course, students are required to keep an on-going 'reflective diary' that is used to record all lines of enquiry, development of ideas, critical reflection and analysis.

By the end of the programme all students should have a cohesive body of work to a professional standard and be able to clearly articulate a sound intellectual rationale and a broader critical viewpoint. The programme culminates in public exhibition of their work. The course forms part of a broader ‘community’ of MA design courses, encouraging an interchange of ideas and wider critical appreciation.

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The University of Sunderland has the largest glass and ceramics department in Europe.

Course overview

This programme is for individuals who wish to develop both their practice and critical understanding with regards to glass and ceramics. The subject is explored and contextualized in its widest sense through both practical and theoretical investigation and application.

We do not have a ‘house style’, instead you will be encouraged and supported to develop your own focus, independent creativity, improve your technical skills through expert support, and develop academic skills in research and communication.

You’ll be joining the largest glass and ceramics department in Europe, made up of an international team of creative and experienced educators and practitioners. All academic staff on this course are engaged in professional practice or research and are at the forefront of their discipline.

Sunderland is a thriving research hub and hosts the Ceramics Arts Research Centre (CARCuos), which aims to develop, support and disseminate new knowledge and scholarly activity whilst also providing a platform both practically and theoretically for discussion aligned to the ceramic arts.

Graduates from Sunderland have gone on to work throughout the creative industries. MA graduates have also wished to extend their work through a research degree either at MPhil or PhD level and continue studies within CARCuos the ceramic arts research centre at the University.

This course can also be taken part time - for more information, please view this web-page: http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/courses/artsdesignandmedia/postgraduate/ceramics-part-time/

Course content

The content of the course is shaped by your personal interests with guidance and inspiration from Sunderland's supportive tutors.

Modules on this course include:
Stage 1 (60 Credits)
-Contextual Studies: Critical and Professional Contexts in Contemporary Art and Design (30 credits)
-Experimentation in Glass and Ceramics (30 credits)

Stage 2 (60 Credits)
-Contextual Studies: Professional Practice in Glass and Ceramics (30 credits)
-Developing Practice in Glass and Ceramics (30 credits)

Stage 3 (60 Credits)
-Contextual Studies: Research Project in Glass and Ceramics (30 credits)
-Synthesis in Glass and Ceramics Practice (30 credits)

Teaching and assessment

Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this Masters requires a higher level of independent working. The course aims to stretch your creativity and maximise your sense of personal fulfilment.

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods which include lectures, seminars, critiques, workshops and practical demonstrations. These are supported by a range of guest speakers from diverse academic and industry backgrounds. You will also have high levels of contact with tutors who give regular feedback and support.

Facilities & location

Facilities for this course include:
-26 glass kilns, including a large glass casting kiln
-13 ceramic kilns and two large gas kilns
-Ceramics mould-making and glaze workshops
-Hot glass workshop with international-quality equipment
-Two cold working studios (sandblasting, cutting, grinding and polishing)
-Printing facility for ceramics, glass and other surfaces
-Architectural glass studio
-Decal printer
-3D MakerBot Printer
-Water-jet machine/Computer Aided Design
-Project and exhibition space
-Multi-function creative and social space
-Lampworking and future light workshop
-Computer suite and project space
-Arts and Design Library
-Journals and research

We subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date articles. Some of the most important sources for your course are:
-Key Glass and Ceramics magazines and journals
-Art Full Text + Art Abstracts, which is a major resource for arts information
-Design and Applied Arts Index, which covers journals featuring both new designers and the development of design and the applied arts since the mid-19th century
-JSTOR (short for ‘Journal Storage’), which provides access to important journals across the humanities, social sciences and sciences

National Glass Centre
The Glass and Ceramics Department is based in National Glass Centre, a nationally recognised glass production and exhibition centre with a world-class programme of creative projects.

Studying here puts you at the heart of an international network of professionals in the ceramics sector. You will be exposed to the latest ways of working through visiting artists and designers, and you can become involved in exhibitions that help launch your career.

Employment & careers

Postgraduates are highly employable and, on average, earn more than individuals whose highest qualification is an undergraduate degree. On completing this course you will be equipped for roles throughout the creative industries.

Recent Sunderland graduates are now working as self-employed practitioners as well as being employed in arts administration and education.

During the course we encourage you to gain professional industry experience which will enhance your skills, build up a valuable network of contacts and boost your employability.

The University has close links with arts organisations including Arts Council England, the BALTIC, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art, Tyne and Wear Museums Service and Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art. We also have international links in USA, China and Czech Republic.

A Masters degree will also enhance career opportunities within Higher Education and prepare you for further postgraduate studies.

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The Ceramics and Glasses research degrees are part of a progressive research area within the school; we have close links with industry and research councils and we work collaboratively with them on many areas of research within the subject.

Industrial application

Our research is concerned with the processing, characterisation and applications of structural and functional ceramic materials. Structural ceramics are used in engineering applications due to a combination of high strength, chemical / thermal resistance and extreme hardness. In contrast, functional ceramics exhibit unique electrical, magnetic and optical properties, which lead to applications in a diverse range of electronic components - filters in mobile telecommunications, exhaust gas sensors and pyroelectric thermal imaging cameras.

We are engaged in research to understand the structure-property relationships in a wide range of ceramic materials and to develop materials / components with enhanced properties. Materials are developed by conventional powder processing methods and by novel processing procedures.

Research projects

Active projects in this area involve a wide range of processing techniques for functional and structural materials - these techniques are employed in industries as diverse as power generation, mobile telecommunications, aerospace and medical implants. To understand the microstructure-property relationships for the ceramics, we make extensive use of specialist characterisation facilities available in the school and in partner institutions nationally and internationally.

Industrial links

Through our close relationship with industry, we ensure that the research we carry out is relevant and focused on the requirements of new technology. We currently collaborate on research with, amongst others, Rolls-Royce, British Nuclear Fuel, Xaar Printing Technology, Powerwave, Morgan Electroceramics, and BAE Systems. We are also supported by EPSRC, the European Commission, and British Energy.

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The Ceramics and Glasses research degrees are part of a progressive research area within the school; we have close links with industry and research councils and we work collaboratively with them on many areas of research within the subject.

Industrial application

Our research is concerned with the processing, characterisation and applications of structural and functional ceramic materials. Structural ceramics are used in engineering applications due to a combination of high strength, chemical / thermal resistance and extreme hardness. In contrast, functional ceramics exhibit unique electrical, magnetic and optical properties, which lead to applications in a diverse range of electronic components - filters in mobile telecommunications, exhaust gas sensors and pyroelectric thermal imaging cameras.

We are engaged in research to understand the structure-property relationships in a wide range of ceramic materials and to develop materials / components with enhanced properties. Materials are developed by conventional powder processing methods and by novel processing procedures.

Research projects

Active projects in this area involve a wide range of processing techniques for functional and structural materials - these techniques are employed in industries as diverse as power generation, mobile telecommunications, aerospace and medical implants. To understand the microstructure-property relationships for the ceramics, we make extensive use of specialist characterisation facilities available in the school and in partner institutions nationally and internationally.

Industrial links

Through our close relationship with industry, we ensure that the research we carry out is relevant and focused on the requirements of new technology. We currently collaborate on research with, amongst others, Rolls-Royce, British Nuclear Fuel, Xaar Printing Technology, Powerwave, Morgan Electroceramics, and BAE Systems. We are also supported by EPSRC, the European Commission, and British Energy.

Facilities

To underpin the research and teaching activities, we have established state-of-the-art laboratories, which allow comprehensive characterisation and development of materials. These facilities range from synthetic/textile fibre chemistry to materials processing and materials testing.

To complement our teaching resources, there is a comprehensive range of electrochemical, electronoptical imaging and surface and bulk analytical facilities and techniques.

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With state-of-the-art facilities and expert guidance from some of the UK's leading academics and technical specialists, our course will enable you to explore both experimental and traditional approaches to Printmaking. Using innovative resources for etching, intaglio, lino, letterpress, stone lithography, screenprint, ceramic and 3D printing, you will develop your own unique approach to Printmaking through workshop enquiry, research and critical understanding of your practice.

Why study MA Printmaking at Middlesex?

At Middlesex we take a highly practical approach to Printmaking that enables you to explore your interests and enhance your skills through experimentation, research and critical analysis. Flexibly designed to meet the ambitions of students from a wide range of creative backgrounds, including illustration, fine art, and design, our course will equip you with the advanced skills, contemporary knowledge and industry insights you need to develop your own practice to a professional standard.

Based in our £80 million Art and Design School and taught by a diverse range of Printmaking academics and industry professionals, our course features world-class facilities and specialist workshops fitted with both new and traditional equipment. With opportunities to build industry contacts and exhibit your work off-site, you'll also gain the employability skills, exposure and experiences you need to navigate a successful career path in today's competitive creative industries.

Course highlights:

- Our facilities are among the best in the UK with etching, intaglio, lino, letterpress, stone lithography, screenprinting, ceramic decal and glaze transfers available in a dedicated print workshop with specialist technical support
- Access to innovative software and equipment across the School of Art and Design including a 3D printer, large format digital printer, dark rooms, photographic studios, laser cutters and metalwork workshops
- An exhibition of your work in central London to create networking opportunities and build industry contacts in a professional environment
- Direct access to London's art world with valuable industry links to a range of galleries, printmakers, businesses, libraries and collections that will enhance your research and inform your practice
- Access to networking opportunities, world-leading research and expertise through the Art & Design Research Institute (ADRI) on campus

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The spirit of Ceramics & Glass at the RCA springs from the heart of those media, and a belief in the transformative power of material thinking, research and making to enrich our world in imaginative and meaningful ways. The programme is a site for contemporary discourse where personal concerns and global perspectives intersect. We seek those with passion to extend the possibilities and perspectives of ceramics and glass within and beyond traditional limitations, informed by their rich provenance of materials and practices.

The Ceramics & Glass MA at the RCA provides outstanding opportunities to develop a dynamic, informed and connected practice in a study environment that embraces diversity and depth. We believe in interrogating practices and challenging conventions. 

Our hyper-material age presents exciting and critical opportunities to explore cultures of production; to ask questions about what, why and how we make; to express ideas through the symbolic modes of things and transformative character of substances, and to consider how our work can influence physical, personal and psycho-social environments. We challenge and encourage you to stretch your imagination, expand your potential and find your voice.

The MA spectrum of enquiry includes art and design works, design for manufacture and the built environment, emerging experimental practices and applications. Curiosity is nurtured through the imaginative exploration of concepts, the investigation of material properties and technologies, the potential of interdisciplinary practice and collaboration. Making, thinking and writing skills are integrated to develop critical perspectives of practice and purpose, and to foster new understandings of our interaction with ‘things’.

The exceptional ceramic and glass facilities at the Royal College underpin a dynamic study environment led by outstanding teachers and technical experts, supported by contributions from peers, acclaimed visiting lecturers and graduates, who have shaped the programme’s leading research and international standing over many years.

The MA study experience integrates studio-based project learning with a formal dialogue in Critical & Historical Studies, scaffolded by the rigour of enquiry and reflective practice. Workshops, lectures, visiting experts and collaboration opportunities are supplemented by seminars and personal tutorials to provide guidance, foster critical reflection and encourage the development of individual trajectories and ambitions.

The programme offers:

• individual studio work spaces
• well-equipped workshops with facilities for undertaking an extensive range of ceramic and glass processes, both analogue and digital
• access to specialist facilities across the Royal College of Art, including foundry, rapid form fabrication
•  exceptional teaching by an international team of experienced, dedicated staff
• a regular visiting lecturer and guest lecturer programme of leading artists, designers and craftspeople
• outstanding technical support from a team of highly skilled specialist staff
• a strong research culture with support for project and doctoral funding
• alumni include Flavie Audi, Barnaby Barford, Neil Brownsword, Phoebe Cummings, Mike Eden, Malene Hartmann-Rasmussen, Hitomi Hosono, Shelley James, Studio Manifold, Nao Matsunaga, Katharine Morling, Zemer Peled, Rothschild/Bickers, James Rigler, Anders Ruhwald, Clare Twomey

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Rooted in material investigation, this course allows exploration of ceramics through art, craft and design contexts. You’ll develop skills and knowledge through an exciting combination of material investigation and research. This will allow you to contextualise your practice in relation to current debates in art, craft and design and to develop an individual production strategy.

COURSE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT

You’ll receive specialised ceramics tuition from a dedicated team of academic and technical staff within the ceramics area, as well as from regular part-time lecturers and visiting practitioner/artists.You’ll be part of a lively ceramics community, based around comprehensive workshop provision and studio spaces. As postgraduate students, you’ll have the opportunity to extend and hone making skills in conjunction with developing your understanding of how a ceramics specialisation might relate to production in art, craft or design contexts.

MODULE STRUCTURE

In the first trimester, you’ll establish the direction of your creative practice through studio and workshop-based making. Research Methodologies will provide you with a strong sense of methodical purpose when thinking through and about your practise.

In the second trimester, you’ll negotiate a proposal for self-directed study. You’ll deepen your knowledge and understanding of debates in ceramics, situating the personal interests and concerns that inform your work within an appropriate contemporary context.

The final trimester comprises an individually negotiated and self-initiated body of work building on the knowledge and skills already acquired. You'll be supervised by tutorial through to completion.

For detailed information on modules and course structure go to: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-design-ceramics/

DISTANCE LEARNING ROUTE

Students may choose to take some or all of the modules on this course by distance learning. Teaching and tutorial support will be delivered via a combination of computer-based learning and campus visits, with assessment matched to your particular interests and needs.

TEACHING METHODS

You’ll receive specialised ceramics tuition from a dedicated team of academic and technical staff within the ceramics area, as well as from regular part-time lecturers and visiting practitioner/artists. Peer interaction across the school, along with the group dynamic within the course, is seen as critical to your learning experience. Lectures, seminars, group critiques and trips will also be central to your learning experience.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Practice modules are assessed through studio exhibition of work with a supporting statement; theory modules through written assignment and verbal presentation. The final Masters Project is assessed through exhibition and Evaluative Report. There are no written examinations.

For more information on teaching and assessment, please go to our course webpage: https://www.bathspa.ac.uk/courses/pg-design-ceramics/

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES

Typical career destinations include:
• Exhibiting
• Ceramic design and museum work
• Arts administration
• Public art
• Research
• Teaching

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The course philosophy for MA Fine Art - Contemporary Dialogues is that of experimentation, offering a challenge to conventional notions of medium-specificity in order to properly facilitate your ‘style' of expression and your inherent interests.

Course Overview

MA Fine Art within the Contemporary Dialogues portfolio offers an exciting and innovative re-thinking of Postgraduate provision that reflects the strategic thinking of Swansea College of Art. The portfolio facilitates migration between diverse thematic disciplines, exploring new ideas and conceptual approaches to allow young artists and designers to confront the issues that face society today and into the future.

The portfolio’s ethos of collaborative dialogues through material practices provides an innovative model of design, fine and applied arts education. This development allows students from all pathways to experience and share creative practices and innovative mind-sets through inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary dialogues. This ethos is enhanced within each programme to stimulate ‘collaborative’ practices and experimentation across a broader spectrum of specialist fields, developing graduates with the contextual awareness, creative thinking and technical skills to operate at the forefront of their discipline.

During the course of your studies you will be supported by specialist staff, leading professionals and practicing artists through lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. We have exceptional traditional and digital facilities, housed in spacious purpose-build workshops. Through these, we encourage creative freedom within all of our students and support you in challenging conventional thinking and established practices and facilitate new technological advances across a broad range of disciplines. We have found that through collaborative experimentation and innovative design thinking our students are able to produce work that meets the challenges and respond to the demands of the 21st century.

Facilities include:
-Firing kilns for glass and ceramics
-Printmaking, Screen Printing and Digital Textile Technologies
-Traditional and Digital Stitch
-Wood, Metal, Clay
-Cutting Etching and Engraving Technologies - Waterjet, Laser, Plotter
-3D Printing and CNC
-Chemical and Digital Darkrooms
-Specialist computer facilities with commercial standard software

Modules

Core Modules
-Collaborative Dialogues (20 credits)
-Co-Existent Perspectives (20 credits)
-The Thought Experiment (20 credits)
-Explorative Research Praxis (60 credits)
-Confirmative Praxis (60 credits)

Key Features

Students use the Master's Programme for all kinds of reasons; to gain an extra qualification, to achieve a higher and more sophisticated level of practice, as well as to have supported research and development time in order to elevate themselves to a more professional plateau with their artwork. Students from the Master's Programme have gone on to many varied careers in teaching and lecturing positions, in community arts and the cultural industries in general. Lots have continued to practice as artists and some have progressed to PhD study.

The programme has access to well equipped workshops including a resin, plaster, wood, metal and ceramic.
 Beyond this specialist equipment, you will also have access to an extensive range of facilities including an excellent library, open-access computer suites and workshops in other areas within the art school. 
We currently have two research centres within the faculty. These research centres provide staff with research opportunities and access to high technology resources, they provide students with placement opportunities while also developing the creative industries infrastructure in the region, which will benefit graduating students.

The Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre was established in 2005 and is a knowledge transfer centre for projects that support the creative industries in Wales.

Current projects include Moving Image Wales, which supports the digital media industry, the Textiles Technologies Project, which supports the textiles and apparel industries, CIME, which supports business through creative intervention and SATnet, which provides a link between artists and businesses in the science and technology sectors. In addition, IPCRES is also based in CIRIC and is developing and disseminating research about durational and event-based practices.

Alongside the numerous projects operating within CIRIC, there is also a Design Bureau, with water jet cutting, laser cutting and fabric printing services. The Centre for Lens Arts and Science Interaction is a research centre based within The Dynevor Centre for Art, Design, and Media at University of Wales Trinity Saint David, Swansea (formerly Swansea Metropolitan University). CLASI aims to encourage and promote interdisciplinary research projects, which stimulate research, innovation, and experimentation across photographic, digital and electronic arts. A strong emphasis is placed on research strands where the histories, philosophies and practices of art and science intersect. The definition of art and science is intentionally broad and the centre is aligned with SATnet and CIRIC.

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The course philosophy is that of experimentation, offering a challenge to conventional notions of medium - specificity in order to properly facilitate your ‘style' of expression and your inherent interests.

Course Overview

The Contemporary Dialogues portfolio offers an exciting and innovative re-thinking of Postgraduate provision that reflects the strategic thinking of Swansea College of Art. The portfolio facilitates migration between diverse thematic disciplines, exploring new ideas and conceptual approaches to allow young artists and designers to confront the issues that face society today and into the future.

The portfolio’s ethos of collaborative dialogues through material practices provides an innovative model of design, fine and applied arts education. This development allows students from all pathways to experience and share creative practices and innovative mind-sets through inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary dialogues. This ethos is enhanced within each programme to stimulate ‘collaborative’ practices and experimentation across a broader spectrum of specialist fields, developing graduates with the contextual awareness, creative thinking and technical skills to operate at the forefront of their discipline.

During the course of your studies you will be supported by specialist staff, leading professionals and practicing artists through lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. We have exceptional traditional and digital facilities, housed in spacious purpose-build workshops. Through these, we encourage creative freedom within all of our students and support you in challenging conventional thinking and established practices and facilitate new technological advances across a broad range of disciplines. We have found that through collaborative experimentation and innovative design thinking our students are able to produce work that meets the challenges and respond to the demands of the 21st century.

Facilities include:
-Firing kilns for glass and ceramics
-Printmaking, Screen Printing and Digital Textile Technologies
-Traditional and Digital Stitch
-Wood, Metal, Clay
-Cutting Etching and Engraving Technologies - Waterjet, Laser, Plotter
-3D Printing and CNC
-Chemical and Digital Darkrooms
-Specialist computer facilities with commercial standard software

Modules

-Collaborative Dialogues (20 credits)
-Co-Existent Perspectives (20 credits)
-The Thought Experiment (20 credits)
-Explorative Research Praxis (60 credits)
-Confirmative Praxis (60 credits)

Key Features

Students use the Masters Programme for all kinds of reasons; to gain an extra qualification, to achieve a higher and more sophisticated level of practice, as well as to have supported research and development time in order to elevate themselves to a more professional plateau with their artwork. Students from the Masters Programme have gone on to many varied careers in teaching and lecturing positions, in community arts and the cultural industries in general. Lots have continued to practice as artists and some have progressed to PhD study.

The programme has access to well equipped workshops including a resin, plaster, wood, metal and ceramic.
Beyond this specialist equipment, you will also have access to an extensive range of facilities including an excellent library, open-access computer suits and workshops in other areas within the art school. 
We currently have two research centres within the faculty.These research centres provide staff with research opportunities and access to high technology resources, they provide students with placement opportunity whilst also developing the creative industries infrastructure in the region, which will benefit graduating students.

The Creative Industries Research and Innovation Centre was established in 2005 and is a knowledge transfer centre for projects that support the creative industries in Wales.

Current projects include Moving Image Wales, which supports the digital media industry, the Textiles Technologies Project, which supports the textiles and apparel industries, CIME, which supports business through creative intervention and SATnet, which provides a link between artists and businesses in the science and technology sectors. In addition, IPCRES is also based in CIRIC and is developing and disseminating research about durational and event based practices.

Alongside the numerous projects operating within CIRIC, there is also a Design Bureau, with water jet cutting, laser cutting and fabric printing services.

 The Centre for Lens Arts and Science Interaction is a research centre based within The Dynevor Centre for Art, Design, and Media at Swansea Metropolitan University. CLASI aims to encourage and promote interdisciplinary research projects, which stimulate research, innovation, and experimentation across photographic, digital and electronic arts. A strong emphasis is placed on research strands where the histories, philosophies and practices of art and science intersect. The definition of art and science is intentionally broad and the centre is aligned with SATnet and CIRIC.

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Glass has remarkable properties; its transparency, durability and versatility have been explored in architectural and artistic contexts for thousands of years. Recent technological advances provide continuing opportunities for creative application. Its unique properties of transparency and interaction with light gives MA Glass students the opportunity to explore new possibilities and build specialist knowledge as a material for the future.

Course Overview

The MA Glass programme within the Contemporary Dialogues portfolio offers an exciting and innovative re-thinking of Postgraduate provision that reflects the strategic thinking of Swansea College of Art. The portfolio facilitates migration between diverse thematic disciplines, exploring new ideas and conceptual approaches to allow young artists and designers to confront the issues that face society today and into the future.

The portfolio’s ethos of collaborative dialogues through material practices provides an innovative model of design, fine and applied arts education. This development allows students from all pathways to experience and share creative practices and innovative mind-sets through inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary dialogues. This ethos is enhanced within each programme to stimulate ‘collaborative’ practices and experimentation across a broader spectrum of specialist fields, developing graduates with the contextual awareness, creative thinking and technical skills to operate at the forefront of their discipline.

During the course of your studies you will be supported by specialist staff, leading professionals and practicing artists through lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. We have exceptional traditional and digital facilities, housed in spacious purpose-build workshops. Through these, we encourage creative freedom within all of our students and support you in challenging conventional thinking and established practices and facilitate new technological advances across a broad range of disciplines. We have found that through collaborative experimentation and innovative design thinking our students are able to produce work that meets the challenges and respond to the demands of the 21st century.

Facilities include:
-Firing kilns for glass and ceramics
-Printmaking, Screen Printing and Digital Textile Technologies
-Traditional and Digital Stitch
-Wood, Metal, Clay
-Cutting Etching and Engraving Technologies - Waterjet, Laser, Plotter
-3D Printing and CNC
-Chemical and Digital Darkrooms
-Specialist computer facilities with commercial standard software

Modules

-Collaborative Dialogues (20 credits)
-Co-Existent Perspectives (20 credits)
-The Thought Experiment (20 credits)
-Explorative Research Praxis (60 credits)
-Confirmative Praxis (60 credits)

Key Features

Students use the Master's Programme for all kinds of reasons; to gain an extra qualification, to achieve a higher and more sophisticated level of practice, as well as to have supported research and development time in order to elevate themselves to a more professional plateau with their artwork.

In this century, glass as a material offers a unique place in design and architecture and there are very few institutions that offer the opportunity to explore this material, with particular reference to its applications in architecture. Swansea glass department has a long established reputation for glass and strong industrial links help underpin the educational experience for students. The history of the department enables a broad spectrum of approaches that draw on the historical, cultural and technological uses of this material. Glass in its many forms; mosaic, glaze, enamel and window façade covers a broad association of surfaces, which offers for the maker a rich and varied pallet. This is a hands-on course!

The main strands of the programme are: design and philosophy, material innovation and glass design. These themes are considered in the context of glass for the environment, to fulfill the need to develop innovative, sustainable and possibly universal solutions for a variety of architectural, public and private spaces.

The programme prides itself in newly equipped workshops that provide excellent specialist facilities including sandblasters, acid etching bay, cold working machinery, screen printing facilities for glass and an extensive range of glass and ceramic kilns for casting and decorative processing. Beyond this specialist equipment, you will also have access to an extensive range of facilities including an excellent library, open-access computer suites and workshops in other areas within the art school such as wood, metal, ceramics, 3D printing and water jet and laser cutting.

The teaching team consists of highly experienced glass artists and designers who are either engaged in professional practice or are research active, supported by industrially trained technical staff. This ensures that the course delivers a qualification and experience that is highly relevant to the changing needs of the industry and wider architectural glass community.

The department works closely with the Architectural Glass Centre, which often supports and advises the students on live commissions and commercial work. We also work with the CIRIC research centre within the faculty, with 2 members of this research centre specialising in glass. This provides research opportunities and access to high technology resources giving the students opportunities to link with creative industries infrastructure in the region as a potential starting point for future employment.

With an eighty year history the glass department benefits from strong support from Alumni and the local glass community as well as networks and connections from world-renowned glass artists.

Assessment

The main modes of assessment used on this programme are; studio projects, written assignments and seminar presentations.

Assessment at postgraduate level is reflected by your ability to reformulate and use relevant methodologies and approaches to address problematic situations that involve many interacting factors. It includes taking responsibility for planning and developing courses of action that initiate or underpin substantial change or development, as well as exercising broad autonomy and judgement. It should also reflect an understanding of the relevant theoretical and methodological perspectives and how they affect your area of study or work.

Career Opportunities

Students from the Master's Programme have gone on to many varied careers within the Architectural Glass Industry, Glass Studios, teaching and lecturing positions, in community arts and the cultural industries in general. Many have continued to practice as designers and artists and some have progressed to PhD study.

Possible career pathways have included:
-Establishing yourself as an artist, designer or maker
-Setting up a studio as a sole supplier or in a partnership with others
-Employed in specialist glass studios
-Engaging in freelance work on architectural and interiors projects
-Designing for industry or working in the glass industry
-Working on private and public commissions
-Working on art projects and community projects
-Other opportunities include arts administration, curating, teaching and mentoring, community work and arts editorial
-Continuation of studies to postgraduate level on our MA programme
-Further academic research leading to MPhil, or PhD is available

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Course Description

This course provides education and training in selected weapons systems. The course is intended for officers of the armed forces and for scientists and technical officers in government defence establishments and the defence industry. It is particularly suitable for those who, in their subsequent careers, will be involved with the specification, analysis, development, technical management or operation of weapons systems.

The course is accredited by the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and will contribute towards an application for chartered status.

Overview

The Gun System Design MSc is part of the Vehicle and Weapons Engineering Programme. The course is designed to provide an understanding of the technologies used in the design, development, test and evaluation of gun systems.

This course offers the underpinning knowledge and education to enhance the student’s suitability for senior positions within their organisation.

Each individual module is designed and offered as a standalone course which allows an individual to understand the fundamental technology required to efficiently perform the relevant, specific job responsibilities. The course provides students with the depth of knowledge to undertake engineering analysis or the evaluation of relevant sub systems.

Duration: Full-time MSc - one year, Part-time MSc - up to three years, Full-time PgCert - one year, Part-time PgCert - two years, Full-time PgDip - one year, Part-time PgDip - two years

English Language Requirements

If you are an international student you will need to provide evidence that you have achieved a satisfactory test result in an English qualification. The minimum standard expected from a number of accepted courses are as follows:

IELTS - 6.5
TOEFL - 92
Pearson PTE Academic - 65
Cambridge English Scale - 180
Cambridge English: Advanced - C
Cambridge English: Proficiency - C

In addition to these minimum scores you are also expected to achieve a balanced score across all elements of the test. We reserve the right to reject any test score if any one element of the test score is too low.

We can only accept tests taken within two years of your registration date (with the exception of Cambridge English tests which have no expiry date).

Course overview

This MSc course is made up of two essential components, the equivalent of 12 taught modules (including some double modules, typically of a two-week duration), and an individual project.

Modules

MSc and PGDip students take 11 compulsory modules and 1 optional module.
PGCert students take 4 compulsory modules and 2 optional modules.

Core:
- Element Design
- Fundamentals of Ballistics
- Finite Element Methods in Engineering
- Gun System Design
- Light Weapon Design
- Military Vehicle Propulsion and Dynamics
- Modelling, Simulation and Control
- Solid Modelling CAD
- Survivability
- Vehicle Systems Integration

Optional:
- Guided Weapons
- Military Vehicle Dynamics
- Reliability and System Effectiveness
- Uninhabited Military Vehicle Systems

Individual Project

In addition to the taught part of the course, students can opt either to undertake an individual project or participate in a group design project. The aim of the project phase is to enable students to develop expertise in engineering research, design or development. The project phase requires a thesis to be submitted and is worth 80 credit points.

Examples of recent titles are given below.
- Use of Vibration Absorber to help in Vibration
- Validated Model of Unmanned Ground Vehicle Power Usage
- Effect of Ceramic Tile Spacing in Lightweight Armour systems
- Investigation of Suspension System for Main Battle Tank
- An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation into a Pivot Adjustable Suspension System as a Low Cost Method of Adjusting for Payload
- Analysis of Amphibious Operation and Waterjet Propulsions for Infantry Combat Vehicle.
- Design of the Light Weapon System
- Analysis of the Off-road Performance of a Wheeled or Tracked Vehicle

Group Project

- Armoured Fighting Vehicle and Weapon Systems Study
To develop the technical requirements and characteristics of armoured fighting vehicles and weapon systems, and to examine the interactions between the various sub-systems and consequential compromises and trade-offs.

Syllabus/curriculum:
- Application of systems engineering practice to an armoured fighting vehicle and weapon system.
- Practical aspects of system integration.
- Ammunition stowage, handling, replenishment and their effects on crew performance and safety.
- Applications of power, data and video bus technology to next generation armoured fighting vehicles.
- Effects of nuclear, biological and chemical attack on personnel and vehicles, and their survivability.

- Intended learning outcomes
On successful completion of the group project the students should be able to –
- Demonstrate an understanding of the engineering principles involved in matching elements of the vehicle and weapon system together.
- Propose concepts for vehicle and weapon systems, taking into account incomplete and possibly conflicting user requirements.
- Effectively apply Solid Modelling in outlining proposed solutions.
- Interpret relevant legislation and standards and understand their relevance to vehicle and weapon systems.
- Work effectively in a team, communicate and make decisions.
- Report the outcome of a design study orally to a critical audience.

Assessment

Continuous assessment, examinations and thesis (MSc only). Approximately 30% of the assessment is by examination.

Career opportunities

Many previous students have returned to their sponsor organisations to take up senior programme appointments and equivalent research and development roles in this technical area.

For further information

On this course, please visit our course webpage - https://www.cranfield.ac.uk/Courses/Masters/Gun-Systems-Design

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Course Description

This course provides education and training in military vehicle systems. The course is intended for officers of the armed forces and for scientists and technical officers in government defence establishments and the defence industry. It is particularly suitable for those who, in their subsequent careers, will be involved with the specification, analysis, development, technical management or operation of military vehicles.

It will provide students with the technical knowledge and understanding of weapon systems and military vehicles to make them effective in their specification, design, development and assessment.

The course is accredited by the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and will contribute towards an application for chartered status.

Course overview

This course is made up of two essential components, the equivalent of 12 taught modules (including some double modules, typically of a two week duration).

In addition to the taught part of the course, students undertake an individual project . The aim of the project phase is to enable students to develop expertise in engineering research, design or development. The project phase requires a thesis to be submitted and is worth 80 credit points.

Earning the appropriate credits can lead to the following academic awards:

- Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) – any combination of modules (building a total of 60 credits).
- Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip) – all modules (120 credits).
- Master of Science (MSc) – all modules (120 credits) plus project (80 credits).

The Military Vehicle Technology MSc is part of the Vehicle and Weapons Engineering Programme. The course is designed to provide an understanding of the technologies used in the design, development, test and evaluation of military vehicle systems. Both armoured and support vehicles are covered within the course.

This course offers the underpinning knowledge and education to enhance the student’s suitability for senior positions within their organisation.

Each individual module is designed and offered as a standalone course which allows an individual to understand the fundamental technology required to efficiently perform the relevant, specific job responsibilities. The course also offers a critical depth to undertake engineering analysis or the evaluation of relevant sub systems.

Individual Project

In addition to the taught part of the course, students undertake an individual project. The aim of the project phase is to enable students to develop expertise in engineering research, design or development. The project phase requires a thesis to be submitted and is worth 80 credit points.

Examples of current titles are given below:

- Use of Vibration Absorber to help in Vibration
- Validated Model of UGV Power Usage
- Effect of Ceramic Tile Spacing in Lightweight Armour systems
- Investigation of Suspension System for Main Battle Tank
- An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation into a Pivot Adjustable Suspension System as a Low Cost Method of Adjusting for Payload
- Analysis of Amphibious Operation and Waterjet Propulsions for Infantry Combat Vehicle.
- Optimisation of the suspension system for a vehicle.
- Analysis of the off-road performance of a wheeled or tracked vehicle.

Modules

Core -

Introductory Studies
Solid Modelling CAD
Finite Element Methods in Engineering
Modelling, Simulation and Control
Weapon System Technology
Survivability
Vehicle Systems Integration
Armoured Fighting Vehicle and Weapon Systems Study
Military Vehicle Dynamics
Military Vehicle Propulsion

Optional -

Fundamentals of Ballistics
Military Vehicle Propulsion and Dynamics
Gun System Design
Element Design
Guided Weapons
Uninhabited Military Vehicle Systems
Reliability and System Effectiveness
Light Weapon Design
Rocket Motors and Propellants

Assessment

Continuous assessment, examinations and thesis (MSc only). Approximately 30% of the assessment is by examination.

Funding

For more information on funding please contact [email protected]

Career opportunities

Many previous students have returned to their sponsor organisations to take-up senior programme appointments and equivalent research and development roles in this technical area.

Further Information

For further information on this course, please visit our course webpage - http://www.cranfield.ac.uk/courses/masters/military-vehicle-technology.html

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