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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Still accepting applications for 2016/17

You will develop your skills to professional best practice standards by combining theory and practice to undertake advanced projects. A research project is a core component of the programme. You will have the opportunity of a work placement at a museum of private workshop.

::You can expect::

- To develop excellent practical skills through object-based treatments To study ceramic technology, material culture and materials science
- To perform historical research and interpretation of the objects you work on
- To work on artefacts from public and private collections
- Visits to collections, sites and workshops
- Visiting lecturers

Programme Aims

The aims of the programme are to provide:

Practical:

1. A context for the analysis, assessment and treatment of ceramic and related material objects

2. The opportunity to develop sophisticated specialist conservation skills

3. A research environment for the development and public dissemination of innovative
approaches to the conservation of objects

Theoretical:

1. The opportunity to contribute to the development of historical, cultural and technical
understanding of objects and their conservation through primary research and investigation

2. The opportunity to evaluate methodologies, develop critiques and propose new hypotheses

3. A context for individual inquiry and group debate across the conservation specialisms

Professional:

1. A context for the development of a range of verbal, written and visual skills appropriate for the
communication and documentation of conservation projects and research

2. A context for the development of, and critical reflection upon, personal and professional codes
of practice

3. Opportunities to plan and implement a range of projects that are either increasingly technically
more complex, or have issues that are of a compounded or more complex nature

Careers

Become a conservator in a museum, follow a path into collections care or develop your own private conservation practice.

Graduates have had placements at or gone on to work with: The British Museum, The V&A, The Ashmolean Museum, The Metropolitan Museum, National Museums; Liverpool, Cliveden Conservation, Plowden and Smith Ltd. and Sarah Peek Conservation.

Students often progress from the Postgraduate Diploma onto MA Conservation Studies - https://www.westdean.org.uk/study/school-of-conservation

Facilities

You will work in our well-equipped Ceramics workshop with access to a pottery studio, and our well-equipped analytical laboratory. Collaboration with other conservation specialisms makes for a uniquely enriched learning environment.

The on-site Art and Conservation Library puts thousands of specialist books and journals within your reach and you can access specialist databases in the IT suite.

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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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Take advantage of one of our 100 Master’s Scholarships to study Materials Engineering at Swansea University, the Times Good University Guide’s Welsh University of the Year 2017. Postgraduate loans are also available to English and Welsh domiciled students. For more information on fees and funding please visit our website.

This MRes degree includes modules covering a range of areas within the Materials discipline, which are linked to the College of Engineering’s main research strengths of aerospace materials, environmental materials and steel technology.

Key Features of MRes in Materials Engineering

Through this course in Materials Engineering, you will be provided with training and experience in a broad range of topic areas, including metallurgy and materials selection, aerospace materials, recycling techniques, and modern business management issues and techniques.

The Materials Engineering course will provide you with the depth of knowledge and breadth of abilities to meet the demands of the international materials industry.

Combination of taught modules (60 credits) and a research thesis, which presents the outcome of a significant research project (120 credits) over 12 months full-time study. An MRes (Master of Research) provides relevant training to acquire the knowledge, techniques and skills required for a career in industry or for further research.

Modules

Modules on the Materials Engineering programme can vary each year but you could expect to study:

Strategic Project Planning
Communication Skills for Research Engineers
Aerospace Materials Engineering
Materials Recycling Techniques
Environmental Analysis and Legislation
Physical Metallurgy of Steel
MSc Research Thesis

Accreditation

This degree is accredited by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3).

This degree is accredited as meeting the requirements for Further Learning for a Chartered Engineer (CEng) for candidates who have already acquired an Accredited CEng (Partial) BEng(Hons) or an Accredited IEng (Full) BEng/BSc (Hons) undergraduate first degree.

Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). An accredited degree will provide you with some or all of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills for eventual registration as an Incorporated (IEng) or Chartered Engineer (CEng). Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by other countries that are signatories to international accords.

Facilities

Our new home at the innovative Bay Campus provides some of the best university facilities in the UK, in an outstanding location.

Engineering at Swansea University provides state-of-the-art facilities specific to Materials Engineering.

- Comprehensive computer systems for specialist and general purposes.
- World-leading equipment for characterisation of the mechanical properties of metallic, ceramic, polymeric and composite materials.
- Extensive range of laboratories housing scanning electron microscopes with full microanalysis and electron backscatter diffraction capabilities.

Careers

Through this Materials Engineering scheme, you will be provided with the detailed technical knowledge and experience required for a successful career at a technical or management level within the modern steel industry.

At the end of the course, you will have a higher level qualification along with crucial experience of industry allowing you to more quickly enter into the world of work and contribute fully to this important sector.

Links with Industry

The internationally leading materials research conducted at Swansea is funded by prestigious organisations including:

Rolls-Royce
Airbus
Tata Steel

Rolls-Royce

The Institute of Structural Materials at Swansea is a core member of the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre in Materials.

This venture supports a wide ranging research portfolio with a rolling value of £6.5 million per annum addressing longer term materials issues.

Airbus

Over £1m funding has been received from Airbus and the Welsh Government in the last three years to support structural composites research and development in the aerospace industry and to support composites activity across Wales.

Tata Steel

Funding of over £6 million to continue our very successful postgraduate programmes with Tata Steel.

Other companies sponsoring research projects include Akzo Nobel, Axion Recycling, BAE Systems, Bayer, Cognet, Ford, HBM nCode, Jaguar Land Rover, Novelis, QinetiQ, RWE Innogy, Timet, TWI (Wales), as well as many smaller companies across the UK.

These industrial research links provide excellent opportunities for great research and employment opportunities.

Research

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 ranks Engineering at Swansea as 10th in the UK for the combined score in research quality across the Engineering disciplines.

World-leading research

The REF shows that 94% of research produced by our academic staff is of World-Leading (4*) or Internationally Excellent (3*) quality. This has increased from 73% in the 2008 RAE.

Research pioneered at the College of Engineering harnesses the expertise of academic staff within the department. This ground-breaking multidisciplinary research informs our world-class teaching with several of our staff leaders in their fields.

Highlights of the Engineering results according to the General Engineering Unit of Assessment:

Research Environment at Swansea ranked 2nd in the UK
Research Impact ranked 10th in the UK
Research Power (3*/4* Equivalent staff) ranked 10th in the UK

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About the course

Solid State Chemistry covers the latest advances in advanced inorganic materials with applications ranging from energy storage systems, electronic materials and sensors to the more traditional, but increasingly hi-tech materials and industries that include glass, cement and refractories.

This course is specifically designed to give students a broad overview of the synthesis, structure and properties of inorganic materials together with in-depth coverage of the main groups of ceramic materials and allows you further specialisation when it comes to choosing your personal research project.

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

Solid State Chemistry; 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.

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The huge growth of processing power, now available in small power-efficient packages, has fuelled the digital revolution, which has touched all sectors of the economy. This practically orientated, advanced course in the area of electronics design and applications provides a strong digital technology core backed with applications-led modules.

You’ll study applications as diverse as medical and electronics, e-health, intelligent building design, automotive electronics, retail and commerce to prepare you for a range of careers in industry, where the skills you gain will be in high demand. A substantial element of practical work will give you confidence with software and digital hardware implementations using microcontrollers, FPGA, DSP devices and general system-on-chip methodology.

You’ll be taught by experts informed by their own world-leading research, and you’ll have access to world-class facilities to prepare for a career in a fast-changing industry.

Our School is an exciting and stimulating environment where you’ll learn from leading researchers in specialist facilities . These include our Keysight Technologies wireless communications lab, as well as labs for embedded systems, power electronics and drives, ultrasound and bioelectronics.

There’s also a Terahertz photonics lab, class 100 semiconductor cleanroom, traffic generators and analysers, FPGA development tools, sensor network test beds. We have facilities for electron-beam lithography and ceramic circuit fabrication – and a III-V semiconductor molecular beam epitaxy facility.

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Take advantage of one of our 100 Master’s Scholarships to study Materials Engineering at Swansea University, the Times Good University Guide’s Welsh University of the Year 2017. Postgraduate loans are also available to English and Welsh domiciled students. For more information on fees and funding please visit our website.

With our main research strengths of aerospace materials, environmental materials and steel technology, Swansea University provides an excellent base for your research as a MSc by Research student in Materials Engineering.

Key Features of MSc by Research in Materials Engineering

Swansea is one of the UK’s leading centres for Materials Engineering in teaching and research. The internationally leading materials research conducted at Swansea is funded by prestigious organisations. These industrial research links provide excellent research opportunities.

Key research areas within Materials Engineering include:

Design against failure by creep, fatigue and environmental damage
Structural metals and ceramics for gas turbine applications
Grain boundary engineering
Recycling of polymers and composites
Corrosion mechanisms in new generation magnesium alloys
Development of novel strip steel grades (IF, HSLA, Dual Phase, TRIP)
Functional coatings for energy generation, storage and release

MSc by research in Materials Engineering typically lasts one year full-time, two to three years part-time. This is an individual research project written up in a thesis of 30,000 words.

Facilities

Our new home at the innovative Bay Campus provides some of the best university facilities in the UK, in an outstanding location.

Within Engineering at Swansea University there are state-of-the-art facilities specific to Materials Engineering.

- Comprehensive computer systems for specialist and general purposes.
- World-leading equipment for characterisation of the mechanical properties of metallic, ceramic, polymeric and composite materials.
- Extensive range of laboratories housing scanning electron microscopes with full microanalysis and electron backscatter diffraction capabilities.

Links with industry

The internationally leading materials research conducted at Swansea is funded by prestigious organisations including:

Rolls-Royce
Airbus
Tata Steel

Rolls-Royce

The Institute of Structural Materials at Swansea is a core member of the Rolls-Royce University Technology Centre in Materials.

This venture supports a wide ranging research portfolio with a rolling value of £6.5 million per annum addressing longer term materials issues.

Airbus

Over £1m funding has been received from Airbus and the Welsh Government in the last three years to support structural composites research and development in the aerospace industry and to support composites activity across Wales.

Tata Steel

Funding of over £6 million to continue our very successful postgraduate programmes with Tata Steel.

Other companies sponsoring research projects include Akzo Nobel, Axion Recycling, BAE Systems, Bayer, Cognet, Ford, HBM nCode, Jaguar Land Rover, Novelis, QinetiQ, RWE Innogy, Timet, TWI (Wales), as well as many smaller companies across the UK.

These industrial research links provide excellent opportunities for great research and employment opportunities.

Research

The Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014 ranks Engineering at Swansea as 10th in the UK for the combined score in research quality across the Engineering disciplines.

World-leading research

The REF shows that 94% of research produced by our academic staff is of World-Leading (4*) or Internationally Excellent (3*) quality. This has increased from 73% in the 2008 RAE.

Research pioneered at the College of Engineering harnesses the expertise of academic staff within the department. This ground-breaking multidisciplinary research informs our world-class teaching with several of our staff leaders in their fields.

Highlights of the Engineering results according to the General Engineering Unit of Assessment:

Research Environment at Swansea ranked 2nd in the UK
Research Impact ranked 10th in the UK
Research Power (3*/4* Equivalent staff) ranked 10th in the UK

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In a world dominated by visual imagery, artists need the appropriate skills, reflexive approaches and attitudes of critical enquiry to work as effective professionals within their field. In this personalised course of study you can either explore your own specialism of fine art practice, or develop your practice across a broader range of interdisciplinary activity. In a supportive and challenging environment, you will be encouraged to be independent and enterprising in the promotion of yourself and your art.

The course is available to study either full-time over 1 calendar year or part-time over 2 calendar years. As a part time student it is possible to undertake the course from a distance and alongside existing employment.

You will develop new ways of looking at your own practice. You will explore distinct areas of contemporary fine art while reviewing your own and fellow students’ work-in-progress. Through negotiation, you will develop a proposal for new work that will form the framework for further development.

The course is structured to enable you to fully realise your ambitions for your practice. A lecture programme and regular contact with teaching staff, along with seminars from prominent practitioners, will assist you towards the production of a significant body of new work along with a key research folio within which you reflectively evaluate your practice. Students have in the past exhibited their final work at public galleries such as Chapter Arts Centre, Elysium Gallery, West Wharf Gallery and Arcade Cardiff.

See the website http://courses.southwales.ac.uk/courses/934-ma-arts-practice-fine-art

What you will study

The MA Arts Practice runs over two calendar years part-time or one calendar year full time:

- Part One:
Artist Practitioner 1 Critique 40 credits

Choice of one, 20 credit module from the three MA common modules, which you will study alongside Postgraduate students from other courses across the Faculty of Creative Industries:
- Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship
- Research and Practice in the Creative and Cultural Industries
- Research Paradigms

- MA Common Modules:
You will receive a strong grounding in research knowledge and skills, enterprise and innovation as part of the core MA Arts Practice course, but because everyone has different requirements of their postgraduate experience, you can choose to study one of the following three, 20 credit common modules. Each of these has a different focus, enabling you to select the module that will be most beneficial to you.

- Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship:
This module aims to develop your knowledge of the methods to identify, develop and manage enterprise and innovation in the creative sector. It will then help you apply this to your own entrepreneurial project.

- Research and Practice in the Creative and Cultural Industries:
The focus of this module is on the development of research knowledge and skills, while also encouraging critical engagement with approaches to creative practice. You will also explore ideas, debates and issues in the creative and cultural industries.

- Research Paradigms:
This module focuses on research paradigms and their theoretical underpinnings. It also looks at key conceptual tools drawn from a wide range of subject areas relevant to postgraduate research in the creative industries.

Part Two
- Artist Practitioner 2 Context (40 credits)
- Professional Practice in the Arts (20 Credits)
- Artist Practitioner 3 Major Project (60 Credits) or Research Project –Learning Through Employment (60 Credits)

Learning and teaching methods

The MA Arts Practice course is delivered using specialist facilities in our post-graduate studios which are available seven days a week. The programme makes use of lectures, guest speakers, workshops, demonstrations and tutorials, field trips and visits. The contact time you receive will include weekly workshops or seminars and regular group and individual tutorials. In addition, you will be expected to develop your area of practice independently.

Modules are taught via a combination of group seminars and lectures, with individual one-to-one tutorials taking place regularly to support your progress.

We encourage students to discuss and provide feedback on each other’s work, and to approach assignments in groups where appropriate to develop essential skills in teamwork and project management.

Work Experience and Employment Prospects

The course acknowledges the value of experience and partnerships to enable employability. A key element of the course involves establishing partnerships, internships, residencies and placements with arts organisations and galleries, NHS Trusts, social services, charitable trusts, schools, colleges, care homes and commercial companies to develop these. The course also develops your professional skills and positions your practice within critical and contextual frameworks.

- Work/study placements:
In addition to developing your personal area of art practice, you will benefit from the chance to gain practical exhibiting and curatorial experience and to explore other avenues of professional practice.

- Career options:
Graduates of MA Arts Practice (Fine Art), can progress to careers in academia, a Fine Artist, Teacher, Artist in residence, Public Artist, Community Artist, Ceramicist, Exhibitions Organiser, Socially Engaged Practitioner, Prop maker, Technician, Technical Demonstrator, Craft Designer, Gallery Owner, Art Dealer, Art Conservator, Curator, Art Gallery Technician, Art Transporter, Arts Journalist, Critical Commentator, Web Designer, Arts Administrator, Set Designer, Model Maker, Illustrator, Mural Designer, Creative Director, Art Director, Arts Business Manager or Arts Publicist.

Assessment methods

Modules are largely assessed via practical outcomes, project proposals and research folios. Some modules make use of presentations and discussion of working methods and final outcomes.

We will give you regular verbal feedback to help you develop your understanding during each module.

Facilities

Studying art at the University of South Wales means you can work in dedicated studio spaces and base rooms at our Treforest campus. Within your specialism, you will be able to accomplish a high standard of work in our extensive specialist facilities: 3D workshop, print room, and ceramic studios all equipped with traditional and state of the art facilities, including digital suites and a fully equipped lighting studio for photography. Opportunities are available to extend your technical skills through tailored undergraduate modules.

Facilities at our nearby Cardiff campus range from photographic darkrooms and professional-level printers, to video and audio production studios. While facilities are available in the first instance to students studying related courses, they are available more widely to students wishing to explore cross-disciplinary and multi-media techniques. You will be able to borrow a full range of equipment including cameras, microphones and lighting.

Our specialist library offers a comprehensive range of textbooks, research journals and other physical and online resources, as well as an interlibrary loan service.

Teaching

Our MA Arts Practice staff are actively engaged in research, they embody a high level of knowledge, expertise and professional experience across a range of arts practices. Students on this course will benefit from interdisciplinary teaching delivered by a teaching team with extensive experience in exhibiting; project management; project realisation and practice within the public realm, NHS and community contexts.

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Scientific analysis is a key tool in the interpretation of archaeological artefact and assemblages. This MSc offers detailed training in the use of scientific techniques for the analysis of archaeological and heritage materials, and a solid background in the archaeology and anthropology of technology allowing students to design and implement archaeologically meaningful scientific projects.

Degree information

This degree aims to bridge the gap between archaeology and science by integrating both a detailed training in the use of scientific techniques for the analysis of inorganic archaeological materials and a solid background in the anthropology of technology. By the end of the degree, students should have a good understanding of the foundations of the most established analytical techniques, practical experience in their application and data processing, as well as the ability to design research projects that employ instrumental analyses to address archaeological questions.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits.

The programme consists of one core module (15 credits), four optional modules (75 credits) and a research dissertation (90 credits).

Core modules
-Laboratory and instrumental skills in archaeological science

Optional modules - you are then able to choose further optional modules to the value of 75 credits. At least 15 credits must be made up from the following:
-Technology within Society
-Archaeological Data Science

At least 30 credits must be made up from the following list below:
-Technology within Society
-Archaeological Data Science
-Archaeological Ceramic Analysis
-Archaeological Glass and Glazes
-Archaeometallurgy 1: Mining and Extractive Metallurgy
-Archaeometallurgy 2: Metallic Artefacts
-Geoarchaeology: Methods and Concepts
-Interpreting Pottery
-Working with Artefacts and Assemblages

In order to allow for a flexible curriculum, students are allowed to select up to 30 credits from any of the postgraduate courses offered at the UCL Institute of Archaeology under other Master's degrees.

Dissertation/report
All students undertake an independent research project which culminates in a dissertation of 15,000 words.

Teaching and learning
The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, seminars, practical demonstrations and laboratory work. A popular aspect of this programme is its extensive use of analytical facilities. Assessment is through essays, practicals, projects, laboratory reports and oral presentations depending on the options chosen, and the dissertation.

Careers

Given our strong emphasis on research training, many of our MSc graduates take up further research positions after their degree, and over half of our MSc students progress to PhD research. Their projects are generally concerned with the technology and/or provenance of ceramics, metals or glass in different regions and periods, but most of them involve scientific approaches in combination with traditional fieldwork and/or experimental archaeology.

Some of our graduates are now teaching archaeometry or ancient technologies at different universities in the UK and abroad. Others work as conservation scientists in museums and heritage institutions, or as finds specialists, researchers and consultants employed by archaeological field units or academic research projects.

Employability
Due largely to an unparalleled breadth of academic expertise and laboratory facilities, our graduates develop an unusual combination of research and transferable skills, including critical abilities, team working, multimedia communication, numerical thinking and the use of advanced analytical instruments. On completion of the degree, graduates should be as comfortable in a laboratory as in a museum and or an archaeological site. They become acquainted with research design and implementation, ethical issues and comparative approaches to world archaeology through direct exposure to an enormous variety of projects. The range of options available allows students to tailor their pathways towards different career prospects in archaeology and beyond.

Why study this degree at UCL?

The UCL Institute of Archaeology is the largest and most diverse department of archaeology in the UK. Its specialist staff, outstanding library and fine teaching and reference collections provide a stimulating environment for postgraduate study.

The excellent in-house laboratory facilities will provide direct experience of a wide range of techniques, including electron microscopy and microphone analysis, fixed and portable X-ray fluorescence, X-ray diffraction, infra-red spectroscopy, petrography and metallography under the supervision of some of the world's leading specialists.

The institute houses fine teaching and reference collections that are extensively used by MSc students including ceramics, metals, stone artefacts and geological materials from around the world. In addition, the institute has a wide network of connections to museums and ongoing projects offering research opportunities for MSc students.

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