Masters Degrees (Furniture)

Introduction

This course focuses your practice on an industry sector and broadens your career and research horizons. Your chosen project becomes a vehicle for developing your creative abilities and analytical skills, and for locating your work in the professional world.

Content

MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture or Jewellery is part of the Product, Ceramic and Industrial Design programme. Ceramics, furniture and jewellery design share rich cultural histories and traditions of practice. Each is concerned with what can be described as 'intimate architecture' - a physical relationship of the artefact with the body.

The role of design practitioners is changing as a result of emergent technologies, global marketing, the internationalisation of production, and a rising interest in a 'bespoke approach' or 'craft content' within design.

Designers need to be able to think creatively and strategically about the identity of products and their cultural backgrounds and to support their ideas with innovation, commercial thinking and ethical questioning. MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture or Jewellery (by Project) develops your creative abilities, imagination and expertise in relation to real design world demands by linking formal design approaches with practice-led research.

The postgraduate course is achieved in the context of your own personal project, explored and developed according to your individual pathway choice, in a stimulating, supportive, creative and collaborative environment.

Structure

MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture or Jewellery lasts 60 weeks structured as two consecutive periods of 30 weeks each (i.e. two academic years) in its 'extended full-time mode'.

MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture or Jewellery is credit rated at 180 credits, and comprises 2 units. Unit 1 (60 credits) lasts 20 weeks. Unit 2 (120 credits) runs for 10 weeks in the first year and 30 weeks in the second year.

Both units must be passed in order to achieve the MA, but the classification of the award of MA derives from your mark for Unit 2 only.

Read less

See the department website - http://cias.rit.edu/schools/american-crafts/graduate-woodworking-graduate

The MFA program in furniture design is structured around the individual student’s needs, interests, and background. As such, the program seeks to strengthen students' techniques, advance their aesthetic and design sensibilities, and hone their personal expression. The first year of the program exposes students to a broad range of critical issues related to the conception and production of art, serves to inspire and provoke their critical reflection, and facilitate the development of a preliminary thesis topic. In the second year students propose and fully engage in a thesis project, which culminates in a major exhibition in the spring.

Admission requirements

To be considered for admission to the MFA program in furniture design, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

- Hold a baccalaureate degree in a field of art, science, or education from a regionally accredited institution in the United States,

- Demonstrate, through the quality of the undergraduate record and creative production, a genuine, professional potential,

- Submit official transcripts (in English) of all previously completed undergraduate and graduate course work (undergraduate degree should include 50 semester hours of studio courses), and

- Complete a graduate application

- International students whose native language is not English must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language. Minimum scores of 550 (paper-based) or 80 (Internet-based) are required. Scores from the International English Language Testing System are accepted in place of the TOEFL. An IELTS score of 6.5 is required. For international students coming from countries where the baccalaureate degree is not given for programs in the practice of art may be admitted to graduate study if the diploma or certificate received approximates the standards of the BFA, BA, or BS degrees, and if their academic records and portfolios indicate an ability to meet graduate standards.

Additional information

Studio Residency program

The School for American Crafts offers a Studio Residency program for students in ceramics, furniture design, glass, and metals and jewelry design. Residence positions are limited and are awarded after the review of all applicants’ portfolios, transcripts, and references. An interview is required. Accepted residents are required to register for one independent study credit during each semester of residence.

Accepted residents are expected to be present in their assigned studio during class hours and to contribute up to 10 hours of work per week in the main studio. These work hours are coordinated and overseen by the faculty in the resident's discipline. In exchange, the school will provide workspace, access to facilities, and supportive instruction. The resident is invited to participate in the full range of studio activities.

Participants may be those seeking additional studio experience prior to undergraduate or graduate study, early career professionals, or teachers on leave who wish to work again in an academic studio environment. The faculty in each discipline will make decisions concerning appropriate candidates.

Inquiries should be made to the Studio Residency Program, School for American Crafts, College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, Rochester Institute of Technology, 73 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603.

Read less

The Master course intends to form knowledgeable designers of the most advanced models of relationship between the product development processes, market dynamics and technological developments. It also intends to complete the training of professionals in R&D, marketing and brand management in the furniture sector, offering them a better understanding of design management skills as a lever to create a competitive advantage.

The Master is based on the capacity of Italian companies, working in the furniture industry, to use design as a fundamental lever of competitive advantage and a structural element of corporate culture. The core of the program is focused on the knowledge generated from the advantageous relationships instilled between the Italian production system and the network of professions involved in design. The Master sets its cultural roots in the “Italian model” of rapport between enterprise and design, while also aiming to develop new knowledge in innovation that responds to the challenges posed by technological, social and market changes.

The program’s structure takes on a systemic vision of the role of design in the furniture industry, teaming new fields of interest to the traditional focus on product development, along with the growing importance of brands and its tangible and intangible elements of expression.

Read less

This course is an innovative collaboration between Manchester School of Art and the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Manchester Metropolitan University. It brings together students from creative and manufacturing backgrounds to foster original approaches to product and furniture design for manufacture whilst exploring personal philosophies and cultural contexts.

Supported by extensive hand, machine and digital workshops across a range of materials, you will investigate and challenge the application and use of materials and processes within making and manufacturing to embrace opportunities for innovation across a breadth of product and furniture design practices.

As part of the wider MA/MFA Design Network, a series of options units are delivered to enable you to further expand your creative agendas and design methodologies.  Within these options, you can choose to develop design ambitions within a business context, through a unit delivered by the Manchester Metropolitan Business School, which cultivates project planning and management skills, raises understanding of markets and marketing opportunities, and highlights the financial factors and concerns that impact on production design decisions within a commercial manufacturing environment.

Features

Graduates will develop theoretical and practical skills suitable for roles in; design consultancy; design for engineering and manufacturing; design management; and design research for industry or academic research and teaching. The programme will also prepare graduates who wish to go on to self-employment, establishing and running their own design/manufacturing businesses.

Read less

The MA Design: Products & Furniture course is aimed at the designer with a passion to develop innovative products, furniture, systems or services. The course encourages a broad and diverse range of approaches to design practice that reflect the designer’s personal philosophies and creative methodologies while engaging in the realities of designing for new and emerging markets.

As designers, you'll be encouraged to explore the multidisciplinary field of design and challenge the norms in design thinking. The course sets out to challenge pre-conceived attitudes to the relationship between traditional craft skills, new technology and modern manufacture; encouraging the cross fertilisation of ideas and approaches informed by collaborative working and hands on experience.

You will:
-Develop a comprehensive understanding and critical awareness of emerging technologies, materials and philosophies, including recent thinking with regards to innovative design technologies and materials
-Design and negotiate a personal learning agreement, focused on your own design interests and expertise, strengths and weaknesses to maximise your development potential
-Benefit from internationally recognised research activities undertaken by our academic staff, supported by grants from a variety of funding organisations including the European Union, UK Government and UK Research Councils, the Royal Society, the Arts Council, and industry.
-Work and study in a strong student design community, focused on studio-based working and based around supportive, peer-to-peer learning which helps to set out work in a professional context.
-Interact with industry professionals through a variety of lectures and workshops
-Work on an exciting range of projects driven by links with industry
-Learn in a multi-disciplinary environment with academic staff and students across departments at NTU
-Work in industry-standard studios, facilities and laboratories on our City Campus and benefit from expert technical support

What you'll study

You'll study modules designed to expand your awareness and understanding of product design while developing a wider appreciation of a designer's role within modern society, and the impact of new thinking in business in the design industry.

The course focuses on the needs of future professional design practice and work to promote the understanding of both local and international business and support entrepreneurial approaches to developing products and services, and the development of strategic design for business success.

Through it's project-based nature, the course emphasises the importance of independent learning, collaborative team working, creative problem solving and self-organisation skills. You'll develop a practice-based project for your final Major Study Project via the creation of a learning agreement as part of the Research Methods module; this is written in consultation with tutors and informs your final learning outcomes.

How you’re taught

Learning and teaching methods will comprise:
-Lectures to introduce and develop concepts and to explore the application of concepts
-Practical workshops
-Studio sessions, workshops and laboratories to develop skills and appreciate concepts
-Seminars and tutorials to provide academic sites
-Case study and project work to develop a deeper understanding of concepts and applications
-Project presentations to develop confidence and identity in professional practice

By the end of the course you'll be able to:
-Situate your work within the context of design theory and practice and critically reflect on the wider social, ethical, economic, global, environmental and sustainability issues in your discipline
-Demonstrate extensive knowledge appropriate to product design and comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to your practice
-Demonstrate originality in the application of knowledge, together with a practical understanding of how techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in product design
-Demonstrate an understanding of the role and potential of evolving production processes and evaluate their part in successful design outcomes
-Appraise and anticipate trends through analysis of projected cultural, economic and technological developments

Careers and employability

This course has been developed to meet the needs of industry in the UK and overseas. It is specifically designed to increase the employability of its graduates in a business context by identifying new service, strategy and product opportunities, and conducting projects in collaboration with industrial partners. You'll become more strategically aware and technically literate, and will communicate concepts and outcomes at an advanced level in an ever changing global market place.

On completion, graduates will have acquired skills and knowledge to set up their own businesses, to work in manufacturing industries, design consultancies, and research and development organisations, or to progress to PhD study by engaging in further research.

Read less

This Masters programme in Product and Furniture Design recognises and prepares students for the diversity of design practice and employment opportunities open to graduates entering the design industry.

The three semester course is based at a highly rated design institution within easy reach of central London. It offers students a unique educational experience with respected contributors lead by renowned designer Sebastian Bergne.

Students are given time in an exceptional learning environment to develop their personal approach to design, learn new skills and apply them to carefully structured projects with industry partners that prepare them for their preferred career direction.

Key features
-This course is part of the Design School's Postgraduate Framework, which promotes interdisciplinary practice opportunities, underpins research, supports personal trajectory and industry contact, and includes a supporting lecture series.
-The core staff team is supported by expert full time and visiting studio tutors. These include, David Weatherhead, Julia Georgallis, Rosemary Anrude and Lauren Davies.
-The action of "making" is the signature of the course. We seek critical thinkers and makers that seek to challenge and evolve contemporary practice through the physical domain.

What will you study?

The course proposes a hands-on approach to design, encompassing research techniques, teamwork, learning through making and developing finished objects intended for craft, industrial production or conceptual prototype.

Students are expected to have a robust personal approach with direction and purpose reflecting their own area of study. Students are required to be self-directed, reflective and practical in approach. The course is studio and project based. Activities can include specialist lectures, workshop inductions, group and personal tutorials, seminars and symposiums.

Assessment

Assessment will be made at the completion of each module. Module marks are added to achieve a total final mark. Assessment will be made through practical design projects, presentations, main masters project and exhibition.

Course structure

This course is part of the School of Design's postgraduate programme.

The structure – shared with students from the Communication Design MAs, Fashion MA, and Sustainable Design MA – enables you to explore your individual specialist interests within an integrative learning environment that provides a comprehensive understanding of the value and role of interdisciplinary methods and ways of working. The influences and impact of thinking from other related design subjects on your own specialist study is an important aspect of the identity and the community of interdisciplinary practice at masters level in the School of Design.

This structure is designed to help progress and develop your independent learning, encouraging you to construct and explore projects concerned with areas of particular personal interests. The overarching course philosophy, based upon an emphasis on research, methodology and design thinking, allows individual and personal concerns to be explored through focused study in product and furniture design.

The two shared modules of the School of Design's Postgraduate Framework both commence with a symposium, in which high-profile external speakers present their work and contribute to a debate on a topic of relevance to all courses in the Framework.

Read less

Summary

You’ll enjoy an extensive programme of lectures and assignments, delivered by an enthusiastic team of staff made up of theorists, practitioners and researchers.

The course is focused around a creative studio hub and provides a supportive environment where you can develop your personal design agendas. MA Product and Furniture Design challenges perceptions around 'alternative living', exploring what else might be possible in a world already full of things.

Studio-based sessions are complemented by a virtual learning environment, giving you 24/7 online access to the latest information, course documentation and examples of previous student work.

Modules

Trimester 1: Realism and Conceptualism; Design Culture.

Trimester 2: Exploratory Research Practices; CoLAB.

Trimester 3: Major Project.

Assessment

Studies include structured, project based learning activities which develop creative, design and making skills, research and investigative abilities, evaluation and independent learning to an advanced level. It includes individual and group tutorials, tutor-led and student-led seminars, lectures, and workshops as well as report writing and project work.

Read less

This unique research degree is tailored to opening new opportunities in creative practice, professional and academic fields. The course provides unparalleled access to a range of resources within a stimulating and creative environment. You can choose from a number of subject areas, which you can browse in the carousel below. In the most recent (2014-15) Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey, 100% of graduates from this course were in work or further study within six months.

More about this course

The MA by Project is an innovative degree that gives you the opportunity to set your own agenda as a practitioner / researcher. You will be supported to develop and explore your practice through a self-directed research project, making your own work central to your programme of study throughout the duration of the course.

A core programme of research seminars are designed to open up a range of approaches to research and foster critical, analytical, reflective and evaluative skills. The course team and subject specialists will support you throughout the development and execution of your project. Workshops, presentations and seminars foster discussion and feedback from a multi-disciplinary community.

Projects are supported in the following subject areas: architecture and rapid change, architectural history and theory, cities, interiors, fine art, film and animation, furniture and product design, music, photography, silversmithing and jewellery, textiles and visual communication.

Outputs may take many forms, such as:
-Made objects in a variety of media (for example, painting, photography, printmaking, film, animation, silversmithing and jewellery, musical instruments, furniture, textiles)
-Documented actions such as performance art, live art, exhibitions, installations or events
-A design portfolio allied to one of our many design studios in architecture, cities, interiors, graphic design and illustration
-A written thesis investigating a theoretical or historical topic. This may take the form of a published output, an exhibition text, a case study or a PhD proposal

Resources

The Cass offers unparalleled facilities for designing and making. You will have access to specialist workshops, equipment and facilities all run by highly skilled staff.

Facilities include rapid prototyping, CNC routing, waterjet cutting, 3D printing, woodmill, furniture making workshops, musical instrument workshops, upholstery workshops, soft furnishing, finishing area, metal fabrication workshop, plastic and model making workshop, ceramics, silversmithing and jewellery workshops, restoration and conservation, AV/TV hire shop, recording studios, audio laboratories,editing suites, darkrooms, printroom, textiles workshop.

As well as a dedicated art and design library you will have access to libraries across the University. Our London location means that students are within reach of The National Art Library at the V&A, The British Architectural Library at RIBA, the British Library plus innumerable national and specialist collections.

Graduating students are able to nominate a specialism to be included within their degree award title to reflect either their project discipline or specific topic, eg MA by Project (Fine Art).

Assessment

At the end of each semester work is submitted for assessment.

Modular structure

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2016/17 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year 1 modules include:
-Research Methods in Art, Architecture and Design (core, 40 credits)
-Research Project Development in Art, Architecture and Design (core, 40 credits)
-Research Project in Art, Architecture and Design (core, 60 credits)
-Theoretical Studies for Art, Architecture and Design (core, 20 credits)
-Contextual Studies: MA by Project (option, 20 credits)

After the course

The MA by Project can help you further your practice and develop new skills, extend your expertise and cultivate your professional profile, explore new avenues of thought and creative potential. You will be encouraged and supported in building a network of opportunities and developing external links that will help formulate the next stage in your career.

Past students have used the MA to launch new businesses as well as further their careers in a variety of professions. The MA by Project provides the opportunity to progress the theoretical development of your practice to a higher level and is therefore a suitable base for the development of a PhD.

Read less

Study interaction design at an advanced level and explore new approaches to design creating dynamic proposals that respond to the needs of our rapidly changing society.

At Sheffield Institute of Arts interaction design is cross-disciplinary and investigates human-technological futures via design related interactions that lie between the digital and the physical. Using a practice based approach you explore the designing of interactive digital products, environments services and systems.

Interaction design is most often studied by graduates from a variety of backgrounds including • interaction design • digital media • fine art • product design • graphic design • furniture design • architecture • computer science. Your projects are supported by lecturers who are design specialists, researchers and practitioners. Modules are supported by lecturers who are design specialists in areas as diverse as • exhibition design • HCI • medical products • materials development • design thinking • social design • design anthropology.

During the course you work with experts in other departments as well as outside of the University.

As a postgraduate design student you join an established network of creative people that encourage and support you to drive your studies to the next level. Our postgraduate framework of design courses has been designed to allow you to come together with students from different disciplines, backgrounds and cultures to share teaching and learning experiences and explore your creative identities through dialogue and practice.

The primary intention of the programme is to allow you to achieve your personal employment ambitions, whether as a design professional in the creative industries, or in related areas such as marketing or research. You are also well placed to go onto further study at PhD level.

Employability

The course has a strong vocational focus to prepare, encourage and develop your confidence for employment.

The MA/MFA programme has a strong relationship with the University’s Art and Design Research Centre (ADRC), who take an active part in engaging MA Design students in research, knowledge transfer and live projects. You are also encouraged to seek industrial sponsors or collaborators for your individual project work and are given advice and support in doing this. This long established link with our Research Department supports a continuing tradition of graduates from the MA/MFA working as research assistants and/or continuing their studies to PhD.

If you are a part-time student in relevant employment or on sabbatical, you have the opportunity to plan course projects based in your workplace and relevant to your own and your employer's aims. This brings real-world experience to the course. You may go on to work as a professionally employed designer or design manager, work independently as a designer/producer or work as a researcher in design or new product development. You may also wish to go into teaching design in further and higher education.

Project-based course

You choose your own project content and this is supported by lectures and seminars dealing with professional practice issues and reviewing your progress. You also take part in regular group and individual tutorials.

Your final major project is the culmination of your research and studio-based design practice. It demonstrates that you can deal with difficult contemporary questions and take a leading role as a design professional.

Research-led expertise

We are one of the oldest established art and design institutions in the UK, renowned for producing internationally recognised research. Your projects are supported by lecturers who are design specialists in areas as diverse as medical products, materials development, furniture and sustainability.

Vibrant and supportive learning environment

During the course you regularly take part in constructive critical debates about your own work and that of your peers. You need to communicate your research, ideas and designs in ways that are appropriate to professional leadership.

You study alongside MA and MFA Design students for part of your course and benefit from a vibrant, international, collaborative and supportive postgraduate environment.

Excellent facilities and creative resources

You have access to a huge range of creative resources to experiment and engage with including • 3D printing for rapid prototyping • state-of-the-art hardware and software • photography studios • a creative media centre • a gallery • well-equipped workshops.

You also have access to our award-winning learning centre featuring a specialist art, design and media library and extensive online resources.

MA and MFA study

MA and MFA students complete the same modules during the course except that MFA students complete an extra project module. The MFA project encourages you to develop professional skills that help you to identify, instigate, and deliver projects with external partners, such as communities, galleries or businesses. You find a project partner, agree a brief and then deliver the project to a professional standard.

This course is part of the Sheffield Institute of Arts (SIA), an amazing, diverse community of makers – where staff, students and partners work as equals to deliver real innovation and creativity. SIA opened in 1843 and is one of the UK's oldest Art and Design Schools. We have recently moved into the Head Post Office, a redesigned Grade II listed building. It includes state-of-the-art workshops which provide you with a unique studio-based learning environment in the heart of the creative community.

Course structure

FULL-TIME STRUCTURE

Semester one

• project 1 • theory supporting practice

Semester two

• project 2 • negotiated project

Semester three

• major project

Semester four – MFA students only

• MFA project

PART-TIME STRUCTURE

Semester one (year 1)

• theory supporting practice • negotiated project

Semester two (year 2)

• project 1 • project 2

Semester three (year 3)

• major project

Semester four – MFA students only (year 4)

• MFA project

Assessment

Assessment and feedback are vital parts of the learning process in creative disciplines. Most assessment is through individual project work which combines research and creative practice. Assessment calls for both excellent creative work and well-documented research. 

Employability

As a graduate from this course you might become a • creative technologist • experiential marketer • interaction designer • artist • designer • maker • product designer • design researcher • interface designer • systems designer • UX designer • design academic • PhD student.

Read less

The Technology of Wood and Plastic international degree programme provides specialisation either in woodwork or plastic technology. Teaching is organised into modules combining lectures, seminars and laboratory work in the recently renovated laboratory of Polymer Physics and Technology, which is equipped with state-of-the-art devices. The programme also emphasises the basic practical knowledge of CAD-engineering programmes and CAM-manufacturing technologies as they are extremely important in every industrial sector all over the world. The curriculum gives students the unique opportunity to implement their individual research projects in collaboration with various companies.

Key features

• All courses are taught by using blended learning solutions (face-to-face + e-learning) which makes the learning process more flexible
• Students have the opportunity to visit different wood-, plastic, and furniture products manufacturing companies, so they are getting familiar with production
• Three hands-on scientific research or industrial projects develop students’ skills and provide a smooth transition from university studies to a professional career

Curriculum

Structure of curriculum

Future career options

This Master programme gives for students` vocational and professional preparation for working in the international engineering industry as a designer/constructor, specialist, industrial engineer or middle manager. This curriculum gives valuable knowledge and the practical experience necessary to work with customised furniture projects (hotels, restaurants, public sector buildings, cruise ships) or material selection and technology development for plastic products manufacturing. Skills in CAD/CAM engineering work in connection with knowledge about the technological properties of wood-, laminates, plywood, chipboard, medium density fibreboard, plastics, metals, leather, textiles and composite materials that might come in handy for different professions.

Read less

This unique multi-disciplinary course is taught by architects, engineers and physicists involved in practice and research. It focuses on the theory and practice of developing low carbon and sustainable buildings.

The course includes a number of interlinked modules that simulate the design and development of a sustainable project. This enables students from different disciplines to develop skills and understanding relevant to their own discipline, be it design or consultancy, and in relation to a national and international context.

Why choose this course?

The course is run by the School of Architecture, which is recognised as one of the country's leading schools of architecture and is consistently ranked by The Architect's Journals one of the five best schools in the UK. You will gain an advanced understanding of the key sustainability issues related to buildings enabling them to strategically influence feasibility and design processes within the built environment. The course attracts some of the best students in the field from a diverse range of ages, backgrounds, gender and nationalities. This offers opportunities for interdisciplinary, globally aware teaching and learning.

The range of subjects draws on the research strengths of the teaching staff and enables research to inform the teaching modules. You are encouraged where possible to take part in staff research projects. You will have the opportunity to go on an annual field trip. This is an opportunity to directly experience some of the very best of sustainable design projects in another culture. Previous field trips have been to Germany, Scotland and Denmark. Students from this course have gone on to work in a wide range of occupations from architectural and engineering practices and research consultancies to development work, furniture design, owning and operating electricity utilities, and even carbon trading.

This course in detail

The course is organised on a modular credit system, 60 credits for postgraduate certificate, 120 credits for the postgraduate diploma (9 months full-time, 20 months part-time) and 180 credits for the master's degree (12 months full-time, 24 months part-time).

Modules combine a ratio of taught to self-led study. For example, a module of 20 credits approximates to 200 hours of student effort, up to 36 hours of which will normally be devoted to lectures, seminars, individual tutorials or other staff contact. The remainder of the time is devoted to student-led study and assessment.

Please note: as courses are reviewed regularly, the module list you choose from may vary from that shown below.

The core modules for the MSc and PGDip are:
-Building Physics (20 credits)
-The Sustainable Built Environment (20 credits)
-Post-occupancy Building Evaluation (20 credits)
-Advanced Low Carbon Building Technologies (20 credits)
-Modelling and Passive Strategies (20 credits)
-Sustainable Design in Context (20 credits)

The compulsory modules for the MSc are:
-Research Methods and Design (10 credits)
-MSc Dissertation (50 credits)

Teaching and learning

The teaching and learning methods reflect the wide variety of topics and techniques associated with sustainability, low-carbon and resource efficient design.

Staff-led lectures provide the framework, background and knowledge base, and you are encouraged to probe deeper into the topics by further reading and review. Analysis, synthesis and application of material introduced in the lectures are achieved through professional and staff-led workshops, group and one-to-one tutorials, student-led seminars, case studies, and practical work that anticipates the design project.

The course attracts students from a diverse range of ages, backgrounds, gender and nationalities. This offers opportunities for interdisciplinary, globally aware teaching and learning. You are exposed to a variety of cultural perspectives and issues through the use of international case studies and draw on their diverse strengths through peer learning and group work.

An annual field trip is an opportunity to directly experience some of the very best of sustainable design projects in another culture. Previous field trips have been to Germany, Scotland and Denmark.

The range of subjects draws on the research strengths of the teaching staff and enables research to inform the teaching modules. You are encouraged where possible to take part in staff research projects.

We attract some of the best students in the field, drawn by the integrating basis of the programme and its solid theoretical foundation on expertise within the University.

Careers and professional development

Graduates will possess an advanced understanding of the key sustainability issues related to buildings enabling them to strategically influence feasibility and design processes within the built environment. They will be familiar with a range of models, tools and methods with which to quantify, predict, evaluate and manage building performance, and will be able to use them and switch to other tools based on an understanding from first principles.

Drawing on a working knowledge of how to minimise energy, carbon emissions and resource consumption in buildings through the various stages of their life cycles, they will be able to take account of changing, incomplete and uncertain information related to the environment. They will also have well developed skills in auditing, analysis, reporting and presentation and a thorough understanding of the interdisciplinary subject area.

Students from this course have gone on to work in a wide range of occupations from architectural and engineering practices and research consultancies to development work, furniture design, owning and operating electricity utilities, and even carbon trading.

Read less

The MSc in Conservation of Historic Buildings provides training in the fundamental principles of structural and architectural conservation, within an academic framework of architectural history and theory, including the philosophy of conservation.

Our course is taught by leading architects, structural engineers and related professionals and is based on the Department's well established tradition of interdisciplinary education and training.

It will not only help prepare you for an exciting career in the industry, but it will also help prepare you to continue your studies onto a Doctor of Philosophy research programme.

Many distinction-level graduates from this programme stay on for a PhD, often funded in part by the University of Bath.

Visit the website http://www.bath.ac.uk/engineering/graduate-school/taught-programmes/conservation/index.html

Key programme features

- Provides technical training within an academic framework
- Taught by leading architects, structural engineers and related professionals
- Based on interdisciplinary co-operation between architects and engineers
- International leader in its field
- Proven track record of employability
- Accredited by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
- Fully recognised by the Institute of Historic Buildings Conservation (IHBC)
- Suited to engineers, architects, surveyors, planners, geographers, archaeologists, historians and managers, but we also accept (and encourage) students who have either taken a non-vocational degree (usually history or history of art, but also geographers, archaeologists, etc.) or have a degree in a different field that they want to change from.

The programme draws profoundly on its unique location, the World Heritage City of Bath, an ideal study material and environment.

Structure and Content

See programme catalogue (http://www.bath.ac.uk/catalogues/2015-2016/ar/ar-proglist-pg.html#B) for more detail on individual units.

Teaching for taught units takes place on Wednesdays and Fridays, with one day given to each set of two units. The sequence in which units are taught is reversed each year so that part-time students attend on the same day over the period of their study.

- Full-time study: 12 months, with students attending two days a week (Wednesday and Friday)
- Part-time study: 24 months, with students attending one day a week (Wednesday or Friday)
- Extended part-time study: 48 months, with students attending one day/one semester per year.

Where students do not wish to write the dissertation, or are ineligible to progress, a PG Diploma is awarded after successful completion of the taught course only.

Dissertation:
During the final three months of the degree you will produce a dissertation. This is your opportunity to explore a particular topic that has been covered during the programme in far greater depth.

Transfer:
A student may request a transfer from part-time to extended part-time study. If approved, the transfer will take into account units completed already and will be applied on a pro rata basis. For example, if a part-time student completes four units in year one and then transfers to the extended part-time programme, they will be given two more years to complete.

Conservation techniques

- Structural conservation techniques: principles, faults and their causes, diagnoses and remedies, and surveying and analytical techniques
- Materials conservation techniques: technology and conservation of building elements from structure to finishes
- Information and awareness about related fields (including furniture and fabric conservation), and the experts who can be called upon
- The legal framework of conservation.

Philosophy

- A range of philosophies towards the repair and re-use of old buildings
- History of conservation, from John Wood and James Wyatt, the Victorian age, William Morris and the development of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings through to present day policies and the listing of twentieth century buildings
Stimulating debate and the opportunity to develop an individual viewpoint
- A body of knowledge on the history of British architecture from town planning to interiors
- An awareness of adjacent related fields including garden conservation and archaeology.

Teaching of the Theory of Classical Architecture

- Visual training based around the teaching of classical architecture within the context of Bath as a classical city
- Aims to achieve a high level of architectural correctness and competence in detailing architectural elements.

Case studies

- You will attend six case studies (a combination of large and small buildings at sites both local to Bath and further afield)
- The case studies cover the philosophy upon which the conservation work is based, the architectural and engineering principles involved and a study of the techniques and technologies employed.

Career Options

Bath students have an excellent track record for getting jobs.


The MSc provides a short cut to becoming a Chartered Surveyor. Graduates get exemption from the RICS internal examinations and are eligible for entry to the RICS Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). This usually involves two years of structured training with an employer followed by the APC. Visit the RICS website for more information.

Graduate destinations:

- Inspector for the Victorian Society
- English Heritage (historic research department, inspectors, managers)
- Architects’ practices working on conservation and building new country houses in the classical style
- National Trust Manager of Uppark House
- Conservation officer, UNESCO, Paris
- Conservation architects with well-known practices working on every type of historic building from Salisbury cathedral to medieval timber-framed barns
- Development Officer with Turquoise Mountain repairing a mosque in Kabul
- Member of the Information Team, the Science Museum, South Kensington.

About the department

The Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering brings together the related disciplines of Architecture and Civil Engineering. It has an interdisciplinary approach to research, encompassing the fields of Architectural History and Theory, Architectural and Structural Conservation, Lightweight Structures, Hydraulics and Earthquake Engineering and Dynamics.

Our Department was ranked equal first in the Research Excellence Framework 2014 for its research submission in the Architecture, Built Environment and Planning unit of assessment.


Find out how to apply here - http://www.bath.ac.uk/study/pg/apply/

Read less

Since its inception in 2003, our distance learning MA Antiques course has been inspiring researchers and practitioners; individuals who want to develop a specialised interest in antiques without the necessity of on-campus attendance, and who wish to do so on a part-time basis.

Whether it’s a leisure activity, you wish to be an antique dealer or you want recognition of your professional status in antiques, our MA Antiques course appeals to a wide range of students. This postgraduate course has been specifically designed to accommodate the needs of part-time provision via distance learning. Students tend to be adults in employment who want to take the course on a part-time basis to fit around their other working commitments.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

The MA Antiques has been specifically designed to accommodate the needs of part-time provision via distance learning. Students tend to be adults in employment who want to take the course on a part-time basis to fit around their other working commitments. We accommodate such needs by offering a clear structure of progression, balanced by flexible personal tutorials: for which you can expect to have weekly one-to-one contact with academic staff via web based visual conferencing. It is this bespoke interaction with academic staff that our students tell us they find both supportive and inspirational. Our post graduate distance learning students come from a wide diversity of nationalities and locations: America, Canada, England, Germany, Greece, Scotland, and South Africa, to name a few.

Assessment is by 100 per cent coursework in the form of concise project reports or academic papers. For each of the 40 credit modules you undertake, you will have both a mid-module assignment and an end of module assignment to complete. Through weekly tutorials you will receive on-going formative feedback and guidance, but the final module mark and summative feedback is based on the end of module assignment only.

COURSE OUTLINE

MA Antiques offers:
-A postgraduate qualification in antiques with a proven success rate
-Marketing advantages for your business, and/or your own career development
-The opportunity, after the first year, to specialise in a field of your choice
-Support for students who, after a long period away from formal education, may find postgraduate study daunting at first
-Encouragement for individuals who may not have formal entry qualifications - experience counts
-Assessment by 100% coursework in the form of concise project reports or academic papers. So, no examinations, summer school or on campus requirements

OPPORTUNITIES

The course structure offers specific career progression through enabling individuals to apply themselves to one of three routes: academic publication, research funding, or exhibition/research project management. Previous topics from our graduates have included:
-The Hallmark System for English Silver: An Instrument of Enforcement or a Method to Identify Period Silver?
-A Web site Exhibition of Chinese Jade from the GvS Collection
-Regency Metamorphic Library Chairs (1790 -1840)
-Imitation or Innovation in Bretby Art Pottery
-Modern Art for the Table -The 1934 Harrods Exhibition
-Panelled Furniture: A Survey of 17th and 18th Century
-The contribution of Edmund Evans, Walter Crane, Randolph Caldecott and Kate Greenaway to the design of Victorian books for children

Read less

The Design Innovation MA/MSc provides a framework for developing innovative design products in all areas of design, with a strategic understanding of marketing and business strategy. It enables you to enter the creative industries at a high level of responsibility, ranging from establishing your own businesses to working in multinational corporations. You will complete an individual major project (either creative practice-based or research-focused) which runs throughout the course, supported by relevant taught modules. You will also be supported by specialist academic expertise across a range of design areas.

You can tailor the course to your career aspirations by selecting a specific pathway of study from a diverse range of options, which comprises: Footwear Design; Furniture Design; Interior Design; Digital Design; Museum and Exhibition Design; Product Design; Retail Design; or Visual Communication Design. Alternatively, you can elect to simply focus on Design Innovation in its own right. Students benefit from visiting lecturers who specialise in exhibition design, museum curation, retail design, sustainable design, business planning and creative digital design. At the same time, a range of industry, museum, charity, and arts organisation representatives regularly present and coordinate live projects.

Read less

Course outline

This unique MA in French and British Decorative Arts and Interiors focuses on the development of interiors and decorative arts in England and France in the “long” eighteenth century (c.1660-c.1830) and their subsequent rediscovery and reinterpretation in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

A key element of the course is the emphasis on the first-hand study of furniture, silver and ceramics, where possible in the context of historic interiors. Based in central London at the European School of Economics, it draws upon the outstanding collections of the nearby Wallace Collection and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

The MA is designed to appeal to those wishing to pursue careers in heritage organisations, antique-dealing and auctioneering, museums, conservation, interior design or university teaching and research. However, those with a strong personal interest in studying the subject for its own sake are also very welcome.

With its focus on first-hand study of decorative arts within historic interiors, the programme provides a vocational and academic training which has enabled students to pursue careers in museums, interior design, antique dealing, and auctioneering. Some of our past students now work at the Royal Collection, the National Trust and English Heritage (see What our students and alumni say).

The MA also provides an excellent spring-board for students wanting to do a PhD in art history or related disciplines.

Find out more about our School of Humanities on http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/humanities.

Teaching

Teaching is carried out through a combination of lectures supported by seminars and tutorials. A key feature of the Buckingham teaching method is the use of small tutorial groups which provide the most effective means of ensuring that the students benefit from the academic expertise at their disposal. It is also the philosophy of Buckingham’s faculty to be available to students outside the scheduled tutorial times and to encourage good working relationships between staff and students.

The MA is taught by staff from the University of Buckingham, with the participation of outside experts from the Wallace Collection, the Victoria and Albert Museum, English Heritage, the Royal Institute of British Architects, the Soane Museum. There are also a number of renowned independent scholars who give lectures and lead some of the seminars and class trips.

UK Study Trips

There are frequent trips to collections in and around London, and a study week at Buckingham exploring local country houses such as Woburn Abbey, Waddesdon Manor, Boughton and Blenheim Palace, with their important decorative arts collections.

Paris Study Week

In the second term there is a study week in Paris, where students are granted privileged access to some of the private apartments at Versailles not normally accessible to the public, as well as a number of very important eighteenth-century private houses in Paris, open by special permission.

Professional Practice Projects and Placements in Museums and Galleries

Students also have the opportunity, through the Professional Practice Project to plan an exhibition in a museum, research a project to restore an historic interior, or undertake a part-time museum placement, thereby acquiring useful vocational skills and experience. Some of our students are currently doing placements at English Heritage and Strawberry Hill.

Course Structure

The course starts each September and finishes the following September. During the first term students study the development of the decorative arts and the interior in France and England between c.1660 and the end of the eighteenth century. In the second term students examine revivalism and the practical and historical problems of reinterpreting eighteenth-century interiors and objects. This is combined with a professional practice project designed to equip students with skills and experience applicable to careers in museums and built heritage.

Teaching takes place two days a week (excluding class trips) over two terms, or one day a week for part-time students. During the third term, students research a dissertation under supervision, which is written up over the summer for submission at the end of September. Assessment is by means of coursework and the dissertation.

Subject to the agreement of the Programme Director, there are some options for part-time study, one day a week over two years, or by deferral of the dissertation.

Apply here http://www.buckingham.ac.uk/humanities/ma/decorativearts.

Read less