Masters Degrees (Technical Textile)

The complete Masters (MSc) course in Technical Textiles enables you to develop a high level of understanding of modern technical textiles, preparing you for a career in the textile or related industries as a manager or researcher, or for an academic career.
Graduates of this programme are expected to understand the whole process of converting fibrous materials into the end product and to be able to identify and analyse the appropriate material and production route for a specific end product. You will also have developed the expertise and skill to conduct quality evaluation of textile products.

The complete MSc programme is made up of taught course units and a research dissertation. The taught course units are delivered through a combination of lectures and practical laboratory work.

Special features

The Masters programme in Technical Textiles enables you to develop a high level of understanding of the advanced Technical Textiles sector, preparing you for a career in the textile or related industries as a manager or researcher, or for an academic career.
After successfully completing the programme, you will have gained a thorough grounding and understanding of the whole process of converting fibrous polymeric materials to the end product. This successful delivery to the Technical Textiles sector involves materials performance, Computer Aided Design (CAD), 2D/3D product design and specification, sustainability, effective supply chains and an understanding of diverse product sectors such as textile composites, protective wear, filtration, sportswear, medical textiles and the integration of electronics into textile structures.

Coursework and assessment

You will be assessed by a combination of exams and coursework. The coursework supports the development of your transferable skills such as literature review and report writing. You will complete your MSc programme with a dissertation project. Your dissertation is an opportunity to apply your learning on a five-month technical textiles project. It also enables you to further develop your knowledge and skill in your chosen field. Your choice of topic, in consultation with your personal tutor, will range in purpose from investigatory and problem-solving work, through studies of state-of-the-art technology and current practice, to experimental and analytical research.

Accrediting organisations

Accredited by the Institute of Minerals, Materials and Mining (IOM 3 ) as meeting the Further Learning requirements for registration as a Chartered Engineer.

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The textiles industry is continually evolving. Developing new products that meet the needs of a changing market demands a combination of technology and design technology. This programme will give you access to the latest developments across the textile industry to equip you for these challenges.

You’ll receive training in key skills including laboratory practice, problem solving, and reasoning, and you’ll undertake a substantial research dissertation. In addition, you’ll have the chance to specialise in either textile technology or textile design technology, depending on your own interests and career plans. A variety of optional modules will also give you the chance to learn about topics such as medical textiles, or fashion and sustainability.

Taught by experts in one of the UK’s major hubs for textile research, this programme will help you gain the specialist knowledge and skills to build a career in a fast-paced and challenging industry.

We have plenty of facilities to help you make the most of your time at Leeds, including well-equipped laboratories and purpose-built computer clusters so you can build your skills on both PC and Mac.

Accreditation

The course is accredited by the Society of Dyers and Colourists as being equivalent to its ASDC examinations leading to Chartered Colourist (CCol) status. It is also accredited by The Textile Institute at Associate level (CText ATI), this demonstrates a good broad knowledge of textiles and its application, and allows you to apply for Licentiateship (LTI) upon graduation, and Associateship (CText ATI) after one year in industry.

Course content

Everyone studies the same compulsory modules throughout the programme, which allow you to become a confident researcher and give you experience of practical lab work in Semester 2. You’ll apply the knowledge and skills that you have gained throughout the course to a substantial piece of independent research, which you’ll submit by the end of the programme in September.

You’ll also have the chance to specialise in the aspects of textiles that interest you by selecting the appropriate pathway.

Textile Design Technology pathway

In the modules on this pathway you’ll learn how to view technology through the eyes of both the designer and the technologist. You’ll gain understanding of how to manipulate technology to design and produce new products and how to maintain and/or improve the desirability of current products.

Textile Technology pathway

You will gain in-depth knowledge of advanced textile technology, textile processes and quality management together with the science, technology and testing of functional textile materials, product development, coloration and finishing processes, medical textiles, nonwovens and performance clothing.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

Course structure

Compulsory modules

• Research Dissertation 60 credits
• Laboratory Practicals and Case Studies 30 credits

Optional modules

• Sustainability and Fashion 15 credits
• Textiles in Medical Devices and Healthcare Products 15 credits
• Textile Consultancy and Management 15 credits
• Textile Product Design, Innovation and Development 15 credits
• Textile Design Technology 15 credits
• Colour and the Design Process for Textiles 15 credits
• Digital Printing 15 credits
• Textile technology including nonwovens 15 credits
• Coloration and Finishing Technology 15 credits
• Technical Textiles 15 credits
• Textiles International 15 credits

For more information on typical modules, read Textiles MSc Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information on typical modules, read Textiles MSc Part Time in the course catalogue

Learning and teaching

We use various teaching and learning methods, including practicals, lectures, seminars and tutorials. Independent study is also vital to this degree, allowing you to develop your skills and prepare for taught sessions so you can make the most of them.

Assessment

You’ll be assessed by a range of methods including essays and exams as well as practical and project work, reports, literature reviews and presentations.

Career opportunities

This degree is designed to equip you with a wide range of knowledge and skills to succeed in careers such as textile management, technical consultancy, and education and training. You’ll also be well prepared to continue with academic research in textiles at PhD level.

If you take the Textile Design Technology pathway, you could work in the industry as designers or in areas, which need an understanding of technology and design e.g. buying, textile product development for apparel, and in various third party testing houses. Moreover, you could work in various textile industries in managerial positions including the retail and supply chain management with major clothing companies and their suppliers.

The Textile Technology pathway will allow you to gain the skills to pursue a career in any of the following fields: technical consultancy; education and training; and academic research in technical textiles. You may also be employed as a product development technologist in specialist fields such as medical textiles, geotextiles and civil engineering materials, aerospace and transport engineering materials, and sport and performance clothing.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more at the Careers website.

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Textile Conservation is a multidisciplinary subject which combines academic knowledge with cultural awareness, aesthetic sensitivity and technical skill. This MPhil is both an academic programme and professional training; it will give you a framework of theoretical knowledge and a range of practical experience which will enable you to contribute to the understanding and preservation of culturally significant textile artefacts.

Why this programme

◾If you are looking to enter a career in textile conservation practice in a museum or other institution, or to pursue doctoral-level research in this field, this programme is designed for you.
◾You will take part in a project-based work placement, where you can explore a possible future career while meeting professional practitioners and developing your skills and experience.
◾You will be based in our specialist conservation laboratories. The facilities include workrooms, a wet lab, dye lab, chemistry lab and well-equipped analytical lab.
◾You will benefit from our close links with Glasgow Museums, as well as the University’s own Hunterian Museum. Glasgow’s civic and university collections are some of the richest and most diverse in Europe and are of international standing. You will have the opportunity to draw on the museums’ rich and varied textile collections.

◾This is the only programme of its kind in the UK, and one of only a few specialist textile conservation programmes in the world.

Programme structure

You will take core courses over two semesters in each year, with a work placement in the summer between the first and second years. You will write up your dissertation over the second summer and submit it at the end of August.

The core courses will develop an understanding of
◾the practical skills used in textile conservation
◾related practical skills including dyeing and photography
◾the science underpinning textile deterioration and conservation treatments
◾preventive conservation techniques
◾the technological, cultural, historic and aesthetic contexts of textile artefacts
◾the place of conservation in the wider cultural sector.

Core courses

Year 1
◾Research methods in practice
◾Principles and practice: core skills and ethics
◾Understanding textiles: technology
◾Principles and practice: developing skills
◾Preventive conservation
◾Material cultures
◾Placement

Year 2
◾Principles and practice: advanced skills
◾Conservation in practice
◾Deconstructing the artefact
◾Principles and practice: conservation projects
◾Professional development
◾Research management
◾Dissertation

Career prospects

The programme is at career-entry level and graduates are qualified to go on to a post-training internship or directly into the workplace as a textile conservator in a museum or other institution around the world, as well as to undertake further study at PhD level.

The great majority of graduates of this programme and if its predecessor, the Textile Conservation Centre’s MA Textile Conservation programme, now work in museums and other institutions. Graduates of the two programmes have an outstanding record of employment on graduation and of remaining in the sector. They now work in nearly 30 countries and are in senior positions worldwide.

MPhil graduates have been awarded Mellon Fellowships at Denver Art Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian, Smithsonian Institution, in the USA, while others now work for National Museums Scotland, Historic Royal Palaces and the National Maritime Museum in the UK and Heritage Conservation Center, Singapore, among others.

However, it is worth noting that many graduates go on to short-term contract posts initially. It is easier to find a textile conservation post if you are able to be flexible in terms of location.

Further information:
◾Institute of Conservation (ICON)
◾American Institute for Conservation

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The defining feature of BA (Hons) Textile Design at NUA is the broad experimental approach to a range of textile practices including print and dye, constructed textiles, drawing, laser cutting and digital design.

Focusing on innovative approaches to design you will be able to investigate textile practices without being constrained by a curriculum which segregates design specialisations.

Freedom to explore creative practice together with a proactive approach towards industry engagement, self-promotion and competition entry helps students gain placement opportunities and win awards every year, including New Designers, Bradford Textile Society and CAMAC Student Wallpaper Design.

Lectures and workshops with guests from textile design and fashion sectors such as Sarah Angold (Sarah Angold Studio), Sally Ann Wood (Cath Kidston) and Margo Selby encourage industry understanding. Trips to cities such as Paris and New York include studio and trade fair visits to further support you in identifying and developing your own career path or business venture.

We challenge conventional thinking about textile design practice and encourage and support you to push the boundaries of your practice through experimentation, critical reflection and skilful use of techniques and processes.

Facilities

Textile Print and Dye Workshop

Long print tables with repeat furniture for screenprinting fabric lengths, heat presses, dye kitchen with steaming and washing facilities are included in the resources available.

Constructed Textiles Workshop

Resources include: digital sewing, embroidery and knitting machines with professional software, spinning wheels, tapestry frames, smocking machines, shaft table top looms, digital reactive and acid dye fabric printer, Epson 7000 digital disperse dye sublimation printer and Mimaki TX2 digital fabric printer.

Digital Design Workshop

Equipped with the Adobe Creative Suite. AVA professional textile design software is available for taught delivery and individual use.

General Technical Sessions

Optional software inductions available to all students introduce you to a wide range of creative possibilities and output options.

Media Resource Centre

For digital cameras, tripods, 35mm DSLRs, 35mm film cameras and lighting equipment.

Laser Cutter

Large-bed cutter for card, board and acrylic materials with associated digital design hardware and software.

NUA Library

The largest specialist are, design and media collection in the East of England including 32,000 books, 1,300 journal subscriptions and 3,000 DVDs.

Applications

The offer of entry onto a Masters Degree (MA) is based on an expectation that you have the potential to fulfil the aims of the course of study and achieve the standard required to successfully complete the award. Entrants should normally have achieved a BA (Hons)/BSc Degree of 2:1 or above (or its equivalent), in a subject related to your proposed course of study.

Applicants who hold a Degree from another discipline may also be considered for entry, subject to the submission of a satisfactory portfolio of art, design or media-related work in support of their application.

The majority of applicants to courses at NUA will be invited to attend an interview. This provides an invaluable chance to meet face-to-face and is the major factor in determining the success of your submission. The interview is an opportunity to assess your work and the suitability of your application and also provides you with a chance to assess NUA’s staff, campus and facilities and ask questions. The key focus of your application process is on your portfolio. Some courses may require additional entry requirements or passes in specific subjects.

• Complete the application form, including a well-prepared and considered 500 word statement indicating your intentions for MA study. The form should be word-processed not hand-written.
• Detach the Reference Form and forward to your chosen referee with a request to complete and return to NUA at the address indicated.
• Email the completed form to: [email protected] or post to Admissions, Norwich University of the Arts, Francis House, 3 – 7 Redwell St, Norwich, NR2 4SN
• We will endeavour to contact you within two weeks of receiving your application and reference from your nominated referee. If your application is acceptable we will arrange a date for interview.

For further information on this course, please visit our website - MA Textile Design.

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The MA in Fashion Textile Practices aims to cover a vastly changing environment. As a broad subject area this course allows you to explore a varied range of fashion and textile directions. It offers continuing or recent graduates opportunities to enhance their knowledge, skills, creativity and employment prospects, through imaginative enquiry into different fashion, textile and surface platforms and processes.
Our MA in Fashion Textile Practices aims to combine advanced creative, aesthetic and technical design skills. You will normally have a degree in a related subject (Fashion Design, Textile or Surface Design, Textile Crafts), may be seeking to develop fresh approaches to your subject (creative pattern cutting, design for fashion, interiors or exterior architectural surfaces, future materials, 3D printed textiles or surfaces, advancing your weave, embroidery, knit or print skills, or textile art), or may wish to build your portfolio for fashion, textile or surface roles in industry in the future. A portfolio of work or ideas is required for subject entry.

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The Textile Science and Technology research degrees are part of a multi-disciplinary School of Materials. State-of-the-art facilities and a leading academic team, the largest and most comprehensive in Europe, are complemented by innovative research areas, and make this an exciting and forward-looking area for research.

Innovation

Textiles are a platform for innovation. Our research draws on the natural flexibility and versatility of fibres to produce novel fibre structures and physical properties. Through an integrated approach, our research expertise has been established across a broad technological base allowing multi-disciplinary problems to be solved.

High Performance Textiles

A huge manufacturing and commercial area in the textile science and technology sector is High Performance Technical Textiles. Such textiles require the specialist equipment infrastructure and critical scientific mass available at Manchester and in turn, allow us to carry out focused research and collaborate with important industry sectors, such as aerospace composites, where 3D textile structures are critical to lowering weight, maintaining strength and improving efficiency and economy.

International links

We work closely with various international research centres. Collaboration with the Faraday Technitex Centre, focusing on Technical Textiles, has assisted UK industry to develop novel performance materials and technology. We also have an important partnership in novel chemical processing with the Lenzig supported Christian Doppler Laboratory, which is primarily focused on the development of the sustainable cellulosic materials sector.

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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The Textile Science and Technology research degrees are part of a multi-disciplinary School of Materials. State-of-the-art facilities and a leading academic team, the largest and most comprehensive in Europe, are complemented by innovative research areas, and make this an exciting and forward-looking area for research.

Innovation

Textiles are a platform for innovation. Our research draws on the natural flexibility and versatility of fibres to produce novel fibre structures and physical properties. Through an integrated approach, our research expertise has been established across a broad technological base allowing multi-disciplinary problems to be solved.

High Performance Textiles

A huge manufacturing and commercial area in the textile science and technology sector is High Performance Technical Textiles. Such textiles require the specialist equipment infrastructure and critical scientific mass available at Manchester and in turn, allow us to carry out focused research and collaborate with important industry sectors, such as aerospace composites, where 3D textile structures are critical to lowering weight, maintaining strength and improving efficiency and economy.

International links

We work closely with various international research centres. Collaboration with the Faraday Technitex Centre, focusing on Technical Textiles, has assisted UK industry to develop novel performance materials and technology. We also have an important partnership in novel chemical processing with the Lenzig supported Christian Doppler Laboratory, which is primarily focused on the development of the sustainable cellulosic materials sector.

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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Overview

The two-year MA in Fashion and Textile Design provides a full training for fashion designers wishing to acquire advanced skills to access high level positions in the fashion industry or design and promote their own collection or brand.

During the program, students will be tutored by professors, professionals and creative experts of international leverage and will attend theory classes, workshops and practical lab trainings to develop a deep knowledge of the tools that fashion designers may exploit and understand the requirements set by industrial production as well as craftsmanship creation.

The program’s main courses, taught by leading fashion professionals, rely heavily on lab experience. While in most schools, industry professionals have the role of visiting professors, in this program they lead a full design mentorship experience, monitoring and guiding the development of each student’s individual skills.
Collaborative projects with companies are distributed along the two-year experience, with the participation of small, select groups of students for each project.

Language: English
Credits: 120 CF
Placement rate: 81%

Audience

Candidates holding a first-level academic diploma or BA degree, or about to graduate and with a knowledge of theEnglish language (according to the medium of instruction of the program) equal to a B2 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
The program is addressed to young designers that adopt and recognize in fashion a language able to visually embrace the essence of the contemporary world (music, visual arts, humanistic culture, technical/scientific culture, craft and industrial technologies, experimentation and tradition).

Career

The two-year MA in Fashion and Textile Design equips students with the necessary fundamentals to continue their studies or to enter the world of professional design and creative industries. Graduates may find employment as: Fashion designers, Textile designers, Journalists/fashion critics (for both printed and Internet magazines and blogs), Art directors, Creative consultants for companies, Entrepreneurs with their own fashion company.

Companies

NABA has developed strong relationships with leading companies which provide internships for NABA students. Among them are: Costume National, ETRO Fashion Group, Gianni Versace, Gucci, Jil Sander Italia, Kenzo, Max Mara, Missoni, Moschino, Valentino Premiere Vision, Triumph, Trussardi, Woolmark .

Admission

Discover how to apply: http://www.naba.it/admission-postgraduate-programs/processo-di-ammissione/?lang=en

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The increased understanding and use of textiles as both a decorative and technical material has led to a rapid expansion of the industry into areas such as architecture and engineering.

This merging of textiles technology and aesthetics is complex and requires designers who are able to converse with engineers and scientists, handling technical information as well as expressing conceptual design ideas.

Through established links with the DR-i (Design Research Initiative) and Brighton's School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, this MA is designed to stimulate such diversity in textile design thinking. We are seeking talented students who are keen to push the boundaries and perception of what we understand textiles to be.

This course is suitable both for recent graduates interested in furthering their skills or exploring new areas and markets, and for experienced designers who want to challenge their practice in a creative environment.

Due to the open and explorative nature of the course, students from non-textiles backgrounds such as 3D craft design, fine art, materials development, engineering and science are welcome to bring a fresh viewpoint and build on their existing specialist knowledge.

Semester 1

The first semester is made up of three modules and serves as a foundation to your learning experience, imparting key research skills, exploration beyond your discipline and initial explorative practice-based enquiry.

• Practice-Based Enquiry (Part One)
Spanning semesters one and two, this module provides a reflective environment for rigorous explorative practice-based enquiry and the development of design concepts identified in the self-initiated project proposal submitted at interview. Increasingly informed by research and critical awareness skills developed in the supporting modules, you will explore and reflect on novel design concepts and the application of practice-based research methods. You will also be encouraged to engage with live research, industry contacts and collaborative projects.

• Research Skills and Training
Through a series of lectures and seminar groups with active researchers, you will explore the value of research within a practice-based design context. You will develop research skills and an understanding of different methodologies and how research can be used as a design tool.

• Options module
Placed in the first semester to maximise the potential areas of study, the options module takes advantage of the range of subjects and learning experiences available from across the college. This module allows you to tailor your study and learning experience to complement and inform your specific area of interest from an early stage. Learning alongside students from varied disciplines, you will be able to explore areas of personal interest from subjects including design history, sustainable design, professional practice, and historical and critical studies.

Semester 2

The second semester encourages you to explore diverse cross-disciplinary sources to inform and contextualise your research project before focusing on your final proposal.

• Practice-Based Enquiry (Part Two)
Continuing from initial explorations in Practice-Based Enquiry (Part One), you will develop an increasingly focused, reflective body of work that demonstrates applied research methodologies and an understanding of their position within a broader textiles and industry context. You will conclude the module with a final 500-word proposal to define the area of study that you will undertake in your thesis.

• Creative and Contextual Enquiry
Informed by the learning undertaken in semester one, you will critically engage with and reflect on your subject area, exploring diverse cross-disciplinary influences that inform your practice. Through the use of relevant research methods, this creative contextual enquiry will stimulate awareness and rigorous critical evaluation of cultural, technological and research debates, both within and outside of your discipline.

Semester 3

In the third semester, you will fully integrate your previous learning into the realisation of your thesis.

• Practice-Based Textile Design Thesis
During this self-directed module, you will put into practice the skills acquired throughout the programme of study, working towards the realisation of the final proposal submitted at the end of semester two. You are expected to rigorously explore and fully resolve a body of practice-based textile design inquiry, which should be positioned at the forefront of your academic or professional discipline and advance design thinking within your stated field.

The module contains planned lectures, group seminars and individual tutorials delivered by lecturers who are active researchers or innovative design practitioners. You will have access to a diverse range of lecture series and conferences held at the university as well as exhibitions and trade fairs relevant to your study.

You will have the opportunity to extend your skills through advanced textiles technology, working closely with expert technical demonstrators. Relevant placements or access to external study are negotiable on an individual basis, determined by the requirements of your proposal.

Facilities

Our facilities range from traditional hand looms, screen printing equipment and knitting resources to advanced industrial textile technologies, including a Mimaki TX2 digital printer, Dornier industrial 20 shaft electronic dobby, twin rapier Powerloom, TC1 Electronic Jacquard Loom and Shima Seiki industrial knitting machine. We also make use of Scotweave design software.

Other resources that you can use include a 3D body scanner, laser cutter, rapid prototyping machine, CNC router and plasma cutter, and 5 axis milling machine. You will have access to our facilities through specialist workshops in knitted, printed and woven textiles, which are run by a highly skilled team of technical demonstrators.

Careers and employability

Successful completion of the course signifies specialist and transferable skills in design and research, and will prepare you for work across the textiles and allied design industries. You could also choose to pursue research in the commercial sector or continue your studies at doctoral level.

Many graduates of the Textiles MA hold high-level design and trend forecasting positions at international companies including Abercrombie and Fitch, Donna Karan, DKNY, Burberry, Alexander McQueen, Cath Kidston, H&M, WGSN and Forpeople.

Others have forged independent careers in the industry, from establishing design labels such as Marchesa, (Keren Craig), Eley Kishimoto (Mark Eley) and Julien Macdonald to textile design studios and consultancies (Larch Rose and Woven Studios).

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Creative Futures offers recent graduates and established practitioners a chance to continue to develop their chosen discipline and specialist practice at masters level. You will gain advanced creative, technical and business skills, a sophisticated understanding of the business environment and a formalised work experience placement. The aim is to enhance your appeal in the job market and/or provide you with the tools needed to set up in freelance practice or to create your own business. Students will receive tuition in business skills that are designed and delivered specifically for creative practitioners as well as access to our extensive workshops and specialist facilities.

The course is designed to provide maximum flexibility, whether it is being studied on a full or part-time basis: All modules have an extensive distance learning component, combined with intensive, full-day workshops.

Course content

Modules you will study include:
-Creativity and Enterprise
-Developing Knowledge, Creative, Technical, Digital and Business Skills
-Creative Futures: Work Experience
-Creative Futures: Masters Project

There will also be an opportunity to choose from the following option modules:
-The Marketing Context
-Personal Branding
-Design Management
-Community Arts in a Global Perspective
-Creativity and Innovation
-New Media and Society
-Culture and Identity

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The Specializing Master in Fiber Design and Textile Processes was created because there is a need to explore this topic by paying particular attention to these types of new materials.
Founded and launched by two centers of excellence: Città Studi Biella with its tradition of technical skills and POLI.design.
The goal is to offer a unique educational program by providing quality knowledge and skills for designing innovative fibers and new materials including the Internet of Things (IoT) and environmental sustainability, thanks to the local companies involved throughout the academic program and their generous support.

For more info visit the page: http://www.polidesign.net/it/fiber

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This MA is unique in combining the study of Buddhism, Buddhist art, and the techniques and conservation of Buddhist art. Offered by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Centre for Buddhist Art and Conservation at The Courtauld, the MA was established as a one-year degree in 2013. In order to build on and expand the strengths of the programme, the MA is changing in 2017 to a two-year degree taught in collaboration with SOAS.

The MA now brings together world-famous institutions: The Courtauld for the study of art history and conservation, and SOAS for the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Drawing on the unique strengths of the two institutions and their exceptional faculties, the new curriculum of the MA provides detailed and systematic teaching over two years. Each discipline is introduced, expanded and integrated to allow students to obtain the best possible learning experiences and skills acquisition. Designed to provide increased specialisation over the two years, the course culminates in research and a substantial dissertation in the final months.

Offered once every two years, applications are now invited for the programme beginning autumn 2017. Taught by a wide range of specialists from both The Courtauld and SOAS, the MA also benefits from teaching by visiting experts. The course includes study trips to museums in the UK and Europe, and a longer study trip to India to develop an appreciation of Buddhist art in its original contexts. Students also benefit from conferences and public events regularly held by the Ho Centre at The Courtauld.

Drawing also on the research and conservation work undertaken by The Courtauld’s Conservation of Wall Painting Department in Bhutan, China and India, this MA is specifically designed to equip students with knowledge of:

‌•the central concepts of Buddhism, and their historical diffusion;
‌•the history of Buddhist art in its various religious, social and cultural contexts;
‌•the materials and techniques involved in the making of various types of Buddhist art;
‌•approaches to the conservation of Buddhist art, including understanding of the ethical, technical and administrative issues involved.

This MA provides a comprehensive grounding in the history of Buddhism, Buddhist art and its conservation for those intending to pursue further specialist conservation education, and for those who wish to proceed into related fields such as art-historical research, curating, and site-management.

About eight students are accepted on the MA. Applicants from different academic and geographical backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Previous experience in any of the fields covered by the MA is not required.

Please Note: Plans are being made for the redevelopment of The Courtauld’s home at Somerset House. The project, called Courtauld Connects, will include the development of state-of-the-art teaching and research facilities. During the redevelopment the location of some teaching will move. Further information on Courtauld Connects will be published on The Courtauld’s website over the coming months.

Programme Structure

This two-year MA combining the study of Buddhism, Buddhist art, and the techniques and conservation of Buddhist art, is structured to provide increased specialisation during the course, with a substantial dissertation at the end. The programme consists of interwoven strands. Led by Professor David Park and Dr Giovanni Verri at The Courtauld, and by Dr Christian Luczanits and Dr Vincent Tournier at SOAS, it includes teaching by a wide range of specialists from both institutions and from elsewhere. Some strands will be taught at The Courtauld or on-site, while for others students will join classes at SOAS.

Year 1
The objectives of this year are to provide a grounding in the concepts of Buddhism and their historical diffusion; an appreciation of the chronological development, regional variations and major themes of Buddhist art; an understanding of the making of different types of Buddhist art, and of the ethical, legal and other issues underlying the conservation and display of Buddhist art; and an interdisciplinary exposure to the imagining and presentation of Buddhas and their achievements in South Asia, juxtaposing the textual perspective with what is communicated through imagery. The formal teaching is reinforced through a study trip in the second term to museums in Paris or elsewhere in Europe, and in the third term by a longer study trip to India.

‌•Strand 1: Critical Concepts in Buddhist Studies Convenor: Vincent Tournier (SOAS) This course is designed to provide a broad understanding of the major processes and dynamics at work in the growth and development of Buddhism as a pan-Asian religion, and with the key methodological tools required to approach this major cultural force in its fascinating diversity.
‌
•Strand 2: History of Buddhist Art Convenors: David Park (The Courtauld) & Christian Luczanits (SOAS) This course provides an overview of Buddhist art with regard to its chronological development, regional variations, major themes, and the multiplicity of different media. Buddhist art in collections will also be studied, examining aspects of collecting and display.
‌
•Strand 3: The Making of Buddhist Art, and Conservation Principles Convenor: Giovanni Verri (The Courtauld) This course provides an introduction to the making of Buddhist art from its origins. Primary sources and technical studies are used to understand the different types of materials employed. It will also provide an introduction to the principles, ethics and other issues underlying the conservation and display of Buddhist art.
‌
•Strand 4: Imag(in)ing Buddahood in South Asia Convenors: Christian Luczanits & Vincent Tournier (SOAS) This course engages in an interdisciplinary manner with the central idea of Buddhism, as it developed within and beyond its South Asian cradle. Bringing together the expertise of an art historian and a historian of Buddhist thought, it will provide exposure to a diversity of approaches to textual, iconographic, and archaeological sources, to understand how Buddhas and their achievements were imagined, presented and encountered by Buddhist practitioners.

‌•Strand 5: Study trip to museums in Europe To examine Buddhist art in major museums in Paris or elsewhere, considering art-historical, technical and conservation aspects, as well as display and management issues.
‌
•Strand 6: Fragile Inheritance: the Conservation of Buddhist Art Convenor: David Park (The Courtauld) To examine the measures directly involved in the preservation of Buddhist art in museums and in situ; and to examine particular major case studies in detail with regard to the legal, ethical, management, practical and other issues involved.

Year 2
Strand 6 continues in Year 2. More specialised teaching is introduced in a variety of areas: texts, and their relationship to Buddhist objects; the scientific examination and imaging of Buddhist art; and a choice of specialised courses in Buddhist studies and Buddhist art, allowing students to pursue particular interests and to assist in the choice of dissertation topic. The dissertation, undertaken over a period of fourteen weeks, should consider an aspect of the original techniques, conservation, management, curating, history or use of Buddhist art.

‌•Strand 6: Fragile Inheritance: the Conservation of Buddhist Art Continued from Year 1
‌
•Strand 7: Texts on and around Buddhist objects Convenors: David Park (The Courtauld) & Vincent Tournier (SOAS) This course will

‌-explore the many ways by which texts inform, respond to, and accompany Buddhist objects across Asian societies. It will, in particular, -explore the Text-Image relationship, examining how textual and visual narratives respond to each other. It will introduce students to the methods of epigraphy and codicology, including the increasing use of imaging technologies.
‌
‌•Strand 8: Analysis and Imaging of Buddhist Art Convenor: Giovanni Verri (The Courtauld) This course provides an introduction to methods of examination and analysis through the use of visual observations and scientific instruments, and an introduction to and basic instruction in the technical imaging of Buddhist art including multispectral imaging.
‌
•Strand 9: Choice of one of the following specialised courses in Buddhist Studies and one in Buddhist Art at SOAS Students will select these courses in consultation with their tutors, on the basis of their previous background and career objectives; options will also depend on availability at SOAS. This further specialism will aid students in their choice of dissertation topic. Presentations and discussions at The
Courtauld will enable students to harmonise their experience.

Specialised Course in Buddhist Studies

-Buddhism in Tibet (Ulrich Pagel)
-Chinese Buddhism in the Pre-modern Period (Antonello Palumbo)
-East Asian Buddhist Thought (Lucia Dolce)
-The Buddhist Conquest of Central Asia (Ulrich Pagel)
-Specialised Course in Buddhist Art

-Buddhist and Hindu Art of the Maritime Silk Route (Peter Sharrock)
-Collecting and Curating Buddhist Art in the Museum (Louise Tythacott)
-Illustrated Manuscript Cultures of Southeast Asia (Anna Contadini & Farouk Yahya)
-Sacred Art and Architecture of Ancient Korea (Charlotte Horlyck)
-The Figure of the Buddha: Theory, Practice and the Making of Buddhist Art History (Ashley Thompson)
-Tibetan Buddhist Monuments in Context (Christian Luczanits)

‌•Strand 10: Dissertation: A major component of the MA is a 12,000-word dissertation, undertaken in the second and third terms of Year 2. The dissertation topic should focus on the original techniques, conservation, management, curating, history, or use of Buddhist art. Students are encouraged to design their research to reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the MA. Selection of the topic will be undertaken in the first term of Year 2 in consultation with course tutors, and will include assessment of the state of research, and production of an illustrated outline proposal with references.Topics have been varied; those of the previous one-year MA have included:

-19th– and early 20th-century copies and photographs of the Ajanta murals;
-narrative and biography in early Tibetan teacher portraits;
-tree and forest imagery in Buddhist Yamato-e handscroll paintings;
-technical study and investigation of Nagthangs;
-materials and techniques of red dyed gold from Southeast Asia;
-the influence of Tibetan Buddhism on Ming Imperial porcelains;
-examination and assessment of the environmental conditions of the Textile Museum of Bhutan.This range demonstrates the scope for students to research avenues that significantly develop their individual interests and skills, while also providing a contribution to the field.

Teaching Methods

Teaching methods and work required of the students are related to each strand and include:

‌•lectures: to impart factual information;
‌•seminars: to provide a forum for open discussion, and to allow assessment of the development of the individual student’s critical abilities;
‌•student seminars: to develop skills in gathering, organising and presenting a body of information, including visual material;
‌•essays: to develop skills in written communication and research methodology;
‌•reports: on the study trips;
‌•tutoring: to provide individual guidance, and to allow monitoring of the student’s progress.

How to Apply

Before starting your application, please ensure that you read and refer to the following three sets of information. Then access our Online Application System by selecting the relevant "Apply Now” link from the table of courses, below.

Follow this link for the information: http://courtauld.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/postgraduate-how-to-apply

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This innovative and progressive course will give you the opportunity to develop your creative, technical, and critical skills in fashion and textile design, while extending your practice in a conceptual and professional context.

The course combines intensive, studio-based projects with design research, as well as furthering your understanding and working knowledge of the techniques and processes specific to your chosen field of fashion and textile design. You’ll also learn to consider your design practice in terms of the technological, social, critical and ecological issues that influence fashion and textile design, while extending your understanding of business and entrepreneurship through industry briefs and external projects.

You’ll have the opportunity to develop advanced research skills and explore issues related to design practice, including new technology, globalisation and sustainability. This will be informed by your work with academics, practitioners and experts in the field of fashion design and textile design.

We use a broad range of teaching and learning strategies, including lectures, seminars and studio practice. You’ll take part in presentations, group activities, study groups and individual tutorials to discuss, debate and critique your work alongside your peers. You’ll work in our specialist workshops that include digital print and CAD facilities, knit, weave and print equipment, fashion sewing and pattern-making resources and an extensive specialist art and design library.

Our teaching staff are active in professional practice, research and scholarship and are members of research groups covering digital and material arts and sustainable art and design.

When you have completed your course you’ll be able to position yourself for a career in design for fashion, textiles, or related product areas, such as knitwear, performance sportswear or smart textiles for apparel and other uses such as interior design. Alternatively, you could further your studies through one of our MPhil or PhD programmes.

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What's the Master of Mechanical Engineering all about? 

The Master of Science in Engineering: Mechanical Engineering is a general training programme integrating all disciplines of basic sciences, engineering and technology. An essential element of the mechanical engineering curriculum at KU Leuven is the direct training of each student in a real-life industrial or research setting. Following up on the design assignment in the Bachelor's programme, the Master's programme brings the student in close contact with the industrial reality.

Structure 

Three versions

The Master's programme in Mechanical Engineering has three versions:

• A Dutch-language version for students who have already obtained a Master's degree of Engineering Technology: Electromechanical Engineering
• A Dutch-language version for students who have completed their Bachelor's training at our Faculty or at another university with Mechanical Engineering either as a major or as minor.
• An English-language version which mainly addresses foreign students, and to which admission is granted after evaluation of the application file.

Five modules 

The programme consists of five modules.

• The first major component is the core module in mechanical engineering.
• The second major component is one out of five options, which have been put together in a complementary way.

Three generic options 

• Manufacturing and Management: modern techniques for the design and production of discrete components, CAD and computer integration in production, management techniques, maintenance and logistics of a production company.
• Mechatronics and Robotics: mechatronics is the discipline in which the synergy of construction, sensing, actuation and control of machinery are concurrently defined and tuned for optimum integration
• Thermo-technical Sciences: physical principles and analysis, design, construction and operation of combustion engines and thermal and flow machines, cooling machines, power plants, etc.

Two application oriented options

• Aerospace technology: physical principles, analysis, design, construction, exploitation and operation of aircraft and space systems;
• Vehicle technology: physical principles, design, analysis and production of cars and ground vehicles and of systems for ground transportation.

Elective courses 

The third and fourth components in the programme structure concern a set of elective courses, to be chosen from a list of technical coursesand from a list of general interest courses.

Master's thesis

The final component is the Master's thesis, which represents 20% of the credits of the entire curriculum.

Strengths

• The department has a large experimental research laboratory with advanced equipment, to which Master's students have access. FabLab (a "Fabrication Laboratory") is also directly accessible for students.
• The department has built up an extensive network of companies which recruit a large number of our alumni since many years already, from whom we receive lots of informal feedback on the programme.
• In addition to their academic teaching and research assignments, several members of the teaching staff also have other responsibilities in advisory boards, in external companies, science & technology committees, etc. and they share that expertise with students.
• The programme attracts a large number of students.
• The programme offers students the choice between application oriented options and generic methodology oriented options.
• Many courses are dealing with contents in which the R&D of the Department has created spin-off companies, and hence can offer very relevant and innovation driven contents.
• The programme has a clearly structured, extensive and transparent evaluation procedure for Master's theses, involving several complementary assessment views on every single thesis.
• Several courses are closely linked to top-level research of the lecturers, and they can hence offer up-to-date and advanced contents to the students.

International experience

The Erasmus+ programme gives students the opportunity to complete one or two semesters of their degree at a participating European university. Student exchange agreements are also in place with Japanese and American universities.

Students are also encouraged to learn more about industrial and research internships abroad by contacting our Internship Coordinator. Internships are scheduled in between two course phases of the Master’s programme (in the summer period after the second semester and before the third semester).

These studying abroad opportunities and internships are complemented by the short summer courses offered via the Board of European Students of Technology (BEST) network. This student organisation allows students to follow short courses in the summer period between the second and the third semester. The Faculty of Engineering Science is also member of the international networks CESAER, CLUSTER and T.I.M.E.

You can find more information on this topic on the website of the Faculty. 

Career perspectives

The field of mechanical engineering is very wide. Mechanical engineers find employment in many industrial sectors thanks to our broad training programme. Demand for this engineering degree on the labour market is very strong and constant. A study by the Royal Flemish Engineers Association, identifies the specific sectors in which graduated mechanical engineers are employed.

• mechanical engineering: e.g. production machinery, compressed air systems, agricultural machinery
• metal and non-metal products: a very wide range of products e.g. pressure vessels, piping, suit cases,...
• off-shore and maritime engineering
• automation industry
• vehicle components, such as exhaust systems, drivetrain components and windshield wipers,...
• development and production of bicycles
• aircraft components, such as high lift devices, aircraft engines and cockpit display systems
• building, textile, plastic, paper sector
• electrical industry
• chemical industry
• environmental engineering and waste management
• energy sector
• financial, banking and insurance sector
• communications sector
• transportation sector: infrastructure and exploitation and maintenance of rolling stock
• software development and vendors
• technical and management consulting: large companies and small offices
• education and research
• technical and management functions in the public sector

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The MSc Industrial Design programme within the Contemporary Dialogues portfolio offers an exciting and innovative re-thinking of the Postgraduate provision that reflects the strategic thinking of Swansea College of Art. The portfolio facilitates migration between diverse thematic disciplines, exploring new ideas and conceptual approaches that confront us in society today and that of the future.

Course Overview

The MSc Industrial Design programme is about pushing the envelope of design ideation by giving students the freedom to challenge current conventions through collaborative experimentation and design thinking that reflects and addresses environmental, economic and technological challenges present in today’s society. An interdisciplinary approach is adopted, giving the students the opportunity to realise a design outcome, through analytical and practical investigation. You will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the virtual environment to validate a design direction, considering both an intellectual and technical argument to your outcome conclusions. The modules focus on design thinking and the development of your technical and philosophical perspectives, acting as a platform to design for manufacturing reality.

This programme is delivered in the newly refurbished Alexandra Road building in the Swansea Arts Quarter, and during the course of your studies you will be supported by specialist staff, leading professionals and practicing artists through lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. We have exceptional traditional and digital facilities, housed in spacious purpose-build workshops. Through these, we encourage creative freedom within all of our students and support you in challenging conventional thinking and established practices and facilitate new technological advances across a broad range of disciplines. We have found that through collaborative experimentation and innovative design thinking our students are able to produce work that meets the challenges and respond to the demands of the 21st century. This ensures that the course delivers a qualification and experience that is highly relevant to the changing needs of the industry.

Modules

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

Key Features

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

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

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

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

Assessment

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

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

Career Opportunities

This programme is written from an employability enhancement perspective, creating the platform for students to embrace the spectrum of commercial and cultural opportunities available, encouraging real life engagements, networking and other activities.

One of the guiding principles and enhancements of this programme is a commitment to flexible learning, with creative flexible learning and teaching relationships and discourses in order to make sure that the student’s individual needs and projected career opportunities are at the centre of their activities. This flexibility and concentration on individual needs and opportunities within learning is placed primarily at the service of employability.

Students will be encouraged to embrace professional networks and create links with enterprise – locally, nationally and globally, as well as connect with external agencies and organisations. Additionally the postgraduate programme has great potential to contribute to the commercial, academic and applied research aspirations of the University and its desire to contribute knowledge to the field of innovation, product and transportation research and development.

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