On this course you gain the knowledge the skills you need to work as an engineer, building on your existing degree in science or technology.
A rewarding career
Engineers apply scientific and technological principles to solve problems in a creative way. It’s a well-paid and rewarding career that is constantly changing with new developments in technology. And with a shortage of electrical and electronic engineers in the UK, your skills will be in demand.
Electrical engineers are at the forefront of many innovations in the way we live and work today. They design, produce and install systems which power and control a range of products and digital communications.
What you study
You can follow your interests to create the right programme of study for you. Initially, you take two modules in engineering principles. Then, with guidance from your course leader, you select from a range of technical modules covering topics including electrical and control engineering and electronic systems.
In addition to your technical modules, you also take an engineering management subject and participate in a multidisciplinary product development project with MSc students from a range of engineering specialisms. You develop an understanding of how engineering projects work and how they relate to the commercial world, as well as becoming part of our engineering community and learning to think like an engineer.
One third of your study will be an individual project and dissertation. You specialise in a technical area of your interest and carry out your own in-depth investigation into a particular problem. Where possible, this will be an industry-related problem.
Expertise
Many of our academic staff are actively involved in research. Examples of recent projects include • developing equipment to monitor the bone mineral density of young children for Sheffield Children's Hospital • developing palm-sized robots to enable firefighters to safely enter and negotiate hazards in burning buildings.
Core modules
Plus one of either
or
Options
Your remaining four modules are themed in the following subjects.
You can choose to specialise in one theme or a mix of both:
Electrical and Control Engineering
• electrical energy systems • efficient machines and electromagnetic applications • control of linear systems • industrial automation
Electronic Systems
• digital electronic systems design • mixed signal design • digital signal processing • microprocessor engineering
Assessments will be a mix of coursework and exam, depending on the specific module studied.
You can work in areas such as • global telecommunications • consumer electronics • computer electronics • aerospace • automotive • railway • robotics • general manufacturing • water, gas and electricity supply.
You can specialise in the design of • computers • mobile phones • media streamers • satellite dishes • instrumentation and control systems • aeroplanes • military equipment • cars • electrical energy systems.
Our graduates have developed careers with companies including • BBC • Tata Steel • Emhart Glass • Sony Mobile Communications • Honeywell Control Systems • Motorola • Rolls-Royce • First ScotRail • Siemens • Vodafone.
The spirit of Ceramics & Glass at the RCA springs from the heart of those media, and a belief in the transformative power of material thinking, research and making to enrich our world in imaginative and meaningful ways. The programme is a site for contemporary discourse where personal concerns and global perspectives intersect. We seek those with passion to extend the possibilities and perspectives of ceramics and glass within and beyond traditional limitations, informed by their rich provenance of materials and practices.
The Ceramics & Glass MA at the RCA provides outstanding opportunities to develop a dynamic, informed and connected practice in a study environment that embraces diversity and depth. We believe in interrogating practices and challenging conventions.
Our hyper-material age presents exciting and critical opportunities to explore cultures of production; to ask questions about what, why and how we make; to express ideas through the symbolic modes of things and transformative character of substances, and to consider how our work can influence physical, personal and psycho-social environments. We challenge and encourage you to stretch your imagination, expand your potential and find your voice.
The MA spectrum of enquiry includes art and design works, design for manufacture and the built environment, emerging experimental practices and applications. Curiosity is nurtured through the imaginative exploration of concepts, the investigation of material properties and technologies, the potential of interdisciplinary practice and collaboration. Making, thinking and writing skills are integrated to develop critical perspectives of practice and purpose, and to foster new understandings of our interaction with ‘things’.
The exceptional ceramic and glass facilities at the Royal College underpin a dynamic study environment led by outstanding teachers and technical experts, supported by contributions from peers, acclaimed visiting lecturers and graduates, who have shaped the programme’s leading research and international standing over many years.
The MA study experience integrates studio-based project learning with a formal dialogue in Critical & Historical Studies, scaffolded by the rigour of enquiry and reflective practice. Workshops, lectures, visiting experts and collaboration opportunities are supplemented by seminars and personal tutorials to provide guidance, foster critical reflection and encourage the development of individual trajectories and ambitions.
The programme offers:
