MA Jewellery & Metal

at Royal College of Art

The programme is delivered across three terms and includes a combination of programme, School and College units.
 

Term 1

The Interrogating Your Practice and Deconstructing Assumptions unit, focuses on developing analytical tools for deconstructing and critiquing one’s own practice and previous methods/approaches as well as providing new contexts and directions for their work. Emphasis is placed on inviting new thoughts and progressive ideas through which to develop a jewellery, object or metal practice. The development of personal and investigative research methods are key and are developed and discussed throughout the term.
 

Across Terms 1 and 2, you will participate in the College-wide unit. This unit aims to support students to meet the challenges of a complex, uncertain and changing world by bringing them together to work collaboratively on a series of themed projects informed by expertise within and beyond the College. These projects will challenge you to use your intellect and imagination to address key cultural, social, environmental and economic challenges. In doing so, you will develop and reflect on the abilities required to translate knowledge into action, and help demonstrate the contribution that the creative arts can make to our understanding and experience of the world.
 

Term 2

The Developing Your Voice and Situating a Practice focuses on developing new techniques, processes, lines of enquiry through a material-led, material-transformational practice as well as setting forth your suitable career context where students are asked to frame their practice within a chosen professional context within art and design. Research developments and lines of enquiry formulated in the term 1 Interrogating Your Practice and Deconstructing Assumptions unit will act as a background for the production of a body of work.
 

In term 2 all School of Arts & Humanities students will participate in the Urgency of the Arts, School-wide unit. Through this unit we ask: what does arts and humanities research and practice have to offer in our current socio-political climate? The unit introduces students to a diverse range of perspectives, approaches and practices relevant to contemporary practice and thought in the Arts & Humanities. The delivery is devised to help you identify and query your own practices and disciplinary assumptions through encounters with others and within the various practices undertaken by students in the School, and to raise awareness around contemporary concerns. You will be supported in understanding the ramifications of your own work and practice within a broad cultural context, and to recognise its many potentially unintended readings and consequences.
 

Term 3

The Independent Research Project a point of synthesis through exhibition, critical reflection and portfolio production. You will be supported to acquire advanced understanding of practice-led methodologies, critical reflection, production and presentation. Here, the IRP supports you with the specific conceptual and material demands of exhibiting and sharing their work and uses this to prepare them for the diverse professional practices of contemporary art and design.

Candidates are selected entirely on merit and applications are welcomed from all over the world. The selection process considers creativity, imagination and innovation as demonstrated in your portfolio, as well as your potential to benefit from the programme and to achieve high MA standards overall.
 

We seek to recruit students who are talented, enthusiastic, energetic, professionally minded, with an open and critical approach to design and making. You must possess a good undergraduate degree (or non-UK equivalent qualification) in metalwork, jewellery or a related subject, such as textiles, sculpture, architecture and industrial design. Your application should be supported by good, preferably academic, references and you should possess a range of practical skills. Equivalent professional experience or apprenticeships are also taken into account.
 

Applications may be considered from candidates without formal training and/or qualifications in other subjects, but you must clearly demonstrate an understanding of the subject area and potential to bring expertise and knowledge from another discipline that would contribute to the Jewellery & Metal group dynamic.
 

Portfolio requirements

Your portfolio is a showcase of your work as an artist or designer and can be made up of images, videos or writing examples. Your portfolio helps us to better understand your application and allows you to show evidence of your ability and motivation to undertake a given programme.
 

Generally, we’re looking for you to demonstrate your:

• Creativity, imagination and innovation
• Ability to articulate the intentions of the work
• Intellectual engagement in areas relevant to the work
• Technical skills appropriate to the work
• Potential to benefit from the programme
   

English-language requirements

If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country you will need the equivalent of an IELTS Academic score of 6.5 with a 6.0 in the Test of Written English (TWE) and at least 5.5 in other skills. Students achieving a grade of at least 6.0, with a grade of 5.5 in the Test of Written English, may be eligible to take the College’s English for Academic Purposes course to enable them to reach the required standard.

Overseas and EU - £35,000*