Forge your future by joining a degree course at the forefront of education in forged metal arts, where creativity meets craftmanship.
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Overview
In this dynamic programme, you’ll blend forging with innovative design and critical thinking. Through hands-on projects, develop your unique artistic practice and gain the skills and confidence to thrive in the ever-evolving world of design and forging
Immerse yourself in drawing, research, and design at the studio, while mastering forging, fabrication, and welding at the National School of Blacksmithing - Europe’s largest training forge.
Engage with the artistic world through insightful lectures and master classes featuring experienced designers and artists from around the globe. This programme empowers you to shape your future by mastering the creative process, refining your unique voice, and articulating your vision through thoughtful discussions.
You’ll build a strong portfolio of forged pieces, showcase your work, and establish valuable connections with galleries and makers. Ultimately, you’ll carve your own path and make a meaningful impact through your craft.
What our students do...
Forge a career you'll love
In the ever-expanding field of contemporary forged metal design, there is no single path. The competencies and knowledge you gain here will open up a world of opportunities. Your education will empower you to forge your own unique path, making a lasting impact and contributing to the evolution of forged metal design.
Independent, well-informed, and critically aware, when you graduate, you will be able to express your ideas with clarity, imagination, and confidence. Proficient in professional practice and equipped with a broad range of skills, you will have an emerging practice.
You will expertly combine traditional techniques with contemporary design principles. You will tackle challenges head-on, solve problems creatively, and push the boundaries of what’s possible in forged metal.
Forging futures
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Forging Futures - BA(Hons) Artist Blacksmithing alumni exhibition
What our students say
The Artist Blacksmithing Degree fostered resilience by encouraging me to trust my instincts, embrace creative risks, and learn from challenges. It planted the seed for a more authentic approach to my forged metalwork practice, grounded in my unique strengths and creative process.
Ren Garside
The course and staff support each student's unique creativity. I've gained confidence in researching, creating, and presenting my work—something I hadn't experienced before this degree.
Bradley Wills
This course has truly transformed the way I think and view the world. It encouraged me to be more experimental and playful with materials, while also helping me become more thoughtful and confident in my ideas. Over the past three years, I’ve been given the chance to grow and change, and now I feel ready and excited for what will come next.
Oliver Cowell
The creative community around the course is outstanding. Being surrounded by like-minded creatives was key to developing my skills as a maker. It's opened up a world of opportunity for me going forward.
Nathan Forster
The Artist Blacksmithing Degree has been invaluable in shaping my forging practice, allowing me to advance my skills within a creative environment where traditional craft meets contemporary art theory. Most importantly, having the space to design, experiment, refine, and fully explore the plasticity of the material—surrounded by like-minded individuals—was truly unbeatable!
Bran Davies
The Artist Blacksmithing degree course gave me much more than just skills training. It taught me to question everything, and to really look at the details. So now I am always asking myself: How can I make this simpler, or better? Most of all, it gave me three years to explore, without the pressure of business.
Sam Pearce
The Artist Blacksmithing degree allowed me to find what I’m really driven by and helped me lay out a direction in which I would like to progress as a maker. The course itself is more than just learning the craft of blacksmithing, it also covers a lot of critical thinking and translating that into an idea, and into a tangible design.
Sam Matthijs
The artist blacksmithing degree laid the groundwork for my creative process. The time spent discussing design, aesthetic and creative values with my fellow students gave me the self-assurance to confidently approach challenging design scenarios and to sell my work.
Toby Forbes Gower
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Embark on a Creative Journey. Imagine starting your day forging at the National School of Blacksmithing, where your creativity comes to life. In the afternoon, dive into the cutting-edge world of design in our state-of-the-art digital skills centre. Here, you’ll unleash your imagination with tools like laser cutters, 3D printing, and 3D scanning, enabling you to visualize, iterate, and rapidly test your ideas before bringing them to life at the forge.
The next day, step into your dedicated design studio, where you’ll draw and innovate with a variety of materials. Experiment with clay, wood, glass, copper, and aluminium, testing your concepts and designs before returning to the forge. On another day, engage in stimulating lectures and seminars that sharpen your critical thinking skills through lively analysis, evaluation, and debate, all supported by our extensive Art & Design library.
Engage in our outreach projects and deliver impactful workshops, such as Spoons from the Wood and Tools for Schools. These initiatives not only allow you to share your skills, but also foster connections with vulnerable adults and primary school children; enriching both their lives and yours.
Exhibit your work at prestigious events like Hereford Cathedral, Fresh Air Sculpture in Quenington, and New Designers in London. These platforms showcase your talent to industry professionals, opening doors to new opportunities and collaborations.
Join the Ferrous Festival, an international celebration of Artist Blacksmithing. This vibrant event features workshops, masterclasses, and exhibitions, providing a unique chance to meet professionals, exchange ideas, and learn about the pathways to success in the field. The festival is a testament to the strength of community, where artists come together to inspire and uplift one another
A robust and resilient creative practice is founded on the application of critical thinking skills, from idea development in the studio to process execution in the workshop.
During the course, your critical thinking will be honed through lectures, seminars and studio discussions. You will learn to enrich and contextualise your emerging practice through reflection on themes and processes in historical and contemporary making, and gain knowledge about cultural and critical theory. Through this, you will become equipped with skills in research, analysis and evaluation. The aim is for you to learn to express your ideas within your profession and in a way that is specifically relevant to you realising your authentic creative voice.
By graduation you will have identified your place in contemporary art practice and be able to articulate your position with clarity and confidence.
Hereford College of Arts has a diverse mix of students, including people with different learning styles and needs. We have a positive, inclusive atmosphere where all of our students are able to access support for their studies. Find out more here.
Workshops & Resources
Individual studio space
You have your own studio space; where ideas are made real and lasting connections are made. Filling its walls compliments reflective book work, driving the design process forward; current thinking made visible through drawn and made tests.
Studio culture is essential to the success of your design and make projects.
The National School of Blacksmithing boasts forty-two side blast coke forges where you are taught the fundamentals of blacksmithing.
There are also propane forges for working longer sections with more consistent heat control. The Tutors at the National School of Blacksmithing bring over 150 collective years of forge experience.
The National School of Blacksmithing provides four power hammers, a 25-ton hydraulic press, four fly presses, a large bandsaw, a cropper and two laying out tables. In addition to top and bottom swages, fullers, flatters, set hammers and a wide range of tongs including a variety of power hammer tooling. You are also taught how to safely use angle grinders with various attachments, oxy-acetylene and oxy-propane gas torches.
The Welding department at the National School of Blacksmithing allows for a variety of techniques to be taught including TiG, MiG/MAG, ARC/Stick, Gas, and Brazing These processes are taught in structured lessons to expand your skills and understand selecting the correct process.
The Fabrication tools you have access to at the National School of Blacksmithing include sheet metal benders, rollers, and a scroll jenny. The department has a large CNC Laser cutter which can cut up to 12mm thick plate, a large and small cropper, vertical and horizontal bandsaws, a hand plasma cutter, and a die grinder.
In the Queens workshop, you can explore and experiment with various materials and processes in a well-equipped space. The facilities include small metals, wood, cold casting, 3D printing, and MDF/Plywood laser cutting, as well as welders and jewellers' benches. Techniques you can learn include woodturning, steam bending, resin and Jesmonite casting, various welding processes, 3D printing, vinyl, and veneering. Skilled Technical Demonstrators support your learning, ensuring a comprehensive experience.
The Queens workshop is divided into four zones: Metals (jewellery, silversmithing, machining, welding, fabrication), Woodwork (steam bending, lamination, woodturning), Cold Casting (silicone mold making, jesmonite, resin), and Digital Fabrication (scanning, laser cutting, 3D printing).
The Small Metals workshop has fully equipped communal and individual workspaces to practice your bench skills. The workshop is equipped for a variety of specialist processes and has two larger silversmithing hearths. The walls are adorned with process samples for inspiration, and the space is overseen by highly skilled Technical Demonstrators.
The Ceramics and Glass workshop offers an opportunity to explore the tactile nature of clay and the artistry of glass cutting, fusing and slumping. You can develop skills in slab building, slip casting, and throwing, either for conceptual art or commercial projects. Technical demonstrators are available to guide you through all processes.
Our textiles workshops provide an open and accessible space to explore print, dye, weave, knit, and mixed media surface design techniques. Focusing on sustainability and innovation, you’ll combine methods from across various disciplines, pushing your creative boundaries throughout your degree.
The technical support, along with academic and industry guidance, encourages you to develop an original, innovative design practice.
A dedicated art and design library carefully curated by knowledgeable librarians who will support you to access the materials in the collection.
Includes books and magazines from a comprehensive selection of creative disciplines, critical & cultural theory and specialist journals. Plus, study spaces and IT provision. A college hub and key workshop area.
Digital Design and Making is embedded into both curriculum and your practice. Offering the ability to test possibilities, accelerate iterations and resolve outcomes efficiently.
The use of digital tools allows makers to visualise, prototype and refine project work across a range of materials and processes in additive and subtractive manufacturing.
Opened in 2024 our Digital Skills Centre is an alternative space to the Graphic and Media Design Studios to craft your designs.
Kitted out with new Macs and PCs, the area is staffed by Digital Demonstrators who also run weekly intro and How To classes on design software.
Our photography studios and darkroom facilities offer extensive opportunities to gain hands-on experience with both digital and traditional techniques. You will acquire invaluable skills ensuring you take superb photos of your creative process and final outcomes. Work alongside professional photographers and technical specialists to get outstanding images of your work.
You’ll engage with the global community through visiting lectures and master classes, featuring renowned forged metal designers and artists, including the likes of Junko Mori, Peter Braspenninx, Jake James, and Roberto Giordani. This exposure allows you to learn from an expanded faculty and see how other artist blacksmiths have shaped their lives through making.
You’ll also have opportunities to network within the blacksmithing community, building valuable connections to support your own practice. Biannually, a team of students and staff travels to the Biennale Europea d’Arte Fabbrile di Stia in the Tuscan hills to compete in the World Forge Championships. This event is more than just a competition; it’s a chance to meet professionals from around the globe, network, and arrange internships that can enhance your career.
Designed to help you excel at Art School, this module covers essential skills like academic writing, note-taking, research, collaboration, IT basics, course structure, assessment, critical feedback, self-reflection, time management, independent learning, safety, relationships, consent, and sustainability in the creative sector.
Practice 1
This module introduces you to creativity through play and experimentation. You’ll engage with a variety of materials and processes, developing an inquisitive approach. Through drawing, making, rendering, and recording in sketchbooks and technical journals, you’ll explore “what if” scenarios and learn by doing.
Skills 1
Learn the fundamentals of forging, fabrication, and welding through professional demos and hands-on exercises. Document your progress in a technical journal, culminating in a design and make project showcasing your skills.
Practice in Context
This module gives you an introduction to the broad landscape of making & historical cultural practices. Here you will learn to analyse artefacts through engaging with era, style, function, material and technique.
Practice 2:
This is your first design and make module, where you’ll apply all the creative skills and methods you’ve learned. You’ll respond to a set brief, generate visual research, draw, design, test, make, explore, iterate, and create forged outcomes. Workshop sessions will help you initiate, reflect upon, and evaluate ideas, as well as test possibilities. This process emphasises that design and creativity are evidenced not just by the final outcomes but also by the journey taken.
Practice in Context 2
You’ll strengthen your research skills, develop critical thinking, and hone your ability to communicate ideas about creative practice. The focus is on meaning and value—key factors in cultural production. This module will help you identify your interests as a practitioner and orient yourself in the broader conversation of making.
Practice 3
In this design and make module, you’ll respond to a set brief, focusing on a specific place and considering the site. You’ll generate visual research, draw, design, test, make, explore, iterate, and create forged outcomes. At the end of this module, there will be an opportunity to exhibit your final works in a curated exhibition.
Skills 2
You’ll improve your forging skills through a technical investigation. In the first part of the module, you’ll replicate a forged object, with measuring and sequencing being critical. In the second part, you’ll choose a specific forging process and conduct a deep-dive technical investigation, documenting your processes through photography, sketches, and notes in your technical journal.
Practice 4
In this design and make module, you’ll consult with tutors to design your own brief. What key themes and ideas are you keen to explore? Are you interested in architectural work, product design, or gallery work? You’ll generate visual research, draw, design, test, make, explore, iterate, and create forged outcomes. This is a time to critically review your emerging practice and, at the end of the module, articulate your research trajectory for the final year.
Professional Practice 1
In this module, you’ll engage with the ‘creative industries’ through a Self-Devised Project or Professional Work Experience. This could involve responding to a live brief, participating in a solo or group exhibition, working alongside a designer-maker, or delivering teaching workshops in schools, hospitals, or community settings. Any practical outcome should be relevant to your own creative and professional practice goals. This experience will help you apply your skills in real-world contexts and refine your professional trajectory.
Practice in Context 3
This module allows you to demonstrate advanced skills in understanding creative practice critically and informedly. By selecting a subject that resonates with your studio practice, PIC 3 helps you contextualize the body of work you create for your final studio projects and enables you to articulate your practice with fluency and confidence.
Practice 5
This is your fifth design and make module, where you’ll clarify your research trajectory and present a proposal. You’ll generate visual research, draw, design, test, make, explore, iterate, and create forged outcomes. The module emphasizes research, experimentation, and the development of ideas as well as outcomes. This is supported by a vibrant studio culture in which design methodology is explored, expanded, and critically reflected upon.
Practice 6
In this module, you will develop an autonomous approach to your practice. You will refine and resolve a final body of forged metalwork that reflects your career aspirations. Throughout this module, you will focus on honing and refining your skills, and pushing the boundaries of your creative practice. Your final body of work will be showcased in the degree show, which serves as the launchpad for your professional career. This event provides a platform to present your work to industry professionals, potential clients, and the wider public.
Professional Practice 2
This module complements your final making module with a series of visiting speakers covering topics such as employment and self-employment, tax, copyright law, ethics, online marketing, networking, and costing work. You will receive support in preparing a creative CV, artist statements, and promotional copy. Additionally, you will be supported in taking professional photographs. This module culminates in the creation of a Graduate Portfolio to help launch your career
Hereford Anvils is the student and graduate community that connects generations of artists blacksmiths associated with Hereford College of Arts.
It has grown to become a powerful force within international blacksmithing and the UK's heritage craft community, using Instagram to share amazing work, and to unite and mobilise blacksmith through projects like the 150mm Challenge and Crosses for ukraine.
In a recent NSS survey students were asked 'How well have teaching staff supported your learning?' and the BA(Hons) Artist Blacksmithing Course achieve 100% for this and many other questions. Leading to an overall score of 90.6.
NSS 2024
VISITING LECTURERS
Leah Aripotch, USA
Hector Cole, UK
Paul Mikula, South Africa
Roberto Giordani, Italy
Matt Jenkins, Canada
Pete Mattila, Australia
Tobias Birgersson, Sweden
Egor Bavykin, Russia
Christoph Friedrich, Switzerland
Adam Hawk, USA
Rebekah Frank, USA
Grace Horne, UK
John Rigoni, USA
Jack Waygood, UK
Ellen Durkan, USA
Stephen Yusko, USA
Claudio Bottero, Italy
PROFESSIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE
Alex Pole Ironwork, England
Cox London, England
Center for Metal Arts, USA
Halls Conservation Ltd, England
Topp & Co, England
Calleb Kullman, USA
The Cart Shed, England
Fresh Air Sculpture, England
Matt Jenkins, Canada
Junko Mori, Wales
Ratho Byres, Scotland
Christoph Friedrich, Switzerland
Applying to HCA
Minimum age 18.
UCAS Points: Applicants applying for September 2025 entry and beyond, should have achieved 96 – 112 UCAS Tariff Points or more. However, whilst qualifications are important, our offers are not solely based on academic results. We may make offers based on other evidence of talent and suitability for the course – for more details about UCAS Tariffs tariff explanation and advice on the UCAS website. We expect all applicants to have examples of their current creative work available for submission on request.
Mature students: Applications from mature students with relevant experience will also be considered.
If you are unsure or have any questions, please contact us at registry@hca.ac.uk and we can offer further advice on HCA and the UWTSD awarding body requirements.
You can apply to HCA by making us one of your options on your UCAS application. In some cases, such as with current students, student transfers and top-ups, we also accept direct applications.
We receive a high number of application all our subject areas so we recommend that you make your application as early as possible.
You can find out out everything you need about the application process using the link below. If you have any questions, just email registry@hca.ac.uk.
Shortly after you apply, our Registry team will be in touch to let you know the details of your interview. At this point, they will also send out information on preparing your portfolio.
Interviews are a chance for you to showcase yourself. They give us an idea of what excites you about the subject, and what you might want to explore further on the course. It’s also your opportunity to ask us questions about the course to ensure it is right for you. The interview will be conducted by the Course Leader or a tutor. You’ll also have the chance to talk to current students and tour the campus, including workshops and other facilities. This is a great opportunity to get a feel for the environment and see where you could be studying.
Bring items you wish to share. We are interested in seeing how you research and develop your ideas, what inspires you, and what you have made. We want to learn what excites you and what you hope to learn, so come prepared with questions. This is your chance to show us your creativity and passion.
We understand that not all applicants have extensive forge experience. Don’t worry if your forge experience is limited. We are looking for potential and enthusiasm. We aim to conduct all interviews face-to-face; however, online interviews can be arranged.
Following your interview Registry will email you with details of the outcome.
Studying is an investment in yourself, and in your future. It’s important to understand the financial support that is available to you, and to be clear about any fees or funding associated with the course you want to study.
Follow the link below to visit our Fees and Funding pages. These pages are designed to help you plan for your future, so you can start your course with confidence in your financial situation.
Everyone’s personal circumstances are different. If you can’t find the information you need, our Student Finance team can offer additional advice.
All undergraduate degrees at HCA are validated by University of Wales Trinity St David.
You can view a detailed breakdown of the course content in the Key Information Document.
This can be downloaded below.
Term dates (HE)
Term
Enrolment
Dates (2024 - 2025)
Monday 23rd September 2024 – Friday 27th September 2024
Term
Semester 1
Dates (2024 - 2025)
Monday 30th September 2024 – Friday 13th December 2024, Tuesday 7th January 2025 – Friday 31st January 2025, Monday 3rd February 2025 – Friday 7th February 2025 (Research Week)
Term
Semester 2
Dates (2024 - 2025)
Monday 10th February 2025 – Friday 11th April 2025, Monday 28th April 2024 – Friday 13th June 2025
Term
Dates (2024 - 2025)
Enrolment
Monday 23rd September 2024 – Friday 27th September 2024
Semester 1
Monday 30th September 2024 – Friday 13th December 2024, Tuesday 7th January 2025 – Friday 31st January 2025, Monday 3rd February 2025 – Friday 7th February 2025 (Research Week)
Semester 2
Monday 10th February 2025 – Friday 11th April 2025, Monday 28th April 2024 – Friday 13th June 2025
How to apply
Everything you need to know about applying to HCA - and starting the next stage of your journey as an artist
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