15 months
£7,500
Embark on a transformative journey in contemporary craft and design. Our master’s programme seamlessly blends theory and practice, equipping you with the skills for an authentic and sustainable craft practice.
This module serves as your introduction to studying at the master’s level. Through a series of seminars and workshops, you will explore how to identify and mobilize ideas within craft practice. You will also learn and apply research methods essential for critically analysing images, objects, and texts related to craft. All activities and tasks are designed to help you clarify your study direction. The module culminates in a written MA research proposal, where you will contextualize your project, articulate your research aims and objectives, and outline your scheme of work.
In this practice-based module, you will utilize studio facilities and workshops to explore and develop your research project idea. You will have the opportunity to experiment with materials, processes, and design concepts relevant to your project. Throughout the module, you will document your methods, record and annotate your samples, and critically reflect on your processes and outcomes. By engaging with relevant visual, material, and academic sources, you will further inform, clarify, and contextualize your project.
In the Advanced Practice module, you will further refine the direction of your study by selecting and honing your designs, samples, skills, and outcomes. By the end of the module, you will produce a cohesive body of work that effectively addresses your project intentions and aims. Throughout this process, you will engage in reflective practice and critically interact with academic sources to inform and articulate your Master’s project.
In this module, you will engage in professional development through seminars, workshops, talks, visits, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. You will identify, explore, and reflect on your professional practice goals and values. Additionally, you will propose and independently
complete a professional practice project of your choice that aligns with your chosen goals. This module focuses on developing the professional skills necessary to sustain your individual creative practice. The outcome will be an illustrated report that describes, situates, and critically reflects on your professional practice project.
This module consists of two key components: the creation of final craft outcomes that align with your project intentions, drawing on the knowledge, skills, and experiences acquired throughout the programme, and the production of an illustrated reflective paper that contextualizes and critically articulates your Master’s project. This paper integrates both theoretical and practical aspects, providing an academic underpinning that offers insights into your creative process and the evolution of your ideas. It serves as the culmination of your studies and the resolution of your practice-based project.
You will present your work to an audience and participate in an exhibition, enhancing the critical discourse surrounding your study and demonstrating the practical application of your craft. This showcase provides invaluable opportunities for networking and feedback from peers and industry professionals, further enriching your academic and practical journey
Head of School of Materials and Design, BA(Hons) Artist Blacksmithing Course Leader & MA Contemporary Craft Course Leader
Lecturer - MA Contemporary Crafts & MA Forged Metal Arts
Lecturer - School of Materials and Design
Lecturer - School of Materials & Design
Lecturer - BA (Hons) Artist Blacksmithing
Digital Design Lead
Lecturer - BA(Hons) Artist Blacksmithing
Lecturer - School of Materials & Design
Lecturer - BA(Hons) Artist Blacksmithing
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.
Book an Open DayIn 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.
Book an Open DayThe 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).
Book an Open DayThe 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.
Book an Open DayOur 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.
Book an Open DayThe 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
Book an Open DayThe glaze room lets you explore glaze alchemy, from mixing recipes to applying them with dipping and spraying. With 10 kilns, including a glass kiln for fusing and slumping, achieve stunning results in your ceramic and glass projects.
Book an Open DayThe plaster and slip casting space facilitates the creation of plaster forms, mould making, and slip casting using earthenware and porcelain for small-scale batch production. Technical demonstrators are available to guide you through each process, ensuring you develop the necessary skills to achieve successful ceramic projects with precision and creativity.
Book an Open DayThe printmaking workshop offers you a huge range of print possibilities, including lino cutting, woodblock, letterpress, dry point, collagraph, etching, lithography, and screen printing. Use our 180-year-old Albion press and vintage wooden and metal type collection.
Book an Open DayA 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.
Book an Open DayDigital 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.
Book an Open DayOpened 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.
Book an Open DayOur 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.
Book an Open DayThe creative journey on which the MA has lead me has transformed my creative practice. Whilst solidifying pre-existing threads of thought and value, it has also been a time of exposure, expansion and discovery. I have gained new technical skills, advancing into silversmithing as well as jewellery, and have deepened critical thinking around my craft discourse. This MA has made me a more authentic maker, a more effective teacher and more critically engaged artist.
Nicola Lillie – 2024 Graduate
My MA Contemporary Crafts experience has had a huge impact on how I now view creative practice, my creative process and my critical thinking. I am conscious of the responsibility that creative makers have in what they contribute to the world. I now draw upon my values that are imperative to my creative craft practice. I look for the joy in what I create, the authenticity and the possibility to entice positive social and cultural change
Janina Bacchetta
As someone who had never formally studied art before embarking on the MA in Contemporary Crafts, I can thoroughly recommend the course. I found the MA interesting, extremely challenging but, with the support and guidance of the course tutors, ultimately rewarding. It opened my eyes to a whole new world and has inspired me to take on the challenge of a PhD in Design.
Kathryn Parker
I found the MA course, powerful and challenging, relevant and personal - an invitation to dig deep and discover a world of new possibilities - a beautifully designed course for lovers of all crafts. I loved it!
Linzi Morgan Whitting
The MA has given me an extraordinary group of fellow makers to discuss, explore and learn alongside with time devoted to researching many aspects of contemporary craft. An academic rigor now underpins my practice and ensures authenticity in my making, through concept, materiality and into process.
Jenny Hodgeman
Applicants are expected to possess a solid understanding of their chosen discipline, demonstrating the ability to engage in research at the Master’s level. While preference will be given to graduates with good honours degrees, the programme also welcomes exceptional candidates from non-academic backgrounds who are looking to reposition their practice. These individuals may qualify based on their unique experiences and perspectives.
The application process includes a short proposal that should clearly outline the applicant’s reasons for applying to the programme, reflecting their motivations and aspirations. Additionally, a portfolio showcasing their current practice is required, as this will serve as the basis for discussion during the interview process.
Overall, the programme seeks candidates who are not only academically qualified but also passionate about their field and eager to contribute to the academic community.
Interviews for the programme are typically conducted face-to-face with a member of the course team, although online options can be arranged if necessary to accommodate your needs. This informal, two-way conversation lasts about 30 to 45 minutes and is designed to focus on your
Master’s proposal. It provides a valuable opportunity for you to share your creative vision, articulate your motivations for pursuing this advanced study, and discuss how your background and experiences have shaped your artistic journey.
During the interview, you will also have the chance to engage with current students, gaining insights into their experiences and the collaborative environment of the programme. Additionally, a tour of the campus will allow you to explore the workshops and facilities available, giving you a sense of the resources at your disposal.
When preparing for your interview, consider bringing items that showcase your proposal, such as completed works, designs, or even works in progress. While a formal portfolio is welcome, it is not essential; we are more interested in understanding what inspires you and how you envision your journey in the Master’s programme. This is your chance to express your passion and creativity, so come prepared to discuss your ideas and ask any questions you may have about the course.
ABSTRACT: The aim of this project is to explore and evoke the personal feelings of loss associated with my adult-onset progressive hearing loss and demonstrate a reframing of these feelings in a more positive light. > Read a Reflective Critical Report from one of our recent MA Contemporary Crafts student.
Read moreABSTRACT: ‘Thresholds’ is the culmination of a body of research into utilising craft as material metaphor for human lived experience; metaphors bring expanded understanding. Embodied material engagement affords dialogue with oneself, and perhaps others, to enlighten, connect and grow through the discovery of commonalities.
Read moreABSTRACT: The eight spoons that make up this collection are informed and inspired by the discourse of care and kindness. Using silver, enamelled copper and bone china slip, each spoon addresses a different aspect or relationship with social, political or personal care. These make visual the values I see within materials, processes and ideas depicted by and held within the made objects and to use the making as a form of the expression of care and kindness in itself.
Read moreYou can apply for this course at any point in the year. To do so, simply start your application below and and email the completed form to registry@hca.ac.uk. If you would like to set up an informal chat with the course leader Del Done MBE, you can contact her directly at d.done@hca.ac.uk.
Apply nowTerm | Enrolment |
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Dates | Thursday 26 September 2024 at 9.30am |
Term | Term 1 |
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Dates | Monday 23 September 2024 - Friday 13 December 2024 |
Term | Term 2 |
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Dates | Tuesday 7 January 2025 - Friday 11 April 2025 |
Term | Term 3 |
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Dates | Monday 28 April 2025 - Friday 27 June 2025 |
Term | Term 4 |
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Dates | Monday 22 September 2025 - Friday 28 November 2025 |
Everything you need to know about applying to HCA - and starting the next stage of your journey as an artist
Apply nowChat to students. Tour the campus. Drop in on some free workshops. Our Open Days are a great way to get a feel for what makes HCA special.
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