MA Design (Ceramics); MA Design (Furniture); MA Design (Jewellery)

The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:

• An honours degree
• Or an equivalent EU/international qualification.

AP(E)L – Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

Exceptionally applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

• Related academic or work experience
• The quality of the personal statement
• A strong academic or other professional reference

Or a combination of these factors.

Each application will be considered on its own merit but cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English language requirements

IELTS level 6.5 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking (please check our main English language requirements webpage).

The application, indicative project proposal and the portfolio will be assessed in relation to:

• The suitability, appropriateness and deliverability of the project proposal in relation to the professional expertise of the staff team
• Analytical and critical skills and the ability of the applicant to apply these to the project proposal
• The quality of the design work submitted in support of the application and the 'match' between this and the project proposal
• The applicant's awareness of the historical, cultural and social implications of their project

The resource implications of the project proposal and the ability of the course and the applicant to support the practical realisation of the project.

What happens next

Initial application check

We check your application to see if you meet the standard entry requirements for the course.  If you do, you will be invited to submit a portfolio through your UAL Portal.

Portfolio Review

The full portfolio should be no more than 30 pages comprising your work and/or relevant documentary material, and evidence your current creative practice.

Your digital portfolio should demonstrate:

• The full range and level of your design, technical and practical skills
• Your thinking and decision making in the design process
• Your personal vision and approach to design.

Your portfolio should contain at least one fully documented design process showing:

• A project brief and your research into or interrogation of the brief (This could be a client or college brief or a brief you might have set yourself)
• Inspirations and initial ideas (where do these come from?)
• Visual and conceptual development of these ideas (sketching and/or alternative methods)
• Drawing/design of objects based on these visual/conceptual developments
• Iterative model making, production and refinement of objects
• Final product(s), object(s) and/or presentations such as exhibitions etc.

The only files that can be uploaded as part of the portfolio are:

• Images: bmp, gif, jpg, jpeg, png
• Audio: mp3, mp4, ogg, wav, wma
• Video: avi, mp4, mpg, mpeg, mkv, mov, wmv

Portfolio advice

Your portfolio should demonstrate creative development, whether for a college project or in your personal work. By creative development, we mean ideas that have originated through your own experience and research and progressed towards potential visual proposals. Ideas, visual research and experimentation are more important than finished design solutions and can be shown in 2D work, or through photos of 3D objects and maquettes.

It is important that the creative work you include reflects and demonstrates your thinking, initiative and personal commitment to a particular project, theme or idea.  We are interested in you as an individual, your personal interests, your creativity and initiative in finding out about your proposed area of study. We would also like to know about your favourite designers and artists, where you have seen their work at first hand and how you have acquired more information about the work that interests you.

For more portfolio advice please visit the Portfolio advice page.

Following the review of your application, indicative project proposal and portfolio, we select a small number of applicants to move on to the next stage of the process.  These applicants will be invited to an interview either in person or by skype.

Interview

The interviews are used to evaluate the extent to which a candidate demonstrates:

• The suitability, appropriateness and deliverability of the Project Proposal in relation to the professional expertise of the staff team
• Analytical and critical skills and the ability of the applicant to apply these to the Project Proposal
• The quality of the design work submitted in support of the application and the 'match' between this and the Project Proposal
• The applicant's awareness of the historical, cultural and social implications of their project
• The resource implications of the Project Proposal and the ability of the course and the applicant to support the practical realisation of the project. All applications are reviewed by at least two of the course team.

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

You will receive the outcome of your application through the UAL Portal.

Through the professional experience of the teaching team there are strong links with commercial, artistic, craft and industrial bodies in London, nationally and internationally. Over the duration of the MA, meetings with practitioners, industry professionals, and participants in the wider design community will enable you to learn to communicate effectively across a range of different environments.
Future careers and graduate prospects

Many MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture or Jewellery graduates move speedily into self-employment, developing businesses at the highest levels finding opportunities to progress their independent practice at both a national and international level. These includes students showing work at the Victoria Miro Gallery and Sotheby’s and collection designs for Swarovksi, MADE, Top shop and the House of Fraser.

Other MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture or Jewellery graduates work for design teams in Europe and Internationally either in their country of origin or increasingly in a country of their choice. A significant minority enter educational work at Masters level.