Studying a postgraduate course in art and design is a worthwhile endeavour, whether you want to continue to develop as an artist/designer or if you want an edge in the highly competitive art and design industry.

If you’re a talented graduate with a good honours degree and a fabulous portfolio, a postgraduate course in art and design could be for you. In a field as large as art and design it is important to discover your niche and what you can uniquely offer the art world. Read on to discover how a postgraduate course in art and design can help bring out your talents and further your career.

Which course?

Postgraduate courses in art and design range from taught Masters degree programmes, through Masters by research, to Doctoral qualifications by research or practice, or a combination of the two. Foundation level courses are usually one year long, degree courses are usually three years in duration, and postgraduate programmes last between one and three years, depending on the qualification and subject. Many courses allow professional placement opportunities, and a variety of part-time and flexible learning possibilities exist.

Art and design education is remarkable for its diversity. Broad subject definitions include Design, Fine Art and History, and Theory of Art and Design. Design based courses are offered in a huge range of disciplines from craft based areas such as Furniture Design, Ceramics, Textile Design, and Silversmithing and Jewellery, through Fashion, Graphic Design, Product and Automotive Design, to areas such as design for Multi Media and the electronic environment, including digital graphics and animation. Fine Art provides courses ranging from those in traditional disciplines such as Painting, Sculpture and Printing, through courses concerned with Performance and Installation, and those which relate to lens-based and electronic media.

Postgraduate courses in the History and Theory of Art and Design range from those dealing with Art History, through courses in Curatorship, Conservation and Museum Studies, and those which combine the study of theory with other practical subjects such as painting, or with study of other disciplines such as philosophy, sociology or history. Most courses contain vocational elements which assist postgraduates in progressing to appropriate professional destinations, though these elements range in type and delivery from simple business and professional study elements to specific subject-focused live projects.

Where should I study?

Universities, colleges and Art schools are noted for the high quality of the resources provided for education. Postgraduate courses are offered in specialist studios, workshops and lecture rooms, and the best of the facilities have excellent technical support, including Information Technology and Computer resources. Library and Learning Resource provision is also excellent, with many universities providing large new facilities, which combine the storage of thousands of books and periodicals with the best of technology-based learning support and teaching aids. The staff resource is also first-class, with most teachers maintaining professional practice and research within their disciplines, as well as a teaching role. It is not unusual to be taught by staff who are internationally recognised specialists in their own field. The employment of large numbers of professional artists and designers on a part-time basis ensures that contemporary professional issues are brought directly to students in the normal course of their education.

The high quality educational resource is supported by a range of other facilities. Many towns and cities have excellent libraries, galleries, design agencies and specialist shops, and suppliers who provide excellent intellectual and practical resources to students of art and design. It is hard to imagine a better environment in which to study these subjects than a major UK city like London, Edinburgh or Liverpool, and most smaller towns and cities have both excellent resources of their own and ready access to larger centres.