Program Overview

MA/MSc Craft

The MA/MSc Craft program at Manchester Metropolitan University is designed for materially engaged makers who wish to explore contemporary craft practices across a range of materials and object types. This course encourages the development of craft across specialist and multi-material making, investigating and exploring definitions of contemporary craft practice.

Course Overview

The program is an opportunity to pursue a making practice that might already be located within a specific material area or object definition, such as glass, ceramics, textiles, or jewelry, or to develop and expand the definitions and materials of craft practice. The program supports the exploration of genre-breaking approaches to making, to develop individual and personal methodologies and philosophies, and locate these within a deep understanding of historical, contemporary, and future craft making practices, and wider social and cultural contexts.

With access to the wide range of hand, machine, and digital technologies at Manchester School of Art, students will work within, across, and between definitions of craft, to evolve and progress a unique and personal making practice. In addition to traditional material workshops across ceramics, hot and cold glass, metal, wood, textile print, weave, and embroidery, there are digital making facilities for laser cutting, 3D printing, CNC routing, and digital print for textiles and ceramics, with access to specialist academic and technical expertise from across the School of Art, to support the development of a wide range of craft making practices.

Features and Benefits

• While studying towards a particular qualification at MA/MSc level, students experience their subject in the broader context of contemporary design practice.
• Dedicated spaces have been developed to enable the postgraduate community to flourish. These spaces, for thinking and practice, are at the heart of Manchester School of Art, allowing easy access to an extensive range of workshops where the combination of traditional and state-of-the-art equipment opens up a world of exciting possibilities.
• Students will be taught by research-active staff who are part of the Manchester School of Art Research Centre and experts in their field.
• The University library has outstanding Art and Design holdings, including a special collection of artists' books and ephemera.

Year 1

The MA/MSc in Craft is composed of five units, totaling 180 credits.

Core Modules

• Design Thinking: This module introduces an applied understanding of how design can be used as an iterative process for creative problem-solving. It will enable students to understand how to apply design thinking processes to their specialist area through understanding users, challenging assumptions, redefining problems, and creating innovative solutions to prototype and test.
• Researching, Mapping & Locating: This module will enable students to gain an understanding of design practices, perspectives, and contexts. Students will establish a substantive individual position for personal practice within the expanded field of design.
• Colour, Material & Finish: This module will enable students to explore the language of material making, process, and enquiry. Briefs will stimulate students to generate a range of practice-based responses to questions of context, concept, making, manufacturing, materiality, visual language, and sustainability.
• Synthesis Project: Craft (MA): The final Synthesis MA module will support students to develop, resolve, and present a significant body of work, located within a defined area of craft practice.
• Synthesis Project: Craft (MSc): This final MSc module will support students to develop and resolve a significant body of specialist craft practice. Students' learning journey will be synthesized by the presentation of an innovatively ambitious project, located within a defined area of technical, market-oriented, or advanced digital craft practice.

Study and Assessment

• Full-time: 35% lectures, seminars, or similar; 0% placement; 65% independent study
• Part-time: 35% lectures, seminars, or similar; 0% placement; 65% independent study
• Assessment: 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination

Entry Requirements

• Students will normally have a minimum 2:2 UK undergraduate honors degree (or equivalent) in a related subject and must submit a portfolio.
• Overseas applicants will require IELTS with an overall score of 6.5 and no less than 5.5 in any category, or an equivalent accepted English qualification.

Fees and Funding

• UK and Channel Island students: Full-time fee £12,000 per year, Part-time fee £2000 per 30 credits
• EU and non-EU international students: Full-time fee £22,000 per year, Part-time fee £3667 per 30 credits
• Additional costs: All of the books required for the course are available from the library. The University also has PC labs and a laptop loan service. However, many students choose to buy some of the core textbooks for the course and/or a laptop. Students may also need to print their assignments and other documents. Campus printing costs start from 5p per page. Estimated costs are £300 for a laptop up to £100 for books and printing. Total optional cost: £400

Careers Support and Prospects

• 93.7% of UK-domiciled, full-time, postgraduate taught graduates are employed or in further study 15 months after graduation.
• The program cultivates highly motivated, independent, and creative thinkers who can transfer their skills into the creative marketplace, as entrepreneurial innovators, freelance practitioners, and innovative team players. Past graduates predominantly achieve graduate-level positions or practice as sole traders, design studio artists, exhibiting artists, museum curators, archivists, researchers, academics, community practitioners, specialist technicians, and filmmakers at national and international levels.