V&A/RCA History of Design Open Day – Wednesday 1 July


Research
June 20, 2015
V&A/RCA History of Design course library. Photographer: Richard Haughton
V&A/RCA History of Design course library. Photographer: Richard Haughton

See this picture of the V&A/RCA History of Design course library at the museum? This space used to be the Royal College of Art’s drawing studio, but is now home to MA, MPhil and PhD students working on the widest range of histories through design and material culture, and histories of design. (This year student dissertations included a micro-history of a Lambeth pub, 1970s strike action refigured as design and a study of the collapsable top hat.) With admissions still open, that could be you, sat there, researching an aspect of design or material culture (past, present, future) that no one else has even thought about exploring.

If you’d like to find out more about V&A/RCA History of Design, we’re holding a special Open Day on Wednesday 1 July and would love to meet you. Join us in the Humanities Show space at the RCA Kensington at 3pm, before moving to the Humanities Seminar Room for further opportunity to talk to staff and students. For more details about how to find us, see here.

You may even be able to apply for a funded place for 2015/16 admission to the V&A/RCA MA in History of Design. Don’t hang about: find out if you’re eligible here!

The V&A/RCA History of Design MA Programme
The V&A/RCA Programme is internationally recognised as the leading centre for postgraduate study in the history of design and material culture. Combining ambitious, rigorous and cutting edge scholarly approaches with first hand understanding of objects in two globally-known institutions, the History of Design programme prepares students for the increasingly diverse and flexible professional portfolio demanded by universities, museums and other employers today.

The MA is a two year full-time programme. It is taught by a dedicated team of academics  based in the Research Department of the V&A and the School of Humanities at the RCA. The Programme has an established reputation for pioneering new forms of design historical enquiry in global contexts, from the fifteenth century to the present day. Seminar based classes, personal tutorials, supervisions and projects provide a unique environment for studying the social, cultural, technological, economic, political and aesthetic contexts of design.

The programme specialises in object-focussed scholarship: history through design and material culture as well as histories of design. Student and staff research areas range across the histories of architecture and interior design, fashion and textiles, furniture and product design, ceramics, metalwork, glass, prints and drawings and current forms of design practice such as interaction design, service design and digital media, as well as social histories of material culture more broadly.

Uniquely, students have direct access to the unrivalled collections and expertise of the V&A and the RCA’s specialist, cutting-edge art and design practice. Opportunities to work with curators or to contribute to V&A gallery and exhibition projects are open to all students. Graduates go on to work internationally in universities, museums and a host of related professions such as curating, media research and design policy. The MA programme also provides excellent preparation towards PhD research in a variety of Humanities fields.

Application Process
Further details on the programme, entry requirements, College fees and funding can be found at www.rca.ac.uk/admissions

The College is designated as an eligible institution for a guaranteed student loan under the new Direct Loan Programme.

Further information on research degrees in the History of Design and RCA Humanities, please visit www.rca.ac.uk or contact humanities-research@rca.ac.uk

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