Applied Art

Why Choose This Course:
Unleash your creativity with our Applied Art degree where you will focus on the high-quality craft skills needed to launch your professional artistic career. We will help you develop your material and design expertise and versatility through ceramics, metal, jewellery and mixed media.

You will:

• Learn the art of high-quality making, originality and how to create personal responses to materials and processes.

• Not only take your creativity and innovation to the next level, but also develop entrepreneurial skills to ensure you are industry ready.

• Be able to combine your conceptual and technical skills in applied arts with the professional skills needed to be a successful maker.

• Develop interpersonal skills through collaborative projects and teamwork, further preparing you for your career after your degree.

• You can build a solid basis to prepare you for your studies with our BA Hons Applied Art with foundation year.

• *This subject area is rated joint 2nd in the UK for Satisfied with Teaching in the Fine Art subject area league table in the Guardian University Guide, 2025.

Course Modules

YEAR 1 (LEVEL 4)
Introduces you to the breadth of materials and techniques within the Applied Arts, where you have the opportunity to work across all the material areas, experimenting with glass, ceramics, metal and mixed media.

MODULES

• Contexts 1: Gain a contextual understanding of your subject area through an introduction to critical thinking, analysis and a structured process of inquiry.

• Visual Communication: Introduction to fundamental theories of visual communication.

• Material Introduction: Introduction to materials and principles fundamental to 3D makers; health and safety, documenting demonstrations, and recording processes and artist’s practice.

• Material Experimentation: Process driven method of creating work, through mould-making and casting in various materials, including ceramics and metal.

• Material Techniques: Focus is on a specific applied art technique, which advances making skills and builds a professional body of work.

• Introduction to Exhibiting: Getting out of the workshop - investigate principles of communicating your work through study trips and exhibition analysis. Culminating in participation of an end-of-year level 4 group show.

Year 2 (Level 5)

Year two expands your making skills within your main material choice, developing a depth of knowledge and understanding about materials and craft skills and allowing you to advance your own creative style. The key professional skills of understanding market, publicity and costings are also developed through practical projects.

MODULES

• Contexts 2: Builds on and expands level 4’s Context 1 module to broaden your knowledge and foster critical thinking essential for interpreting the complexities of contemporary art contexts.

• Research and Inspiration: Take personal research through to design proposals, maquettes and material tests suitable for communicating with a client.

• Technical Development: Progress initial designs through to finished object at a professional standard.

• Identity: Develop artistic identity through personal projects in your specialist material area, informed by exploration of open calls for exhibition, design projects and commissions.

• Creative Futures - Making a Living: Develop awareness of career opportunities and professional lives of artists and designers. Explore subject-specific market and marketing methods, record communication with industry bodies and collate costings.

Year 3 (Level 6)

Year three allows you to realise your ideas in the direction of your choice, with students developing their own individual themes to produce collections, demonstrating high-quality making skills and innovative design solutions.

MODULES

• Research Project: You will undertake a practice-based research project. This approach enables you to locate and establish a connection between your academic and reflective writing within your creative output as an applied artist.

• Professional Project: Design and create a substantial, self-initiated body of studio work to a professional standard for exhibition.

Assessment is designed to reflect the balance of practical making and critical reflection at the heart of Applied Art. You will be assessed through:

• Practical and design work – including maquettes, sketchbooks, samples, and finished objects.

• Written work – such as essays, reports, and creative formats like zines, used to demonstrate critical awareness of your subject area.

• Presentation of work – shared with tutors both in person and online.

• Feedback – verbal feedback is given weekly in taught sessions, with more specific written feedback provided part‑way through each module.

Contact time is 14 hours per week for Level 4, 12 hours per week for Level 5, and 10 hours per week for Level 6. The workshop facilities are open and staffed 5 days a week and students have constant access to the workshops.