Jewellery and Silversmithing – MA

Why study this course?

Are you fascinated by distinct materials and the objects they form, both decorative and functional? Are you drawn in by the effect of items that ‘just sit’? Challenge yourself to think harder about your work and where it belongs in the wider world.

This course will train you to harness more sophisticated design and research skills, which will serve as a starting point for you to develop your design language and truly engage with meaning and context. You’ll find that experimentation and radical thinking are central to learning at this level. Live projects will drive your ambitions and you’ll deepen and strengthen your practice with social and collaborative interactions.

More about this course

Within our challenging and supportive framework this Jewellery and Silversmithing master’s course is both specialised and flexible in the creative license it offers. This course will see you:

• enable design innovation through the application of research and conceptual analysis
• question the function and meaning within your work
• hone your making skills with access to a wide range of equipment and professional staff, whatever your preferred material
• develop your distinct creative voice and learn to communicate this unique offer to clients
• work on interdisciplinary live projects with real clients and established studios, recognising both the power and the responsibility of being a creative thinker
• engage your understanding of present and future contexts in relation to your practice
• leave the course ready to launch into a career which follows your ambitions as a designer
• join a community of designers spearheading the culture of sustainable practice as you take your knowledge and skills to the wider commercial arena

Benefitting from a teaching and learning strategy centred around set projects, you’ll learn experientially through active learning principles. In order to gain the most out of the course you’ll be encouraged to situate your practice in a global professional context whilst also being challenged and guided by academic tutors to develop your own distinct style as a designer and maker. Discourse about the nature, practice and problems of design will mean you reflect on your own process and engage with industry as well as the research community of jewellery and silversmithing.

The course focuses closely on developing practice in relation to what is required for commercial success, whilst also framing this in the broader context of positive social impact. You’ll graduate as a flexible and resilient jeweller or silversmith (or a designer in a similar field), ready to define your unique place in the industry. You’ll also be supported to apply your skills across broader design arenas.

Studying with a core team of academic teaching staff who have strong links to industry, along with high-profile visiting lecturers who are active at the forefront of their practice, you’ll grow your understanding of professionalism in your sphere. Motivated by ‘real-world’ projects, there are opportunities to rehearse design processes and strategies for client briefs provided by our partners. Ideas will develop through feedback from leading industry practitioners. Studio practice is supported by formal delivery of supporting theory and research methods in dedicated modules which serve to enrich and add depth to your work.

As a student of the School of Art, Architecture and Design, you’ll become a member of a vibrant community that nurtures intellectual and creative skills. At the heart of the School’s open culture is its embracing of cross-disciplinary ways of thinking and working. Along with the University’s own fantastic workshops and opportunities to learn from other disciplines, you’ll discover culture and inspiration on your doorstep, with easy access to East London’s many galleries, studios and its thriving design culture. The facilities are excellent: with fine metals workshops and access to tools for larger scale metals, wood, ceramics and textiles, you’ll have every opportunity at your fingertips.

Your master’s course will culminate in an exhibition and further opportunities to promote your work.

Accreditation of Prior Learning

Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course.

Modular structure

The School maintains a portfolio of alternative core MA (level 7) 20 credit modules, two of which will be core to this course. Prior to the start of the course each September, the course team will decide which of the alternative core modules will be the core 20 credit modules for the following academic cycle. This decision is based on the range of project opportunities arising and the balance of students across the portfolio of MA design courses. Please note, students do not choose which of the alternative core modules to take themselves. See the modular structure section below for more details.

• Design Research for Practice
• Design Project Development
• Charismatic Objects
• Design for Change
• Project as Professional Practice: Jewellery and Silversmithing

Where this course can take you

This postgraduate degree in Jewellery and Silversmithing could lead you onto a range of careers including:

• jewellery designer
• silversmith
• designer-maker
• educator
• researcher
• journalist
• project manager
• strategist
• studio manager 

Students and graduates from design courses have worked for renowned brands such as Shaun Leane, Azza Fahmy, Alexander McQueen, Daphne Guiness, Harrods, Harvey Nichols, Selfridges and completed commissions for  Amanda Colman, Uma Thurman, Kim Kardashian and Rita Ora.