Craft and Material Practices

**Arts University Plymouth is an arts university for the 21st century, preparing students who are uniquely placed to provide creative solutions to the complex global challenges of a changing world.** Formerly known as Plymouth College of Art, we were granted full university title in Spring 2022. We are now the city of Plymouth’s first and only specialist arts university, allowing us to offer our students a dynamic and unique learning experience.<br/><br/>In May 2022 we were awarded the **Best Small or Specialist University at the 2022 WhatUni Student Choice Awards** coming top in a list of well-respected specialist UK universities, and in 2023 were awarded Silver in the same category, based on unbiased and honest reviews from students across the UK, in a category that highlights the quality of our provision as a specialist creative university.<br/><br/>**The MA Craft & Material Practices programme encourages the development of the individual designer-maker, with an emphasis on material knowledge and design innovation.**<br/><br/>The programme offers a cross-disciplinary approach to explore the value of material knowledge within a making process. The programme explores design thinking and material processes which challenge making concepts, and encourages a rich crossdisciplinary practice; you will have access to our spacious and well-equipped metal and jewellery studios, as well as ceramics, glass and resistant materials workshops and our superbly equipped Fab Lab.<br/><br/>The programme addresses histories, technologies, contexts, material qualities and conceptual and narrative developments. Current issues around the discipline are explored, such as the rise of digital tools and technologies, hybrid practices, sustainability and globalisation. You are encouraged to consider these issues through testing, making, re-making, evaluating and positioning your critically engaged practice.<br/><br/>This programme encourages entrepreneurial creativity through self-initiated and independent approaches to making, whilst considering the subject at its extreme edges in relation to process, technique, application, potential customer use and audience.