RCA postgraduate degrees and the UK education system
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Read our explainer on the UK education system, postgraduate degrees and what is on offer at the Royal College of Art.
What is a postgraduate degree?
Postgraduate taught degrees enable you to study an area of interest in depth. Postgraduate taught degrees come after Undergraduate degrees, for example a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BSc), but before postgraduate research degrees, like a PhD.
Typically, you will need to hold an Undergraduate degree, or have demonstrable equivalent experience to start a Postgraduate taught degree at the RCA.
A Master’s degree is a postgraduate, Level 7 qualification.
Master’s degrees at the RCA
At the RCA, we offer several types of Master’s degrees:
- MA: Master of Arts
- MFA: Master of Fine Arts
- MDes: Master of Design
- MRes: Master of Research
- MEd: Master of Education
- MArch: Master of Architecture
These programmes are specifically designed to meet the UK requirements for a Level 7 qualification, and may differ from equivalent degrees offered in different countries.
What differentiates our Master’s programmes?
All of our Master’s degrees are taught Master’s. However, our MFA, MDes, MArch, MEd and MRes programmes are aimed at more independent students.
- Our MA degrees build expertise in your discipline through specialist teaching that supports your intellectual, technical and professional development. Students are encouraged to work independently, yet receive close tutor support. These programmes are usually taken by those who have a specific profession in mind and want to enhance their subject knowledge.
- Our MArch, MDes, MEd, MFA and MRes degrees focus on developing professional practice and research with an emphasis on interdisciplinarity and collaboration. These programmes offer more choices for students to tailor their curriculum to their individual interests through cross-College electives.
Research degrees at the RCA
The RCA offers Master of Philosophy (MPhil) / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) programmes, or research degrees. A PhD degree typically involves students independently conducting original and significant research that adds new knowledge in a specific field or subject. PhD students are assessed on the quality and originality of the argument presented in their thesis submission and viva.
Visit this page to learn more about what a MPhil/PhD programme entails.
Art & Design Graduate Diploma
We also offer an Art & Design Graduate Diploma, which is a pre-Master’s programme. This programme prepares you for Master’s study at the RCA or elsewhere, but is not the equivalent of an undergraduate (BA) degree.
You will still need to hold an Undergraduate degree or equivalent experience to apply for the Graduate Diploma.
If you apply for a Master’s but we consider your application and experience not yet to the level you would need to be successful, we can offer a place on the Graduate Diploma. This is offered at three entry points a year in January, May and September, with the opportunity to study in-person, online, or through “dual-study”, where the first half of the programme is online and the second half is in-person.
Full-time, part-time and online study
Most of our programmes are offered as a one-year programme (45 weeks), studying full-time. Our Architecture MA and Innovation Design Engineering MA/MSc programmes are two-year programmes.
On some programmes, we also offer the option to study part-time over a two-year period. For both modes of study, the learning outcomes of the programme are the same, but the part-time option allows you to study alongside competing commitments.
We also offer part-time options on our MFA, MDes, MArch, MEd and MRes programmes, depending on individual circumstances. Our MEd Creative Education and Graduate Diploma programmes also have options for online study.
