Course Overview
The MRes (A&D), Master of Research in Art & Design, is ideal for students who want to prepare for doctoral-level research in Art & Design (PhD or DProf) or to develop a range of creative research skills to enhance their art or design practice or career, nationally and internationally.
The programme is designed to be is suitable for students who have some experience of research in Art & Design and also those with little or no background experience of research at all from any field.
Cardiff School of Art & Design has creative research at its heart and is home to a range of centres and groups engaged in cutting-edge, world-leading creative and transdisciplinary research. We draw upon the Arts, Sciences, Humanities and Philosophies and deploy a range of facilities including our Perceptual Experience Laboratory (PEL), our MIT-FabLab as well as our extensive traditional and contemporary maker's workshops, specialist studios and digital technologies. The School encourages multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary collaborations with other research disciplines as well as commercial and community sectors in society anywhere in the world and of course, the other research centres across the wider University.
The University was rated as the top Modern University in the most recent UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) review.
Learning & Teaching
The programme is designed to be an enriching and rigorous student-centred learning experience, orientated around personalised tutorial support and guidance. The course is collaborative, intellectually generous and supportive and designed to provide students with an opportunity to engage in thoughtful and sustained reflection, scholarship and focus as well as an opportunity for speculative exploration and inquisitive enquiry.
The programme will accommodate all types of directed and speculative art & design research. It is designed to enable future doctoral expertise orientated around the development of research expertise in Art, Design and Architecture. In keeping with the School’s approach to research, the programme will not specifically distinguish between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’ as modes of research but will take a holistic, broad and inclusive – yet ultimately rigorous - approach to research skills development oriented around – the best way to answer the identified research question. Students taking the programme can align with specific research and experimental practice pathways, led by academic staff with established practice careers and/or advanced scholarship and research.
The programme is taught primarily through a seminar with individualised supervisory meetings to develop a research plan (part of the early PDP process) and an individualised programme of learning and individualised supervision towards a creative research outcome, defined and monitored by robust PDP. There will be research lectures.
Employability & Careers
Postgraduate qualifications in Art and/or Design research this programme provides an excellent foundation for a career in creative research, as an arts professional who undertakes any form of research-driven practice in their field, or for anyone planning to go on to complete a PhD or DProf. The programme is ideal for students who want to prepare for doctoral-level research in Art & Design or to develop a range of creative research skills in order to enhance their practice or career, nationally and internationally.
The MRes (A&D) concludes with the development of a Personal Research Development Plan. This is intended to provide evidence of students’ Mastery of research in Art & Design as well as provide a document that can be useful when applying for future Doctoral study at any University
Entry Requirements
A good undergraduate honours degree (2.1 or above) is normally required for entry. However, applicants with relevant professional experience or qualifications are welcomed and will be considered individually and students who have a weaker overall undergraduate degree but who have demonstrated excellence in the theoretical aspects of Art & Design will also be considered.
International Applicants
Students whose first language is not English will need to provide evidence of fluency to at least an IELTS 6.0 (6.0 listening and 5.5 in each other element) standard or equivalent. For full details about how to apply and English Language qualifications please visit the International pages on the website.
Program taught in:
English
