The MA Craft programme offers a rich and diverse postgraduate study experience focusing on the intersection between craft practice and digital technologies.

Our programme aims to provide you with the freedom to develop your critical making practice through both independent and collaborative study. You will explore new ways of thinking about craft by critically challenging social, environmental, or political norms in innovative, provocative, or speculative ways.

Your student experience will encompass hands-on practice, heightened sensory perception, and a contextual understanding of new making economies. The programme has been designed to encourage your personal growth, to advance your craft skills and expertise, and to hone your conceptual reasoning.

You will be encouraged to embrace a cross-disciplinary approach to your making practice, through the disciplines of:

• ceramics
• glass
• textiles
• jewellery
• silversmithing

You will consider various complementary materials in your making practice, such as:

• wood
• paper
• plant fibres
• stone
• leather
• precious metals
• plastics
• synthetics

This approach will provide a well-rounded education in craft, allowing you to explore the intersections and connections between different craft disciplines.

Is the MA Craft for me?

This programme is tailored towards designer-makers. Throughout the programme, you will be encouraged to explore a variety of craft practices alongside a range of new and emerging digital technologies.

The programme aims to provide you with advanced disciplinary knowledge and a comprehensive skillset rooted in critical craft theory and practice.

We welcome applicants with diverse approaches to the discipline of craft, from both academic and professional backgrounds.

The MA Craft programme offers an excellent opportunity for independent, focused study as well as a range of collaborative projects and briefs.

Programme Structure

Semester 1

You will explore your critical making, addressing a range of issues related to craft theory and practice and learning how to critically connect theory and practice within your work.

Teaching will be focused on the cooperation and compromise required for collaboration and how they affect authority and ownership.

You will work with others in a small group within the cohort on an internal collaborative project.

Semester 2

You will further develop your critical making using cross-disciplinary research methods, both through self-directed and collaborative study. You will establish a critical synergy between craft and design theory within your practice.

Teaching will be focused on:

• the potential of new and emerging technologies
• the impact of technological advances on the field
• the crossovers that occur when disciplines and cultures intersect

You will also work on an external engagement or outreach project.

Final Semester

You will develop a final project through critical making. Your project can take various forms, such as:

• a new process, artefact(s), series of work(s), or collection
• an exhibition
• a conference with a publication
• a research website
• a collected series of articles or essays
• an online podcast series

With our project briefs evolving from year to year, these projects reflect the contemporary developments in craft.

Teaching and assessment

Your studies will be guided by a team of accomplished and respected staff and technicians who are expert practitioners in ceramics, glass, textiles, jewellery and silversmithing. Our faculty has a profound understanding, specialised skills and extensive professional experience in the fields of craft and design.

You will be assessed throughout your studies with us, receiving a range of feedback and grades on your work.

You will submit two key types of work for assessment: practical coursework and a final portfolio.

Practical coursework submissions

You will submit practical coursework at set times throughout the year. You will submit a range of materials, including:

• study plans
• project briefs
• other planning documents

Portfolio submission

At the end of Semester 2, you will submit a final portfolio of work which will consist of:

• material tests
• prototypes
• final artefact(s)
• project books that demonstrate the outcomes of your projects

Your portfolio work will feature in a graduate showcase at ECA.

Graduates of the programme are well-equipped to pursue a variety of careers in the creative industries, and are highly valued for their in-depth understanding of responsible consumption and production through craft practice.

Career opportunities in the craft, art and design sectors encompass a wide spectrum. They range from commercial to high-end markets, as well as freelance and self-employed career pathways. Many graduates go on to work in leading studios, agencies and collectives, or as independent craftspeople, designer-makers and artists.

The versatile and transferable skill set and knowledge you will develop during this programme will prepare you for diverse professional opportunities within and beyond the conventional field of craft, art and design roles.

This could include professional roles in:

• marketing and sales
• retail
• display
• museum curation
• creative businesses

This programme also serves as a solid foundation for those considering academic or research-oriented pathways and careers in the future. As a graduate of this programme, you will be well-prepared for further studies at the postgraduate research level.

If you'd like to study on a postgraduate programme at Edinburgh College of Art, you must apply through EUCLID, our online application system. You can find out how to do this on the University of Edinburgh website, where you'll also be able to:

• See detailed entrance requirements for each programme on the Degree Finder 
• Get information on what to expect after you apply 
• Find out about study modes, start dates and fees 
• Find out if, and how, you need to submit a portfolio, showreel or research proposal 
• Find out where to go for further advice and guidance.