Our postgraduate degree in Jewellery and Related Products is a highly respected, innovative course, which develops your creative potential and in-depth knowledge of theories, processes and techniques.

Students on our course demonstrate understanding, and a critical awareness of current issues and/or new insights.

WHAT'S COVERED IN THIS COURSE?

The focus of this course is very much on developing your entrepreneurial spirit and helping you become the designer you want to be.

You will use a variety of materials, manufacturing techniques and processes.

The scope for design is very broad and builds on knowledge in the area of personal ornaments, body signification and decorative metal objects.

There are affinities with industrial design, fashion design, fine art and sculpture and content is often informed by philosophy, conceptualisation and critical theory.

Project-based activities will develop creative, design and making skills and enhance your professional skills. You will develop concepts and products, analyse problems and reflect on the relationships between personal objectives, cultural values, market identities, prototyping techniques and new technologies.

You will demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of techniques applicable to your own research and advanced creative activity, alongside exhibiting originality in the application of knowledge.

You will demonstrate your practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in our discipline and create innovative new designs in jewellery and related products.

The course is based at our internationally renowned School of Jewellery, in the heart of Birmingham’s famous Jewellery Quarter. The historical facade of our Vittoria Street building conceals a contemporary environment including workshops, a specialist library, an atrium gallery and exhibition space.

Our course philosophy encourages your individual enquiry and innovation. Modules are structured to enable progressive identification of assessable outcomes throughout, and require research based engagement with creative practice to enable you to make choices, solve problems and define your individual direction.  This practice progressively leads to ownership, independence and employability. We incorporate activities, which involve you as active learner.

We embrace a high, professional level of excellence appropriate to the industry and area of focus for each student. Excellence is demonstrated in artistic integrity, a self-directed and ambitious design project at Master of Art level. Professional practice and employability skills are demonstrated in team projects and by accessing external audience appreciation. In all of our activities we celebrate and foster innovation and entrepreneurial enterprise in an international context.

MA Jewellery and Related Products graduate outcomes are of high profile and are leading in the field, as is widely evidenced in the successes our graduates. They represent Birmingham City University’s graduate qualities of being professional and work ready, they are creative problem solvers, enterprising and have a global outlook.

Links to industry

The MA in Jewellery and Related Products course has built particularly strong links to galleries, arts agencies and professional bodies, which support the creative industries and provide relevant real world experience, support and advice.

The course is proud to have professional links which include: Craftspace Birmingham, Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery (BMAG), Midland’s Art Centre (mac), Jewellery Quarter Museum, British Crafts Council, AXIS, The South Square Trust, Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, Handwerkskammer Munich, Germany, and the international e-platforms and web-hubs: Klimt04 (Spain), Kitandcaboodle (Germany), Crafthaus (USA), Art Jewelry Forum (USA).