University News Last updated 16 July
Birmingham City University (BCU) and the Royal College of Art (RCA) have signed a new partnership agreement to increase postgraduate university study opportunities for Art and Design students.
Students graduating from BCU with a BA (Hons) degree in Photography, Product Design, or Art & Design with Creative Technologies will be able to access a new progression route to relevant RCA postgraduate taught programmes.
It will also include enhanced teaching alignments, guidance with applications and targeted financial support.
“This is an exciting prospect for our graduates to access tailored pathways into postgraduate study and continue their education,” said Professor David Mba, Vice-Chancellor of BCU.
“This partnership will shine a light on BCU talent and provide further opportunities to develop their skills and knowledge, well beyond graduation.
“We are proud to be recognised as educational partners with the RCA, given both of our institutions have a long history in providing arts education.
“Working with the RCA will also allow us to exchange creative knowledge and expertise, benefitting students, research and local communities.”
A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) has set out further collaboration ambitions including in teaching, research and knowledge exchange, staff and technical exchange, as well as civic and creative ecosystems.
In addition, one full PhD scholarship will be awarded to a BCU graduate every year for five years, with supervision from both universities to promote doctoral studies in the arts.
Professor Christoph Lindner, President and Vice-Chancellor at the RCA, said: “Creative education - and creative graduates - have never been more important.
“The ability of creative graduates to ask new questions, bring concepts to life, invent products and systems, and connect to the heart of what makes human creativity special will be crucial to the UK and Ireland meeting the challenges of our times, such as thriving in partnership with AI tools and making sense of a fractured information landscape.
“It’s vital that creative institutions work together to share knowledge, increase access to study and champion creative futures.”
A further four creative education institutions have also signed MOUs with the RCA to build a network across the UK and Ireland, including Arts University Plymouth, The Glasgow School of Art, Leeds Arts University and the National College of Art and Design (Dublin).