Glass MA and MFA
Architectural Glass MA and MFA

The Glass & Architectural Glass course at Edinburgh College of Art has a long-standing reputation as a materially based programme spreading across areas of art, applied arts and design. Many of our graduates cross over from other disciplines to employ the unique properties of glass in their area of creativity.

The making of glass for artistic, decorative and architectural purposes is one of the oldest crafts, yet it continues to be one of the most exciting and innovative in art and design practice, and certainly one with a high public profile. The teaching at ECA covers all aspects of the material, from craft glass-making to the impact glass has on contemporary art and architecture and our everyday surroundings.

Students join an international body of postgraduate students coming from different cultural traditions. Previous masters graduates studying in Glass and Architectural Glass have been drawn from all over the world. We welcome a diverse mix of cultures and ideas, which characterise our postgraduate study programmes.The department’s activities are driven by participation in an international movement, furthering the application of glass as a medium of creative expression. We also enjoy close links with the internationally renowned Northland Creative Glass in Caithness as well as global connections with institutions overseas.

While a written dissertation forms part of the assessment process, these programmes are designed as a means of developing and extending creative practice. Students who wish to concentrate on theory will find the programmes offered by the Centre for Visual & Cultural Studies more appropriate; Contemporary Art Theory, Visual Culture and Visual and Material Culture.

The aim of the postgraduate programmes in Glass and Architectural Glass is to build upon previous study or professional experience and foster in our students:

• A critical and analytical understanding of their practice seen in the context of contemporary issues.
• A creative and intellectual approach that reflects the wide ranging applications of glass in art, applied arts or design.
• Confidence in the acquisition and application of specialist skills in the production of glass artefacts.
• The ability to develop a brief from personal research using appropriate sources and to develop and acquire technical and practical solutions to problems arising from the research.
• The acquisition of a range of generic skills to facilitate a professional level of performance leading to an exhibition, portfolio or presentation.

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