Scholarships for postgraduate study in the History of Design

6th November 2014

The V&A/RCA postgraduate programme, which includes MA, MPhil and PhD in the History of Design, invites applications for two fully funded MA scholarships: The Friends of the V&A Scholarship and the Oliver Ford Trust Scholarship. These scholarships cover fees for the two years of the MA and include maintenance grants of up to 3,000 GBP per year. Further details on the programme and scholarship eligibility are below.

The V&A/RCA programme is internationally recognised as the leading centre for postgraduate study in the history of design and material culture. Combining ambitious, rigorous and cutting-edge scholarly approaches with firsthand understanding of objects. The History of Design programme is ideally suited to prepare students for the increasingly diverse and flexible professional portfolio that is demanded today.

The MA is a two year full-time programme. It is taught by a dedicated team of academics based in the Research Department of the V&A and the Humanities School of the RCA. The programme has an established reputation for pioneering new forms of design historical enquiry in global contexts, from the 15th century to the present day. The system of seminar-based classes, personal tutorials and supervisions provides a unique environment for the study of the aesthetic, social, cultural, technological, economic and political contexts of design.

PHOTO
V&A/RCA course rooms, V&A Museum. Photo: Richard Houghton, 2014.

The programme specialises in object-focused scholarship ranging across the histories of architecture and interior design, fashion and textiles, furniture and product design, ceramics, metalwork, glass, prints, drawings and digital media and social histories of material culture more broadly.

Uniquely, students have direct access to the unrivaled collections and expertise of the V&A and to the highly specialised art and design practices of the RCA. Opportunities to work with curators or to contribute to V&A gallery and exhibition projects are open to all students. Graduates go on to work internationally in universities, museums and galleries, as well as in a host of other related professions such as curating, journalism, media research and design policy. The MA programme also provides an excellent preparation towards PhD research in a variety of humanities fields.

The Friends of the V&A Scholarship
The Friends of the V&A Scholarship is offered to a student applying from the UK or EU who intends to work in a museum after graduating from the V&A/RCA History of Design MA programme. The scholarship covers fees for the two years of the MA and also includes a maintenance grant of up to 3,000 GBP per year.

The Oliver Ford Trust Scholarship
The Oliver Ford Trust Scholarship is offered to a student applying from the UK or EU who intends to undertake research into the design of the domestic interior. The Scholarship covers fees for the two years of the MA and also includes a maintenance grant of up to 3,000 GBP per year.

Robert H. Smith Renaissance Sculpture in Context Bursary
This award is offered to a student applying from the UK or EU who intends to undertake research in any aspect of Renaissance sculpture in its broad cultural and social context. The award offers a contribution towards the fees of 3,000 GBP per year for the two-year MA.

Royal College of Art Bursaries
The Royal College of Art provides bursaries for UK and EU students. Contact the Royal College of Art for criteria of eligibility.

The scholarships and awards are given on a competitive basis, judged at interview. Students should indicate their interest in and suitability for the awards on their application form. The priority deadline for application for 2015-2016 is 13 January and interviews will be held in February and March 2015. Further details on the programme, entry requirements, college fees and funding can be found at www.rca.ac.uk/admissions and www.rca.ac.uk/hod.

To book a place for our open day on 21 November 2014, contact the programme administrator on: hod[AT]rca.ac.uk.

The College is designated as an eligible institution for a guaranteed student loan under the new Direct Loan Programme.

Please note these scholarships and awards are only available to MA students. For further information on research degrees in the History of Design and RCA Humanities, please visit www.rca.ac.uk or contact humanities-research[AT]rca.ac.uk.

Priority deadline for 2015-2016 academic year: 13 January 2015
Interviews held in February and March 2015

Royal College of Art
Kensington Gore
London SW7 2EU

Victoria and Albert Museum
Cromwell Road
London SW7 2RL

www.rca.ac.uk/hod