Royal College of Art
Best Fine Arts School in London: History, Art Courses, Tuition Fees.


Best Art Schools in UK
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Royal Academy of Arts
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Royal College of Art

Contents

History and Structure
Art Courses Available
Tuition Fees
Contact Information

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WHAT IS ACADEMIC ART?
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History and Structure

Situated in Kensington in the centre of London, The Royal College of Art (RCA) is one of the most influential, universities of art and design in the world. The RCA was founded in 1837 as the Government School of Design, and was located in the Strand. Following the Great Exhibition of 1851, it was radically transformed to accommodate fine art and applied art, as well as design, and moved to its current home in South Kensington. In 1896 it became the Royal College of Art. In 1967 the College was granted a Royal Charter, endowing it with university status and the power to grant its own art degrees. See also: Best Art Schools.

 

 

Art Courses Available

The college only offers postgraduate courses. Research and teaching is supported through 7 academic schools and 19 departments, each of which offers tutorials, seminars and individual support. The 7 schools are: Fine Art, Applied Art, Architecture & Design, Communications, Fashion & Textiles, and Design for Production and Humanities. According to recent statistics, 93 percent of College graduates gain employment in their desired profession within a short time of finishing their course.

Animation
The emphasis of the Animation art Department is to create artist film-makers who can develop relationships with the industry. Former student and alumni includes Suzie Templeton, a 2008 Oscar-winning animator. For more details phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4512 or email: animation@rca.ac.uk

Ceramics & Glass
The ceramics department offers individual studio space, and workshops with facilities for ceramic and glass processes; as well as project funding and doctoral student support. For more details phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4252 or email: ceramics-and-glass@rca.ac.uk

Communication Art & Design
Students work in the mediums of paint, print, photography, film, video, text, sound, wood-block and digital software. Individual studios are allocated. For more details phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4304 or email: caad@rca.ac.uk

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Drawing Studio
Managed by the School of Fine Art, this course offers traditional and experimental teaching methods for drawing including: experimental workshops, anatomy figure drawing courses, forensic reconstruction, soundscape workshops (free improvisation) and drawing outings in London.

Painting
The Painting Department is a world leader in both theory and practice. Lessons take place in studio, galleries and at other partner institutions. Famous former pupils include Lucian Freud (b.1922), Frank Auerbach (b.1931), Bridget Riley (b.1931), Peter Blake (b.1932), David Hockney (b.1937), Tracey Emin (b.1963), among many others. For more details phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4402 or email: painting@rca.ac.uk.

Sculpture
It was at the Sculpture Department of the RCA that Henry Moore (1898-1986) first learned sculpture. The department offers links with artists, designers, architects, and thinkers across the RCA. Each student receives a dedicated studio space. For more details phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4452 or email: sculpture@rca.ac.uk.

 

Printmaking
The Department of Printmaking helps graduates to bridge the world between the studio and world of the public institutions. Students study major print mediums, including engraving, intaglio and relief, etching, silkscreen printing, lithography and large-format digital printing. Many students continue to work and sell their works while undertaking this course. Graduates have gone on to exhibit with important galleries and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the more local Tate Gallery, and the Venice Biennale. For more details phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4426 or email: printmaking@rca.ac.uk.

Photography
The Department of Photography offers seminars, tutorials, lectures and group critiques by leading practitioners. For more details phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4414 or email: photography@rca.ac.uk.

Textiles
MA textile students specialize in knit, print, mixed media and weave. There are integrated workshop and studios with individual studio space for each student. The department collaborates with industry leaders such as Paul Smith, Marks & Spencer’s and Daks. For more details phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4362 or email: textiles@rca.ac.uk.

Fashion Womenswear/Fashion Menswear
MA, MPhil and PhD students study at the Department for Womenswear/Menswear Fashion. Visiting lecturers from fashion design, media and retail commerce give students the benefit of their experience. Graduates from this course go on to work in Prada, Burberry, Stella McCartney, Alberta Ferretti, Marni, Chloe, Givenchy, Nina Ricci, Louis Vuitton, Cerrutti, Balenciaga and McQueen. For more details phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4373 or email: fashion@rca.ac.uk.

Other courses include: Architecture; Conservation; Critical & Historical Studies; Critical Writing in Art & Design; Curating Contemporary Art, Design Interactions; Design Products; Goldsmithing; Silversmithing; Metalwork & Jewellery art; History of Design; Innovation Design Engineering and Vehicle Design.

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Tuition Fees

UK/EU students: £6,000 per year. Channel Islands & Isle of Man Students: £12,450. International Students: £24,900 per year.

Contact Information

Address: Royal College of Art, Kensington Gore, London SW7 2EU
Phone: +44 (0)20 7590 4444
Email: info@rca.ac.uk
Website: www.rca.ac.uk

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