Jewellery and Related Products, Postgraduate Taught - MA - 2022/23 entry

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 Birminghams 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.

Bachelor Degree from a recognised university with a minimum grade of 60% / Good / 2.5 / C+

Even though you may have met the stated requirements, if your first language is not English, we may ask you to take an additional English Language Test when you arrive.

Based on the results of the test, you may be required to attend regular English classes to improve your level of competence. English classes are provided free of charge and are available to all non-UK students who wish to attain greater fluency in English.

Enhancing your employability skills

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).

Graduate stories

Drew Markou is a self-employed artist and jewellery designer-maker whose work is exhibited internationally. Since graduating, Drew has gone on to wow crowds at the RHS BBC Gardeners' World Live show, where his design was named 'Most Creative Small Garden', winning a Silver Gilt award.

He said: “For me my MA was a milestone in achieving a higher level of education and thinking about the way in which I work. It was vital for me to gain a greater understanding about my own art and design work as well as a greater understanding of the context and industries in which it fitted.”

Lucy Harvey completed a commission for the National Glass Centre in collaboration with recycling company, Nulife Glass. The work explored the alchemical processes used by Nulife in separating lead and glass from cathode ray tubes found inside old TVs.

She has showcased her artefacts and jewellery collection at various exhibitions and fairs.

Farrah Al-Dujaili is a British Art Jeweller. She set up her own workshop to continue her practice. Her work has been exhibited internationally in shows including ‘Talente’ and ’25 Years of Galerie Louise Smit’. Farrah was also the recipient of the Art Jewelry Forum ‘Emerging Artist’ award and subsequently had her work exhibited at SOFA New York in 2012.