PGDip Advanced Professional Practice

The Postgraduate Diploma Advanced Professional Practice provides students with structure and support in their exciting first year of Art & Design professional practice. This includes developing their entrepreneurial skills, responding to market feedback in the advancement of their products and/or services, and application to selected shows, trade fairs, retailers and/or employers as they navigate their first year of business.

Key Course Features

• You will be taught by a dedicated team of research-active practitioners who exhibit their own work both nationally and internationally.
• Work on live projects, exhibitions, competitions, and commissions for public and private clients; this will give you confidence for your future career. For example, when approaching galleries and retail outlets with your work.
• Focus is placed on developing your business skills in areas such as pricing, publicity and marketing. We are consistently praised by external examiners for how well prepared our students are for professional life.
• Excellent gallery and commercial links, with the focus on craft skills to enable you to become exceptional makers.
• Field and research trips to art galleries and important collections, exhibitions, festivals and design seminars nationally and internationally.
• Artists in residence opportunities are available for both our graduates and established professionals. This is a real benefit both in supporting makers and giving valuable experience to our current students.

Assessment and Teaching

Assessment is predominantly through practical and design work – maquettes, sketchbooks, samples, and finished objects. Work is presented to tutors, and verbal feedback is given instantly, followed by more expansive written feedback.

You'll be assessed for each module. Formative assessments are used to monitor progress and can take place at any time. These consist of a band grading, plus evaluative comments and a feedback tutorial if appropriate. Grading isn't finalised until the end of the year when work is reviewed and moderated by an external examiner.

Teaching and Learning

We offer workshops and support sessions in areas such as academic writing, effective note-making and preparing for assignments. Students can book appointments with academic skills tutors dedicated to helping deal with the practicalities of university work.

Career Prospects

Graduates from our current Applied Art programmes gain employment locally, nationally and in some cases, worldwide.

Self-employment and freelance employment are a particular strength within the Applied Arts with a high percentage of our graduates going on to owning their own workshop business supplying galleries and retail outlets.