The V&A/RCA History of Design programme is internationally recognised as the leading centre for the postgraduate study of the history of design. We offer the opportunity to study design and material culture in all its aspects, from the early fifteenth century to the present day, across global geographies.
Our two-year, full-time MA programme and our research programmes for MPhil and PhD students are shared by two world-class centres of scholarship and creative excellence, the RCA and the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). We provide a unique environment for the study of the aesthetic, social, cultural, technological, economic and political contexts for design through themes such as skill and craftsmanship, trade and exchange, marketing and consumption, style and identity.
Our students go on to work in universities and colleges worldwide as academic researchers and teachers; others work as curators in museums, galleries and specialist collections and as writers, journalists, television researchers, consultants and policy makers.
Download History of Design Programme Information Pack (PDF)
The programme offers:
- a pioneering centre for the study of design history at postgraduate level
- three specialist pathways: Renaissance, Asian and Modern, and Contemporary
- world-class scholarship, taught by leading academics and curators
- research access to the unrivalled collections and expertise of the V&A
- an international network of academic partners, including the Bard Graduate Center, New York, and the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad
- a unique learning environment, with dedicated student space at both the RCA and V&A
- a network of distinguished alumni working in universities, museums and design organisations worldwide
- a history of research excellence, attracting funding from bodies such as the Getty Center, the Pasold Research Fund, the British Academy, the Wellcome Trust, AHRC, ESRC and the European Scientific Fund
+44 (0)20 7590 4482
hod@rca.ac.uk
UNMAKING THINGS: A Design History Studio is a creative online space which is edited and run by students on the V&A/RCA History of Design
MA
Established in 2011 and relaunched in 2012 by current students, it is a place to publish work relating to the field of design history, reflect critically on how to write design history, and encourage connections and networks between the student, the practitioner and the professional.
www.unmakingthings.com
The History of Design programme will be hosting a study day entitled, In the Realm
of the Senses: Toward a history of the senses in art and science between
Europe and Tokugawa Japan. The presentation will be given by Prof. Dr.
Lissa L. Roberts from University of Twente, the Netherlands, with
responses by Dr. Christine Guth, Head of Asian Specialism on the
programme and Dr. Suchitra Balasubrahmanyan from Ambedkar University,
New Delhi and Leverhulme Fellow at the RCA.
11am–3pm, Victoria and Albert Museum, Sackler Centre Auditorium. Places are free but need to be booked by email to: k.royall@vam.ac.uk
Open Days are held at the College between October and January of each academic year, to enable applicants to explore teaching programmes and meet staff and students.