Master of Research RCA

Students develop a creative and critically engaged individual research project, whether thesis-based or practice-based. We have a strong emphasis on experimental research, preparing graduates for diverse careers in academia, art and design industry and cultural institutions. We offer a range of specialisms for closer supervision of research projects across the disciplines of architecture, communication, design, fine art and experimental humanities, focusing on the interface of research and practice. We believe interdisciplinary, collaborative learning and dialogue allows us to see and think about our own disciplines from new perspectives, fostering originality and innovation within the field.

Term 1

Research Methods Part 1: Developing Research Questions (15 credits)

This unit supports you in developing and articulating research questions, by interrogating the central themes of your practice and what you aim to explore within your independent research projects through interconnected theoretical and practice approaches. The focus of this first research methods unit is on developing concise research questions and supporting your understanding of interdisciplinary research methods that you will build into your own research methods toolkit which will be used in Research Methods Part 2 to write a research proposal that mirrors the form of a PhD application. Through this unit you will develop your conceptual, analytical, technical, and theoretical knowledge base.

Research in Practice Part 1: Testing and Experimenting (15 credits)

Testing and Experimenting (15 CREDITS): Within this unit, you will interrogate your research questions through practice approaches, be that a visual practice or a written practice. Experimentation and innovation across practice and theory are encouraged and supported. You will introduce different methods and approaches for you to test and explore.

College-wide Elective (AcrossRCA or elective from other Schools) (15 credits)

College-wide Elective (15 credits)

Term 2

Research Methods Part 2: Developing a Research Proposal (15 credits)

Developing a Research Proposal (15 CREDITS): Through an understanding of a wide range of research methods, you will be able to research and develop new, experimental, and effective approaches, engaging with problems and insights at the forefront of your discipline. The detailed research proposal mirrors the form of a PhD application by introducing your research subjects, aims, contexts, and key questions. You will also build a core repository of research references appropriate to your subject as an annotated bibliography, articulating which aspects of each source are of importance to your research.

Research in Practice Part 2: Defining and Developing (15 credits)

Defining and Developing (15 CREDITS): Within this unit, you will further define and develop your practice. Through planning and investigation, you will begin to determine the methods and approaches that are successful for you, which you will build upon within the final Research Project.

College-wide Elective (AcrossRCA or elective from other Schools) (15 credits)

College-wide Elective (15 credits)

Term 3

Independent Research Project (60 credits)

Within this unit, you will apply the skills, knowledge and understanding developed through the previous units to complete a complex Independent Research Project. This project can be practice- or thesis-based, with practice-based route bringing together an original body of work with a connected 5 thesis, and thesis-based route the completion of a longer textual output. Students will be supervised by MRes staff by discipline specialisms, with group and individual critiques and tutorials.

You will select elective units to determine your own journey through the programme, choosing from a range of electives that are available across all Schools and campuses, and online. Available electives may include:

Term 1

• Interventions (School of Communication, on campus)
• Digital Storytelling (School of Communication, online)
• Education for Change (Academic Development Office, online & blended options with mix of online and on-campus sessions)
• Collaboration and Inter-disciplinarity as Method (Academic Development Office, online & blended options with mix of online and on-campus sessions)
• Housing and Social Reproduction (School of Architecture, mix of online and on campus sessions)
• Mobility and Debility (School of Architecture, mix of online and on campus sessions)
• Design Innovation: Models and Life Cycle (School of Design, mix of online and on-campus sessions)
• Design Ethics: Design for Good Practice (School of Design, online)
• Performing Practice (School of Arts and Humanities, on campus)
• Health and Care: Futures of Care (School of Arts and Humanities, online)
• Material Engagements: Embodied Practice (School of Arts and Humanities, on campus)

Terms 1 and 2

AcrossRCA (30 credits) (Academic Development Office, majority online, but some on-campus sessions)

Term 2

• Industry Embedded Project (School of Communication, online)
• Sound (School of Communication, on campus)
• Public Engagement as Method (Academic Development Office (MRes), mix of online and on-campus sessions)
• Developing Research Proposals (Academic Development Office (MRes), mix of online
• Making Pedagogies (Academic Development Office (MEd), mix of online and on-campus sessions)
• Capital’s Shadow (School of Architecture, mix of online and on-campus sessions)
• Milieu Milieu Me (The Economy) (School of Architecture, mix of online and on-campus sessions)
• Design Resilience: Sustainability (School of Design, mix of online and on-campus sessions)
• Design Innovation: Venture Creation (School of Design, mix of online and on-campus sessions)
• Sites and Situations: Spatial Feelings (School of Arts and Humanities, on campus)
• Synthetic Encounters: Shapeshifting the Digital (School of Arts and Humanities, online)

Depending on demand and availability, not all electives will be available. You'll be asked to rank your preferences and allocated to electives based on those preferences.

AcrossRCA is a compulsory 30-credit unit which is delivered as part of all MA programmes.

Situated at the core of your RCA experience, this ambitious interdisciplinary College-wide unit supports you in responding to the challenges of complex, uncertain and changing physical and digital worlds. Developed in response to student feedback, AcrossRCA creates an exciting opportunity for you to collaborate meaningfully across programmes.

Challenging you to use your imagination and intellect to respond to urgent contemporary themes, this ambitious unit will provide you with the opportunity to:

• make connections across disciplines
• think critically about your creative practice
• develop creative networks within and beyond the College
• generate innovative responses to complex problems
• reflect on how to propose ideas for positive change in local and/or global contexts

AcrossRCA launches with a series of presentations and panel discussions from acclaimed speakers who will introduce the themes and act as inspirational starting points for your collaborative team response.

Delivered online and in-person across two terms, the unit has been designed to complement your disciplinary studies and to provide you with a platform to thrive beyond graduation.