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Explore your creativity and master traditional and digital making skills, using a range of materials, including glass and ceramics. Utilise outstanding facilities, participate in competitions, public exhibitions and live commissions. Become an artist, designer, maker and work in diverse art, design and making contexts.
This exciting course embraces the possibilities of making for both art and design. Glass and Ceramics are a focus, but you can work in other materials too, for example, wood, metal, plastic, and digital media. You'll work in excellent individual student workspaces, bringing you into contact with professionals in the field, and will be able to take advantage of opportunities such as external competitions and exhibitions.
Please note, we are only accepting applications for direct entry to Year 3.
Your first year will introduce you to a range of traditional and contemporary craft skills, through staff led demonstrations and seminars as well as hands-on making. You'll learn making skills, ideas development and about key subject themes – all of which will prepare you for self-negotiated projects in your second year where you'll learn about making for particular contexts as well as for exhibition. You'll start to identify your own voice through your work as well as considering debates in the subject and professional practice. The final year is significantly about developing your degree show work, reflecting on your practice, critically positioning your work and importantly planning for your future career.
While building the core skills of being an artist, designer or maker, this course also offers the chance for you to develop a broader range of skills and attitudes that can allow you to work in other areas. These include: creative thinking, team working, presentation skills, writing skills, research skills, digital skills, and time management.
Throughout the course, you’ll be assessed through a range of studio practice, visual research – sketchbooks, technical notebooks, and contextual files, your professional development portfolio, written assignments and presentations to fellow students and staff.
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade: SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement | GPA 3.0 or above and: Sat score of 1100/1600 from SATs AP (Grades 3+ in at least 2 subjects) ACT (score of 26+) |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.
If you are studying a HND or Foundation Degree you may be able to enter onto the final year of our degree courses. For more information, please contact studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk.
Interview/portfolio requirements
We’ll invite you to an informal interview to talk about your work, where we would like to see evidence of your creative potential. Previous experience in glass, ceramics, or making is not essential.
Please prepare a portfolio of work you have completed so far. We are not looking for perfection as we appreciate you are still developing work. Your portfolio should be simply mounted and include:
If you are an international applicant, please send a link to your online portfolio.
The annual, full-time fee for this course is:
*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.
Tuition fees for part-time students are £7,145 per 120 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.
Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
We aim to develop you as a graduate who has the skills to work in diverse art, design and making contexts.
You are likely to develop a ‘portfolio career’ that might involve a mix of working as an artist for gallery exhibitions, a designer making work to commission for specific contexts, and a maker who can fabricate work for yourself or others.
Professional ‘real-world’ experience is central to this course. This could include the chance to show your work in public exhibitions, undertake internships, work on real commissions, and competitions – all of which will help you to build a professional CV.
Our modules mirror the approach that professional artists will need to take in their careers. These aspects of the course will present you with challenges through which you can build experience and confidence for your dynamic career in the creative industries.
Our links with the arts and creative industries are key to giving you the real world experience that will help your future career. Our current links include Sunderland Arts Studio, British Ceramics Biennial, Arts Council England, Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA), National Association for Ceramics in Higher Education (NACHE), Equal Arts, Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art (NGCA), Nissan, and the National Trust.
Our students have progressed from our Glass and Ceramics studios to work with London Glassblowing, Wanganui Glass School New Zealand, Devereux and Huskie Glassworks, GLASSTORM UK/Danish Studios, Angels' Share Glass, Cumbria Crystal, English Antique Glass, Antony Gormley Studio, Crafts Council, Sorrel Foundation, British Ceramics Biennale, and Hepworth Museum.
We encourage students to take part in competitions and they’ve had considerable success:
Sunderland Culture is a collaboration between the University, council and the city’s key cultures organisations. This partnership brings big-name creatives in contemporary visual arts, glass, ceramics and performance to the city; showcases exciting local talent; and gives our students unique experiences including exceptional career-enhancing opportunities.
I liked designing work to a brief, studying abroad and exploring my ideas through material.
It’s been a fantastic adventure, I would recommend it to anyone.
The facilities were really useful, I don’t think I would get these type of facilities anywhere else.
