Kingston University
Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture

Kingston University's Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture has a rich and expanding postgraduate community, and we hope you will find the course you are looking for and join us.

Our courses are led by inspirational staff and supported by impressive workshops that combine both the traditional and the very latest technologies. In 2011, the Guardian newspaper ranked our art and design courses as among the 10 best in the United Kingdom.

Many of our courses are developed in collaboration with related industries and institutions, which inform and finance many student projects. These partnerships provide dialogues that ensure we are influential and ground breaking. We are also committed to providing an international context, and have strong links and ongoing projects with institutions in China, Japan and Southern Africa.

Get connected

Many staff members work as artists, designers, architects or surveyors alongside their teaching. This means you can share their specialised and in-depth knowledge.

All of our fine art and design courses are closely linked with the creative industries, while our surveying and planning courses have strong links to the surveying industry professional bodies (the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, the Royal Town Planning Institute), and our architecture courses have close links with the Royal Institute of British Architects. Courses in art and design history make full use of links with institutions such as Historic Royal Palaces, the Natural History Museum, the Museum of London and the National Maritime Museum.

In addition, industry experts often teach and even contribute to the design of our courses, helping to enhance your studies and ensure that you graduate as a marketable industry professional.

Location, location, location

We're close to central London, giving access to all the inspiration and opportunity the city has to offer. Leading organisations, museums, galleries and events are within easy reach. For more information visit our Location Guide

Learning through doing

From fashion to architecture, from surveying to product design, at Kingston all students are grounded in the materiality of their disciplines; we are still making things at Kingston.

To support this emphasis, we've recently invested heavily in our campus to provide great workshops and the latest equipment. Our 3D workshop enables you to work with materials such as wood, metal, stone, plastic, plaster, bio-resins, wax and ceramics. The workshop is open to everyone from fashion students using the leather-cutting equipment to landscape architecture students making models.

Other facilities include:

• Our Architectural Science & Technology Laboratory 'ArchiLab'
• A filming environment and animation suite which includes a large filming space (with infinity cove, professional film blue screen and all the kit you need to use it), plus professional standard equipment for post-production, animation and sound recording
• A professional photography suite with two new digital darkrooms
• A print room for intaglio, lithography, screenprint and collagraphy
• A newly specified, open-access digital workshop
• A new Learning Resources Centre (library)

Our specialist support and technical staff will help you get the most from our facilities.  Find out more here.

Do it differently

Explore, experiment, investigate. Never be afraid to try something new. At Kingston, much of your time will be spent investigating new areas of practice, creating sophisticated, considered solutions to the complex challenges created by modern life. Whichever course you choose, we'll encourage you to take risks and try new approaches. It's like setting off into the unknown, who knows what you'll find?

Think global

As a graduate of the Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture at Kingston, you'll be working in a global economy. So, our vision is for students to think internationally; to respond to different opinions, approaches and people; and to be the proactive generation that shapes the future with an understanding of the realities of other cultures.  All of our courses offer opportunities for interaction across countries and continents; for example, you may be working with colleagues from the UK, Asia, USA, Europe, Africa, South America, in fact, from anywhere across the world.

Design for the future

Sustainability is a key research theme at Kingston University and extends into many of our teaching activities.  In 2011, we launched our sustainable materials library, Rematerialise, at EcoBuild, the world's largest event for showcasing sustainable design and construction practices. Researchers at the University have catalogued more than 1,000 different sustainable materials for use in the construction industry, from insulation made from mushrooms, to kitchen tops created from recycled glass.

For more information on sustainability at Kingston, see more here.

Research

The Faculty has a well-established and internationally renowned research culture that encourages and supports high quality, innovative research through practice, history and theory. This rich spectrum encompasses the critical practices of fine artists, curators and cultural commentators and historians, alongside that of designers, film makers, architects, town planners and surveyors, all of whom have extensive professional, industrial and commercial links.

For further information visit our Research page

Short courses

The Faculty of Art, Design & Architecture has put together a wide variety of exciting courses aimed at all sectors of the general public. Suitable for beginners to professionals, our courses are taught by highly-talented, qualified tutors whose enthusiasm for their subject will, we hope, inspire you to new artistic heights. We are continuously updating our courses and introducing new subjects, so please bookmark this page. For booking and information see more here.

Continuing professional development (CPD)

If you are looking to develop academic skills or specific subject knowledge; need to support professional development at work; or simply wish to pursue a hobby or personal interest, we have a wide variety of accredited and non-accredited courses to suit you. For further information visit our CPD page.

APC: The surveying assessment of professional competence programme

The APC demands that candidates show a thorough technical and professional knowledge based on relevant experience.  Kingston University's School of Surveying & Planning offers a wide range of technical and professional courses twice a year to help candidates prepare for their final assessment. Our courses are tutored by both Kingston Academic staff, and experienced APC assessors, in working practices. For information and booking visit our APC page.

Events and Open Days

The Faculty runs a series of exhibitions, shows, events and Open Days. To find out what's currently on visit our Faculty Events Page.

www.fada.kingston.ac.uk

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