Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design

Summary

Mission

The University of the Arts London aims to be recognised as one of the foremost institutions in the world for learning, practice, research and development in art, design, communication, fashion and performance.
Central Saint Martins is respected globally for the creative energy of its students, staff and graduates. We will continue to strive to be at the forefront of learning, practice and research, whilst remaining confident in the values and relevance of our traditions.
We believe it is essential to retain the values of our ‘art school’ traditions—providing a life-changing experience through which artists, designers and performers can pursue their personal aspirations—whilst continuing to shape and challenge culture and society through subversion and creative risk-taking. We will build on current initiatives to strengthen our role as a force for creativity, change and influence and continue to look for ways to work with internal and external partners to identify opportunities for our students, staff and graduates to be leaders of culture and business. Central Saint Martins will be a place where contradiction, questioning and positive uncertainty go hand-in-hand with quality and excellence.
As a learning organisation, Central Saint Martins will be both an educational and cultural institution, linking teaching, research and enterprise in a vibrant, supportive and enabling environment. We will be recognised by employers worldwide as a leading provider of quality graduates and our practice and research will contribute to knowledge beyond the boundaries of art, design and performance, thereby impacting on every aspect of social and economic activity.
Central Saint Martins much-anticipated move to a new campus at King’s Cross in summer 2011 represents one of the most significant estate developments in European art, design and performance education. This provides us with an opportunity to restate our values and represent our contribution thus far in the context of the unique potential and ambition for our future.

International role

The University's international aim is to be recognised as one of the foremost institutions in the world for learning, practice, research and development in art, design, communication, fashion and performance in a multi-cultural context and to be at the centre of a global network of like-minded institutions.

Central Saint Martins has forged relationships with a large number of institutions across the world, currently with over 90 universities in 30 countries. These relationships range from Erasmus linkages to collaborative curriculum developments and international research projects. A key component of the College’s international strategy is the aim of successfully joining Cumulus and to develop targeted collaborations with selected Cumulus member institutions.

National role

University of the Arts London is Europe's largest specialist university for art, design, fashion, communication and the performing arts and consequently plays a leading role nationally and regionally in art and design education across the sector.

Based in the centre of London, Central Saint Martins is at the geographical and emotional heart of the UK’s creative industries. London’s role as a world-leading creative hub needs no introduction and the College is at its heart, enjoying a productive relationship with its practitioners, researchers and institutions.

Central Saint Martins Innovation harnesses the prolific creativity and inventiveness of the College’s staff and students to accelerate the development of ideas, research and business and offer training. Central Saint Martins Innovation work with over 300 businesses each year. Their services range from nurturing creative start-ups to working with luxury brands and hi-tech multinationals. The Design Laboratory, a design studio housed within Central Saint Martins Innovation, offer specialist consultancy in product development, brand strategy and trend forecasting.

http://www.csm.arts.ac.uk/innovation.htm

The University is the host institution for the National Arts Learning Network— a coalition of twenty specialist arts institutions from across the country committed to improving access to arts education to all students, regardless of their circumstances and to increasing the diversity of the learners on their courses.

The University works with a number of community partners in the arts design sector, including galleries, community youth projects, & innovative school projects to promote design education in primary and secondary schools, including the Newham Creative Hub. Part of the government’s Creative Britain New Talents for a New Economy strategy, this brings UAL together with six schools and two further education colleges to develop the creative skills of young people aged from 14 through to 25, inspire learners especially from year 9 onwards, to build confidence, understanding and aspiration about studying in further and higher education and to increase parental support for children to study creative subjects at all levels. A particular focus is working with the Hub schools and colleges to enhance delivery of the 14-19 diplomas in creative media. Other initiatives include careers and progression advice through student mentoring and ambassador schemes, portfolio and interview preparation and pre-university Foundation Degree level activity.

Central Saint Martins has been awarded Skillset Media Academy status, one of only eighteen institutions across the UK, granted in recognition of the outstanding achievements of the college in relation to their Media Courses. Skillset is the industry body that supports skills and training for people and businesses to ensure the UK audio visual and publishing industries maintain their world-class status.
The College also plays a prominent role in the organisation New Deal of the Mind (www.newdealofthemind.com). This is a national coalition of entrepreneurs, teachers, opinion formers and other prominent figures from the creative industries, which seeks to address the economic, social and cultural challenges of the global recession. The network is seeks to create new ways of working together within the creative and digital industries to harness the inventiveness and energy of the UK.

Main focus

Central Saint Martins aims to be a world-leading institution in art, design, communication, fashion and performance at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

The student population is:
• 18% Further Education
• 64 % Undergraduate
• 17% Postgraduate (Taught)
• 1% Postgraduate (Research)
• 53% of enrolled students are from outside the UK

Education

Faculties and departments

The College is constituted by five academic units, which are responsible for the delivery of taught programmes:
• Byam Shaw School of Art
• Drama Centre London
• School of Art
• School of Fashion and Textile Design
• School of Graphic and Industrial Design

Bachelor level programs

BA programmes are 3 years full-time
Foundation Degree (FdA) Fine Art Skills and Practices-Byam Shaw-2 years
BA (Honours) Acting—Drama Centre London
BA (Honours) Architecture: Spaces and Objects
BA (Honours) Ceramic Design
BA (Honours) Criticism, Communication and Curation: Arts and Design
BA (Honours) Directing-Drama Centre London
BA (Honours) Fashion—4 year programme with a year in industry available leading to a Diploma in Professional Studies.
BA (Honours) Fine Art
BA (Honours) Fine Art-Byam Shaw
BA (Honours) Graphic Design
BA (Honours) Jewellery Design
BA (Honours) Product Design
BA (Honours) Textile Design
Graduate Diploma in Fashion—one year

Master level programs

Postgraduate Certificate in Innovative Pattern Cutting-15 weeks
Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Studies: Glass-one year
Postgraduate Certificate in Professional Studies: Photography-one year
Postgraduate Diploma in Character Animation-one year
Postgraduate Diploma in Fine Art-Byam Shaw-one year
MA Communication Design—two years
MA Creative Practice for Narrative Environments-two years
MA Design Studies-one year full-time/ two years part-time
MA Design: Ceramics, Furniture or Jewellery-two years
MA Design for Textile Futures-two years
MA European Classical Acting-one year
MA Fashion-one year and two terms
MA Fine Art-one year (12 months)
MA Fine Art-Byam Shaw-one year (12 months)
MA Industrial Design-two years
MA Innovation Management-two years
MA Screen: Acting, Directing, Writing-Drama Centre London-two years

Research

Research activity and main areas

Central Saint Martins is one of the world’s leading exponents of research, practice, education and innovation in art, design, communication, fashion and performance. Our international profile of research excellence has been recognised by the UK government in its assessment of UK higher education and our world class standing is reflected in the quality of our international collaborations.
Research at Central Saint Martins ranges from practice-driven investigation to theoretical study. The results of our research take many forms including artefacts, designs, patents, catalogues, exhibitions, digital resources, as well as publications such as books, journal articles and commissioned reports.
Much of our work crosses disciplinary boundaries and is carried out in collaboration with industry, commerce, museums and galleries, governmental and other academic institutions across the world. Our research is funded from a wide variety of sources including UK research councils, trusts (e.g. Leverhulme Trust, Wellcome Trust), charitable foundations (e.g. Andy Warhol, Henry Moore) and many others such as the British Academy.
Central Saint Martins is one of six colleges comprising the University of the Arts London. The University supports the largest single group of research active staff in arts and design in the UK and is also the largest provider of research degree programmes in arts, design and communication. All research students benefit from the formal research network, RNUAL (http://www.arts.ac.uk/research/) that provides comprehensive research training across the university and from opportunities to participate in the research centres and units that the University has established.
Research Centres and Units
www.csm.arts.ac.uk/csm_research.htm
A key priority has been to identify areas of specialist collective expertise and to support international research centres that offer a university-wide focus for research.
• International Centre for Fine Art Research (ICFAR)
www.icfar.org.uk
• Centre for Design against Crime
www.designagainstcrime.com/index.php
• Centre for Fashion, the Body and Material Cultures
www.fashion-body-materialcultures.org/
• Centre for Transnational Art Identity and Nation (TrAIN)
www.transnational.org.uk/about
• Information Environment Research Unit (IERU)
www.informationenvironments.org.uk/
• Textile Futures Research Group (TFRG)
www.tfrg.org.uk/

Doctorate level programs

MPhil & PhD programmes available

Central Saint Martins has built up a strong research profile in relation to the major schools of study for which the College is internationally renowned-Fine Art, Fashion and Textile Design, and Graphic and Industrial Design. The college is currently strengthening its research expertise in fine art and critical theory with tutors at the Byam Shaw School of Art and developing research capacity in drama, acting and theatre studies in conjunction with London Drama Centre. We welcome applications in these areas.

Postgraduate Research students benefit from close ties with the following University Research Centres and Units

Research centres
International Centre for Fine Art Research (ICFAR)
Centre for Design against Crime
Centre for Fashion, the Body and Material Cultures
Centre for Transnational Art Identity and Nation (TrAIN)
Information Environment Research Unit (IERU)
Textile Futures Research Group (TFRG)

Exchange

Subject areas for exchange students

BA Architecture: Spaces & Objects
BA Ceramic Design
BA Graphic Design (routes in Design, Moving Image, Illustration and Advertising)
BA Product Design
Please contact the Head of International Development, Dr Jo Wheeler, for further details.

Application deadlines

Full Year and Autumn Term (31 May)
Spring Term only (31 October)

Teaching languages

English

Semester dates

Current Dates
Monday 28 September to Friday 11 December 2009 (11 weeks)
Monday 11 January to Friday 19 March 2010 (10 weeks)
Monday 19 April to Friday 25 June 2010 (10 weeks)

Cost of living per month (studying and living)

£8,000 for 10 months living expenses
Course fees are variable—please see our website for full details: www.csm.arts.ac.uk
Tuition fees may be waived on a reciprocal basis for incoming and outgoing undergraduate student exchange students, following the signing of a collaborative agreement with a Cumulus member institution. Please note that Central Saint Martins will only sign a limited number of such agreements with selected partners worldwide.