Royal College of Art : Rankings, Fees & Courses Details

About Royal College of Art

Ranked for 11 consecutive years as the world’s number 1 art & design university*, the Royal College of Art’s postgraduate programmes enable you to tackle complex issues, push the boundaries of your practice, build your networks and find your voice as a...
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Ranked for 11 consecutive years as the world’s number 1 art & design university*, the Royal College of Art’s postgraduate programmes enable you to tackle complex issues, push the boundaries of your practice, build your networks and find your voice as a creative professional. Committed to creating the next generation of artists, designers, architects, communicators, researchers, creators and innovators, the RCA’s world-leading academic staff will guide and challenge you to push the boundaries of your practice. As the world’s largest community of postgraduate-only art and design students, you will be part of a collective of inspirational creative peers opening up opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration. The broad range of disciplines on offer is based on a strong foundation of practice-based research and integrates STEAM subjects - Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics - providing a unique and transformative experience. *QS World University subject rankings (2015-2025)

About Royal College of Art

"The RCA was all about brain expansion and being exposed to things that I had never considered or thought of or had to deal with within my work. It very much felt like breaking down everything I already knew. Being able to learn in such an environment with such an amazing range of academic and technical staff, and the fact that everyone kind of came from a different background made it so much more of, so much of a richer experience."
- Lucy Hardcastle, Information Experience Design MA

Whatever your creative career aspirations, the RCA can help you realise them. A qualification from the world’s number one ranked university for Art & Design has proven invaluable to the careers and practice of thousands of graduates. You too could be part of our international network of creative individuals who have shaped, and continue to shape, the world surrounding us, and address some of the biggest global challenges of our time.

We attract the most talented students who come to us as the world’s most influential postgraduate art and design school to have access to leading faculty and push the boundaries of their fields.

“I learned how to work with people and with communities, just understanding different points of view and bringing that together. Coming to RCA with the idea of: ‘What are the things I could make?’ has completely shifted to: ‘How can we get together and make things?’

- Rashmi Bidasaria, Design Products MA

Read less

About Royal College of Art

Ranked for 11 consecutive years as the world’s number 1 art & design university*, the Royal College of Art’s postgraduate programmes enable you to tackle complex issues, push the boundaries of your practice, build your networks and find your voice as a...
Read more

Ranked for 11 consecutive years as the world’s number 1 art & design university*, the Royal College of Art’s postgraduate programmes enable you to tackle complex issues, push the boundaries of your practice, build your networks and find your voice as a creative professional. Committed to creating the next generation of artists, designers, architects, communicators, researchers, creators and innovators, the RCA’s world-leading academic staff will guide and challenge you to push the boundaries of your practice. As the world’s largest community of postgraduate-only art and design students, you will be part of a collective of inspirational creative peers opening up opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaboration. The broad range of disciplines on offer is based on a strong foundation of practice-based research and integrates STEAM subjects - Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics - providing a unique and transformative experience. *QS World University subject rankings (2015-2025)

About Royal College of Art

"The RCA was all about brain expansion and being exposed to things that I had never considered or thought of or had to deal with within my work. It very much felt like breaking down everything I already knew. Being able to learn in such an environment with such an amazing range of academic and technical staff, and the fact that everyone kind of came from a different background made it so much more of, so much of a richer experience."
- Lucy Hardcastle, Information Experience Design MA

Whatever your creative career aspirations, the RCA can help you realise them. A qualification from the world’s number one ranked university for Art & Design has proven invaluable to the careers and practice of thousands of graduates. You too could be part of our international network of creative individuals who have shaped, and continue to shape, the world surrounding us, and address some of the biggest global challenges of our time.

We attract the most talented students who come to us as the world’s most influential postgraduate art and design school to have access to leading faculty and push the boundaries of their fields.

“I learned how to work with people and with communities, just understanding different points of view and bringing that together. Coming to RCA with the idea of: ‘What are the things I could make?’ has completely shifted to: ‘How can we get together and make things?’

- Rashmi Bidasaria, Design Products MA

Read less

Available programmes

Art & Design Graduate Diploma

Curating Contemporary Art MA

Digital Direction MA

Fashion MA

Interior Design MA

Arts and Humanities (25)

Architecture MA

Art & Design Graduate Diploma

Ceramics & Glass MA

City Design MA

Contemporary Art Practice MA

Curating Contemporary Art MA

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Social Sciences and Management (5)

Animation MA

Digital Direction MA

Information Experience Design MA

Master of Research RCA MRes (Communication specialism)

Visual Communication MA

Arts and Humanities (4)

Architecture PhD

Arts & Humanities PhD

Design PhD

Intelligent Mobility PhD

Engineering and Technology (2)

Computer Science PhD

Robotics PhD

Natural Sciences (1)

Materials Science PhD

Social Sciences and Management (1)

Communication PhD

University information

Admissions requirements vary slightly depending on the program. Candidates are selected for places entirely on merit and applications are welcomed from all over the world.

For the majority of programs the first part of the entrance examination consists of an assessment of the application and portfolio of work, followed by an interview. For some programs this will also include a a practical test.

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Our facilities and technical equipment are amongst the best of their kind in the world and support students in their explorations of the creative possibilities of both the new and innovative and traditional craft skills.

Student life

Our Global Creative Community

Students come to the College from across the globe and bring with them a wide range of backgrounds, educational approaches and experiences - due to the cross-disciplinary nature of our work, and our growing range of courses, nearly 25% of students now come to the RCA with a Bachelor's degree in a subject other than art and design. Studying here...
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Alumni from all programs and generations at the Royal College of Art continue to play an instrumental role in defining art and design as we know it. Every year scores of RCA alumni are recognised around the world as innovators and leaders in their disciplines, making headlines on both a national and international scale. From established alumni such as Christopher Bailey, David Hockney, ...
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