Craft Course Closures
New Designers Conference; Photo: Dave Ashton, 2008
Crafts Council Briefing Notes: Number One
Craft Course Closures
Debate around the possible closure of the University of Westminster ceramics course has prompted an assessment of undergraduate and other tertiary level course closures over the past 10 – 15 years.
There is no single information resource relating to this subject, and the data given here is gathered from the UCAS, CHEAD and HEA websites (see below for links).
According to UCAS, the number of accredited, tertiary level craft courses in England amounts to 128. Of these, 96 are BAs, 3 are MAs, 12 are Foundation Degrees, 16 are HNDs and 1 is a DipHE. There is no readily available data source to show how this has changed over time.
The Crafts Council identifies a small number of prominent course closures, with a concentration of course losses in glass and ceramics. Those noted by the Crafts Council are:
• Goldsmiths MA ceramics (closed 1993).
• Camberwell College of Art textiles BA (closed 1993).
• Camberwell College of Art metal and jewellery BA (closed 2006).
• City Lit stained glass course (closed 2005).
• Staffordshire University glass department (closed 2006).
• Manchester Metropolitan University contemporary applied arts BA (closed 2007).
• Glasgow School of Art ceramics department (closed 2008).
• Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art ceramics department.
• Kent Institute of Art and Design: some craft courses closed following merger with Farnham to form UCCA.
In addition to course closures there is anecdotal evidence of a reduction in resources within some courses, for example a reported 50% decrease in the number of hot glass furnaces at Sunderland University, and a reduction in jewellery workshop hours at London Metropolitan University.
Despite the prominent course and department closures listed above, according to the Higher Education Authority participation increased at undergraduate level, more than ten-fold between the academic years 96/97 and 06/07. Over this ten year period, the exact number of students graduating from undergraduate craft courses rose from 144 to 1555.
Applicant numbers have increased (proportionally) still further, according to an ACE / CHEAD study.
Applications to crafts undergraduate courses increased from 1403 to 1946 between 2002 and 2004 (NB graduate and applicant figures represent the most recent data available in both cases).
Commentary
The Crafts Council notes the following influences on course and departmental closures:
Resources: – Increasing pressure on HEIs to contain their costs means that there is a pressure on student numbers for income and therefore small courses may not be considered viable. – The cost of space and equipment and health and safety requirements of craft courses is sometimes cited as a reason institutions are reluctant to continue. – As noted above there is also a reduction in access to equipment and studio time in existing courses which impacts on students progress. – The increasing merging of boundaries between disciplines within contemporary fine art means craft is often incorporated into wider visual art or art and design courses.
Demand:
Note that demand for crafts courses is still high (see above). However, – The withdrawal of funding for Art and Design foundation courses is impacting on the number and quality of applicants to HE, as fewer art and design students are experiencing craft subjects prior to choosing between undergraduate courses. – Decreasing craft teaching in schools. Until recently craft was embedded in the GCSE curriculum between art and design and design and technology with little profile. Increasingly teachers have lacked the confidence to teach the subject. The cost of equipment and health and safety concerns have re-enforced this.
In addition to the Crafts Council’s (attached) statement on the proposed closure of Harrow, reporting on craft course closures can be found here:
Creative Choices
Times Higher Education
Crafts Council Press Room
The Guardian
e2rceramics
The information given in this briefing is sourced from UCAS, CHEAD and the Higher Education Authority, as well as from crafts sector data collated by TBR on behalf of Creative and Cultural Skills.
18 February 2009
