Applications for 2025/26 study are now OPEN.
Please visit our Apply page for updates and full information on how to submit your application.
The PgDip/MA Carving course is suitable for applicants who can meet the entry requirements that are detailed below, and have an appetite to develop their carving practice within an intensive studio-based teaching environment.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
All applicants have to meet the minimum entry requirements for admittance to the course, though there are three different ways of doing so:
| 1. | Standard Educational |
| Applicants for PgDip/MA Carving should normally hold a relevant degree level qualification, have successfully completed a Graduate Diploma Arts specialising in Carving, or be able to demonstrate equivalent professional experience. | |
| 2. | International Educational |
| Applicants who have achieved, or are expected to achieve, the equivalent of a relevant degree level qualification, with a combination of other qualifications including, though not exclusively, the International Baccalaureate or High School Diploma.
Please check UCAS guidance for the value of various International Qualifications. |
|
| 3. | Other experiential |
| Applicants who can demonstrate equivalent prior practice and professional experience. Using a process called Recognition /Accreditation of Prior Learning (R/APL), Art School Admissions Tutors consider how various work-life and (in)formal educational experiences meet the educational level of the entry requirements.
Please see our Recognition/ Accreditation of Prior Learning Policy here. |
ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
Applicants who do not speak English as a first language are required to provide evidence of their English language skills. The Art School cannot accept any applicant who scores lower than the equivalent of Level 6.0 on the standard English language tests (SELT) which can be taken with one of the recognised providers, with a minimum of 5.5 for each of listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
SELECTION CRITERIA FOR HISTORIC CARVING
At interview by viewing your work and your responses to questions we are seeking to determine the extent to which you can:
| · Fulfil the entry requirements; |
| · demonstrate a range of developed hand skills and technical abilities related to carving; |
| · demonstrate a high level of commitment and motivation in relation to the subject and the course; |
| · instigate relevant research and synthesise information to support your practice; |
| · gather relevant research and synthesise information to support your practice; |
| · evaluate your own achievements and identify areas for development; |
| · plan your own time and set achievable goals; |
| · communicate your ideas visually, verbally and in writing. |
We are also looking for your potential in the following areas:
| · Manual dexterity and hand-eye co-ordination; |
| · ability to develop a ‘good eye’; |
| · appetite and aptitude for learning at Postgraduate level; |
| · an interest in the history of carving in architecture and sculpture. |
THE INTERVIEW
We interview all applicants who reach our minimum entrance requirements. For further details on the interview process please consult the Course page that you are interested in. All tutors involved are trained in the fair and equitable conduct of interviews and are fully conversant in the Art School’s Admissions Policy.
We encourage you to inform us in advance if the arrangements for your interview require adjustment due to an existing condition or disability. For example if you might require more time or specific access arrangements or other support. Our aim is to ensure that all eligible applicants are given a fair opportunity to demonstrate their potential to study on the course.
INTERVIEW INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
The interview will be relatively informal and we want you to feel comfortable and confident. To ensure fairness and to help you prepare, we have designed a pro-forma for your draft study proposal. All applicants for our Postgraduate courses will be asked to complete this form. Your proposal does not have to be a work of literature – bullet point lists may be used. We will discuss your responses in your interview. Please remember that the purpose of the interview is to enable you to demonstrate, and help us to see, your potential to study on the course. To complete the pro forma online, follow this link (opens in a new tab): PgDip & MA Carving Study Proposal
Supplementary questions will also be asked about your portfolio.
You should also use your interview as an opportunity to get a good idea about the Art School: our values and ethos, the course, and what studying here would be like, and we encourage you to ask questions and see the interview as a two-way process.
PORTFOLIO
When applying for PgDip or MA Carving, you must include a link to a digital portfolio as part of your application.
For the digital portfolio, we recommend that you display 15-20 images. You should choose what you consider to be your strongest work undertaken within the last two years, representing the range of your interests and practice. We are not only interested in seeing finished work, so please include work in progress.
CONTACT US
If you’d like to find out more about Carving at the Art School, you are advised to attend an Open Day – you can book your place here.
For more information and to discuss the application process with our Admissions Team, please email admissions@cityandguildsartschool.ac.uk or call us on 020 7091 1683.
Alternatively, you can send a WhatsApp or text message to +447379 678 596 and a member of our team will get back to you. Be sure to leave your name, contact number and email address and a brief outline of your query.