Craft
Craft
4 years (with placement and/or study abroad year)
Watch our video of graduate, Martha, as she talks about her work and her experience on BA (Hons) Craft (formerly titled BA (Hons) Product Design and Craft).
Our BA (Hons) Craft course welcomes students from all creative backgrounds who are curious about design, materials, objects and making. With a material-led, experimental philosophy through a thinking-through-making approach, our programme equips each student with the tools to express their unique perspective and skills, empowering them to shape the future of contemporary craft.
Through a hands-on exploration of the material world, you will learn how to become a designer and maker of objects that enhance everyday experiences embracing both traditional handmade approaches and contemporary machine and digital manufacturing. Creative experimentation is at the heart of this course, giving your ideas a material voice while considering both the concept and execution of objects.
From addressing social issues and global challenges to responding to local needs, your work will reflect the importance of thoughtful design and sustainable processes. By experimenting with strategies, materials, and processes, you'll gain the creative and professional skills needed to launch a successful career in contemporary design and craft making.
Special Features
- Globally recognised: We are ranked in the top 100 schools for art and design in the world (QS World Rankings 2025).
- Workshops and labs: Our course offers fabrication techniques. You will have access to specialist facilities for working with ceramics, glass, metal, wood, and plastics, as well as cutting-edge digital tools such as CNC routing, bioplastic/clay and glass 3D printing, laser cutting, and a state-of-the-art virtual reality cave.
- Live projects: There will be regular live projects throughout the course. These have previously included Bury Art Museum, the Whitworth Art Gallery, The Great Northern Contemporary Craft Fair and Manchester Craft and Design Centre.
- Study trips: You may have the chance to participate in study trips to major design cities. Recent destinations have included Berlin, the Venice Architecture Biennale, Milan Design Week, Copenhagen, and New York.
- International exchange: Students have previously participated in exchange visits to Canada, the USA and Europe.
- Visiting expertise: Visiting artists and designers assist in the course team via lectures, projects and practical workshops.
- Design competitions and awards: We also have success within design competitions, previous students have participated with awards such as the Cor-unum Ceramic Award, Pewter Live, Goldsmiths student awards and the Contemporary Glass Society Awards.
Course Content
This programme is for curious makers who see materials as more than just tools. Through craft thinking, you will uncover new possibilities, shaping your own creative language and practice. Your passion for making will be nurtured through our hybrid curriculum, which fosters community learning in our open-plan studios and workshops.
Taught by internationally practicing artists and designers, this course embraces a hands-on approach to materiality and form. Rooted in craft thinking, it fosters experimentation and critical engagement with the objects that shape our surroundings, exploring the dialogue between tradition and innovation.
At Manchester School of Art, our design courses are taught in vibrant, open studio spaces alive with energy and creativity. These dynamic environments foster cross-disciplinary collaboration, encouraging students to engage, experiment, and learn from one another within a culture of shared practice and innovation. Our studio environment provides the ideal setting to develop new ideas, refine skills, and push the boundaries of contemporary craft practice.
Year 1
In Year 1 you will engage with core studio and workshop material inductions exploring the language of making.
Future X: Kinship
In this module, you will explore your creative field through questions of belonging, encouraging you to consider relationships with the planet, people and place. The module functions as a Speculative Laboratory where we embrace More-Than-Human perspectives and develop new disciplinary connections to create innovative and regenerative ways of living and interacting with the world. This is an opportunity to begin to explore how creativity can be a catalyst for meaningful change.
Year 2
In Year 2 you will explore methods for questioning and analysing material and object-based culture through the lens of craft thinking.
Alien Objects
Through the exploration of the intersection of traditional practices and emerging technologies, this module will challenge you to reconceptualise objects as fluid entities. By integrating digital fabrication techniques, you'll discover how objects, free from fixed meanings, can embody transformations across material, cultural, and theoretical domains. Through a series of short projects, you will experiment and produce ‘alien’ creations that defy conventional classifications.
Year 3
In Year 3 you will engage in self-directed projects, critically positioning their work within the field of contemporary craft.
Craft Matters
This self-directed module centres on unique object-making and refinement through practice-based research. You will create a series of objects that embody your research inquiries, blending theory with hands-on practice. The process emphasises continuous experimentation, linking craft to broader cultural and global issues. By addressing themes such as sustainability, consumerism, and identity, you will explore how the act of making can drive social change and challenge dominant narratives in a globalised world.
Assessment Weightings & Contact Hours
10 credits equates to 100 hours of study, which is a combination of lectures, seminars and practical sessions, and independent study. A three year degree qualification typically comprises 360 credits (120 credits per year). The exact composition of your study time and assessments for the course will vary according to your option choices and style of learning, but it could be—
Study
- Year 1 30% lectures, seminars or similar; 70% independent study
- Year 2 30% lectures, seminars or similar; 70% independent study
- Year 3 100% placement (optional)
- Year 4 25% lectures, seminars or similar; 75% independent study
Assessment
- Year 1 100% coursework
- Year 2 100% coursework
- Year 3 100% placement (optional)
- Year 4 100% coursework
Student Work
Our Degree Show online galleries show work by final year Product Design and Craft and Three Dimensional Design students, the previous name of the course.
Staff
- Patrícia Domingues
Lecturer
— - Geoffrey Mann
Programme Leader BA (Hons) Craft
— - Mark McLeish
Lecturer
— - CJ O'Neill
Senior Lecturer
—
Product Design and Craft student, Astrid Davis, has been creating unique wearable chainmail designs to explore issues of gender dysphoria and the power of
Winners of the annual Department of Design student awards announced at the Degree Show.
For more course news follow msoa_craft
Graduates
Graduates pursue diverse careers across the creative industries, working as self-employed jewellers, ceramicists, model makers, artists, studio managers, material specialists, and freelance practitioners with arts organizations. Many engage in community project workshops and education, becoming lecturers, university technicians, and teaching assistants. Opportunities in film, TV, and theatre include international companies such as Warner Bros. and Mackinnon Saunders. Whether in freelance, academia, or industry, alumni bring material knowledge, digital skills, and conceptual thinking to a broad range of professions.
Making an Application
How to Apply
Apply through UCAS.
We will ask you to provide a Digital Portfolio to support your application.
You will be notified of our decision through UCAS.
Entry Requirements
| UCAS Tariff Points/Grades Required | 104-112. GCE A levels - grades BCC or equivalent Pearson BTEC National Extended Diploma - grade DMM Access to HE Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum 106 UCAS Tariff points UAL Level 3 Extended Diploma - grade of Merit overall OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma - grade DMM T level - We welcome applications from students undertaking T level qualifications. Eligible applicants will be asked to achieve a minimum overall grade of Merit as a condition of offer IB Diploma - Pass overall with a minimum overall score of 26 or minimum 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects Other Level 3 qualifications equivalent to GCE A level are also considered. A maximum of three A level-equivalent qualifications will be accepted towards meeting the UCAS tariff requirement. AS levels, or qualifications equivalent to AS level, are not accepted. The Extended Project qualification (EPQ) may be accepted towards entry, in conjunction with two A-level equivalent qualifications. Please contact the University directly if you are unsure whether you meet the minimum entry requirements for the course. |
|---|---|
| Specific GCSE Requirements | GCSE grade C/4 in English Language or equivalent, e.g. Pass in Level 2 Functional Skills English |
| International Baccalaureate | IB Diploma with minimum 26 points overall or 104 UCAS Tariff points from three Higher Level subjects. If you plan to meet the Level 2 course requirements through your IB Diploma you will need to achieve Higher Level 4 or Standard Level 5 in English Points |
International Students
A minimum IELTS score of 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5, taken within two years of course start date is required.
There’s further information for international students on our international website if you’re applying with non-UK qualifications.
Tuition Fees 2026 Entry
The fees for 2026 entry are still to be confirmed.
See Funding your studies for further information and advice.
Additional Costs
Specialist Costs
Optional £100* —A ‘studio toolkit’ of basic design equipment including items such as pens, sketch pads, erasers, scissors and adhesives. Costs ranging from £30 - £100 per year.
Professional Costs
Student membership fees are available across all disciplines. You will be made aware of these however, they are not mandatory.
Other Costs
Study trips
Optional national and/or international study trips, typically during year one and two. These are mostly funded by students.
Costings are sourced from university-approved agents and will vary in-line with the current market and student numbers.
Laptop
Indicative cost PC Laptop: £600 -£1,000 (dependent on screen size) Indicative cost MacBook Pro: £1,500 - £2,200 (dependent on screen size)
Loan laptops and iMac/PC workstations are also available across the campus.
Workshop and Materials
Materials are provided for workshop inductions, further materials used when developing individual student work are available for purchase at cost from workshop stores. Costs are dependent on the specifics of student project ambitions.
Print Costs
You may be required to print work for assessment presentations through years one - three. A range of printing outcomes can be achieved at low cost using Man Met / School of Art printing facilities.
In year three, there could be an approximate additional amount of £100, towards printing cost for the degree show exhibition.
Indicative print / binding costs for the degree show – £100- £200 depending on individual projects.
* All amounts shown are estimates.