Glass at UCA

From the practical to the whimsical, the time-honoured to the cutting-edge, our Glass course at UCA Farnham gives you the freedom, facilities and inspiration to create the pieces you most want to make.

You will come to this course armed with your own skillset in glass work. Through rigorous research, practical and theoretical investigation, you will build on this to fully realise your signature style, preparing you to work at the forefront of your craft.

Taught alongside our Ceramics and Jewellery courses, this course offers you the chance to benefit from the insight, experience and knowledge of your tutors as well as leading specialist designers, artists and crafts experts from across disciplines.

Our Farnham campus provides extraordinary facilities, with extensive workshops and equipment to support your studies. It's also home to the Crafts Study Centre - a purpose-built museum, research centre and gallery dedicated to crafts.

The MA is also available as an MFA route which offers a further enhanced opportunity for students wanting to develop their professional portfolio to the highest level, or to build a proposal for Doctoral level study, and pursue an academic research career path. Applicants can apply to undertake the full MFA, or undertake an MA and transfer to the MFA at the end of the MA period.  

 

Course entry options

Select from the following options to find out more about the different study options available for this course:

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Glass
MA (full-time)

A one-year course of advanced study for furthering your research skills and specialising within your discipline. 

Apply now Submit an enquiry
Campus
UCA Farnham
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
1 year full-time
Entry requirements

Honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in the subject/related discipline
and/or
Relevant work experience

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Glass
MA (part-time)

The MA course is also available part-time over two years for student who do not require a visa to study in the UK.

Apply now Submit an enquiry
Campus
UCA Farnham
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
2 years part-time
Entry requirements

Honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in the subject/related discipline
and/or
Relevant work experience

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Glass
MA with Integrated Pre-Masters

This course includes a year-long preparatory course of study to ready you for your Masters in the UK, developing your specialist knowledge, research skills and confidence in working alone.

Apply now Submit an enquiry
Campus
UCA Farnham
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
2 years full-time
Entry requirements

A recognised bachelor degree or 3 year diploma with a strong portfolio in a relevant subject

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Glass
MFA

The MFA is a two-year course with a Summer break. You can apply to undertake the full MFA, or undertake an MA and transfer to the MFA at the end of the MA period.  

Apply now Submit an enquiry
Campus
UCA Farnham
Start date(s)
September 2025
Duration
2 years full-time
Entry requirements

Honours degree (or equivalent qualification) in the subject/related discipline
and/or
Relevant work experience

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Glass

Apply now Submit an enquiry
Campus
Start date(s)
Duration
Entry requirements
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Glass

Apply now Submit an enquiry
Campus
Start date(s)
Duration
Entry requirements

Watch our course video


Glass Technican, Laura, working in the glass shop

Meet our Glass Technician
Ali Jarvis, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Catherine Dunstan, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Pratibha Mistry, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Steph Harper, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Helen Restorick, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Ali Jarvis, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Irina Prolygina, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Steph Harper, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Ali Jarvis, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Helen Restorick, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Christina Dembinska, MA Glass, UCA Farnham Disha Seth, MA Glass, UCA Farnham

Two minute stories


Discover the stories of our Crafts students
Emily Smith
Metalsmith wins Bronze Award for Polishing at the GC&DC Awards
Ben Pearey
The UCA graduate being featured alongside the greats of UK ceramicists
Stephen Webster
From MBE to MGK
What you'll study

What you'll
study

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

On this course you’ll prepare for postgraduate study with a mix of online and face-to-face learning that will give you the study skills required to complete a Masters course.

Exploratory Practice
In this unit you’ll develop your practice into a means of inquiry – investigating the potential of skills, techniques, ideas and themes to analyse and interrogate approaches to practice.

Research Contexts
Exploring the design, construction and expression of practice as a process of research, you will be introduced to critical research methodologies which you will employ in your independent research enquiries.

Reflective Practice
This unit promotes rigorous self-critique and the subsequent progression of increasingly independent practice. You will begin to interrogate your research and practice in a far greater depth with a view to constructing a specific Major Project proposal. You will also consider modes of display, audience and the documentation of work in preparing you for the professional realisation of ideas.

Professional Contexts
Focused on professional development, you will engage with professional contexts through opportunities and projects developed with partner organisations. Through group work and individual research, you will establish and develop a sense of your position in relation to your identified subjects, interests and practice areas. This unit also includes the opportunity to develop a creative business plan, funding application, or pitch to professional audiences.

Major Project
To conclude your studies, you will undertake a sustained, in-depth and critically informed research inquiry. You will define your practice through your own work and an understanding of how it sits in relation to others — identified industries or professional contexts, collaborators and audiences. The major project will culminate in a substantial body of work.

Advance Practice
Should you choose to undertake the MFA route of this degree, you will spend this unit developing, extending and furthering your professional practice. Through advance research methods, this unit will require you to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, confidence and originality that you have developed as a practitioner and researcher. Through this unit you will be supported in preparing PhD applications, organising public events and seeking external platforms to work with professional contexts and engage audiences.

Course specifications

Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.

Fees & funding

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees

MA course:

  • 2025/26 (full-time): £10,500
  • 2025/25 (part-time): £5,250

MFA course:

  • 2025/25 (full-time, year 1): £7,000 

Tuition fees

MA course:

MFA course:

  • 2025/25 (year 1): £7,000  (see fee discount information)

Tuition fees

MA course:

  • 2025/25 (MA): £18,000
  • 2025/25 (Integrated International Pre-Masters course - Sept & Jan): £17,500
  • 2025/25 (Integrated International Pre-Masters course - May): £8,750

MFA course:

  • 2025/25 (MFA year 1): £11,700

Please note: the fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only. For more detailed information about our course fees please see our fees and finance pages. 

UCA scholarships and fee discounts

At UCA we have a number of financial support information available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Current UCA students and alumni may be eligible for a tuition fee discount.

Financial support

There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our scholarships and fee discounts.

Additional course costs

In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of the Course Information Document for more details of the costs you may incur.

Explore our Gradshow

Each year, we’re privileged to be able to share our graduates’ incredible work with the world. And now’s your chance to take a look.

Visit the online showcase

Equipment & Facilities

We are one of only a few UK universities with a glass workshop, including: hotshop for glass blowing; ladle casting and centrifuging; polishing and engraving machinery.

We have extensive cutting, finishing and grinding workshops with grit blasting and engraving facilities, and plaster, gelflex and wax rooms for mould making.

Interior of the Glass Hot Shop

Glass Hot Shop

Room: R08

This room contains:

  • 400KG capacity glass furnace
  • Four glory holes
  • One pipe warmer
  • One pipe cooler
  • One centrifuge
  • One large front-loading glass kiln
  • One small front-loading glass kiln
  • Two top-loading glass kilns
  • Two large annealers
Interior of the Glass Polishing Workshop

Glass Polishing Workshop

Room: R10
Interior of the Glass Kiln Room

Glass Kiln Room

Room: B05

This room contains 11 glass kilns of various sizes and styles.
Interior of the Glass Cutting Room

Glass Cutting Workshop

Room: R13

This room contains:

  • Large cutting table
  • Large sandblaster
  • Three lamp working torches
  • Smiths torch
  • Lamp working kiln
Interior of the Glass and Ceramic Cutting Workshop

Glass & Ceramic Cutting Workshop

Room: R12

This room contains:

  • 80 grit and 220 grit flatbed grinder
  • Diamond pillar drill
  • Hand lapping area
  • Linisher
  • Di grinder
  • 80grit Rociprolap
  • 600grit Rociprolap
  • Double-sided diamond lathe
  • Air hand grinder
  • Large diamond saw

Career opportunities

Our course has excellent links with industry specialists, and can assist with the provision of work placements.

Our connections include:

  • Bullseye Glass Company
  • The New Ashgate Gallery Trust (based in Farnham)

This course will equip you with a host of valuable and transferable skills. Upon successful completion, you might decide to become a self-employed artist or forge a career within the craft and design industries, for example.

Recent graduates work as:

  • Artists
  • Designers
  • Makers
  • Arts administrators
  • Gallery curators
  • Teachers
  • Writers

You may want to undertake further study or research to specialise even further.

Our Staff

Debra Allman staff profile picture

Debra Allman

Programme Director of Crafts
Ashley Howard

Ashley Howard

Senior Lecturer in Ceramics
Grant McCaig Profile Picture

Grant McCaig

Lecturer Silversmithing, Goldsmithing & Jewellery
Joshua Kerley 2021

Joshua Kerley

Senior Lecturer in Glass
Adrian Bland

Adrian Bland

Senior Lecturer in Critical and Contextual Studies
Bruce Marks

"The UCA experience was inspiring and the expertise of the tutors combined with the superior facilities created the perfect environment for creative expression and experimentation. After graduating I returned to the studio fuelled with new ideas and the courage to realise my designs."

Bruce Marks

Entry & portfolio requirements

For this course we will need to see your portfolio for review. You can either submit a digital portfolio or request an in-person portfolio review with the course team. Further information will be provided once you have applied. View portfolio advice

Select your country to find the equivalent requirements

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