The V&A / RCA History of Design Programme combines ambitious, rigorous and cutting-edge scholarly approaches with first-hand understanding of material and digital artefacts in a global context. Jointly taught by two world-leading centres for scholarship and creativity, students work closely with collections and museum professionals at the V&A, and as part of the creative community of the RCA.
We also collaborate with the Department of Materials at Imperial College London to co-design and co-deliver an innovative cross-disciplinary module for undergraduate students. Thinking through Materials: Can Science, History and Art/Design illuminate each other? is offered as an I-Explore Module, designed to broaden Imperial College students’ perspectives, give new context to their disciplinary knowledge and share their expertise for the benefit of society.
At V&A Wedgwood Collection, we work with colleagues in the Department of History at Keele University to deliver object-focused sessions, designed to interrogate the ways in which historical knowledge is shared through museum spaces.
Building on this track record in innovative, interdisciplinary teaching, we are committed to co-developing Higher Education programmes that equip students with the knowledge, skills and aptitudes needed to thrive in our fast-moving and ever-more complex 21st-century world. We are actively developing programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels with a range of key partners across the V&A’s family of sites.
In addition to co-developing and co-delivering these taught programmes, the V&A Research Institute plays a central role in fostering collaborative doctoral research. We offer three fully collaborative studentship awards each year, through the Arts and Humanities Research Council’s Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) scheme, co-supervise PhD students through the V&A / RCA History of Design Programme, and are open to exploring other collaborations through Collaborative Doctoral Awards. We also offer doctoral placements, enabling existing doctoral students to gain professional experience at the V&A by working on projects designed specifically as placements. These opportunities will be advertised annually through the V&A website.