Production Arts and Design (BA) at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS

Course options

Course summary

Production consists of both the BA Production Arts and Design and the BA Production Technology and Management programmes. Production students work closely with each other both in the classroom and on RCS productions. The Production Arts and Design programme creates a high-level learning environment for aspiring scenic artists, prop makers, stage carpenters, costume makers, and set and costume designers. You will be learning in an environment where your creativity and individuality is as important as your technical skill. You will be accepted based on your profile in one particular area, taken from the five subjects on offer. You will follow an individual pathway based on a major and minor study to ensure a quality learning experience and will have the unique opportunity to engage with the diverse range of performance programmes. The facilities available to our Production students are second to none. The Wallace Studios at Speirs Locks has purpose-built production workshops and design studios. The Renfrew Street building has five public performance spaces including a fully-equipped proscenium arch theatre and a black box studio theatre. The combination of professional venues, extensive workshops, construction spaces, design studios and the latest stage and workshop technologies provides a fantastic learning environment. Our standards are based on professional practice and we have strong links with industry partners from across the UK and beyond. We have close relationships with the national performing arts organisations in Scotland as well as many of the regional theatres. We work closely with these partners to ensure the education you receive is current, competitive and of the highest professional standard. tandard.

Course details

Principal study options

During the application and audition process, you must select which instrument(s) you wish to specialise in for the duration of your course. On this course, you can choose from the following options:

Single specialism

Only one instrument is studied. It may be possible to study a further instrument formatively, but this will not contribute towards the qualification.

Instrument/specialisms

For all courses, you must select at least one specialism from the 'primary' list. For those studying primary/secondary pathways, two instruments may be selected – one from the 'primary' list and one from the 'secondary' list. Joint pathway students may select any two instruments from either list.

Primary instrument/specialism

  • Costume Construction
  • Props Construction
  • Scenic Art
  • Set Construction
  • Set and Costume Design

Modules

Please see our webpage for more information about the course

Assessment method

Most work is assessed through staff observations of your practice but reflection underpins the approach to assessment, and reflective journals and summary statements form a key component of assessment in all modules. There is a strong emphasis on the assessment of process. Students in levels two and three engage in portfolio building as an element of professional development planning, specifically designed to aid their self-promotion, and transition into the workplace.


How to apply

*If you are an international applicant, or you are applying for a postgraduate course, or are choosing certain assessment locations, the 'on time' deadline may be later in the year - please contact the conservatoire directly.

Application codes

Course code:
203F
Institution code:
R58
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

Applications for direct entry beyond Year 1 will be considered on a case-by-case basis and in accordance with the Royal Conservatoire’s Recognition of Prior (Experiential) Learning policy. If you wish to apply for direct entry, please mark the point of entry on UCAS Conservatoires application as 2 or 3. We do not offer deferred entry

International applicants

Currently around 20% of our students come from outside the UK. Between them, they represent over 60 different nationalities and add a rich diversity to the Conservatoire. International applications are welcome to this programme and online interviews can be arranged.

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

Further information about our entry requirements can be found in the weblink.

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://royal-cons-scotland-assets.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/2024/03/EU-and-International-Entry-Requirements.pdf

Additional entry requirements

Interview

You will be required to identify your chosen major study subject at the point of application and your interview experience will be tailored to this choice. The five major subjects are; * Set Construction * Scenic Art * Props Construction * Costume Construction * Set & Costume Design As well as an interview with two members of programme staff (approx. 30/40 minutes), you will also be offered a short tour of the Production Arts and Design facilities with a current student (15/20 mins) At your interview, the panel will ask you about your previous experiences and your interests and hobbies and they will also want to discuss your portfolio and your response to the tasks (below). It is important that you show us your previous work as well as your response to these tasks. Without this, we will not be able to proceed with the interview.

Portfolio

Each candidate is seen as an individual, and a holistic view is taken of your unique mix of qualities; therefore, the panel will be most interested to see any evidence of interests or experience to-date. Due to time restrictions, the panel will wish to see quality rather than quantity, so pick examples of your work that best illustrate your suitability for the programme. Your portfolio of work should evidence your suitability for study in you chosen specialism and take any form you chose. As well as evidence of the set tasks noted below, this could include: * Physical examples of work * Photographs of previous work * Models (3D renderings, images, etc.) * Technical drawings and ground plans * Audio/video files * Other relevant production documentation

Other

Creative Technical Response Project: Choose one of the following plays: *Cloud 9 – Caryl Churchill *Fences – August Wilson *Leave Taking – Winsome Pinnock *A View from the Bridge – Arthur Miller *Nine Night – Natasha Gordon *Cost of Living – Martyna Majok *‘Master Harold’….and the Boys – Athol Fugard *Translations – Brian Friel *Mary Queen of Scots Got Her Head Chopped Off  -  Liz Lochhead *Topdog/Underdog – Suzan-Lori Parks Source a copy of the script and study it with a view to communicating how you would address the production elements of this play relevant to your chosen major study subject (you do not necessarily need to cover the whole play). Assessment of this project is based on your ability to apply yourself to a given task and your ability to discuss and demonstrate practical and creative solutions to the production challenges. What you need to do: You should consider this task in relation to your identified major study subject and the design and/or practical staging challenges raised by the script for that area. Production Arts applicants should research previous productions and use existing designs to facilitate this task rather than spending unnecessary time on the design itself. *Scenic construction applicants should consider the potential set building and possible methods/materials of construction. *Scenic art applicants should consider the possible paint finishes they want to achieve and how they might do this. *Props construction applicants should consider any potential for prop makes and how they might create these. *Costume construction applicants should consider the potential costume makes and how they might create these. *Set and Costume Design applicants should provide physical evidence of design solutions by means of a model box, costume designs and other related drawings. This should be accompanied by evidence of your ideas and the development of your designs. Production/Performance Presentation - Please see webpage for task information


English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.5Applicants whose first language is not English will be required to provide evidence of proficiency in English. An IELTS score of 6.5 (with no component below 5.5) is required.
PTE Academic62Overall score of 62 with a minimum of 59 in all components (reading, listening, speaking, writing)
TOEFL (iBT)88Overall score of 88, with minimum scores of: Reading – 18, Listening – 17, Speaking – 20, Writing – 17

Assessment locations

In the event of a successful assessment, applicants may be invited for a further interview prior to being made an offer.

Remote assessment recordings may be accepted in the event that you cannot attend an assessment in person.

Single specialism assessment

LocationOn-time FeeLate Fee
RCS£35£35
Online£35£35

Joint principal specialism assessment

LocationOn-time FeeLate Fee
RCSNot available at this location
OnlineNot available at this location

Additional information

We will continue to offer online auditions to international applicants and those who are unable to attend in-person due to exceptional circumstances. For the best audition experience, we would encourage all UK applicants to attend in person. For more information on what to prepare for the interview, please see our website - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/courses/ba-production-arts-design/.


Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Channel Islands £9250* Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9250* Year 1
England £9250* Year 1
Northern Ireland £9250* Year 1
Wales £9250* Year 1
Scotland £1820* Year 1
EU £27968* Year 1
International £27968* Year 1

*This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

*Please note, fees are subject to change for AY25 entry* Please note, all new students are required to pay associated programme cost related fees at the start of their studies. For more information on this please see our website - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/fees/

Sponsorship information

The School of Drama, Dance, Production and Film scholarships are awarded for a mixture of financial need and merit. Scholarships within the School of DDPF are applied for and awarded on an annual basis. If you are offered a place at the Conservatoire for drama, dance, production or film (DDPF), you will be forwarded the link to Apply for a DDPF Scholarship. - https://www.rcs.ac.uk/study/fees-funding/scholarships/.

Production Arts and Design (BA) at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland - UCAS