Course summary

Study at a specialist college with the assurance of a university qualification. Develop your passions and reach your potential in a small, welcoming environment within a community of like-minded people. Why choose West Dean? An international reputation for excellence in conservation and arts education 94% of students studying at the College* felt the programme had enhanced their skills and abilities (*2019 student survey) A rich arts environment and a focus on craft skills with vocational application Be inspired by the unique historic character and beautiful South Downs setting Located close to Chichester and the South Coast, with easy access to London The Course The Graduate Diploma is your opportunity to develop the skills and competences to work towards becoming a professional ceramics conservator. You will start with basic treatments while being introduced to a diverse range of objects, then undertake progressively more complex conservation projects, from archaeological finds to decorative arts objects from a range of cultures and stylistic periods. You can expect To acquire and practise both established and developing techniques To study ceramic technology, material culture and materials science To work on artefacts from historical and private collections Learning environment Low student: tutor ratio Interdisciplinary environment Well-equipped workshop Individual workspace for each student Workshop access 8.30am-9pm, 7 days a week Icon Professional Standards in Conservation Exceptional facilities You will work in our well-equipped workshop with specialist facilities for cleaning, retouching and finishing. Facilities include: Pottery studio for making, firing and finishing new work Areas for photography and microscopy Wet room for cleaning processes New analytical laboratory IT suite with specialist databases On-site Art and Conservation Library with thousands of specialist books and journals Teaching On the Graduate Diploma you typically have around 24 contact hours per week. Independent learning When not attending lectures, seminars and workshop or other timetabled sessions you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study for approximately 13-14 hours per week. Typically, this will involve: Reading journal articles and books Working on individual and group projects Undertaking research in the library Preparing coursework assignments and presentations Overall workload Graduate Diploma: 60% of your time is spent in scheduled teaching and learning activity Scheduled teaching and learning: 720 hours Independent learning: 480 hours