The Royal College of Art (RCA) is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the world. It was originally founded in 1837 as the Government School of Design. It was renamed the Normal Training School of Art in 1857 and in 1896 it became the Royal College of Art. It received a Royal Charter in 1967, which gave it independent university status.
There is a range of postgraduate degree programmes available for students to study. The university offers a variety of art and design courses in areas such as architecture, fashion, graphic design, illustration, and textiles.
Students and staff at the university regularly carry out research in the fields of art and design. Their work is funded by research grants from business and industry collaborations. The university’s mission is to bring about creative, cultural, economic and social change through its various research projects.
Throughout the year RCA hosts a number of exhibitions, talks and events, often for free. These include Curating Contemporary Art Projects, which display students’ final projects, and In Session talks, which invite guests to discuss specific topics relating to art and design.
The university is located in London, UK, and has campuses across the city in South Kensington, Battersea and White City. The iconic Kensington campus opened in 1962 and sits alongside the Victoria and Albert Museum and Imperial College. The campus in Battersea is situated in the developing cultural quarter and has world-leading facilities and state-of-the-art technology. In 2017 RCA opened its third campus in White City, equipped with a bespoke studio, workshop and technical spaces for students to enrich their studies.
