Everything you need to know...
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What is the fee?
Home: £10,940 for the course
International/EU: £18,600 for the course -
How long will I study?
1 Year
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Where will I study?
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When do I start?
September 2026
Come to an open day
Find out more at our postgraduate open days. Book now for your place.
Course summary
- Engage in the material world through critical thinking and making.
- Create jewellery and objects by exploring factors which have meaning to others.
- Develop skills and knowledge in studios alongside other postgraduate students.
- Challenge your professional aspirations by thinking conceptually and using materials innovatively.
On this international course you’ll have the opportunity to develop your interests and ideas in a challenging and supportive environment – with an emphasis on personal research and making practices. Our staff are specialist researchers and practitioners with diverse experiences. They’ll encourage you to expand your creative practice and develop your own independent approach.
Creative UK membership
We are members of Creative UK, which means our art and design students are also members until they graduate. With 10,000 members in its network, Creative UK represents, champions and supports the UK’s creative industries, advocating on the issues that matter the most to creative communities.
View our students' work
View our gallery of student work and learn more about the exciting projects they've been working on this year.
How you learn
Our MA Jewellery and Metalwork course draws on a range of diverse discourses, so you can develop and nurture your own individual creativity.
You learn through
- immersive learning alongside peers in a studio/workshop environment
- practice-based research
- project work
- individual and group tutorials
- lectures and seminars
- constructive critical debates
- exhibitions of work in progress
During the initial modules, you’ll learn how research is embedded within creative design and material-making practices – informed by appropriate theories, methods and contexts. You’ll then follow your own personal practice with support from our specialist staff. With them, you’ll build upon traditional craft skills and digital technologies to make sense of our rapidly changing world.
Take a look at the department's Instagram to see what innovations and creations our students have been working on.
Applied learning
Live projects
By interacting with regional, national and international organisations in the jewellery and metalwork field, you’ll explore the world of professional practice beyond the postgraduate studio. We’ve got established links with organisations such as the Sheffield Assay Office and Sheffield Museums Trust – so you can work on live projects, masterclasses and work-in-progress exhibitions.
Field trips
You’ll be able to take part in study trips and visits to exhibitions, workshops, practitioners’ studios, conferences and debates.
Networking opportunities
You’ll be part of a vibrant interdisciplinary postgraduate environment, with extensive links to international networks in jewellery, metalwork, craft and design. You’ll also have opportunities to learn from colleagues working in the industry – and the broader Hallam academic research community – through the Art, Design and Media Research Centre (ADMRC).
We’re members of Creative UK, which means our art and design students are also members until they graduate. With 10,000 members in its network, Creative UK represents, champions and supports the UK’s creative industries, advocating on the issues that matter the most to creative communities.
Course leaders and tutors
Maria Hanson
Associate Professor - Jewellery & Metalwork / Course Leader - MA Jewellery & MetalworkMaria is subject tutor for Metalwork and Jewellery students on the MA Design Course, and contributes to lectures and seminars for postgraduate students across all de … Read more
Modules
Important notice: The structure of this course is periodically reviewed and enhanced to provide the best possible learning experience for our students and ensure ongoing compliance with any professional, statutory and regulatory body standards. Module structure, content, delivery and assessment may change, but we expect the focus of the course and the learning outcomes to remain as described above. Following any changes, updated module information will be published on this page.
Final year
Compulsory modules
This module enables you to develop and extend your own creative research and practice within Jewellery and Metalwork through a combination of collaborative opportunities and self-initiated projects. Through activities such as live projects, masterclasses and exhibitions of work in progress, you will develop entrepreneurial thinking in relation to specific contexts that enhance your professional experiences.
Through the application of a range of practice-led research methods, design thinking strategies, design development and making skills, you will define and explore an individual theme / topic relevant to your own personal, creative and professional ambitions. This module provides the experimental making space to understand what individual enquiries are and where these could be located within the broad area of Jewellery and Metalwork practice. It will form the basis for the major MA Jewellery & Metalwork project module.
Through lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshop activities, you will receive support from specialist tutors who will guide and challenge you in the search to identify key areas of knowledge for your individual projects. As with all modules on this course you will apply rigorous critical making through material and process research and experimentation to interrogate, critique and realise creative ideas.
You’ll study topics such as:
- Exploration of positionality and future practice within the discipline of Jewellery & Metalwork
- Working collaboratively and within defined contexts.
- Understanding and applying critical making as practice-led research.
- Exploring historical and contemporary debates relevant to creative enquiries
- Initiating and writing personal project proposals
- Writing a research question
- Experimentation through iterative, speculative making
- Development of professional communication skills
The aim of this module is to provide you with an opportunity to develop, conclude and present an independent practice-led research project that contributes to and is positioned within the broad field of contemporary Jewellery and Metalwork. It will enable you to be ambitious, through the application of intellectual and critical thinking / making skills in order to confidently approach your future creative professional practice or pursue advanced research.
The MA Jewellery & Metalwork Project is a significant body of work defined by an individual Project Proposal. It is the conclusion of your MA study. The outcomes of this module should demonstrate a high standard of professionalism through your ability to solve problems, show discernment within material and making, articulate contextual positioning and conclude with reflective evaluation.
You will apply advanced creative thinking through rigorous design development and critical making that engages with the material world through diverse discourses within and beyond the discipline.
You will draw upon the knowledge and experience gained in the first two modules in order to identify and give focus to a topic / theme which will be interrogated through in-depth practice-led research that results in a collection of artefacts (Jewellery and or objects) that can be positioned within an appropriate professional context.
This module will provide you with advanced practical experience in research methods, design thinking strategies and design development skills through a speculative making project. By interrogating a range of personal, social, cultural and environmental issues you will be able to explore how your material practice can challenge assumptions and activate discourses within and beyond the discipline. Research through iterative, experimental making is key to this module and is supported by relevant theoretical and contextual knowledge which will allow you to develop your critical analysis and evaluation skills.
You’ll study topics such as:
- Exploring and understanding contemporary models of practice in the field of Jewellery & Metalwork.
- Practical, theoretical and contextual research
- Expanding approaches to design thinking and the design process
- Speculative making and creative risk taking.
- Development of jewellery and metalwork skills and materials
- Exploration of methodological approaches to practice-led research
- Development of critical analysis and evaluation skills
- Writing for scholarship and practice
- Academic referencing
- Research ethics training
- Communication in a professional context
Future careers
This course prepares you for a career in
- independent jewellery and metalwork design/making
- research and product development
- company-employed design
- exhibition curation/administration
- postgraduate study at PhD level
- education
- retail/marketing
- design research
- academia
- social enterprise
Previous graduates of this course have gone on to establish their own creative enterprises, gain PhD scholarships and work for international design companies or consultancies.
Equipment and facilities
You’ll have access to specialist resources and facilities to help develop and extend your skills.
On this course you work with
- well-equipped, specialist workshops for jewellery, metalwork, ceramics, wood, plastic and other materials
- 3D printing equipment for rapid prototyping
- state-of-the-art hardware and software
- laser cutting
- studio spaces
- photography studios
- a creative media centre
- gallery and exhibition spaces
- an award-winning learning centre featuring a specialist art, design and media library
- extensive online resources.
We’ve invested over £100m in new facilities to help you study how and when you want. This means 24-hour libraries and study spaces.
Where will I study?
You study at City Campus through a structured mix of lectures, seminars and practical sessions as well as access to digital and online resources to support your learning.
City Campus
City Campus is located in the heart of Sheffield, within minutes of the train and bus stations.
City Campus map | City Campus tour
Adsetts library
Adsetts Library is located on our City Campus. It's open 24 hours a day, every day.
Learn moreLearn more about your department
Art and Design facilities tour - shared workshops
Take a look around the shared workshops in the Department of Art & Design at Sheffield Hallam University.
Entry requirements
All students
Normally you need
• a 2.2 degree or equivalent in an appropriate subject or significant relevant experience
• appropriate study plans, including an indication of possible project topics and clear, appropriate and realistic learning aims
• a high level of creative ability, as evidenced by a portfolio of work
• ability to discuss design issues critically and confidently
For information on applying see Portfolio guidance.
Overseas applicants from countries whose first language is not English must normally produce evidence of competence in English. An IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills (or equivalent) is the standard for non-native speakers of English.
If you do not have such academic qualifications we may consider your application individually, based on your personal, professional and work experience, and other formal qualifications. You may also be able to claim credit points which can reduce the amount of time it takes to complete your qualification at Sheffield Hallam. Find out more
Additional information for EU/International students
If you are an International or non-UK European student, you can find out more about the country specific qualifications we accept on our international qualifications page.
For details of English language entry requirements (IELTS), please see the information for 'All students'.
Fees and funding
Home students
Our tuition fee for UK students starting full-time study in 2026/27 is £10,940 for the course.
If you are studying an undergraduate course, postgraduate pre-registration course or postgraduate research course over more than one academic year then your tuition fees may increase in subsequent years in line with Government regulations or UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) published fees. More information can be found in our terms and conditions under student fees regulations.
International students
Our tuition fee for International/EU students starting full-time study in 2026/27 is £18,600 for the course.
Scholarships and financial support
Find information on scholarships, bursaries and postgraduate student loans.
International scholarships up to £3000 ›
Alumni scholarships up to £2000 ›
Postgraduate loans for UK students ›
Additional course costs
The links below allow you to view estimated general course additional costs, as well as costs associated with key activities on specific courses. These are estimates and are intended only as an indication of potential additional expenses. Actual costs can vary greatly depending on the choices you make during your course.
General course additional costs
Additional costs for Sheffield Creative Industries Institute (PDF, 745.6KB)Legal information
Any offer of a place to study is subject to your acceptance of the University’s Terms and Conditions and Student Regulations.
