Studying here

The Glasgow School of Art is internationally recognised as one of Europe's foremost higher education institutions for creative education and research in fine art, design and architecture

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Schools & focus

School of Fine Art

The GSA’s School of Fine Art prepares students for working as artists in the contemporary world. The school comprises the three departments of Painting and Printmaking, Fine Art Photography and Sculpture and Environmental Art, reflecting the breadth of artistic activity in the Glasgow art scene and internationally. Each department aims to enable students to develop their own individual practice through engagement with materials and ideas. The School of Fine Art is renowned, having produced some of the most innovative and highly regarded artists in the world: alumni of the Fine Art department include Jenny Saville, Alasdair Gray and Turner Prize winners Karla Black, Douglas Gordon and Martin Boyce.

School of Design

The School of Design is committed to the development of design education, practice and research, and has been acknowledged by Design Week as a leader in the field. Design at the GSA covers a wide spectrum of activity, comprising the departments of Silversmithing + Jewellery, Product Design, Interior Design, Fashion and Textiles, Communication Design and Product Design Engineering. The departments are bound together by a common goal - to enable students to achieve excellence in their chosen field. Each programme employs a variety of learning methods, including lectures, seminars, group discussions, practical workshops and critical reviews that fully engage with the different subject areas.. Students of design graduate ready for industry or further study; some go on to specialised graduate study, others choose to develop their career in the creative industries, with many setting up their own businesses or working for major international companies.

Mackintosh School of Architecture

The approach of the Mackintosh School of Architecture is fundamentally simple – investment in and passion for how buildings and places are made and used. This is reflected in the School’s reputation - for aesthetically and intellectually rigorous architecture set in a social and urban context. The Mackintosh School of Architecture has always been a hotbed of progressive thought and has been part of the GSA since the middle of the 19th century.

‘The Mac’ is ranked by the Architects’ Journal as the top architecture school in Scotland - students have consistently won the prestigious RIBA Bronze Medal and claimed the RIAS Rowand Anderson Silver Medal for Best Scottish Student since 2009. The Mac’s ever- growing network of leading international visiting professors, lecturers and guest teachers provides a vibrant complement to its academic staff, many of whom are practising architects, such as the Stirling prize-shortlisted Charlie Sutherland and Charlie Hussey.

Cross-School GSA

Some programmes within the School, such as Digital Culture or our Foundation programme works right across the specialisms and do not fall under the remit of any one school. In addition, GSA students from design, fine art and architecture also have the opportunity to be involved in a number of cross-school projects during their time at art school. This begins in first year, when students are divided into mixed groups to work on a large-scale, group projects together. This spirit of collaboration continues throughout study: Students across all programmes are encouraged to work together to gain a shared understanding of the range of creative disciplines, resulting in diverse, often unexpected practices developing. 

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Fees & entry requirements

Fees and finances

Details of programme fees for undergraduate Scottish, EU, RUK and international students are available from our website at www.gsa.ac.uk/life/funding-finance

How to apply

How to apply to our programmes varies from subject to subject. Please visit http://www.gsa.ac.uk/howtoapply for full details, including portfolio samples and a guide to our online application process.

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Scholarships

The GSA welcomes applications for its many scholarships from eligible new undergraduate and postgraduate students. The criteria for each scholarship varies and you should examine the scholarship guides on the GSA website for more details.

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Research strengths

Research is pivotal in the creative development of the GSA. It is the sphere in whcih staff and students share and exchange ideas, knowledge and interests.

There is incredible dynamism in the School at this level and you will be joining one of the most active, vibrant research communities in the visual creative disciplines.  In the UK-wide Research Assessment Exercise 2008, the GSA was ranked as the second largest art and design research community in the UK, with 25% of our research considered to be world leading and a further 25% internationally recognised.

Much of this activity is undertaken within our specialist research centres, which range in size and scale from the Digital Design Studio, our most established research centre based at Scotland's Digital Media Campus at Pacific Quay to the International Drawing Research Institute, an international research collaboration promoting the role, function and practice of drawing.

For more information visit the research section of our website.

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In your country

As one of the leading Art Schools in the UK, The Glasgow School of Art welcomes international students to all of its courses. The School offers an environment in which difference is encouraged and diversity of background and approach is valued.

International students at the School come from over 55 countries, ranging from Australia to Zimbabwe. Each year we welcome more than 80 students from our exchange and Study Abroad partners, who each, in their turn, further contribute to the international dimension of the learning experience at the School.

Specific Country Guides for applicants and Guides for Parents from outside the EU are available here.

More information on international students, including our downloadable International handbook, click here.

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