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The design hub
Southampton University’s Winchester School of Art aims to develop more powerful creative thinking in its students.Syed Amir Ali Hashmi Reports
How many Indian students do you have in your university?
Currently, 185 Indians are studying at the University of Southampton – 35 are in undergraduate programmes, 34 are doing PhD and 116 are in Masters programmes. The strength of international students is around 2,000 and the Winchester School of Art (WSA) expects 20-25 Indian students to join in the 2009-10 session, starting in October.
Which programmes are the most popular among Indians?
MA design is the most popular programme at the WSA. Among the seven pathways, fashion management attracted the maximum applications. We are launching luxury brand management and European pathways in 2010 and we expect these to be the new highlights within MA Design. The other subjects Indians prefer are management and electronics & computer science, followed by engineering sciences, art, geography, civil engineering and environment and law.
These are all taught in India, so why should a student choose your university?
Normally, these programmes are delivered in schools of management. By delivering design management programmes in a Russell Group University school of art, we can develop more powerful creative thinking in our students. (The Russell Group is a cluster of 20 British universities that collectively get two-thirds of UK’s research grant and contract funding.) The programme director, Dr David Birks, has co-authored Europe's leading marketing research textbook with Naresh Malhotra.
What is the procedure for admission?
PG students can apply through our agents in India or directly to the school (online or by post). Undergraduates can apply via the Universities & Colleges Admissions Service, UK (UCAS), with the agents’ assistance or directly to the school if they meet all the requirements. UG students should apply when UCAS indicates and postgraduates can apply from November to the next July before the new semester starts.
Expected cost and scholarships?
The standard fee for 2009-10 is £9,660 (Rs 7.68 lakh) a year for both PG and UG courses. The fee for 2010-11 is not published yet. Students opting for luxury brand management will have to pay £14,900 (Rs 11.85 lakh), including trips to fashion capitals. We have a lot of support mechanisms to help students find work. Industry specialists are invited to make key professional links with industry. The WSA offers a variety of scholarships for full-time students who have a place on a postgraduate programme (MA or PhD) for the next academic year and have not got any other scholarship from the WSA. This applies to UG students, too.
Interviewed by Syed Amir Ali Hashmi
