Glasgow School of Art

The Glasgow School of Art (GSA) is internationally recognised as one of Europe's leading higher education institutions for education and research in the visual creative disciplines. The GSA was founded in 1845 as one of the first Government Schools of Design, a centre of creativity promoting good design for the manufacturing industries. GSA’s role has continually evolved to reflect the needs of the communities to which it belongs, embracing fine art and architecture education in the late 19th century, and today digital technologies. Then, as now, our purpose remains the same - to contribute to a better world through creative education and research.

GSA has five Schools: Architecture, Design, Fine Art, Innovation and Simulation and Visualisation. The focus of all programmes is studio practice, and the provision of individual studio space and tuition to students is one of our major strengths. GSA is a diverse, international community and through the success of our graduates, the quality of our teaching and research and our heritage, we enjoy global significance and influence as a leading centre for studio-based learning and research. It is in this context that Glasgow School of Art rose to rank eighth in the world for art and design in the QS World University Rankings, a position it has sustained in 2020.

Alongside our global reach, our campuses make a significant contribution to their locality. We continue to contribute to Glasgow’s position as one of the most successful city-economies in the UK and the Highlands and Islands campus has brought an international community of practitioners, researchers and educators to the Moray region. Learning opportunities across both campuses are supported by innovative digital and remote teaching methods, live projects and students from around the world are brought together in Forres for the globally acclaimed, short seasonal schools.

Facts and figures

Web https://www.gsa.ac.uk/
Year Established 1845
Total Number of Staff 608
Number of Academic Staff 258
Number of Students 2883
Focus Areas

1) Future Heritage, including:
• Circumpolar Archives, Folklore and Ethnography (CAFE)
• Northern Research Forum
• Arctic Sustainable Resources and Social Responsibility
• Sustainable Production and Foraging of Natural Products in the North
• Renewable Energy
• Circular Economy
• Health and Well-being in the Arctic

2) Creative Practice & Digital Culture, including:
• Arctic Sustainable Arts and Design (ASAD)
• Human Adaptation in the Changing Arctic
• Smart Societies in the High North (SmartNorth)
• Distance Education and e-Learning
• Arctic Telecommunications and Networking
• Communicating Arctic Research

3) Indigenous Intelligence, including:
• Arctic Indigenous Skills
• World images of indigenous peoples of the North
• Bioregional Planning for Resilient Rural Communities
• Gender in the Arctic Knowledge Production
• Children of the Arctic
• Teacher Education for Social Justice and Diversity in Education
• Northern tourism

Web link for international students https://www.gsa.ac.uk/life/international-students/
Fields of Study Offered Arts (broad programmes)
Fine arts
Audio-visual techniques and media production
Design
Craft skills
Arts (others)
Computing (broad programmes)
Engineering and engineering trades (broad programmes)
Architecture and town planning
Architecture and building (broad programmes)