Arts Education in Glasgow - visits to the RCS and Glasgow School of Art

Also in this series:

Scotland as a Study Destination

Studying in Glasgow - visits to University of Glasgow and University of Strathclyde

Studying in Edinburgh - visits to University of Edinburgh and Queen Margaret University

Visits to University of St. Andrews and University of Dundee

View of the Theatre Royal from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland is a cultural beacon of Glasgow’s city centre and a top destination for performing arts education. It is a centre of creativity with outstanding teaching, purpose-built facilities, and active partnerships with all of Scotland’s national performing arts companies. It offers an inclusive and diverse environment for a range of ages and course types in the junior conservatoire, undergraduate and postgraduate programs in dance, drama, production, film, music, education, and socially engaged practice.

The New Athenaeum Theatre at the RCS

Students across disciplines will find first class facilities to study, collaborate, rehearse, practice, produce, record and perform. The RCS produces over 500 performances a year across five performance venues, including the New Athenaeum Theatre which is also an important performance venue for the UK. There is a building dedicated to stage production, and another for dance, equipped with harlequin flooring and pianos.

The RCS encourages connected learning and collaboration. Music students provide live accompaniment for dance classes and rehearsals. RCS productions are rich opportunities to unite work across disciplines and practices on a single goal.

Stage production space at the RCS

Unique undergraduate courses include Production Technology and Management, Traditional Piping, Performance for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Actors, and Arts with Community.

A third of students are international, representing 60 countries. Accommodations are available through Base Glasgow. 

A wall outside the New Athenaeum Theatre shows the many alumni from the RCS drama program who have gone on to be well known stage and screen actors, including James McEvoy, Ncuti Gatwa , Sir Alan Cumming and David Tennant.

Student work in costume, set, and prop design

Dance rehearsal space

Apply to most programs via UCAS Conservatories or UCAS.Most programs require an interview, audition or other recorded submission. Find more information about applying to short courses, junior conservatoire, undergraduate and postgraduate programs here. Scholarships are available.

The Glasgow School of Art

The Reid Building at the Glasgow School of Art

One of the top study destinations for visual creative disciplines, the Glasgow School of Art is located in the heart of Glasgow. More than a century ago GSA artists left their mark on the city of Glasgow. The most influential of that time was architect and designer Charles Rennie Mackintosh. Today you can see traces of their art nouveau style all over the city. 

GSA today is an internationally recognized center for art education. They offer an immersive creative experience, with studio-based programs in Fine Arts and Design disciplines, Architecture, and Innovation & Technology. Students make art in two main buildings. The Reid Building, opened in 2014, houses the School of Design, while the Stow Building, originally Stow College, has been the home of the School of Fine Art since 2019. The Mackintosh building is undergoing renovations. 

GSA Centre for Advanced Textiles

Textile Printing

Student work in fashion design

The sewing room at GSA

A peek into knitting and weaving

Looms in the Reid Building

Exhibit celebrating 60 years of case printing at GSA

GSA offers a wide range of undergraduate courses, including architecture, interior design, painting & printmaking, sculpture & environmental art, a range of programs in fashion and textile design and production, sound for the moving image, communication design, and much more. There are joint programs with the University of Glasgow for Engineering with Architecture, and Product Design Engineering.

There are ample spaces and resources for all sorts of experimental and practical purposes, including a state-of-the-art textile printing space, studios for sewing and clothing construction, looms, and a 60-year-old case studio and print archive. 

Interior of the Stow Building at the Glasgow School of Art.

Accommodation is available for all students and is a five-minute walk from campus.

Admissions are selective and vary by course. Apply via UCAS. Most programs require a digital portfolio submission. GSA also offers a 24-week portfolio preparation program and a Year 1 International Foundation Program for Art and Design that allows students to successfully progress to Year 1 after completion. Scholarships are available for undergraduate and postgraduate study.

If you would like to know more about my visit to the RCS and GSA, please reach out. Check out our guidance for arts portfolios and applying to creative programs. Schedule a free consultation to learn more.