The Royal College of Art (RCA) in London has announced plans to offer undergraduate degrees with Norwich University of the Arts in the east of England. Both institutions will validate the degrees “through shared academic frameworks”, says a statement.
Further information on the new jointly awarded degree programmes will be announced later this summer, with the first intake due to join Norwich University of the Arts (NUA) in September next year.
“It's not the first time we've validated undergraduate degrees, but it's been a long time since we did it—at least 30 years. It is the first time we've undertaken a joint awarding partnership such as this,” a RCA spokesperson tells The Art Newspaper.
The RCA spokesperson says that they are collaborating with NUA because “both institutions have shared goals, complementary strengths, and a shared set of specialisms that lend themselves to closer partnership and student progression.”
When asked if the partnership is meant to boost revenue, the RCA spokesperson said no, and that both institutions are in a stable financial position.
Vivienne Stern, the chief executive of the advocacy organisation Universities UK, says in a statement: "This agreement is a fantastic example of the kind of innovative action universities are taking to evolve and work differently to support government priorities and to meet the needs of the nation.”
The move comes as cuts continue to be made in arts and humanities departments across the UK higher education sector. Earlier this month, The Guardian reported that the University of Exeter is proposing to cut around 150 roles, targeting mainly humanities subjects. According to The Tab, the University of Nottingham has announced plans to cut 600 academic jobs, as well as suspending courses in the languages faculty. “If the university goes ahead with its plans, there will be no language degrees anywhere else in the East Midlands,” says the online journal.
