DipAD

DipAD. The Diploma in Art and Design was a prestigious, state-recognized qualification in the United Kingdom for advanced study in the visual arts, serving as the principal route to professional practice and higher education in the field from the early 1960s until the late 1970s. Awarded by the National Council for Diplomas in Art and Design, it was a rigorous, three-year program that replaced the earlier National Diploma in Design and was itself largely superseded by the adoption of the Bachelor of Arts degree under the recommendations of the Coldstream Report and the First Report of the National Advisory Council on Art Education. The DipAD was instrumental in formalizing and elevating art education, bridging the traditions of the art school with the academic standards of the university sector.

Overview

The DipAD was established as a national qualification to provide a coherent and high-standard pathway in art education, governed by the National Council for Diplomas in Art and Design which was chaired initially by William Coldstream. It covered four main areas of study: Fine Art, Graphic Design, Industrial Design (later often called Three-dimensional design), and Fashion and Textile design. The program was offered exclusively at recognized art colleges and polytechnics, such as the Royal College of Art (which validated the diploma) and the Central School of Art and Design, requiring institutions to meet stringent criteria for staff, facilities, and educational philosophy. Its creation was a direct response to the Coldstream Report of 1960, which argued for the intellectual rigor of art study to be recognized equally with other academic disciplines, leading to a system of external assessment and validation that was unique within UK higher education at the time.

History

The DipAD emerged from a major reform of British art education initiated in the late 1950s, culminating in the official publication of the Coldstream Report by the National Advisory Council on Art Education. This report, spearheaded by the painter and educator William Coldstream, criticized the variability of the existing National Diploma in Design and advocated for a new qualification with greater academic weight and consistent national standards. The Ministry of Education accepted these recommendations, leading to the formation of the National Council for Diplomas in Art and Design in 1961 and the first DipAD courses commencing in 1963 at selected schools like the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts and the Kingston School of Art. The system flourished throughout the 1960s and early 1970s, but faced pressure for further integration with the broader higher education system, particularly following the Robbins Report of 1963 which championed degree-level education. The landmark Summerson Council review in 1978 recommended its replacement by a Bachelor of Arts degree, a transition largely completed by the early 1980s.

Curriculum and structure

The DipAD curriculum was a full-time, three-year program divided into a one-year Foundation course, known as the Intermediate Examination, followed by two years of specialist study culminating in the Final Examination. The Foundation year emphasized broad exploratory work across multiple disciplines, while the subsequent years required intense specialization in one of the four designated areas, each with a strong emphasis on both practical studio work and complementary academic studies, termed "Liberal Studies". Assessment was conducted through rigorous external examinations by panels appointed by the National Council for Diplomas in Art and Design, involving the review of student portfolios and final exhibitions, a process designed to ensure national parity. This structure was explicitly designed to produce not just skilled practitioners but critically engaged artists and designers, influencing subsequent models like the BA (Hons) in art that followed.

Recognition and equivalence

Upon its introduction, the DipAD was recognized as equivalent to a university degree for civil service and teaching qualification purposes, a status formalized by the Burnham Committee for teacher salaries. This equivalence was crucial in elevating the professional standing of artists and designers, and the diploma was widely accepted for postgraduate entry into institutions like the Royal College of Art and universities abroad. The Council for National Academic Awards played a key role in overseeing this parity, especially as many DipAD-awarding institutions later became polytechnics. Its eventual replacement by the Bachelor of Arts degree under the auspices of the CNAA was a logical culmination of this drive for equivalence, fully aligning art and design qualifications with the rest of the British higher education system established after the Robbins Report.

Notable institutions and programs

Many of the United Kingdom's most influential art schools offered the DipAD, creating a distinctive educational culture. Key institutions included the Royal College of Art (which provided validation), the Central School of Art and Design, the Camberwell School of Arts and Crafts, the Chelsea School of Art, the Kingston School of Art, the Goldsmiths College Department of Art, and the Edinburgh College of Art. Renowned programs emerged within these schools, such as the Fine Art course at Newcastle University under Victor Pasmore and Richard Hamilton, and the Graphic Design program at the London College of Printing. The legacy of the DipAD era is evident in the generations of prominent artists it educated, including David Hockney (Royal College of Art), Bridget Riley (Goldsmiths College), and Terry Frost (Reading University), and its pedagogical models continue to influence global art education.

Category:Academic qualifications Category:Art education Category:Education in the United Kingdom Category:Design education