London: The Gemmological Association of Great Britain (Gem-A) is offering students who’ve previously studied the Association’s Gemmology and Diamond Diploma courses the chance to turn their diplomas into a BSc Honours degree in Gemmology and Jewellery Studies with Birmingham City University.
Initially announced in the Gem-A Prospectus in 2014 and since verified by a validation panel, the top-up degree will be offered in partnership with Birmingham City University, who already teach Gem-A’s Gemmology Foundation, Diploma and Diamond Diploma alongside their three-year degree course.
The initiation of this new course represents an exciting step for both Gem-A and Birmingham City University, who began a working partnership in 1929, a little over twenty years after the first Gemmology Diploma was proposed by Samuel Barnett in 1908.
Commenting on the formation of this new partnership, Gem-A CEO James Riley said: “The offer of this new top-up degree course in partnership with Birmingham City University presents a new chapter in the history of Gem-A. Not only are we expanding the educational opportunities available for new students, but also for past and present students, who will now also be eligible to top-up their diploma to a degree level BSc qualification by studying an extra year with Gem-A.”
In similar spirit, Miranda Wells, Head of Department for Gemmology at the School of Jewellery said: ‘BCU have been teaching the new gemmology degree since September 2014, and the validation of Gem-A to teach the third year is the culmination of a three year joint project. We are very excited at the opportunity to develop our close working partnership with Gem-A by jointly offering this unique course.’
Gem-A and Birmingham City University’s Gemmology and Jewellery Studies degree is open for applications through UCAS only (UCAS Code: 73J9). Past and present Gem-A students, who hold both qualifications and are fully-paid members of the Association, can apply to study the top-up degree to turn their diploma qualifications into a BSc.
