Japanese design masters or UK design masters

Hi,
I’ve been lurking this subreddit for the past year but now I am in the position that I can do a design masters in Japan or in the United kingdom and now I have no idea what decision to make so I’ve come to ask for help.

I got accepted into KEIO and also at the RCA (Royal College of Art London). It is always said on this subreddit that going to college in Japan is generally not worth it because the education level is higher elsewhere. And I of course know the RCA is regarded higher but that also comes with a way higher price. Roughly four times as much (~$80.000).

In general I am doing a master for the life experience and Make bigger projects not just to learn skills. My interview with the Keio was a lot of fun and they were really nice. They also asked if I wanted to do an PHD there. I would think that I can learn a lot and make a lot of new work at Keio or in general Japan but my family and friends all say I should do the RCA. I just don’t know if the price is worth it. I’ve been in Japan before with a school exchange to visit art schools at talk to design studios and I absolutely loved it. I’ve also been learning the Kanji for a while now because its fun and I know maybe 900-1000 but I have no speaking skills.
I do have already a scholarship both for the RCA and Keio. its around $10.000 dollars, which would cover a lot of fees at Keio but only an eighth of the RCA. I’m also working full time at the moment and expecting to save up around $30.000.

My question comes back to: Is going to college in Japan worth it for the life experience even though the education level is a bit lower level? Or should I go deeply into debt so I can study at a top of the line college? What is the reputation of the Keio? Is it well known or quite obscure?

Thanks in advance.

🙂

9 comments
  1. honestly.. knowing how it works on this sub, everyone’s going to tell you to go to RCA. however, just go with your gut feeling. i’m sure you already have some sort of bias right now, do whatever you think is best for you. don’t forget that you only live once, as cringey as it sounds, but choose what YOU want to experience.

    though career is important, uni life in the uk is contrastingly different from the experience you’ll get in japan. i truly believe it’s worth a mention.

    will the payback be worth the high tuition for RCA?

    lots of things to consider as you’ve stated.
    so choose whichever you think you’ll have most fun in!

  2. Just a small advice. If you want to get some better education with low cost, you can consider going for an exchange program at a better art university during your master in Keio. The tuition is usually waived.

  3. Sorry my comment may not be directly addressing your question but coming from the creative field – architecture – I’d recommend following your heart. If being in Japan makes you feel that you can accomplish more than I’d say go for it! I don’t think it’s ever worthwhile going deeply into debt for your higher education as the real proving ground is the working world. All the best!

  4. While in general I try not to recommend going deep into debt for an MA, in certain cases it can make sense— you just have to do the calculations as to whether or not it is “worth it.” Look closely at the statistics for each department, not just notable alumni, but in general what percentage receive jobs? What percentage remain working in the field? What sort of positions are they in (ie will you “make the money back”)? What sort of “pipeline” and resources does the department have for helping its graduates succeed? For Keio— are their graduates working mainly in Japan or abroad (if you’re interested in returning to the UK)?

    Think carefully about where you want to work in the future as well. I am not in design, but in a tangentially related field and one of the main perks of doing an MA is the connections you make during school and the alumni network you can tap into. Do you want to work in Japan for your career? Then a Japanese program may make more sense. Do you want to work in the UK? Then the RCA may make more sense. During your MA you’ll build up lots of contacts and connections that can lead to a job (ideally). If the program is not in the “right” country, your connections won’t be as useful and you’ll have to really work to make those connections when you return.

  5. I agree with other commentors. We spend a lifetime building a shrine, a statue to ourselves worrying about prestige and fortune. Follow your heart on this one, just make sure you have no regrets once you made your final decision.

    IMO the UK is nothing what its cracked up to be, unless you’re prepared for bland breakfast and littered city streets. If you choose KEIO, it would be an adventure full of new things. There’s a reason you applied to KEIO even though it wasn’t as prestigeous, only you know that reason. Don’t miss this excellent opportunity to live in, study and explore japan.

  6. One thing that might be good to know to help people offer more specific advice, “design” is still kind of vague, what kind of design work do you do/specialize/hope to do specifically? It might also be good to mention where you are located; there may be a good alternate school in your region you haven’t considered that ticks all your boxes.

    Potential life experience aside, if you’re going to plunk down the cash for an MA/MFA, I think ultimately the question you need to ask yourself is, and I say this knowing it’s going to be hard to come to a conclusion on, but “where will I learn the most ?”

    If it’s possible, do your research and look up the stats and offerings of the schools like beginswithanx suggested. It may be quite difficult to find statistics or they might be biased in favor of a particular school, but at least it will give you some kind of starting point to base your decision on.

    Another idea, sometimes schools may publish a list of alumni with their email addresses. Obviously not everyone will respond to a cold email and you will probably face at least a partial language barrier with Keio alumni but it could be worth reaching out to former students and ask them what they thought of their program. This was what I did when I had a very similar decision to make many many years ago.

    At the end of the day though, I would just go with what you can realistically afford / manage, assuming both programs are roughly equivalent in terms of what is taught of course.

    If it helps, in my experience(it’s no MFA but I still have a BFA in design), the name on your degree matters far less than your portfolio when looking for jobs.

    One thing I’m surprised no one’s suggested, and again, I don’t know what kind of design work you do so this may not be applicable at all but have you considered looking for residencies? They will likely be harder to get nowadays if not impossible but it could be the perfect middle ground that saves you cash and gets you the experience you were looking for. I used to have a list that I can’t find now but off the top of my head, I’ve known some people that did residencies at YCam(back when Covid didn’t exist)

  7. Just for curiosity, which design subfield are you into? And which Keio program you chose?

  8. Coming from an architecture perspective, RCA is a much more globally recognised school so if you can afford it I think that would set you up much better than Keio. The other advice here as been really good I think in terms of pushing you to follow your heart however you can always try Japan in your professional career at some point. Reputation is very separate from actual quality of education but an institution such as the RCA does have the potential to place you above other graduates

    From your comments I think I know which RCA course you’re looking at which I’ve seen first hand is a really interesting and reputable course (without revealing too much). Its hard to say in the more generalised ‘design’ field but in architecture the UK based schools have a much better reputation worldwide. Personally while I will have worked in Tokyo, I won’t be pursuing my masters there. Many of my co-workers, including Japanese, preferred education overseas

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