Pottery, as one of the most ancient human creations, has existed since prehistoric times. Ceramics is derived from the Greek word keramos, meaning pottery or fired object. In fact, the origin of our contemporary science is the same as pottery made by early humans. Before the discovery and use of metals, humans used clay pots due to the abundance of that material, its malleability when mixed with water, and its relatively low firing temperature. Today, ceramics is generally defined as the art and science of making and using solid objects whose main constituents are inorganic and non-metallic earthen materials.

One of the most important of human achievements is pottery, produced and used for a millennium from the Neolithic period to the present day. Man has always produced according to his needs for living and the product produced over time has in turn affected his needs in a continuous cycle. In the past, pottery products had a distinct identity and function, formed in order to meet the needs of their makers and emerging from the local culture, but today the field of pottery and ceramics has become a specialized and academic discipline. Numerous factors such as the availability of raw materials, formability, cheapness, simple methods of cooking the body, etc. have caused this field to have a lifespan of several thousand years. In addition, as one of the key aspects of cultural heritage in Iran, pottery has received serious and worthy attention from the government and universities.

The arrival of pottery and ceramics as a field of study in universities led to improved knowledge and its development in Iran and abroad. After graduating and gaining the necessary skills, ceramics students were able to set up their own workshops and also teach in this field. And by working in cyberspace and introducing more products, Iranian pottery became better known in other countries. This provided a good opportunity for foreign students to study in this field.

Tabriz University of Islamic Arts has made an important contribution in this direction by offering bachelor's and master's degrees in ceramics. Since 2007, this university has accepted undergraduate students in Islamic arts majoring in pottery. In this course, students learn different methods of making pottery, composition of materials and making bodies, types of glazes and how to apply glaze, making kilns, how to fire and strengthen a pottery body, painting on pottery, painting on tiles, etc. This course lasts for four years. In addition to acquiring technical and specialized skills, students also become familiar with the stages of conceiving and designing a pottery product. During the course of learning technical skills, they implement their idea for making a pottery product. The master's degree, also implemented in 2007, is a two-year program. In addition to learning the complementary items in the undergraduate course, master’s degree students also take courses in pottery and ceramics research.

The courses that are held in these two degrees include:

• Pottery making and construction methods

• Glazing

• Pottery painting

• History of Iranian pottery

• Tile painting

• Modeling & Sculpting

• Kiln making

• Materials and tools identification