Making Glazes, Make Sense: The Ultimate Glaze Chemistry Guide

Unlock the mysteries of ceramic glazes with our most comprehensive glaze course to date! This isn’t just another glaze class; it’s the definitive guide to mastering glaze chemistry, designed for all levels of students – beginner, intermediate, and advanced learners are all welcome.

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Course Overview

Making Glazes, Make Sense is a course focused on the science behind glazes. No more myths and legends about how glazes work, only facts and science. ​The course provides information and science to help everyone utilize glazes in ways that will help them take control of their materials and make their studios the best they can be.

This immersive, 16 module long course has over 80 hours of educational content will teach you literally everything you need to know about glazes, transforming your understanding from basic application to in-depth chemical mastery. We build upon all the core topics of “Understanding Glazes” and expand significantly, adding four extra weeks of critical content, including deep dives into Color, Application, Health & Safety, and Firing.

By the end of this course, you’ll gain:

  • A profound understanding of glaze chemistry: From raw materials to molecular structures, you’ll comprehend the science behind stunning glazes, including the nuances of color development.

  • The ability to formulate your own glazes from scratch: Move beyond recipes and learn to design glazes, controlling every aspect of their appearance, performance, and application.

  • Expert troubleshooting skills: Diagnose and fix common glaze problems with confidence and precision.

  • Enhanced creative freedom: Unlock a new world of artistic possibilities through informed glaze choices, original formulations, and a mastery of application techniques.

  • Increased confidence in your glazing practice:  Feel empowered to experiment, innovate and safely handle glaze materials with a solid foundation of knowledge. 

Sample Video

Course Outline

  • Introduction to the course
  • Introduction to glazes
  • Geology
  • Chemistry
  • Glass Formers
  • Alkali Metals
  • Alkaline Earths
  • Seger and Stull
  • U.M.F. Calculations 
  • Durability 
  • Boron 
  • Special Effects 
  • Glaze Flaws
  • Color
  • Application
  • Health & Safety
  • Firing
  • 5 – Optional Lab Experiments curated to accompany the lectures

Enrollment

We have 4 great options to choose from!

Full Guided Experience

Offered every

Jan, Apr, July + Oct 

$700

Next session with Matt’s expert guidance begins April 1, 2026 with 4 months of access.

Full Guided Experience

If you want to experience the fully guided course that includes everything:

  • Matt’s expert guidance for 4 months of over 100 hours of educational content
  • On demand lectures – watch as many times as you like
  • Optional curated lab experiments that accompany the lectures for an in depth learning experience.  List of materials and equipment provided upon enrollment.
  • Live bi-weekly online Q&A discussions with Matt and the other students on Tuesdays 10am, Wednesdays 2pm and Thursdays 8pm.  EST/NYC
  • Ask Matt your questions directly on the Course Discussion pages 
  • Lifetime access to our Digital Glaze Book – Test, Test, Test with Matt’s analysis
  • Extra resources that support your learning – CMW Student Community, Glossaries, Timestamped Indexes, Student Lecture Notes and Check Your Knowledge quizzes!
  • Access to the CMW Thinkific App for on the go learning!
  • Video features include closed captioning, searchable transcripts, settings for quality and speed and full screen viewing.
  • Patreon program for continued access beyond 4 months.
  • Certificate of Completion

Cost:  $700 (free 3 month payment plan available at checkout)

Completion of this course meets the requirement to enroll in the Full Guided Experience Advancing Glazes course.  

Self Guided

Lectures + Labs 

Start Today!

$500

Includes 4 months of access to the on demand lectures and hands on lab experiments.

Self Guided - Lectures + Labs 4 Months Access

If you want the lectures + the labs:

  • 4 months of self guided access to over 80 hours of educational content
  • On demand lectures – watch as many time as you like
  • Optional curated lab experiments that accompany the lectures for an in depth learning experience. List of materials and equipment provided upon enrollment.
  • Access to the CMW Thinkific App for on the go learning!
  • Patreon program for continued access beyond 4 months
  • Certificate of Completion

Cost:  $500 (free 3 month payment plan available at checkout)

Note this option does not include Matt’s guidance or the live Q&A discussions or any of the other resources noted under the Full Guided Experience option.  Only the on demand lectures and labs are included.  

Completion of this course meets the requirement to enroll in the Full Guided Experience Advancing Glazes course.   Students will be asked to provide copies of completed lab experiments prior to enrollment in Advancing Glazes.  Email us at info@ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com for more information.

Self Guided

Lectures Only

Start Today!

$400 

Includes lifetime access to the on demand lectures. 

Self Guided - Lectures Only Lifetime Access

If you want the lectures only:

  • Lifetime self guided access to over 80 hours of educational content
  • On demand lectures – watch as many time as you like
  • Access to the CMW Thinkific App for on the go learning!
  • Certificate of Completion

Cost:  $400

Note this option does not include Matt’s guidance or the live Q&A discussions or any of the other resources noted under the Full Guided Experience option.  Only the on demand lectures are included. 

Note this option does not meet pre-requiste to enroll in the Full Guided Experience option of Advancing Glazes but you can enroll in Self Guided Lectures Only option here.

 

Self Guided

Lectures Only

Monthly CMW Membership $60/month 

Includes monthly access to the on demand lectures. Pay as you go per month.  Cancel anytime.

Self Guided - Lectures Only Monthly Membership

If you want the lectures only:

  • Monthly self guided access to over a 80 hours of educational content
  • On demand lectures – watch as many time as you like
  • Access to the CMW Thinkific App for on the go learning!
  • Certificate of Completion

Cost:  $60/month (USD) or $570/year (save 20%)

Note this option does not include Matt’s guidance, lab experiments or the live Q&A discussions.  Only the on demand lectures are included.   Subscription automatically renews each month.  Cancel anytime.

Note this option does not meet pre-requiste to enroll in the Full Guided Experience option of Advancing Glazes but you can enroll in Self Guided Lectures Only monthly membership here.

Course Announcements

Lecture Slide Notes – Now Available!

Level up your online learning with Matt’s official lecture notes!  These comprehensive notes are the slides behind Matt in the videos.  They cover all the main topics discussed in the videos, providing a valuable resource for review and study.  These notes will transform your learning experience as you’ll have all the key information at your fingertips. 

Purchase Lecture Slide Notes

Instructor

Meet Your Instructor Matt Katz

Matthew Katz

Matt Katz has been teaching for years at world class institutions including The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University, Rhode Island School of Design and Harvard University.

Course Reviews

What Students are Saying

Coming Soon! 

Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to Your Most Pressing Questions

What experience level is this class for?

Our classes are designed for makers of all levels. We’ve had professionals with 50 years of experience and we’ve had folks take our classes after having one studio class at their local community college. Everyone comes out truly understanding glazes.

Are you going to talk about…

Let me stop you there. We are going to talk about EVERYTHING.

Temperatures? Yes? Atmosphere? You better believe it. Materials? No way around it. At the end of this course, you will have a thorough understanding of ALL aspects of clays.

Why should I take this class?

I’ve got books. Books are great, but books are a supplement and a reference in education. The reason why school is still lecture classes, is because audio/visual learning is still the most powerful educational tool.

When I first started studying glazes I got a book, and I read every word…and I understood about 1% of it. The experience of listening and looking helps us to truly UNDERSTAND a subject.

I work at temperature X, is this class relevant to me?

Yes, we talk about glazes as a whole. All firing temperatures are interrelated. We’ll teach you all of the how’s and why’s of all glazes.