Masters Degrees (Character Design)

MA Ceramic Design is recognised worldwide as one of the leading postgraduate programmes in ceramic design for small and mass manufacture. Taught in Stoke-on-Trent, the home of UK ceramics for over two centuries in the Potteries, this long-established course consistently produces career-ready graduates that are in demand by leading ceramic companies both in the UK and overseas. With world-famous ceramic manufacturers quite literally on the doorstep, Stoke-on-Trent provides a unique venue for the study of ceramic design.

This course provides a design-led creative experience of ceramics within a broad subject context. Designing through intelligent making allows you to access ideas through a unique material. The deep knowledge of one material helps you to appreciate the opportunities in ceramics but also its translation into other materials and professional opportunities. Whether your personal aspirations are embedded in 2D surface and pattern, and or 3D shape, form and function.

The relationship between the course and the global ceramic industry is mutually beneficial and is primarily responsible for the unique character and international reputation of the course. The strength of this award lies in the accumulated wealth of specialist knowledge and practical skills, which are the essential tools of the ceramics designer; and in the good working practices developed over many years. In the close working relationship with industry, and in the clarity of purpose that ensures academic coherence, and the credibility of the award.

Students are encouraged to pursue new and innovative ideas, redefining established ceramic craft and ceramic design market opportunities. These ideas may now be less wedded to the immediate perceived needs of the mass manufacturing industry and for the mass market. As a consequence encouraging students to take a wider perhaps more entrepreneurial, enterprising standpoint – working as designer-producers for example, engaging with small to medium sized factories in developing aspirational products of contemporary relevance with ‘added value’ aimed potentially at new and different niche markets.

The MA Ceramic Design course has in recent years provided the creative genesis for The New English ceramic design brand and the University’s unique Flux, blue and white fine bone china collection.

This course can be studied part time. For more information on part time study, see the website: http://www.staffs.ac.uk/course/SSTK-06801.jsp?utm_source=findamasters&utm_medium=courseprofile&utm_campaign=postgraduate

Course content

Semester 1
-Tools and Techniques
-Collaborative Project

Semester 2
-Ceramic Design, Professional Pathways
-Creativity & Innovation

Semester 3
The Masters Project

Graduate destinations

Many of our Ceramic Design graduates now work as designers or senior managers and creative directors within the ceramics and related creative industries. Some have set up in business as designer-producers or as freelance design consultants. And others have become retail developers, stylists, buyers, trend forecasters, lecturers and teachers.

Other admission requirements

For you to be able to execute your own ideas whilst on the course, You would be expected to demonstrate:
-Your ability to communicate your creative design ideas visually, this is critically important. Through traditional sketching and drawing (drawing with your own hand) and through digital techniques (the use of appropriate computer softwares).
-A broad understanding and experience of ceramic moulded techniques (the use of plaster moulds, typically slipcasting) or hand making techniques would be expected.
-Alternatively you may be interested in ceramic surface, ideas for surface pattern design whether this be for graphics; textiles or ceramics.
-Evidence that you have an awareness of the global marketplace for ceramic design, and as such develop innovative ceramic ideas informed by this knowledge.

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MA Ceramic Design is recognised worldwide as one of the leading postgraduate programmes in ceramic design for small and mass manufacture. Taught in Stoke-on-Trent, the home of UK ceramics for over two centuries in the Potteries, this long-established course consistently produces career-ready graduates that are in demand by leading ceramic companies both in the UK and overseas. With world-famous ceramic manufacturers quite literally on the doorstep, Stoke-on-Trent provides a unique venue for the study of ceramic design.

This course provides a design-led creative experience of ceramics within a broad subject context. Designing through intelligent making allows you to access ideas through a unique material. The deep knowledge of one material helps you to appreciate the opportunities in ceramics but also its translation into other materials and professional opportunities. Whether your personal aspirations are embedded in 2D surface and pattern, and or 3D shape, form and function.

The relationship between the course and the global ceramic industry is mutually beneficial and is primarily responsible for the unique character and international reputation of the course. The strength of this award lies in the accumulated wealth of specialist knowledge and practical skills, which are the essential tools of the ceramics designer; and in the good working practices developed over many years. In the close working relationship with industry, and in the clarity of purpose that ensures academic coherence, and the credibility of the award.

Students are encouraged to pursue new and innovative ideas, redefining established ceramic craft and ceramic design market opportunities. These ideas may now be less wedded to the immediate perceived needs of the mass manufacturing industry and for the mass market. As a consequence encouraging students to take a wider perhaps more entrepreneurial, enterprising standpoint – working as designer-producers for example, engaging with small to medium sized factories in developing aspirational products of contemporary relevance with ‘added value’ aimed potentially at new and different niche markets.

The MA Ceramic Design course has in recent years provided the creative genesis for The New English ceramic design brand and the University’s unique Flux, blue and white fine bone china collection.

Course content

Semester 1
-Tools and Techniques
-Collaborative Project

Semester 2
-Ceramic Design, Professional Pathways
-Creativity & Innovation

Semester 3
-The Masters Project

Many of our Ceramic Design graduates now work as designers or senior managers and creative directors within the ceramics and related creative industries. Some have set up in business as designer-producers or as freelance design consultants. And others have become retail developers, stylists, buyers, trend forecasters, lecturers and teachers.

Other admission requirements

For you to be able to execute your own ideas whilst on the course, You would be expected to demonstrate:
-Your ability to communicate your creative design ideas visually, this is critically important. Through traditional sketching and drawing (drawing with your own hand) and through digital techniques (the use of appropriate computer softwares).
-A broad understanding and experience of ceramic moulded techniques (the use of plaster moulds, typically slipcasting) or hand making techniques would be expected.
-Alternatively you may be interested in ceramic surface, ideas for surface pattern design whether this be for graphics; textiles or ceramics.
-Evidence that you have an awareness of the global marketplace for ceramic design, and as such develop innovative ceramic ideas informed by this knowledge.

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Do you have a strong drawing ability and want to study concept art and develop a range of specialist skills?

Course details

This course focuses on games and animation but is also suitable for students interested in related areas such as film, comics and illustration. You will undertake project based course work supported by dedicated staff with a wealth of practical experience of both the commercial and academic worlds.

Your teaching is supported by close links to industry. In previous years we have had a range of visiting lecturers – a senior concept artist from Double Negative, an art director from Ubisoft, the director of Atomhawk and representatives from Dreamworks and Microsoft. We have also had visits from a range of freelancers specialising in areas such as character design, storyboarding and matte painting. Industry experts are actively involved in setting you tasks and providing feedback.

What you study

The postgraduate course covers specialist areas – character design, environment design and storytelling. You also focus on core drawing skills including regular life drawing classes. The course concludes with a final project – we support you to create a brief that enables you to specialise in your chosen area of interest.

You develop the cognitive and technical skills to equip you for enterprise, employment and further academic research. As a graduate, practising artist and designer or mid-career professional, you can engage in reflective creative practice at an advanced level.

Modules
-Character and Environment Design
-Concept Art Practice
-Drawing for Concept Artists
-Master's Project: Concept Art for Games and Animation
-Visual Storytelling

Modules offered may vary.

Teaching

You experience a number of different approaches to learning and teaching including:
-Lecture sessions
-Tutorial and practical sessions
-Workshops and studio sessions
-Freelance sessions and workshops
-Online and blended delivery
-Self-directed study

Critical reflection is key to successful problem solving and essential to the creative process. To develop your own reflective practice at an advanced level, you test and assess your solutions against criteria that you develop in the light of your research.

You are assessed through the production of a portfolio of creative work and a written report. Feedback is given during lectures and tutorials, and using online methods.

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This unique programme, one of the first of its kind in the UK, marries the related areas of property development and urban design. As a student, you will be engaged in exploring the dynamic connections between real estate valuation and the character of the built environment in one of the most rapidly changing property markets in the UK.

Internationally recognised as a centre for industries related to property development and architecture, London provides an ideal test bed for your studies; it is arguably the ideal city within which to study the production of the built environment from both an aesthetic and a commercial perspective.

The programme draws upon a range of expertise in Architecture and Urban Planning although no prior training in either is a pre-requisite. By the completion of the course you will have covered modules in property development, design skills and project management that assume no subject specific background knowledge.


Programme Structure

Semester 1
•Property Development 1: Valuation Methods and Investment Appraisal (15 credits)
•Presenting Design Research (15 credits)
•Design Project 1* (30 credits)
•Design Appreciation 1* (15 credits)
•Urban and Planning Theory* (15 credits)


Semester 2
•Property Development 2: From Design to Delivery (15 credits)
•Research Methodology (15 credits)
•Design Project 2* (15 credits)
•Design Appreciation 2* (15 credits)
•Urban Planning Practice* (15 credits)


Semester 3
1 module from:
•Thesis: Dissertation (60 credits)
•Thesis: Research by Design (60 credits)
•Thesis: Design (60 credits)

* Optional Module


Careers

Students are expected to go on to interesting and rewarding careers in property development, urban planning, the wider construction industry, conservation and many other specialisms to be found in the built environment and the arts.

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-The MA Games Art and Design degree allows you to develop your Games Art and Design skills and knowledge to a professional level
-You will produce a commercial-standard personal portfolio that reflects the forefront of current practices in approach, style and vision
-Explore the theoretical and contextual understanding of games art, its audiences and significances in our contemporary media culture
-Develop professional-level enquiry, research, creative invention, project planning and management practices
-On this masters degree you will learn in a multi-disciplinary environment through discussion and the exploration of ideas

Why choose this course?

This MA Games Art and Design degree meets the needs of the games industry. The games industry has developed dramatically from the days of the solo practitioner to become a global market where large teams of artists work in unison to create content for the next generation of interactive game technologies. The current games art and design practitioner is likely to become a specialist in one area, such as character modelling, environment creation, lighting, animating etc. This award fuses technical knowledge of real-time rendering with the aesthetic decisions and traditional skills you will need as a games artist.

On this postgraduate Games Art and Design degree, your study will include ways of thinking about the cultural resonance of your work and about the audiences it is made for, about the nature of creativity, and the role of the Cultural Industries in a modern knowledge economy. Through your study you will develop a range of project management skills, and an ability to identify and manage your own learning. You will consider the role of enterprise opportunities in commercial, professional and social environments. Enquiry, research and clear communication underpin work throughout the programme. As well as specialist modules in your chosen discipline area the programme includes modules that are shared with other postgraduate awards in the School of Creative Arts.

The structure of MA Games Art and Design promotes cross-discipline discussion and maintains the enthusiasm and focus of discipline specialists. It enables you to develop the key transferable skills of postgraduate study grounded in activities that have currency, relevance and application for your future career and for further academic study.

The MA Games Art and Design course, part of the postgraduate Media programme, offers you a coherent learning in one of several awards. It enables you to develop creative practical skills in a discipline of your choosing. That work may extend your existing skills, knowledge and understanding, or it may mean a change of direction, new learning, and new experiences. Induction, seminars and social events for students and staff mean that you will be part of a friendly and supportive postgraduate community, which includes film makers, musicians and professionals working in new media. Senior research staff and internationally renowned professionals work with postgraduate students, helping you to develop original and challenging work.

Careers

Particular emphasis is given to providing you with the skills necessary to further your career as an Games Artist. The course is designed to help you understand and work within the contemporary media environment.

You will also acquire enquiry and information handling skills, enterprise skills in the development and presentation of ideas, in communicating in the spoken and written word, and addressing particular audiences.

Teaching methods

On this programme teaching and learning emphasises enquiry led project work, developing the kind of independence and autonomy that is appropriate for postgraduate education. Lectures, seminars and other discussions bring students together in multi-disciplinary groups where ideas are shared, challenged, developed. Workshops and other activities develop specific discipline centered skills and understandings while tutorials develop individual study trajectories and responses to assignment tasks and briefs.

Much of the time students are engaged in self-managed independent study, undertaking enquiries and research, developing skills, inventing and developing ideas, realizing project outcomes, exploring the cultural resonance of their work.

All students on the PG Media programme engage in an interdisciplinary project as a part of their MA study, giving them an opportunity to work with students from other disciplines in an experimental and creative way.

Work Placement

There are work related learning opportunities on this course, all students complete a live external brief as part of their coursework.

Structure

Core Modules
-Creative Economies
-Major Study: Games Art and Design
-Media Discourses
-Practice 1: Media
-Practice 2: Media
-Research and Enquiry

Optional
-Creative Economies (Online)
-Research and Enquiry (Online)

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What is the Master of Urbanism and Strategic Planning about? 

The Master of Science in Urbanism and Strategic Planning (MaUSP) is a four-semester academic degree offered within the Faculty of Engineering Science by the Department of Architecture. The programme interacts with research conducted by the research groups active in the department.

The MaUSP programme is part of the European Postgraduate Masters in Urbanism (EMU), and students can apply to attend one or two semesters abroad at one of the partner universities - UPC Barcelona, TU Delft or IUAV Venezia - to obtain the additional European Postgraduate Master of Urbanism.

The joint EMU programme is a collaborative effort bringing together the best components of existing curricula, creating new courses and offering a top-ranking professional degree by combining the specificity and strengths of the participating universities. The consortium functions as a platform for promoting an exchange of knowledge, ideas, and research projects on current urban trends in Europe and the world.

Courses are organised according to the following set up:

• Core courses
• Design studios
• Optional courses
• Final design thesis

Design studios form the heart of the programme, a status reflected in their credit load. They are organised as two full days of work on Mondays and Tuesdays to provide an intensive and immersive working environment, as occurs in most professional practices. They also are courses where a balance between teamwork and individual contribution is developed, since students are subdivided in small but varied groups from inception.

Depending on the track students choose (urbanism or planning), certain optional courses become compulsory. 

Spotlight

• Guest lectures and seminars form an important part of the programme. Most are compulsory. The programme benefits from the department’s worldwide contacts in the field of human settlements and urbanism. Professionals involved in teaching, design, and consultancy activities from different comers of the world reflect the international character of the MaUSP curriculum.
• Study trips to various destinations are organised throughout the academic year. You will be able to see and experience the area studied and will have the unique opportunity to link your theoretical knowledge to daily practice and fieldwork. The trips include visits to sites, lectures by local experts, as well as a range of assignments. Recent study trips in Europe have been made to France, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Germany and the UK. Furthermore, one-day visits within Belgium are organised to support courses and provide an understanding of local current trends in urban transformations. As a key feature of the programme, a study trip and studio-related fieldwork sessions are offered in a non-Western context. You will be given the opportunity to travel to the non-European studio context for fieldwork and visits to best practices sites and other relevant sites for about two weeks.
• Annual design workshops (EMU) are a compulsory and crucial activity offered by KU Leuven and the other three partner universities (IUAV Venice, UPC Barcelona and TU Delft). This weeklong exchange of ideas and exposure to four different school approaches intensifies and broadens the programme’s purpose. To date, students have had the opportunity to undertake design investigations in Conegliano (Italy), in the area of Pra dei Gai and the area around Venice.
• Unique position within the educational landscape of Belgium and internationally, since MaUSP is the only English-language programme in the field of Urbanism and Strategic Planning in Flanders.
• MaUSP continues to provide high-level education for candidates aspiring to positions as urban planners in Flanders, regardless of its international orientation.
• Strong research-by-design basis, with an emphasis on space as a resource (in urban transformations) and as a medium of integration, hence the role of planning and design.
• Diversity of incoming students, both in terms of geographic origin, and in terms of professional/educational backgrounds.
• Strong network of alumni and a sound reputation despite its young age, which fosters an active system of collaborations supporting the selection of design studio topics, Master’s thesis topics, etc. (examples: T.OP Limburg; Leidal; T.OP Noord Rand; UN-Habitat; etc.).
• Quality and quantity of visiting faculties and international speakers as a part of lecture series, studio jury's and showcase events such as World Urbanisms.
• Synergy MaHS – MaUSP – EMU.
• Interdisciplinary collaborations (e.g. European Module Spatial Development Planning, etc.). 

Career perspectives

 After successfully completing the programme, you will have acquired a thorough knowledge of urbanisation in different contexts. You will have learned to work on various scale levels, with an understanding of the interferences between scales. You will be able to conduct a critical analysis of spatial phenomena in relation to the social and economic forces driving them. Building upon such analysis, you can design strategic interventions that are politically and economically feasible, and that have a structural impact. You will have developed excellent communication skills, visually as well as textually, and you will be able to function in a research environment.

Graduates will be able to provide professional architectural and/or urban design experience to design offices, consultancy firms, or work as public servants. Urbanism is closely related to current and rapid social transformation and there is a continual need for professionals capable of elaborating new interpretations, strategies and designs in response to emerging trends. MaUSP graduates are highly valued in urban design offices, consultancy firms for urban development and management, real estate agencies that develop public-private partnerships and the public sector.

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This course will help you develop excellent skills in 3D modelling and sculpting or computer games design theory and application.

The award has been designed along with our industry partners and delivers up-to-date content using industry standard software that meets current and future 3D games industry demands. It will allow you to develop and further your ability, building on knowledge and skills acquired in your first degree and expanding into areas related to computer games design.

It will enhance your abilities in research, problem-solving and management and you will apply knowledge and skills to solving complex design and 3D problems during your dissertation project. The award integrates current industry paradigms into both the assessment and research opportunities which aim to help you get into either the games industry or academia.

Course content

-Advanced Games Environment Design and Research
-Advanced Character Prototyping
-Advanced Vehicle and Weapon Prototyping
-Mobile Games Development
-Computer Games Design Dissertation

Graduate destinations

Our MSc graduates work in professional roles at top studios like Microsoft, Rare, Rockstar, Codemasters and Travellers Tales. Our students also go on to form their own companies.

We have students working on all sorts of games from indie kickstarter games like War for the Overworld to the latest Xbox One titles and massive hits like Grand Theft Auto 5.

Career Prospects: Character artist, Environment modeller, Vehicle artist, Game Designer, Producer, User Interface Artist.

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The spread of the Internet and digital media led to an increase of international production and distribution of content made in animation, advertising, TV series and specials, feature films, but also short films and docu-fiction.

Significant is also the growing demand in the fields of games, animation productions cross and transmedia, special effects for movies and television productions. The Master in Animation Design offers the possibility to fit into one of these professional sectors: in independent production companies, research and design consultancies, service agencies, internal structures of broadcasters, specialized departments of publishing houses.

Career opportunities - The Animation Designer can fit into the professional field of animation production, cross and transmedia. The Master guarantees a highly qualifying expertise for profiles such as Concept Artist, Character Designer, Ambient Designer, Storyboard Artist; Character Animator 2D; Character Animator 3D; Production Assistant; Compositor.

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The Master of Urban Design Studies (MUDS) is a one-year professional degree program which provides intensive, advanced education in the principles and practices of urban design. It aims to encourage an understanding of the interdependence of the economic, social, ​and political forces that shape the character, physical structure, and dynamic properties of cities. The MUDS program coincided with the launch of the Master of Urban Design (MUD) degree program in the Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design.

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Introduction

The course aims to develop confident and experimental practitioners who will push the boundaries of the subject of costume beyond its established traditional role.

Content

The course aims to develop confident and experimental practitioners who will push the boundaries of the subject of costume beyond its established role. Taught largely on a one to one basis, by international practitioners, experienced teachers and senior researchers, this MA will nurture your creative ideas about costume and performance.

You will design, realise and experiment with costume based performance ideas that enable you to define your inpidual voice in relation to contemporary culture and practice, while responding visually to the relevant performance context.
Beyond the understanding of performance and the role of character creation through costume, the study of Costume Design at MA level allows you to locate your practice within the wider realms of contemporary culture and art, as well as within the relevant dramatic, social and philological contexts.

The relationship between drawing, practical realisation and performance, is central to the way design is approached: ideas are developed on paper and through movement, as well as through pattern cutting, textile printing, dyeing and surface manipulation.

Practical experimentation is achieved through access to the extensive technical facilities available within the college, expanding knowledge of the uses of CAD, tailoring, print, knit and embroidery within costume. The costume studio in John Prince's Street is well equiped to enable students to develop their ideas into realisation, and expert technical support is provided for students on a weekly basis.

Structure

Full Time 15 months level 7 180 credits

Term One:

Costume for Live Performance (40 credits)
Research Methods (20 credits)

Term Two:

Costume for Film (40 units)
Collaborative Unit (20 credits)

Term Three:

Masters Project (60 credits)

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Want to focus on your animation and motion graphics skills that are in great demand within the film, television, computer games and new media industries?

MA Animation at Northumbria is designed to meet the needs of the animation industry, enabling you to gain high-level technical skills while encouraging you to experiment and think creatively.

You’ll study topics including animation criticism and aesthetics, animation production methods and undertake a major project, producing an animated short film, or an equivalent piece of original work to act as a calling card for your future career.

Working in a studio-based environment with the latest technology and industry standard software, you’ll engage with live and research-led briefs, preparing you for roles in the creative industries.

As a graduate you will be able to demonstrate advanced skills in contemporary animation and digital media that are in great demand within the creative industries.

Learn From The Best

Your tutors have extensive professional experience and have worked as animators, designers and directors for film and television companies including Sky, STV, BBC and Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Their knowledge of industry practice is reflected in the real-life briefs that you’ll work on in a specialist studio environment.

Lectures from guest experts and visits to local and London studios also help to develop your understanding and experience of the animation profession.

Teaching And Assessment

You’ll learn through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops that reflect professional animation industry practice. You’ll be encouraged to use the e-learning portal and blogs to document and communicate your research and design progress.

You’ll be assessed throughout the course, reflecting real-life practice in the design profession where work is informally critiqued in the studio environment by peers or formally by clients during presentations. Assessments may take the form of written and practical projects, for example, producing scripts and storyboards.

Your major project, which is usually an animated short film, or an equivalent piece of original work forms a key part of your assessment. These final pieces, which are of a professional standard, are presented during a final presentation and you will receive formative feedback from both staff and peers throughout their development.

Module Overview
MI7001 - Animation Production Methods (Core, 30 Credits)
MI7002 - Animation Research & Development (Core, 30 Credits)
MI7003 - Major Project (Core, 60 Credits)
MI7004 - Experimental Animation 1 (Core, 30 Credits)
MI7005 - Experimental Animation 2 (Core, 30 Credits)

Learning Environment

You’ll have access to a dedicated studio space, packed with high-end facilities and specialist hardware including computers, rendering facilities, stop-motion rigs and a colour 3D printer. And you’ll be working with industry standard animation software such as Maya, Houdini, Renderman, and Nuke.

You’ll have access to an e-learning portal that provides lecture materials, creative and technical support resources and reading lists together with discussion boards and notices. You’ll be encouraged to use this and write blogs to document and communicate your research and design progress.

Digital Tutors provide support for the design and technical software support you’ll be using during your course.

Research-Rich Learning

Research based learning is built into your course as part of project briefs and workshop sessions.

Your tutors are actively engaged in research which they bring into workshop sessions, reflecting contemporary animation practices and culture. You’ll get the chance to be involved in projects that help develop theory at the forefront of animation research.

Your studies will equip you with the latest theoretical, practical and professional knowledge, skills and applied thinking to prepare you for a variety of roles within the creative industries.

Guest talks, placements, live briefs, studio visits and the chance to showcase your work all help you to develop contacts and networks that will be valuable in your future career.

Give Your Career An Edge

This is an industry-focused course, designed to prepare you for a career in the animation industry.

You’ll visit design and animation studios in North East England and London as well as attending industry talks and taking part in live design projects in collaboration with commercial partners.

You may also have the opportunity to attend the Pictoplasma Conference held annually in Berlin where you can see cutting-edge, contemporary character design and animation and carry out research ahead of your major project.

Another important engagement with industry is the Design & Art Direction New Blood Showcase, (D&AD), in London in July. This gives you the chance to showcase your work and network with design, animation and production studios.

Throughout your course you’ll develop social, communication, design and management skills that are desired by employers, including team working and production management.

Your Future

The Masters in Animation is designed to give you a firm grounding in theoretical, creative, practical and professional development. You’ll graduate with advanced ideas and skills in contemporary animation and digital media that mean you’ll be well placed for roles in the film, television, computer games and new media industries.

There are a number of employment opportunities available on graduation, such as Visual Effects (VFX) and 3D Artists at Time Based Arts and Pixel Blimp, Character Animators at Jellyfish Pictures, or Motion Designers at Framestore - all London based companies, and Arcus Studios employ graduates as animators in the North East.

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This exciting programme of study for students wishing to develop the craft and philosophy of costume design for live performance, screen or site-specific installation is unique in its approach.

Our students develop their concepts and creativity by interpreting a text or exploring a theme, thinking about character, movement and the performance environment. Instruction in the skills of pattern cutting, textile manipulation, millinery, puppetry, set design, computer aided design, welding, knitting, illustration and life drawing help students expand their skills base.

Students work on developing a comprehensive understanding of fabric, costume design and cutting, while exploring the historical and dramatic perspectives of the discipline and the process of performance.

This creative freedom and the combination of the practical developing alongside the conceptual, provides our students with a wide range of skills and a flexibility valued and highly respected by the industry.

Postgraduate students are ideally placed to study the interaction between costume and the other arts such as fashion, textiles, jewellery, film and TV, animation, illustration, installation, music and dance, and to take part in collaborations inside and outside of the University.

Thanks to our extensive national and international links with theatre, dance, film, television and opera companies, plus our network of freelance designers, you’ll be supported in sourcing work experience and other hands-on opportunities that will give you real-world skills and experience.

Programme structure

This programme is assessed by the production of a body of practical and written work on an agreed, self-initiated topic which can take advantage of the many local and international performance-based opportunities.

This programme is project-led. Your project could be led by narrative, theme, performance medium. It should offer scope for sustained research and design development for costume design. Study will combine practical studio work with theoretical and written studies, including professional practice elements to prepare you for employment in the industry, and a lecture/seminar series which will examine the wider context of your studies.

Career opportunities

Postgraduate studies in performance costume open up access to a wide range of work for the stage and screen. You will benefit from the superb reputation of this programme and may find employment within the spheres of drama, opera, film and television.

Our graduates have an outstanding record of success within the industry, most recently including a costume designer for British television series Downton Abbey, and costume workers on TV series Game of Thrones, Outlander, Poldark, Endeavour and The Halcyon, and on films Star Wars and Doctor Strange.

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Programme Background

The MSc in Architectural Project Management is delivered jointly by Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh:

It draws from the expertise in Architecture and Construction Project Management from both institutions to create a programme providing a unique overview and insight into design and management of construction projects. It has been designed for those who have a construction project background and who wish to learn more about design aspects, or those who have a design background and who wish to gain an understanding of project management.

The programme provides students with the opportunity to understand key factors that have influenced contemporary design and its practice, the process of design generation and its constraints in terms of shape and character of urban development and the need to develop in a sustainable manner given the conflicting demands of industrialisation and emergent building technology.

The concepts, practices and strategic issues related to construction project management are examined so as to provide an understanding of how project management professionals can add value and provide a service to their clients. The courses will develop understanding of issues related to management of clients and other stakeholders involved in the delivery of a project within the overarching constraints of time, quality, costs, sustainability and safety management. The suite of courses provides the student with the necessary knowledge to contribute effectively as a lead consultant delivering project management services to clients.

Our Students

The programme is aimed at professionals from all backgrounds currently working in the construction industry, recognising that Postgraduate study for graduates in early or mid-career is often difficult. Therefore the programme is offered by attendance-free distance learning, allowing students a considerable degree of flexibility. Students can study at a pace to suit their work or personal commitments and it is also possible to take a break in study between courses. Students receive comprehensive materials for each course through an online Virtual Learning Environment.

Programme Content

Students study three core courses and choose five from a range of optional courses. MSc students must also complete a research dissertation. Assignments and examinations are used to assess courses. Where an examination is set for a course, arrangements can be made for distance learning students to sit these at a number of centres throughout the world.

Course Choice

Students study the following three core courses at the University of Edinburgh:

· Design Values and Architecture
· Architecture and Sustainability
· Architecture, Construction and Industrialisation

Students study the following four mandatory courses at Heriot-Watt University:

· Value and Risk Management
· Contracts and Procurement
· Project Management: Theory and Practice
· Project Management: Strategic Issues

They then choose an additional course from a range of options including:

· Construction Financial Management
· People and Organisational Management in the Built Environment

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Are you interested in exploring new ways of communicating through visual storytelling? Do you want to extend your creative skills in the digital domain?

The MSc Animation & VFX at DJCAD is an exciting Masters course which allows a much broader interpretation of traditional animation. Digital animation techniques have allowed us to visualise the world around us from the farthest reaches of space to the darkest depths of the oceans.

Why study Animation and Visualisation at Dundee?

Digital animation techniques have allowed us to visualise the world around us from the farthest reaches of space to the darkest depths of the oceans. With the increasing appetite for fantastic stories and images there has never been a better opportunity for animators, artists and designers to develop new ways of communicating different stories. Using 2D and 3D computer animation, practitioners are shaping our knowledge and understanding in areas as diverse as digital visual effects, medical imaging, architecture, environmental design, product design and film making.

What's great about Animation and Visualisation at Dundee?

This course represents an opportunity for animators, artists, designers and those with associated experience to extend their skills and discourse within both animation and visualisation. We offer dedicated 2D, 3D and visual effects facilities providing you with a unique opportunity to develop your own visual practice. Our new Visual FX studio is one of only two within a UK university.

Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art and Design (DJCAD) has been rated as the top institution in Scotland for research in art and design, and one of the best in the whole of the UK (RAE 2008).

What you will study

The Masters is a one-year programme, taught over three semesters. Core modules and optional modules provide a balanced curriculum. Masters students are required to attain 180 credits which comprise seven modules, as follows.

Semester 1 (20 credit modules):
Exploring Practice - enhances understanding of the process and skills associated with 2D and 3D animation production, problem solving and creative practice.
Context & Review - contextualises conceptual and theoretical skills in relation to contemporary and emerging technologies and cultures.
Research Skills & Methods - refine your personal programme of research and development, to inform the planning and execution of your personal project.

One week at the beginning of the first semester is dedicated to induction and diagnostic testing to establish where support is required, especially for international students.

DJCAD operates a Reading Week during week 6 of the first semester. Reading Week is designated as five days where there are no timetabled taught classes. However, all students are expected to carry out either assigned work or self-directed work during this period. All University facilities are open during Reading Week with students expected to attend the University as usual.

Semester 2 (20 credit modules):
Advanced Production - extend your existing skills in 2D and 3D digital computer animation. This module will help you to apply these skills to your personal project.
Reflection on Practice - guided independent learning in which you will focus on a project report.
Going Live - you will work on a live industry initiated project called Going Live. This experience will replicate the studio experience with a professional brief set by an external production studio. Industry partners have included The Mill and Axis Animation.

Semester 3 (60 credits)

A&V - Realisation, final 60 credit semester will result in you creating a substantial body of work and taking part in a public exposition.
You can choose to leave with a postgraduate diploma with 120 credits, or a postgraduate certificate with 60 credits.

How you will be assessed

Students are assessed by course work, including team project work, exploratory and finalised practical work, and written work

Careers

Prospects for graduates exist in research and within the vfx, 3D and 2D animation and visualisation industries. Specific roles include 3D Vfx Artists, Compositor, Character Designer, Technical Director, Environments Designer, Character Animator, Self-employment and entrepreneurship will also offer potential career opportunities. Academia careers including Research Assistant on funded projects and PhD study.

"I was given freedom to develop my potential. DJCAD also provided an amazing teacher team and advanced facilities that gave me a great study environment." - Huaijin Cao from China graduated in 2011 and is now employed at Sony Computer Entertainment Europe as a Motion Graphic Designer.

"The reason I choose to study the MSc Animation & Visualisation was to explore various vfx techniques in my work and gain ties with industry professionals. I had a great experience during my time at DJCAD and found the programme to be an ideal springboard into the vfx industry." - Graeme Turnbull works for The Mill London as a 3D artist, he graduated in 2009.

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Games consoles and mobile devices are now ubiquitous, and computer graphics production has developed so rapidly that the best visual effects are those that you don't realise are there.

The Creative Technology programme is designed to introduce you to the rapidly emerging areas of computer science where technology impacts the creative design process. With a focus on the production of industry-relevant content, the programme introduces the theory behind animation and special effects production, interaction design and robotics. You will explore a wide range of topics, experience the entire creative design process and develop key skills in independent research.

Programme structure

You will study taught units between September and mid-June. After completing the taught units, you will work on a project between mid-June and late September.

Core units
-Animation production
-Character and set design
-Computer graphics
-Image processing and computer vision
-Research skills
-Server software
-Web technologies

You will also be able to choose from a variety of optional units.

Project
You must complete a project that consists of researching, planning and implementing a major piece of work. The project must contain a significant scientific or technical component and will usually involve software development. It is usually submitted in September.

Careers

This programme is designed to give you a significant advantage in the fast-paced world of emerging creative technologies industries. The programme will also give you the knowledge and experience to continue studying for a PhD, or to enter a career in research. With strong links to industry through the faculty’s academic staff and the University of Bristol Careers Service, we are well placed to support you in your career aspirations in industry or furthering your academic career.

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