Masters Degrees (Retail Design)

We welcome enquiries from anyone who would like to carry out research in any aspect of design or in technology in education- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/mphil-phd-design/

Current studies include:

eco-design and forecasting trends
the design of multi-sensory retail environments
curriculum development in design
the role of awkward space in cities
pupil assessment in design and technology education
reflexive drawing and the connection between representation and creativity
social theory in a world of designed objects
harnessing memes to disseminate design ideas
Find out more about research degrees at Goldsmiths.

Practice-based MPhil

The MPhil can be linked to design practice.

A practice-based MPhil explores new approaches to, or applications of, existing knowledge by means of practice.

In either case, your final presentation will include both an original, creative practice component and a thesis that will contextualise this practice.

Since the practice component of your research constitutes a significant part of the final examination, the thesis requirement is reduced.

The MPhil programme offers the opportunity for the student to continue their research to a PhD.

Assessment is by thesis and viva voce.

Design Star Centre for Doctoral Training

Goldsmiths is a member of the Design Star Centre for Doctoral Training, which brings the Department of Design together with other leading design departments at the University of Brighton; Loughborough University; The Open University; and the University of Reading.

It aims to develop future intellectual leadership in design: research leaders of the future who are equipped to make a difference to contemporary social concerns, knowledge production and creative practices. This requires an approach to research training that places diversity and interdisciplinarity at its core.

Design Star brings together world-class research in:

design for industry
interaction design
design process
communication design
sustainable design
design history
curation
creative practice.

Its spread of design disciplines is linked by a common approach to design that encourages the integration of history, theory and engagement.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact the Department of Design.

Design at Goldsmiths is ranked:
-1st in the UK (The Guardian University Guide 2016)
-12th in the world (QS World University Rankings by subject 2015)

We’ve also been ranked by LinkedIn as one of the top graduate universities for designers, because so many of our graduates go on to find jobs in the industry.

Critique the status quo

We want you to go on to have your own self-sustaining practice that can change over time, so you’ll learn about design not just as a commercial enterprise, but also as a way to question and critique the status quo.

The freedom to experiment

You don’t have to know what kind of a designer you’ll be: we give you the time and the freedom to experiment, use tools, explore materials and discover different modes of making. Many of our students have already worked in the design industry and are keen to develop their theoretical understanding of the discipline, and have the opportunity to explore their practice without the confines of commercial restrictions.

Industry leaders

Our graduates are industry leaders: many have gone on to work at top organisations and design companies such as Pentagram, Dyson and Selfridges, while many others have set up their own studios and enterprises.

How to apply

Before you apply for a research programme, we advise you to get in touch with the programme contact, listed above. It may also be possible to arrange an advisory meeting.

Before you start at Goldsmiths, the actual topic of your research has to be agreed with your proposed supervisor, who will be a member of staff active in your general field of research. The choice of topic may be influenced by the current research in the department or the requirements of an external funding body.

If you wish to study on a part-time basis, you should also indicate how many hours a week you intend to devote to research, whether this will be at evenings or weekends, and for how many hours each day.

Visual portfolio

For the purpose of the initial application it is recommended that you prepare a portfolio of material documenting your previous work. This could be provided as a web link, DVD or whatever is the best way to disseminate your practice.

Research proposals

The proposal should typically between 1,000 and 2,000 words (not including references) long. The key consideration in drafting the proposal should be clarity.

Funding

Please visit http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/fees-funding/ for details.

Read less

Objectives

By the end of the program, students will have acquired the key competencies to manage fashion, design and luxury companies successfully and will be able to evolve professionally within the cosmopolitan, culture-intensive and hypercompetitive environment typical of these industries.

LOCATIONS

Students have the opportunity to follow the MSc in Fashion, Design and Luxury Management program in the following locations:

- Grenoble - http://en.grenoble-em.com/grenoble-vibrant-and-welcoming
- Paris - http://en.grenoble-em.com/paris
- London

WHY CHOOSE TO DO A MSC IN FASHION, DESIGN AND LUXURY MANAGEMENT?

The MSc in Fashion, Design and Luxury Management is designed to provide international companies in these industries with the profiles they need to be highly competitive in a complex environment.

The fashion, design and luxury industries are design-intensive and innovation-oriented industries, providing very good opportunities for growth in a hypercompetitive environment. For this reason, companies in these industries are seeking to recruit experts aware of the specific dynamics of these fields, able to manage companies and develop brands in a successful way.

Students enrolled in the MSc Fashion, Design and Luxury Management will benefit from a high-level faculty with both academic and professional experience.

Taught entirely in English, this program offers students the international perspective and the industry-specific culture they will need in order to become skilled managers in these hypercompetitive industries.

Through their coursework, students will acquire the management tools and techniques and the overall industry culture needed to develop and govern fashion, design and luxury brands in a highly competitive global and complex environment. The course covers essential management skills as well as more industry-specific competencies:

- Principles of luxury and luxury brand management
- Luxury sectorial analysis
- Technology and innovation in the fashion and design business
- Creative fundamentals of fashion and design
- Sustainable design, luxury and fashion management.

Program

MANAGEMENT ESSENTIALS

- Intercultural Management and International Negotiations
- Global Leadership and People Management
- International Trade
- Marketing
- Branding and Brand Equity Management
- Strategic Management
- Finance and Accounting

FASHION, DESIGN & LUXURY MANAGEMENT

- Technology and Innovation in the Fashion and Design Business
- Industrial Design
- Interior Design and Merchandising
- Sustainable Luxury and Design
- Luxury Sectorial Analysis:
- Food, Wine and Hospitality
- Boats, Cars and Motorbikes
- Jewelry and Watches
- Perfumes, Cosmetics and Eyewear
- Accessories and Leather Goods

- Distribution Channels and Digital Marketing in the Fashion Industry
- Fundamentals of Fashion and Design
- Principles of Luxury and Managing Luxury Brands
- Integrated Communications Strategy
- Production, Operations, Purchasing and Supply Chain in the Fashion Industry
- Customer Management and Customer Intelligence
- The Legal Context of the Design and Fashion Industry

STUDY TRIPS

Students will take part in an international study trip of one week in one European Fashion Capital. They will have the opportunity to meet with leading industry professionals and visit companies in the fashion, design and luxury industries.

During the company visits students will work on a project relating to one of these industries and in alignment with their future career ambitions.

INTERNSHIP

Each student will undertake an internship of a minimum of three months in a company of their choice at the end of the classroom part of the program. The internship will contribute directly to the content of the Final Management Project and may take place anywhere in the world.

FINAL MANAGEMENT PROJECT

The second year of the program is dedicated to the Final Management Project which will be undertaken under the supervision of a GGSB professor.
Students will focus on a management aspect of the fashion, design and luxury industries; they are also encouraged to choose the subject of the Final Management Project in coherence with their future career goals. It is possible to complete the project in parallel with an employment or an internship in France or abroad.

FOREIGN LANGUAGES

Foreign language skills are essential in a globally competitive business environment. The program is taught in English, and no prior knowledge of French is required to attend the program. Students have the possibility of learning French or another foreign language such as Spanish or Chinese during the program.
This language component, although not compulsory, is highly recommended for students who intend to pursue an international career, since companies in the Fashion, Design and Luxury industry are currently recruiting personnel speaking the language of the country in which they are based, in addition to English and in-demand languages like Chinese or Russian.

LOCATION

The MSc in Fashion, Design and Luxury Management will be offered at the GGSB Grenoble, Paris and London campuses.

PROGRAM BENEFITS

Students enrolled in the program will:

- Acquire and develop the specific management skills required for a successful career in fashion, design, and luxury industries
- Benefit from teaching staff with extensive scientific and professional industry experience
- Enjoy study trips with visits to companies and industry-specific fairs and events
- Study in a multicultural and creative learning environment
- Understand the creation of value in the fashion, design and luxury industries

Careers

It is expected that graduates of this MSc program will either take up positions in multinational companies in the fashion, design and luxury industries or will become entrepreneurs able to found and develop their own companies.

The program will prepare graduates for positions in sourcing, purchasing, product development, product management, public relations, events, store retail management, people management and entrepreneurship.

Admission

Candidates should have excellent written and oral communication skills, as well as strong interpersonal skills and the motivation to pursue an international career.

No prior knowledge of the fashion, design and luxury management industries is required, but applicants should demonstrate a strong interest in this area and have a clear idea of how the program will help them achieve career goals.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

- Bachelor-level undergraduate degree in any subject with good grade average.
- Work experience is not compulsory.
- Fluency in English (see test requirements below).

Read less

Why take this course?

This course allows you to develop and grow your own creative practice whilst positioning yourself within a theoretical context.

You will engage in the exploration of space conceptually and pragmatically, encouraging your own response to the functionality and visual design of existing sites. You’ll also inspect the consideration of materiality and the relationship of the interior idea to architecture.

What will I experience?

On this course you can:

Have the opportunity to 'earn and learn' by working on real life contracts through our Projects Office. This experience will enable you to develop your professional portfolio.
Develop a personal area of study, get involved with some regional regeneration projects and test and develop your ideas and your interior research.

What opportunities might it lead to?

Interior design can be transient or durable, small or large, can engage at a detailed product design level or at an urban level, but at whichever level, the demand for skilled professionals is increasing, as is the requirement for innovative sustainable designs.

This course provides a firm grounding for employment in a range of design offices, as well as other property-related jobs.

Here are some routes our graduates have pursued:

Interior design practice
Exhibition design
Retail consultant
Working for local and public authorities
Teaching in HE

Module Details

This course uses the experience and skills of teaching staff with a proven track record in interior design studies, practice and research. You will also benefit from a multi-disciplinary learning environment where more than 100 postgraduate students in architecture, interior design, urban design, sustainable design and historic building conservation can meet and work.

Here are the units you will study:

Practice: This unit provides you with the opportunity to evaluate your own design practice and the design discipline from which you come and to contextualise this within interior design practice. Practice-based methods will be used to explore the interior through inter-disciplinary means and you will build on and develop your own creative practice through real-world situations, through doing. You will also be involved in discussions around the social, political, economic and professional contexts that drive the construction of interior space. You will be expected to analyse and critically evaluate the interior context, develop briefs, strategies and a proposal for a given area.

Theory: This unit aims to interrogate the history of interior design and its relationship to practice. Interior design is a relatively youthful profession, whose history is situated in the gaps between architectural history and design history. In this unit you will explore the intellectual idea of the interior through debate and discussion, catalysed through a series of workshops and critical readings, developing an understanding of the interior condition. We bring in specialists from other disciplines, actively encouraging debate. You will also be expected to explore and build on your own understanding of interior space by keeping a reflective journal.

Research Methods and Research Proposal: In this unit you will develop research skills, which will aid you throughout your course and particularly in producing your thesis. You will be asked to establish a critical position within an Outline Research Proposal. You will develop techniques, which will allow you to engage proactively within your area of study. You will be encouraged to explore methods of investigation that are responsive to, as well as inquisitive of, the conditions presented and which therefore speculate around possible critical scenarios. Implicit within these explorations is the need to investigate diverse means of representation and depiction through a variety of possible media and discourse.

Integration: This unit allows you to work in a multi-disciplinary context through groups within your own subject area and across the areas of interior design, urban design, sustainable architecture and historic building conservation, as well as explore the interrelationships of all disciplines. You will need to work collectively on given projects or problems related to staff-run studios, which explore a range of given themes. These themes will be introduced at the start of the course and connect to research areas within the School.

Work-Based Learning: This unit gives you the opportunity to replace a 30-credit core unit with a work-based version of that unit. Not all units can be replaced and you will need to discuss the appropriateness of a unit with tutors. Work-based learning requires you to engage in critical and reflective learning in the workplace. This will be developed through a learning contract, negotiated by you, your employer and School. The work undertaken in practice will be appraised through critical reflective writing that engages with the practice of the particular subject discipline and this will form the assessment artefacts.

Thesis: Your thesis is a substantial research-based project that enables you to carry out an in-depth investigation into a subject area of personal interest, which is related to or developed from a theme studied during the course. The proposed research theme should have a clearly defined focus to allow for in depth theoretical, contextual and visual research.

Programme Assessment

This course is lecture and studio-based, culminating in a written or design-led thesis project. It will involve case study investigations, group work, discussion and planning of interior environments, as well as independent study to develop design or research-based responses to interior problems.

Design assessment is through studio review and taught courses are assessed by various forms of evidence-based interior design decisions and proposals. You will also carry out an in-depth research project into an area of your choice.

Student Destinations

On completing this course, you will be adept in spatial practice and able to work within your specialist discipline in design practices, architectural firms and cross-disciplinary environments. The creative skills, professional competencies and expansive learning environment that we provide has also led graduates into a range of careers in marketing, advertising, journalism, virtual design and modelling through to people-centred careers such as project management.

Alternatively, you can choose to pursue freelance opportunities, continue your studies to PhD level or even set up your own interior design practice.

Read less

The MA Graphic Design course at The University of Central Lancashire encourages the diversity of design study that is possible within the wider field of Graphic Design. The course focus is rooted in visual communication research, underpinned by theory and with an emphasis on the development of a very personal body of practical work. Throughout the course students are encouraged to pursue a unique personal line of inquiry within any area of contemporary graphic design practice or explore the potential of design diversity. By the end of the course all students should have completed a cohesive body of work to a professional standard and be able to clearly articulate a sound intellectual rationale and a broad critical viewpoint.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

Practical work is carried out within our extensive and very well equipped studios and workshops.

Full time and part time students will be required to attend the Friday morning lecture programme throughout semesters 1 and 2. Full time students will also attend weekly seminars and tutorial sessions during the week. Part time students are scheduled for their practical sessions on a Friday afternoon, so that their commitment on campus allows for day release from their place of employment.

Evening tutorial sessions may be available from time to time for some students who are unable to attend in the day. Many of the Friday morning lectures are filmed for supporting distance learning or those who miss sessions.

Study is further supported by a lecture programme of visiting practitioners from a variety of design disciplines.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Graphic designers can work in many different areas, from traditional print for book design in the publishing industry and packaging design for the food and drink industry, to the digital arena of web design and new media. Often, the career path of an artist or designer does not take a particularly conventional route. Some graphic designers work on a freelance basis, whilst many work for design agencies or as part of in-house departments of larger companies. Life as a graphic designer can be exceedingly fast-paced and challenging as well as highly exciting.

A design related masters degree can provide a platform from which to enter employment in a range of other exciting sectors, such as: Art & Design; Teaching & Education; Advertising, Marketing & PR Media Culture; Music & Performing Arts; Management Consulting; Business & Admin; Hospitality & Tourism; Retail & Sales; Recruitment & Human Resources; Charity, Not-for-profit & NGO.

The MA course exists within the context of the University module scheme. The theory and practical modules run alongside in order to inform each other. Design Research 1 and 2 are theoretical modules that provide an opportunity to explore research methodologies appropriate to Graphic Design and the broader area of visual communication. A special feature of the course is the Friday morning lecture programmes with lectures from subject specific academics, guest speakers and practicing designers who are at the top of their profession. Graphic Design Practice 3 incorporates a theoretical element to summarize and complement the final practical body of work.

Throughout the programme students will continue to explore the links and concerns between theory and graphic design practice. The practical modules (Practice 1, 2 & 3) are designed to allow students to pursue their own specific individual design research project, which is a major investigation into a particular personal area of study. A key element of the practice sessions are to facilitate the opportunity to generate, investigate and test new ideas. The programme then culminates with a final public exhibition of student work.

OPPORTUNITIES

The MA Graphic Design programme is also delivered at our partner University in Thessaloniki, Greece. Students are able to study there for one semester. The MA will help further career opportunities in the field of Graphic Design and Visual Communication, giving recognition to each student’s individual practical and intellectual abilities.

The opportunity for a structured work experience will be provided for every student who requests it. This is a major commitment by the University to help our graduates to reach their potential and thrive in their careers after graduation.

Study trips are an essential part of research activity that brings design to life. Throughout the programme, students are introduced to contemporary influences with International city trips and study visits to exhibitions and museums - Manchester, London, Berlin and New York have been regular trips in recent years (students will be required to pay for overseas trips/visits and are therefore optional).

With an MA in Graphic Design, there are many other opportunities to explore and career options worth considering that require the broad range of skills gained at masters level and related to graphic design / visual communication / art and design.

Read less

Why take this course?

This rigorous MA offers a professional award to graduates in Interior Design, Interior Architecture, Architecture or related spatial-design disciplines.

The course will develop your professional knowledge and skills; your understanding of entrepreneurship and business; your practice management and project leadership skills, and will expand your knowledge of setting up and running your own design practice. It will also deepen your understanding of ethical professional design practice and procedures and will help you to develop a practice or sector specialism.

What will I experience?

Research projects that will allow you to improve your academic skills and develop a sector or practice specialism; for example: healthcare, sustainable retail design or project leadership;
A firm grounding in professional practice and project management for architectural design;
Opportunities to work on live projects with real clients, through our Project Office, an in-house architectural practice.

What opportunities might it lead to?

This MA will offer you important tools that will help you to set up, promote and run your own design practice and to further position yourself for employment by developing a practice or sector specialism and by enhancing your practice management skills and project leadership skills.

Graduate may find rewarding careers in the following:

Architecture Practice
Interior Practice
Commercial Design
Retail Design
Exhibition Design
Teaching Academia
Project Management

Module Details

The course is structured to encompass the breadth of professional design practice from the macro (the broad context of ethical design practice) to the micro (the minutiae of professional design management). The curriculum will include the following modules of study:

Project Management: including project leadership, professional design regulations and procedures, law and contract administration, fee bids, professional communications, and approaches to brief writing;
Practice Management: including approaches to setting up and running a design practice, business innovation and entrepreneurship, business positioning and branding, business planning and marketing;
Topical Research: investigate ethical approaches to design practice, for example sector approaches to ethical design, design management or sustainable design.
Optional modules within the course:

Option 1 Materials and Products & Professional Experience and Practice: you will research and develop your understanding of materials and products. The knowledge gained will lead to a more sustained practice-based research project;
Option 2 Research Methods & Thesis: you will be provided with opportunities to develop appropriate research skills which can then be applied to the thesis project, a sustained investigation of a topic related to professional design practice.

Programme Assessment

Lecturers with a broad range of professional experience (in architecture and interior design), research skills, entrepreneurial skill, and expertise in education, will teach you using a variety of methods. Seminars, tutorials and study groups will encourage a vibrant culture of discussion and debate. Teaching will also support you in planning and completing a significant amount of self-directed learning for which you will need to be self-motivated, well organised and possess excellent study skills.

You will be assessed on the course work you complete, this could include: essays, thesis projects, design projects, reflective journals and portfolios. One of the optional units (Professional Experience and Practice) also includes a written examination, which is designed to test your knowledge of professional practice and processes, your ability to apply knowledge in practice and the quality of your professional judgements.


Student Destinations

This professional award will prepare you towards setting up, promoting and running your own design practice. Particular transferable skills will include: ethical practice, practice management, project management and leadership, business enterprise, professional communications and research skills.

The MA will also provide a platform for further study such as a PhD.

Our Schools employment statistics are very high and our post-graduates have found challenging and diverse employment in a range of occupations, including:

Architecture Practice
Interior Practice
Commercial Design
Retail Design
Exhibition Design
Teaching
Academia
Project Management

Read less

Overview

Are you fascinated by the fashion industry? Would you like a career that combines creativity with business acumen? Southampton Solent University’s postgraduate fashion merchandise management programme will help you to develop an advanced understanding of merchandising practices, retail space design, product buying, consumer behaviour, marketing and academic research methods.

- Students study under the guidance of veteran industry professionals with strong links to fashion and retail businesses.
- Core units cover contemporary retail innovation, industry contexts, marketing, retail design, research methods, fashion buying and merchandising.
- Students work closely with Solent’s industry contacts. Retailing company B&Q is currently involved in teaching the ‘Retail Futures: Innovation and Enterprise’ unit.
- Previous industry collaborators have included MRA Architecture & Interior Design, and IBM.
- Students will also have the opportunity to work in Re:So, our student-managed high-street retail boutique, or pitch for agency work through Solent Creatives.
- Students are supported by tutors to secure industry work placements.
- Graduates will have learnt transferable business management, marketing and employability skills that are sought after by employers in a range of sectors.
- Available facilities include a 24 hour library; industry-standard design software; photographic and fashion studios; and a range of merchandising equipment.

The industry -

The retail workforce is projected to grow between 2013 and 2020, with job opportunities expected to increase for managerial positions in particular (Prospects, 2015). This unique degree programme will help you to capitalise on the growth, developing key skills that visual merchandising and product buying employers are seeking.

The programme -

With increasing competition in the retail sector, fashion merchandisers play a vital role in transforming ordinary store environments into exciting retail experiences. Students studying on Southampton Solent’s unique fashion merchandise management programme will undertake in-depth study of visual merchandising, retail design and fashion buying – delving into the psychological and cultural factors that influence consumer spending.

The curriculum also covers technical innovation and the place of technology in the modern retail environment. These contemporary innovations are examined alongside retail design, visual merchandising, in-store branding and the benefits of customer interaction.

Students can get involved in retail activities at Re:So, Solent’s student-run high-street store. Re:So stocks a range of fashion and craft products produced by our creative students, making it the ideal place to get hands-on visual merchandising experience. The store’s upper floor ‘learning zone’ has previously hosted guest speakers from the fashion industry, workshops, photo-shoots and exhibitions – all with an emphasis on developing student retail, enterprise and employability skills.

The course concludes with a final master’s project. This is a chance for students to specialise in an area that suits their unique career ambitions, applying the skills that they have learnt throughout the course. Project supervisors are chosen based on the topic of the dissertation, ensuring that students have one-to-one access to expert support.

Course Content

Programme specification document - http://mycourse.solent.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=6152

Teaching, learning and assessment -

The course is taught through seminars, tutorials and workshops, with an emphasis on creativity and critical thinking. You will collaborate with our industry partners and take part in occasional group projects.

Work Experience -

We can provide support and guidance to help you find relevant work experience at a fashion or design company through our close links with industry. Former students have completed placements in a wide range of areas, including:

- trend reporting for WGSN
- merchandising at the Hobbs Head Office
- design/trend consultancy for Mudpie
- design at Jenny Packham
- marketing at Harvey Nichols
- MRA Architecture and Interior Design
- visual communication at Calvin Klein.

Assessment -

Assessment is through projects, reports and a dissertation.

Our facilities -

You will have access to multimedia and IT suites, photography and printing studios, fashion studios, design-and-make workshops, and excellent library facilities.

Study abroad -

There are opportunities for trips abroad, as well as regular excursions to museums and exhibitions in and around London.

Web-based learning -

Solent’s virtual learning environment provides quick online access to assignments, lecture notes, suggested reading and other course information.

Why Solent?

What do we offer?

From a vibrant city centre campus to our first class facilities, this is where you can find out why you should choose Solent.

Facilities - http://www.solent.ac.uk/about/facilities/facilities.aspx

City living - http://www.solent.ac.uk/studying/southampton/living-in-southampton.aspx

Accommodation - http://www.solent.ac.uk/studying/accommodation/accommodation.aspx

Career Potential

Following this course, you will be well prepared for a career in fashion merchandise management or the broader fashion industry.

Suitable roles for graduates include:

- Visual merchandiser
- Buyer/allocator
- Merchandising
- Creative marketing
- Consumer behaviour consultant
- Store planner/designer
- Retail management
- Visual merchandising
- Business owner.

Links with industry -

Industry professionals share their knowledge and experiences with students through guest presentations, lectures, one-to-one tutorials and portfolio-viewing workshops.
Recent visiting lecturers have included: Caryn Franklin, Perry Curties, Iain R Webb, Wayne Johns, Bruce Smith, Ellen Rogers, Hannah Al-Shemmeri, Elaine Waldron, Maria Bonet and Richard Billingham.

On this course, we also work closely with industry partners, including MRA and IBM, who are involved in teaching on two specialist units.

Transferable skills -

During the course you’ll develop your research, writing and critical thinking skills, along with experience in presentation, networking and teamwork.

Tuition fees

The tuition fees for the 2016/2017 academic year are:

UK and EU full-time fees: £6,695 per year

International full-time fees: £11,260 per year

UK and EU part-time fees: £3,350 per year

International part-time fees: £5,630 per year

Graduation costs -

Graduation is the ceremony to celebrate the achievements of your studies. For graduates in 2015, there is no charge to attend graduation, but you will be required to pay for the rental of your academic gown (approximately £42 per graduate, depending on your award). You may also wish to purchase official photography packages, which range in price from £15 to £200+. Graduation is not compulsory, so if you prefer to have your award sent to you, there is no cost.
For more details, please visit: http://www.solent.ac.uk/studying/graduation/home.aspx

Next steps

Think a career in fashion retail might be for you? With an expert teaching team, industry-standard facilities and a long history of providing graduates for retail and fashion management roles, Southampton Solent University’s postgraduate fashion merchandise management programme could be the ideal next step towards your dream career.

Read less

This Masters Degree programme will prepare you to work in senior and specialised interior design roles fulfilling industry demands.

Why Study Design (Interior Architecture) at Griffith?

Our one-year MA in Design (Interior Architecture) is available on a full-time basis. This programme is designed to improve your mastery of creative design solutions and advance your professional competence within the business and team management.

You will gain the technical skills required to give you a competitive edge over your peers including the economic advantages of interior refurbishment and sustainable development.

You will gain an understanding of the requirement to develop new approaches and technologies, raise the consciousness of the issues, and continue to up/re-skill the design profession in these areas.

You will gain the confidence to “hit the ground running” and take the lead as either a part of a larger team or working on your own as a self-employed designer.

The calibre of work produced by the Design Faculty has been recognised numerous times through industry awards and exhibitions.

An annual Creative Week showcases the Design faculty graduates with those of Media, Journalism, Computing, Film and Photography.

Is this course for you?

This course is suited to graduates from our undergraduate design degrees, students of related courses, or professionals with experience in the design industry. In particular, students from interior design, or a closely related spatial design discipline such as product and industrial design.

Substantial changes in legislation regulating the built environment are placing higher demands on the professional competence and responsibility of the designer. Complying with Irish Health and Safety and Building Control legislation demands significant specialised skill relating to accessibility, environmentally sustainable design, and delivering interior designs safely.

Course Content

Core modules:

• Business Management & Communications
• Design Theory in Cultural Context
• Material Technologies & Component Design
• Professional Practice in Design (Interior Architecture)
• Research Methodology
• Studio
• Sustainability, Conservation & Interior Environments
• Thesis by Practice

Optional modules:

• 3D Architectural Graphics and Visual Communication
• Advanced Material and Interior Architecture Technologies

Career Progression

Through the MA in Design (Interior Architecture), you will have gained valuable design experience, built a strong foundation of creativity, and covered a diverse range of topics. Previous graduates have gone on to successfully work in senior or specialised Interior Architect design positions. Graduates have also explored self-employment/entrepreneurship, after being specifically trained in business and management during the Master's course. There is a wide range of career options for our graduates including:

• Senior Interior Architect
• Retail Store Designer
• Materials Consultant
• Exhibition Designer
• Display Designer
• Self-Employment / Entrepreneurship
• Visual Merchandiser
• House Showroom Designer
• Set Designer
• Interior Stylist

Read less

The Product Design MA will allow you to gain new insights within the field of product design, and to develop an enhanced understanding of design practice, design and research methodologies, as well as the application of emerging digital technologies, knowledge of business, global markets and sustainability.

You will benefit from an internationally acknowledged subject area, recognised for its undergraduate and postgraduate successes along with its design and research activities. You will be supported by expert academics and design practitioners to broaden and deepen your understanding of design. You will also study a variety of core and elective module choices, creating a personal and distinct programme of study that is focused on your individual interests and ambitions. These studies culminate in the final term where you will undertake a comprehensive design project within your own specialised area of product design.

Modules are taught through seminars, lectures, team working and design workshops, supported by tutorial guidance. You will also undertake independent research, analysis, design development and writing up of your projects, supported by individual tutorials. Assessment methods include report submissions, individual and group presentations (oral and design based presentations) and a major design project submission comprised of development, technical specification, prototyping and testing.

Teaching staff are involved in research and commercial activities that inform the curriculum, and have expertise encompassing additive manufacture, new product development, inclusive design plus publications related to material and manufacturing technology and innovation. You will have access to excellent CAD and workshop facilities including soft modelling, wood, plastics, metal fabrication, metal machining and finishing. The workshops house four computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling machines, a CNC lathe, two laser cutters, a vinyl cutter and three Rapid Prototyping (RP) machines with a 3D paper printer and CNC water jet cutter. There are also 29 Wacom drawing tablets linked to high specification Intel Core2 Duo computer workstations.

Graduates are employed in product and display design and manufacturing in Europe and the Far East. Current Product Design
MA student James Murray recently secured a job for the UK based retail designers 4G Design. As their Development Designer,
James' job involves all aspects of design including concept origination, CAD development, specification for manufacture and graphic presentation.

Read less

Our MA Interior Design course enables you to develop an individual approach to spatial design within a stimulating, creative and supportive environment.

This degree provides you with a launchpad to potential higher level interior design careers within a diverse range of subjects. These include museum and exhibition design, design for film, television and digital games and brand interpretation for retail, leisure or promotional events.

An emphasis on ecological issues and processes is also a prominent aspect of this course, and underpins all aspects of the course.

You'll explore your area of interest to an advanced level, through establishing new spatial paradigms that build on your existing knowledge. Our course combines theoretical and practical skills, and encourages engagement with industry at all levels.

In-depth research into design processes and technologies, along with related work placement opportunities, will prepare you for new career directions. Your project work will be supported by ongoing staff research into sustainability, architecture, design-related digital technologies, experiential environments and brand communication.

You'll be taught through tutorials, seminars, self-directed study in relation to your project proposal, work-in-progress reviews and visits or references to sites of local and international interest.

Part-time students are normally taught on a Tuesday but sometimes field trips, study visits or other events take place on other days of the week. You should check before enrolling if you have concerns about the days your course will be taught on.

Industry Partners

We've got extensive contacts across the range of interior design disciplines. Live projects, research analysis and feasibility studies will draw on our wide range of contacts and associations.

Connections include specialists in the related fields of audio-visual technologies, lighting design and interactive design.

Recent guest lecturers have included:
-David Callcott, CADA Design, retail and leisure design consultants (London and Hyderabad, India)
-Emma Vane, Production Designer for Atonement, the Harry Potter series, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, and Captain America: The First Avenger
-Finlay White, ModCell, sustainable construction
-Mick Pearce, award-winning international architect (Title: Bio-mimicry and the 3rd industrial revolution)
-Phil Hughes, Ralph Appelbaum Associates, museum and exhibition designers (London, New York, Beijing)
-Uwe R. Brückner, Atelier Brückner, exhibition design (Stuttgart, Germany).

Careers

Career opportunities exist within design or architectural consultancies in retail, leisure, exhibition, office, hotel, residential and cruise ship design, as well as in the fields of design management, interior or film-set design.

Our course has a strong ecological focus with opportunities for engaging with both the theoretical and practical aspects of real-world sustainability.

Read less

Design Innovation and Brand Management are the commercial powerhouses of all global organisations. These need to be understood and applied to the fast-growing business and luxury markets worldwide. This course will help you become an innovator, attracting design savvy and communication conscious entrepreneurs.

This course will enable you to apply contemporary management and design thinking in a professional context, helping you compete in the growing global markets using your creativity, strategy and management theory.

The key to successful brand development is an understanding of business strategy in relation to design thinking models and a diverse and inquisitive mind as to the relationships involved in incremental or radical innovation. Branding connects to the consumer through a range of tools; identity, experience, advertising and manipulation, while design innovation is more about new thinking processes, new associations/relationships between functionality and aesthetics and new technologies.

Learn about these fascinating contemporary areas and gain relevant professional skills, preparing you for success in your career.

Course detail

Students study luxury design, design innovation and its relationship to the experience of creative management through brand strategies. This is then applied creatively to a range of live industry projects. Through carefully designed modules you will explore a range of evolutionary and revolutionary processes that build a professional understanding of current global environments.

As well as this critical industry knowledge, you will also:
• Have the unique opportunity to collaborate across other post graduate courses delivered in the London School of Film Media and Design and the London School of Music
• gain specialist skills and knowledge in your course
• gain insight and professional practice from working alongside students from the other courses, replicating collaborative industry practices
• explore a range of evolutionary and revolutionary processes to build a professional understanding of today's competitive global environments related to design, innovation processes and the management of brands
• develop your own project driven by your new knowledge: the culmination of your Masters experience
• apply management and design thinking to support organisations to compete in the growing global markets combining creativity, strategy and management and visual language as communication powerful tools
• learn to research, apply and present/pitch design innovation and branding campaigns with mentored design partnerships or teams on industry set briefs.

Jobs and placements

The Professionalisation module is an immersive module that covers the key professional creative and technical skills that anchor industry.

Through seminars and practical workshops you will:
• explore the working life of a professional
• gain a better understanding of industry narratives
• understand historical approaches used within the field of advertising, branding and communications.

The Internship or Industry Mentored Brief is an important module and an integral element of the MA Luxury Design Innovation and Brand Management. This is a module designed to develop the experience of design, branding and communication through experience in industry or doing a professional live mentored brief, with one of our mentors.

The University of West London has its own 'W5 Productions' which will support appropriately-skilled students find relevant work placements or an industry mentored brief in the creative industries.

Career and study progression

The MA Luxury Design Innovation and Brand Management develops graduate attributes that prepare you for a range of possible careers, depending on your interests and talents.These include:
• Brand and design managers
• Marketers
• Client account handlers
• Project managers
• Creative directors
• Senior designers
• Design team leaders
• Art directors
• Advertising managers
• Account planners
• Strategic thinkers
• Communication Consultants
• Content creators and managers
• Client account executives

The UK attracts many global brands, setting up flagship stores to attract domestic and overseas visitors to private retail locations. Retailers continue to look to enter new markets in potential higher growth regions, seeking to improve their existing operational performance in these markets to achieve sustained growth. This course has been designed to lead to employment and is targeted towards students whose career developments and interests lie within this field and the growth sector of the Design and Fashion Industries.

How to apply

Click the following link for information on how to apply to this course: http://www.uwl.ac.uk/students/postgraduate/how-apply

Scholarships and bursaries

Information about scholarships and bursaries can be found here: http://www.uwl.ac.uk/students/postgraduate/scholarships-and-bursaries

Read less

Mission and Goals

The programme has the aim of preparing a highly qualified designer able to take on a design role concerning the product service system (considered as a blend of products, communication strategies, services and spaces used by profit and non profit entities –enterprises, institutions, associations, etc.- to represent themselves in an integrated form to their reference market) in international contexts in which the individual innovation is no longer sufficient to combat increasing competitivity. The fundamental educational objective is to offer a wide range of design tools able to provide appropriate skills in creatively managing products, services, events, and communication strategies in an integrated way.

See the website http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/educational-offer/laurea-magistrale-equivalent-to-master-of-science-programmes/product-service-system-design/

Career Opportunities

The graduate in Product Service Systems Design typically finds employment in companies in the design sector but also within research institutes for the design sector (Trend Institute, Research Agencies, etc.) and in consulting and communication companies.
In particular, certain roles which this figure may occupy are: product-, interior-, communication-, service- designer, brand designer, corporate coordinator, trends analyst, art director.

Presentation

See http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/uploads/media/Product_Service_System_Design_02.pdf
This MSc programme (open to approx. 40 Italian and 40 international students) offers an interdisciplinary course held in a multicultural context that leads to a professional qualification internationally accredited.
A “product-service-system” is defined by a blend of products, communication strategies, services and spaces. The center of the product-service-system is represented by people (users, suppliers, employees or stakeholders) who interact with the multiple design components. The approach to design is strongly interdisciplinary and provides participants with a wide set of design tools, some basics of projects management, logistics, supply chain management, communications and media. Career opportunities are within the
traditional design industry, but also as Service designer, Retail designer, Brand designer, Corporate coordinator, Art director, Ethnographic Researcher, Trend analyst. PSSD students have the possibility to apply for the double degree program at Tongji University (Shanghai) or for the internal double degree with Management Engineering at Politecnico di Milano. For more info about the double degree with Management, please visit http://www.ddpssdme.polimi.it/
The programme is taught in English.
For more information about the programme visit our website: http://www.pssd.polimi.it

Subjects

- First year:
Culture and History, Design Innovation and Design Methods, Visualization and Prototyping, Innovation Studio, Teambuilding, Network and Services, Product Service System Design Studio, Network and Services, Design Seminar, Elective courses.

- Second Year:
Final Synthesis Design Studio, Elective courses, Professional Workshop, Internship, Final examination.

See the website http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/educational-offer/laurea-magistrale-equivalent-to-master-of-science-programmes/product-service-system-design/

For contact information see here http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/educational-offer/laurea-magistrale-equivalent-to-master-of-science-programmes/product-service-system-design/

Find out how to apply here http://www.polinternational.polimi.it/how-to-apply/

Read less

Overview

The two-year MA in Design – Interior Design provides graduates in architecture and design with the opportunity to explore the world of contemporary interior design. The MA in Design – Specialization in Interior Design analyses indepth the main subjects of the industry through lectures, workshops and project labs and provides the students with the opportunity to investigate future housing, exhibiting and living scenarios.

Students are trained to be professionals with the flexibility and ability to foresee the transformations and challenges of the near future, to design complex projects and to access high level positions in the architecture, interior design, light and exhibition design industries.

Language: English
Credits: 120 CF
Placement rate: 81%

Audience

Candidates holding a first-level academic diploma or BA degree, or about to graduate and with a knowledge of the English language
(according to the medium of instruction of the program) equal to a B2 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
The program is open to young designers coming from architecture, interior design, and engineering faculties or professionals willing to explore the boundaries and constraints of the world of interior design, acquiring and widening their knowledge, critical awareness, original thinking.

Career

The two-year MA in Interior Design equips students with the necessary fundamentals to continue their studies or to enter the world of professional design and creative industries.
Design studios and companies employ MA in Interior Design graduates to manage the design of spaces in home environments, commercial settings, manufacturing sites, and cultural venues, including museum, trade fair, and retail spaces. They may also design public spaces for important functions (such as offices, hospitals, schools, and universities), in addition to hotel spaces in an era of mass tourism.

Companies

NABA has developed strong relationships with leading companies which provide internships for NABA students. Among them are: Aldo Cibic – Cibicworkshop, Azimut-Benetti, Bonetto Design International, Festina Italia, Giochi Preziosi, Giorgio Armani, Intégral Ruedi Baur et Associés, Luxottica, Pininfarina Extra, Studio Italo Rota & Partners, Tagua, The Swatch Group, Zanotta.

Admission

Discover how to apply: http://www.naba.it/admission-postgraduate-programs/processo-di-ammissione/?lang=en

Read less

The Food Design Master’s degree program enables students to become design professionals in the food industry, exploring all related sectord. Combining marketing management and communication skills with design innovation, the program’s education model engages with design ssensitivity and methodology for food packaging, tourism, nutrition, agriculture, retail, restaurants, science, objects and experiences.

The program combines a focus on food-related markets with design approach and methodologies. This creates a food designer who is able to:
• Manage the design of processes, methods and spaces where products are processed, distributed and consumed.
• Manage food in terms of its aesthetics, communication and representation.
• Manage the equipment and tools used to prepare and consume food.
• Coordinate the communication activities implemented for the promotion of food products.

The Master’s in Food Design and Innovation program is comprised of lessons, design workshops, and seminars with the leaders of the food and agriculture industry and of the design field: entrepreneurs, managers, journalists, food critics, designers, architects, publishers and chefs.

In addition, students will visit food companies, concept stores, and restaurants, as well as important gastronomic fairs and events. At the end of the course, students will have an internship experience in a company, agency or firm working in the field. This masters is held in collaboration with important companies and firms of the food industry.

The course lasts one year (from February/March) and is entirely taught in English language.

QUALIFICATION

After passing the final exam, students will obtain a taught Master’s Degree from IULM and SPD. The Master corresponds to 60 ECTS credits. The Master is managed and organized by: Libera Università di Lingue e Comunicazione IULM and Scuola Politecnica di Design SPD jointly.

ABOUT THE SCHOOL

Founded in Milan in 1954, SPD Scuola Politecnica di Design is the first postgraduate school for design disciplines in Italy. Situated in Milan, the capital of design, Scuola Politecnica di Design pioneered design education thanks to its solid grounding and to its peculiar approach integrating different domains: ergonomics, art, perception studies, semiotics.

Today, SPD is an international laboratory for the exchange of ideas, experience and creativity in order to develop projects. Since its foundation the school has welcomed an extraordinary community of students from various countries and backgrounds.

All courses are taught in a personalized and small learning environment promoting easy contact with the faculty and the staff. Indeed, at SPD every student is followed individually by a faculty formed by designers, professionals from different fields and visiting tutors.

The masters programs offered by SPD are organized in collaboration with IULM University, and award academic degrees recognized by the Italian Ministry of Education, The University and Research MIUR, corresponding to 60 credits under the ECTS system.

The teaching method at Scuola Politecnica di Design is arranged into intensive workshops, studio classes, theoretical lectures, seminars and visits. Research work is carried out in collaboration with leading companies such as Volkswagen, Microsoft, PepsiCo, Heineken, IKEA, Artemide and Poltrona Frau Group among the others.

These projects are deveopped according to an interdisciplinary approach which is a testing ground for the student’s skills, from the concept idea to its execution.

Read less

The MA Surface Pattern Design course offers a unique MA experience in Wales, with its distinctly design driven flavour, tailored to address live briefs; shaping students to pursue employment; launch themselves as freelancers or establish enterprises.

The MA is practice based, fast paced and built on the long established success and ethos of our BA Honours Surface Pattern Design programme.

Course Overview

The Contemporary Dialogues portfolio offers an exciting and innovative re-thinking of Postgraduate provision that reflects the strategic thinking of Swansea College of Art. The portfolio facilitates migration between diverse thematic disciplines, exploring new ideas and conceptual approaches to allow young artists and designers to confront the issues that face society today and into the future.

The portfolio’s ethos of collaborative dialogues through material practices provides an innovative model of design, fine and applied arts education. This development allows students from all pathways to experience and share creative practices and innovative mind-sets through inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary dialogues. This ethos is enhanced within each programme to stimulate ‘collaborative’ practices and experimentation across a broader spectrum of specialist fields, developing graduates with the contextual awareness, creative thinking and technical skills to operate at the forefront of their discipline.

During the course of your studies you will be supported by specialist staff, leading professionals and practicing artists through lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials. We have exceptional traditional and digital facilities, housed in spacious purpose-build workshops. Through these, we encourage creative freedom within all of our students and support you in challenging conventional thinking and established practices and facilitate new technological advances across a broad range of disciplines. We have found that through collaborative experimentation and innovative design thinking our students are able to produce work that meets the challenges and respond to the demands of the 21st century.

Facilities include:
-Firing kilns for glass and ceramics
-Printmaking, Screen Printing and Digital Textile Technologies
-Traditional and Digital Stitch
-Wood, Metal, Clay
-Cutting Etching and Engraving Technologies - Waterjet, Laser, Plotter
-3D Printing and CNC
-Chemical and Digital Darkrooms
-Specialist computer facilities with commercial standard software

Modules

Core Modules
-Collaborative Dialogues (20 credits)
-Co-Existent Perspectives (20 credits)
-The Thought Experiment (20 credits)
-Explorative Research Praxis (60 credits)
-Confirmative Praxis (60 credits)

Key Features

MA Surface Pattern Design will provide a design-focused and student-led experience with its main aims to enhance creativity, innovation, design, making skills, advance contextual understanding and employability.

The multi-disciplinary programme will appeal to recent graduates of our own undergraduate programme and graduates of similar courses; to those wishing to change careers within the creative industries or to those wishing to revisit academia and the subject area.

Students will have a designated studio space and access to the existing Surface Pattern workshops and specialist facilities.

Students will benefit from a strong practice based grounding in the key areas of traditional and digital surface pattern design before exploring the wider possibilities that the MA portfolio will offer to advance their practice.

Assessment

The main modes of assessment used on this programme are; studio projects, written assignments and seminar presentations.

Assessment at postgraduate level is reflected by your ability to reformulate and use relevant methodologies and approaches to address problematic situations that involve many interacting factors. It includes taking responsibility for planning and developing courses of action that initiate or underpin substantial change or development, as well as exercising broad autonomy and judgement. It should also reflect an understanding of the relevant theoretical and methodological perspectives and how they affect your area of study or work.

Career Opportunities

We strive to ensure a sustainable future in Surface Pattern for our graduates through a rigorous programme underpinned by skills in employability, creative enterprise and professional studies.

There are opportunities to undertake work placements and address live briefs. Most recently our students have completed briefs with M&S, Tigerprint, Hallmark and Freshwest design companies.

Students are encouraged to establish links with industry and engage in collaborative projects. There is also the option to study abroad with the Erasmus programmes currently running with Universities in Barcelona, Norway and Sweden.

The programme has an excellent track record in design competitions, awards and industry events such as Indigo (Paris) and New Designers.

Graduates from the Surface Pattern programmes have been extremely successful and continue to be recruited in a highly competitive market. Employment roles for graduates from the programme are varied and wide reaching and include:

Freelance working for textiles for fashion studio, fashion brands, designers, retail, interiors studios, on bespoke commissions for clients, producing own name products, large-scale design retail operation. Also formal employment as textiles designer, designer within design brand or retail operation, Stylist, Trend forecasting, Buyer for design related operations, Visual Merchandising. Also employment within arts organisation, museum, gallery, Curator, Self-employed designer maker supplying galleries, retail outlets, selling through high-end craft events, or own website.

Read less

Textiles is an industry where innovations in process as well as product are required to effectively integrate all aspects of design, technology, retail and management. To address this, the Textile Design, Fashion and Management research group is multi-disciplinary and covers areas as diverse as applied management, textile design, colour, trend forecasting, retail management, fashion merchandising, supply chain management, CAD, digital design, consumer behaviour, internet shopping, retail marketing, product development, enterprise and innovation.

Industry links

We have strong links with industry and work with many major retailers, manufacturers and well-known designers.

Research interests

Our current research interests cover a wide spectrum, and include:
-Design communication
-Design education
-Design management
-Digital design
-Emotional aspects of design and consumer behaviour
-Fashion design
-Fashion retailing
-Global operations management
-International supply chain management
-Textile design

Facilities

Facilities in the School are excellent, and include dedicated design and retailing studios and CAD facilities. Software includes Scotweave, AVA, Lectra (PrimaVision, Kaledo Style and Modaris), Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator.

Research projects

Some of the exciting research projects our students have completed, or are completing, include:
-Investigating the relationship between consumer adoption and new product development of wearables
-Development of the Chinese textile sector as an UK/EU trading partner post Multi Fibre Agreement, January 2005
-Strategic Agile Merchandising: a new market opportunity for European textile producers

Read less