Masters Degrees (User)

For most companies, understanding the complex web of relationships between people, technology and design the 'user experience' is vital in acquiring the competitive edge. Especially when considering the development and production of technology based devices and services. MSc User Experience Engineering brings together knowledge and skill sets into a single programme focused on the user experience where computing technology is the heart of the devices and services.

Why study MSc User Experience Engineering at Dundee?

The importance of human computer interaction and good interface design is increasingly recognised as the key to the future of successful software development.

At the University of Dundee we provide students with the knowledge skills and support necessary to become move into a career in user experience engineering. The University of Dundee is at the forefront of computing and as such you will have the opportunity to learn from leading researchers.

What's great about User Experience Engineering at Dundee?

This course is designed to:
Give you a Masters-level postgraduate education in the knowledge, skills and understanding of user experience research and implementation in the domain of computing and technology.

Enable you to acquire advanced knowledge and skills in the professional procedures necessary to ensure that user experience research and requirements-gathering is both valid and actionable in technology implementation contexts.

Enable you to understand and engage with contemporary debate about the role, ethics and utility of user experience research in commercial and other settings.

An additional aim for overseas students is to provide you with educational and cultural experiences which are unique to the UK.

Our facilities:
You will have 24-hour access to our award winning and purpose-built Queen Mother Building. It has an unusual mixture of lab space and breakout areas, with a range of conventional and special equipment for you to use. It's also easy to work on your own laptop as there is wireless access throughout the building. Our close ties to industry allows us access to facilities such as Windows Azure and Teradata, and university and industry standard software such as Tableau for you to evaluate and use.

The start date is September each year. The MSc course lasts for 12 months and the PGDip lasts for 9 months.

How you will be taught

The programme will be delivered principally by a mix of traditional lectures, study of academic background texts, lab and studio based practice sessions, and field and project based learning. These will be supplemented by seminars and workshops on key areas of practice

What you will study

The course will be taught in 20 credit modules plus a 60 credit dissertation. Students will be required to complete 180 credits for the award of the MSc (including 60 credits for the dissertation). Students completing 120 credits (without the dissertation) will be eligible for a Postgraduate Diploma.

Semester 1 (Sept-Dec)
Computing the User Experience (20 Credits)
Elective Module- one from:
Internet and Computer Systems
Software Development
Software Engineering
Agile Engineering
Technology Innovation Management
Secure e-Commerce
Computer Graphics
Computer Vision
Multimedia Audio
International Marketing
Eye Movements & Cognition (10 Credits)
Quantitative Methods (10 Credits)

Semester 2 (Jan-Mar)
Research Methods (20 Credits)- experimental design requires researchers to understand the context of the research being undertaken and being able to apply appropriate methods to measure and compare data. This module aims to provide students with an understanding and knowledge of research methods relevant in the context of computing.
Research Frontiers(20 Credits) - Students select a total of four units from available units which currently include:
Accessibility & Computing (AC)
Applied Computational Intelligence (ACI)
Constraint Programming (CP)
Games (G)
Intelligent Agents (IA)
Aspects of Assistive Technology (AT) and Augmentative and Alternate Communication (AAC)
Interactive Systems Design (ISD)
Space Systems (SS)
What Computer Eyes Can Do (CE)
Eye Gaze Tracking
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) (20 Credits) - the aim of this module is to provide you with a broad introduction to human-computer interaction through study of the components, both human and machine, which make up interfaces and the ways in which they interact, illustrating this with examples of good and bad practice.

Semester 3 (Apr-Sept)
Research Project or Field Project (60 Credits) - this module will provide you with a professional level experience of specifying, conducting and presenting a substantial piece of user experience research.
Please note that some of the modules in the programme are shared with other masters programmes and some of the teaching and resources may be shared with our BSc programme.

How you will be assessed

Assessment will be a mix of continuous or coursework assessments and exams, with group and individual projects assessed by set deliverables and final presentation.

Careers

This programme is intended to enhance the employability of graduates in the following ways:

For technologists and computing professionals, this programme should build their skills in implementing technology that are appropriate to the needs and wishes of users in the relevant usage context

For human factors specialists, this programme should build their understanding of the fit between users and technology and should enhance their methodology skill set when exploring beyind the understanding of the human factors towards the deployment of appropriate or enhanced user experiences.

For design specialists, this programme should build their skills in marrying technologies and materials to the requirements of users and in blending this within appropriate aesthetics.

For UX team managers this programme should enhance their insights and give them practical experience of the skill sets of all members of their teams in order to direct their work so as to optimize the user experience within real business and technical constraints.

For all professionals, this programme should enhance their ability to communicate the impact of the user experience investigations on their work and the impact of their work on the user experience, not only within the UX team but also to other business functions such as senior management and marketing.

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The aim of this course to equip you with the behavioural theory, design practice and technology know-how that is necessary for a career as interaction designer, usability engineer, user researcher, or head of user experience. It focuses upon the analysis, design, prototyping and evaluation of multimedia, multi-modal, and multi-platform user interfaces that are easy to use and support a great user experience.

Key features
-This course was developed in consultation with our industry panel, which includes Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, DreamWorks and Samsung Design Europe. We are also an active member of TIGA, the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) and support the User Experience Professionals' Association (UXPA UK).
-Technical facilities include a Tobii eye tracker, Noldus FaceReader and Morae usability testing software, editing suites, moving-image studios and 3D workshops.
-This course is accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS), The Chartered Institute for IT.

What will you study?

You will have the opportunity to:
-Take the role of a user experience (UX) designer/analyst in an interdisciplinary team of students from across the Digital Media Kingston programme, and use industry-standard techniques to deliver on time
-Learn about fundamental User Experience activities – analysis, design, prototyping and evaluation – in the context of practical projects. Projects are selected in consultation with students (and mostly individually), so that you can tailor your degree towards the industry sector, technology or job role that suits your interests and ambitions
-Consider user experience in relation to cutting-edge technologies (big screens, tablets, smart phones, context-aware embedded devices and multi-modal games console), current industry trends (big data, multi-channel services, digital lifestyles), and contemporary theory (cognition ‘in the wild', usability vs experience)
-Explore at least one kind of specialist practice in depth, to further distinguish and focus your learning, and practice track record
-Learn how to present yourself to potential employers through your online professional presence and portfolio
-Work with industrial hosts, and research-active academics to produce excellent, professional pieces of work that push the boundaries of current understanding and achieve design innovation

Assessment

Mock-ups, functional prototypes, demos, videos, presentations, design documents, essays.

Work placement scheme

Kingston University has set up a scheme that allows postgraduate students in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing to include a work placement element in their course starting from September 2017. The placement scheme is available for both international and home/EU students.

-The work placement, up to 12 months; is optional.
-The work placement takes place after postgraduate students have successfully completed the taught portion of their degree.
-The responsibility for finding the placement is with the student. We cannot guarantee the placement, just the opportunity to undertake it.
-As the work placement is an assessed part of the course for international students, this is covered by a student's tier 4 visa.

Details on how to apply will be confirmed shortly.

Course structure

The course comprises four taught modules and a final project:

Semester 1
-User Experience Design (Systems)
-Digital Studio Practice

Semester 2
-User Experience Design (Content)
-Media Specialist Practice

Final project (June to September)
-Digital Media Final Project

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The Project

We are developing a revolutionary new form of transportation at the intersection of airplane design, robotics and human-centered design. The goal of this project is to design the user experience of the whole process, starting from the user deciding to book a flight to walking away from the landing area. All aspects of the process need to be considered, including payment, instructions, communication with staff, friends, and family. You will be using a user-centered design process to go through several iterations of concept development, design and evaluation. The whole process needs to offer an extremely user friendly and attractive design while managing the complexity of flight. The project will start in mid February 2018 as part of the Masters in Human Interface Technology (MHIT) program.

The Candidate

The ideal candidate for this project would have a background in user experience design. Knowledge of scenario writing, personas and user evaluation would be desirable.

About the HIT Lab NZ

The HIT Lab NZ is a dynamic, international, multidisciplinary environment, bringing together people with varying viewpoints to design new ways of supporting people in their everyday lives, be it at work, play, or school. We take a human-centred approach, starting by looking at the people we are looking to support (e.g., young, old, skilled, unskilled), the tasks they need help with (e.g., repairing a device, visualizing a new house), and the environment they will be in (e.g., at work, in the home, visiting a museum), then designing solutions within these constraints using appropriate advanced technologies.

We hope to provide a welcoming space for people from a wide breadth of areas pertaining to the human condition, such as technical, design, artistic, and psychological. When in doubt, contact us! We're always looking for innovative thinkers!

Requirements

International applicants will be required to arrange for their NZ student visa after an offer of a place. Please check http://www.immigration.govt.nz for information about what type of visa might be most suitable and the process of acquiring it. The university has various types of accommodation available on campus. Please check http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/future-students/accommodation/ for information about the options and prices. International students should also consult the International Student website at http://www.canterbury.ac.nz/international/ to learn about the cost of living, fees, and insurances.

How to apply

Please upload your complete application as one PDF file to our website at http://www.hitlabnz.org/index.php/jobs/user-experience-design-for-airborne-transportation-device/ by October 1st, 2017. Your application should include your CV, academic records, a one page statement of interest, and three references.

Please contact Dr. Christoph Bartneck ([email protected]) for further questions.

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This course provides students with advanced knowledge, industry-valued skills and new design perspectives, empowering them to succeed in a User Experience (UX) career.

Who is it for?

This course is for people who share our ethos of wanting to design technology that meets user needs - interactive systems that are useful, easy-to-use and engaging. It is for people who get frustrated when they interact with unnecessarily complicated Websites, mobile apps or other interactive systems and think 'I want to be able to improve this.' It is for people that want to design technology based on an understanding of users' needs and to ensure that the products they and others design meet those needs. We welcome students who share this user-centred ethos.

Objectives

This course will equip you with the latest academic research, theories and techniques in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), User Experience (UX), usability and Interaction Design and encourages you to think about design in new ways - recognising that there are many 'right' ways to design interactive systems.

You will gain a mix of theoretical and practical knowledge, along with the necessary skills and experience to create engaging user experiences. You will study modules that cover the entire user-centred design and evaluation process; from understanding user needs, to designing interactive systems that meet those needs, to evaluating the usability of those (and existing systems) through user research.

Placements

You will have the option to undertake a six month UX internship, after the taught part of the course has finished.

All internships are paid and provide valuable work experience, enhancing employability. As an internship student you can apply the HCI/UX knowledge and skills you have developed on the course in real-world projects and build a UX work portfolio. This supports you in standing out in the job market. You will also get the opportunity to conduct your independent research project on a topic of interest to both you and the internship company. This helps ensure the practical importance of the research.

Previous internships include positions at:
-London UX agencies (e.g Webcredible, Foolproof, Bunnyfoot)
-The BBC
-The Telegraph
-Nature.com

Academic facilities

You will benefit from the use of the City Interaction Lab - a combined commercial and research lab, where we have undertaken UX consultancy for prestigious companies including Virgin Atlantic. The lab is fitted with the latest technologies including a usability testing suite, mobile testing station, eye-tracker, interactive tabletop, brain interaction technology, 3D printer and more. We employ student consultants on some projects, providing the opportunity to work on real client projects.

Teaching and learning

The course is delivered by distinguished academics from City University London's Centre for HCI Design, who all have a passion for user-centred design. Industry professionals also participate in teaching and learning - by giving guest lectures, running practitioner tutorials and even by providing feedback on students' design outputs and input into module content, ensuring that students learn the knowledge and skills most valued by industry.

Assessment

The course is delivered through a combination of lectures, online activities and interactive workshops and tutorials. It is assessed in a variety of ways, including:
-Examinations (which focus on applying HCI theory in realistic situations).
-Coursework (which range from written reports and essays, to posters, presentations and design documentation - e.g. wireframe prototypes). A range of both group and individual courseworks are set during the course. Group courseworks are often centred around realistic design projects.
-Independent research project (dissertation). The independent project allows students to conduct original research on an HCI topic of their choice.
-Each of these account for around one-third of the total course assessment. However, the exact balance varies according to the chosen elective module.

Modules

You will study seven core modules and one elective module that cover the entire user-centred design and evaluation process. Modules are delivered through a combination of lectures, online activities and interactive workshops and tutorials. These include sessions delivered by guest lecturers from industry. Full-time students spend eight hours/week in lectures and four hours/week in seminars/tutorials. Part-time students spend half this time in classes. Overall workload is around 36 hours/week for full-time and 18 hours/week for part-time students.

You will also undertake an independent Research Project, for which our module on Research Methods and Professional Issues will prepare you.

A series of optional, but recommended, practitioner tutorials supplement the taught modules. These include talks, workshops and field trips. Previous tutorials have featured HCI/UX practitioners from prestigious companies including Foolproof, Futureheads and eBay.

Taught Core Modules
-Interaction design (15 credits)
-Creativity in design (15 credits)
-Information architecture (15 credits)
.-Evaluating interactive systems (15 credits)
-Inclusive design (15 credits)
-Cognition and technologies (15 credits)
-Research, methods and professional issues (15 credits)

Taught Elective modules
-Web applications development (15 credits)
-Data visualisation (15 credits)
-Telemedicine (15 credits)

Career prospects

This course empowers students to succeed in a variety of User Experience (UX) roles in leading digital agencies, business consultancies, IT companies and commercial/government organisations.

Roles include:
-UX Designer/Consultant
-User Researcher
-Information Architect
-Accessibility Specialist.

There is an increasing need for specialists with a deep knowledge of Human-Computer Interaction design. As the industry continues to expand, there is no better time to become a Master in this field. The course is also an excellent starting point for those wanting to pursue a PhD in HCI.

Our course is highly respected by industry, with exceptional employability; Over 90% of students are employed within six months of graduating (City Graduate Destinations), in prestigious companies including Samsung, Tesco, Thomson Reuters and Google.

The median annual salary for our recent graduates is £34,000 per year (City Graduate Destinations).

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This programme is designed to help you develop your critical awareness of major issues in interaction and user experience design.

This programme was formerly named Interaction Design and has been renamed User Experience Design to better represent its content.

It aims to improve your effectiveness as a designer within industry and is beneficial to both recent graduates and those currently working within industry, advancing your knowledge and specialist skills to a higher level.

Loughborough Design School offers a unique combination of design and specialist human factors teaching which equips students with core Human Computer Interaction (HCI) and User Experience (UX) design skills. The content of the programme therefore enables you to develop your skills and competencies in both the creative and/or analytical aspects of User Experience whilst working on a diverse range of projects.

Key skills that you will develop include user experience design principles and practice, qualitative and quantitative design research methods, interactive screen based prototyping, usability testing, principles of sustainable business, enterprise and entrepreneurship, service and social design, team working and project management.

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Why take this course?

As a Data Visualisation Designer you can contribute innovative solutions with the potential to transform societal challenges, by designing the human interface to increasingly complex problems.

On this course, you will learn how to create rich and meaningful stories with data. We will study digital content in any mode, whether it is in alphanumeric form, binary, vector, pixel, video, or others. The designer provides an important interface, that allows us to explore data and generates meaningful communication. This communication is predominantly visual, but with developments in Wearables and the Internet of Things, is also becoming increasingly physical, affective, networked and interactive. Data Visualisation Design spans traditional graphic and information design, interaction design, information architecture, computational design, design thinking and user-centred and user experience design.

What will I experience?

On this course you can:

Learn the theory and practice of data visualisation, data, interface/interaction design and user experience, and apply this to your own design
Critically question the role of data related to the social, political, economic and cultural through contextual research
Explore live data sets from real world scenarios, such as industry or charities like the digital humanitarian network
Develop independent research and project ideas to create innovative, forward thinking design solutions and experiences for a digital and data driven world

What opportunities might it lead to?

The course will prepare you to work in the design disciplines of the creative industries, with a focus on data visualisation, information design, computational design, digital content, interactivity and user experience. Data Visualisation designers are in demand in sectors including business, research, health, education, government/public service, the arts.

The skills gained on this course can also be applied to employment in UI (user interface) design, or focus on interaction as a UX (User experience) designer. The critical and contextual outlook allows you to position yourself as a strategist and operate in a consultative manner. The research aspect of the course would also suit a career in compulsory, further and higher education.

Careers include:

Data Visualisation Design
Information Design
Digital Graphic Design
UI (user interface) / UX (user experience) design
Interaction design

Module Details

The course is offered over one year (full-time) or two years (part-time).

You will study five units, one of which is shared with other MA courses in the School of Art and Design. There will be preparatory units delivering a grounding in practical skills, theoretical context and academic research (competencies and skills). You will also study units that allow more thematic engagement with interactive and data driven design in terms of theory such as critical design, affordances, experience and complexity. It will also provide a unit oriented towards employability, and incorporate live briefs and group work. These units work to catalyse your own ideas and research direction for the Major Project unit.

Core units currently comprise:

A Question of Research
Fundamentals of Data and Interaction Design
Digital Futures – Themes and Issues in Practice
Design Solutions for Enterprise, Society and Culture
Major Project

Programme Details

The teaching combines interactive lectures and group seminar discussions with support through one-to-one tutorials. You also receive feedback on your work through friendly but critical peer review in group sessions with other students, members of faculty and other experts as appropriate. One of the units includes working as a team. Your project work emphasises self-initiated learning which gives you the freedom to explore the specialist area of your interest, while being helpfully guided by your supervisor. The curriculum is very closely related to the research areas in the department, so the staff have cutting edge knowledge of the field and its potential for innovation.

Your learning is mostly assessed through the submission of practical course work, such as digital prototypes, and the documentation of the learning journey in sketchbooks, diaries, blogs or journals.

This will be documenting contextual research as well as stages in practical experimentation and annotation of reflection. There are some written elements to be submitted as well, mostly accompanying proposals/reports to contextualise your practice. The assessment also includes individual and group presentations, this mode is also used to give you formative feedback on your work throughout.

Here's how we assess your work:

Digital artefacts / prototypes
Learning journals
Proposals
Reports
Oral presentation

Student Destinations

This course is an opportunity to focus your creative design practice on the interactive, data driven, user centred and culturally contextualised. It also enhances your design career by upgrading your skills and widening your knowledge and thinking in the digital arena, allowing you to stay one step ahead of the rest. The independent research aspect of the course prepares you for further education in terms of a research degree and employment in R&D and/or education.

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The User Experience Design MSc is a flexible course that you can tailor to your own professional interests. It will help to train you for roles that range from usability, interaction and interface design through to general project management and consulting.

The course is for designers and software developers wishing to enhance their knowledge of user-centred design and usability evaluation of software-enabled products.

Course content has been designed for maximum relevancy to the marketplace.

Upon completion, you'll be able to apply your knowledge and interaction design skills to novel interaction paradigms; make effective use of a broad range of design methods; obtain in-depth knowledge of developments in mobile, ubiquitous or wearable systems and understand the commercial contexts of interaction design.

Course structure

The course can be studied full-time or part-time.

For full-time students the academic year is divided into three 15-week semesters.

The taught element of the course is delivered during the first two semesters. Modules involve approximately 20 per cent classroom teaching and 80 per cent individual or group work. The third semester focuses on your major project.

Part-time students study alongside full-time students with a minimum attendance of one half day per week, depending on the number of modules taken.

Syllabus

On the course, you will study four core modules, two of which will require you to complete individual design projects.

You will also choose from a range of optional modules. These will allow you to specialise in the areas of the discipline that interest you the most.

Modules:

Interaction Design and Evaluation Process
Interface and Information Design
Research Methods
Major Project

Options (subject to change):

Marketing for Interactive Technologies
Interactive Technologies Business Context
Intellectual Property Law
Web Development
Creative Design Lab
Project Management
Independent portfolio project
Independent research project

Employability

Graduates have gone on to work as commercial interaction designers on both software and software-enabled physical products, as well as using this as a starting point for a research career in human-centred interaction design.

Our graduates are working in roles that include:

• digital consultant
• senior developer
• UX designer
• web designer
• digital marketer.

At the end of the taught element there is the possibility of a placement with a digital media company for the major project module. This puts real experience on your CV as you consolidate your expertise.

Brighton is acknowledged as a major digital media cluster.

There are plenty of opportunities to network with companies and organisations in the sector both through the course through external speakers and taking your own initiative. The course cohort has regularly attended the annual conference UX Brighton and students can attend the many digital media events organised in the city.

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This programme teaches students the skills required to manage a software project by producing criteria to monitor the project's progress and measure outcomes. Students learn how to formulate requirements for a business system and are given an underpinning in the nature of software development and its inherent complexity. The programme also covers system modelling and user interface and database design. Students learn to develop a system from determining its requirements and graphic user interface to database implementation.

This programme is of particular interest to those with a first degree in business or with business experience. Students are given an understanding of the information technologies upon which e-commerce is built and how these technologies provide us with new ways of organising and managing business. On successful completion of this programme, students should be proficient in the development of Internet, web and database technologies. They should also have the project management skills required for IT consultancy and strategic decision making.

Through our short course centre opportunity may also be provided to study for the Microsoft Technology Associate Exams.

Visit the website http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/pg/inftec/mbit

Computing - Information Technology

The School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences is an extremely successful part of the university and is recognised both nationally and internationally for its cutting edge research and its innovative approach to curriculum development.

Our up-to-date, relevant and exciting programs are designed in close collaboration with industry to provide the skills that employers really want. Our research record is outstanding, focusing on practical and important real-life problems.

What you'll study

Full time
- Year 1:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.

PG Project (CIS) (60 credits)
Systems Design and Development (15 credits)
Data Modelling (15 credits)
Project Management (15 credits)
Web and Intranet Content Management (15 credits)
Essential Professional and Academic Skills for Masters Students
English Language Support Course (for Postgraduate Students in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

Cyber Security (15 credits)
Managing IT Security and Risk (15 credits)
User Centred Web Engineering (15 credits)
Strategic IT (15 credits)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

System Modelling (15 credits)
Audit and Security (15 credits)
User Experience Design (15 credits)
Organisational Awareness and Outsourcing (15 credits)

Part time
- Year 1:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.

Essential Professional and Academic Skills for Masters Students
English Language Support Course (for Postgraduate Students in the School of Computing and Mathematical Sciences)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

Cyber Security (15 credits)
Systems Design and Development (15 credits)
Managing IT Security and Risk (15 credits)
Web and Intranet Content Management (15 credits)
User Centred Web Engineering (15 credits)
Strategic IT (15 credits)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

System Modelling (15 credits)
Audit and Security (15 credits)
User Experience Design (15 credits)
Data Modelling (15 credits)
Organisational Awareness and Outsourcing (15 credits)
Project Management (15 credits)

- Year 2:
Students are required to study the following compulsory courses.

PG Project (CIS) (60 credits)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

Cyber Security (15 credits)
Systems Design and Development (15 credits)
Managing IT Security and Risk (15 credits)
Web and Intranet Content Management (15 credits)
User Centred Web Engineering (15 credits)
Strategic IT (15 credits)

Students are required to choose 30 credits from this list of options.

System Modelling (15 credits)
Audit and Security (15 credits)
User Experience Design (15 credits)
Data Modelling (15 credits)
Organisational Awareness and Outsourcing (15 credits)
Project Management (15 credits)

Fees and finance

Your time at university should be enjoyable and rewarding, and it is important that it is not spoilt by unnecessary financial worries. We recommend that you spend time planning your finances, both before coming to university and while you are here. We can offer advice on living costs and budgeting, as well as on awards, allowances and loans.

Assessment

Students are assessed through examinations, coursework and a project.

Professional recognition

This degree is accredited by the British Computer Society (BCS). This programme has the following accreditation: partial CITP. Your programme can therefore lead to partial exemption of the BCS Chartered IT Professional (CITP) status.

Career options

Graduates from this programme can pursue careers as business analysts, IT consultants and IT managers. Opportunities exist to develop a career working as independent consultants or within teams in diverse areas such as business and IT, internet and e-commerce applications, teaching and training.

Find out about the teaching and learning outcomes here - http://www2.gre.ac.uk/?a=643973

Find out how to apply here - http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/apply

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Drawing on current research across the social sciences, government guidance, and legislative frameworks, this degree focuses on the issues that are key in facilitating your professional and academic development as a social worker- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-social-work/

Why study MA Social Work at Goldsmiths?

-This Masters programme is ideal if you are a graduate, with relevant experience, interested in pursuing a professional career in social work

-It prepares you according to the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Standards of Proficiency – Social Workers in England and the Professional Capabilities Framework (PCF), the Quality Assurance Agency subject benchmark for social work, and the Department of Health's requirements for social work training

-Social work education at Goldsmiths has a long and distinguished record – we house one of the most respected social work units in the UK, and you will be taught by established social work academics and associate lecturers who have considerable research and/or practice experience in their fields

-Our social work programmes are highly regarded by potential employers within London and further afield, and our graduates have an excellent record of securing employment; they've gone on to work in local authority children's services departments, adult services departments, and independent sector and voluntary sector agencies such as the NSPCC, Family Action and Mind, and a recent graduate was named Newly Qualified Social Worker of the Year

-We'll equip you with the knowledge, values and skills you'll need to practise as a reflective and ethical social worker, equipped for the challenges of contemporary social work practice

-You will cover areas of human growth and development; community; needs and services; law and organisational contexts of social work; and research methods. Specific learning will include mental health and disability, and social work processes of assessment, planning, intervention and review

-The Masters includes practice placements in two settings and with different service user groups, so you'll be able to gain invaluable real world experience

-We'll encourage you to think deeply about human rights and social justice, and to embed these values in your practice

-You will develop your skills for reflective and evidence-based practice and will be able to further your research mindedness

This programme is approved by the Health & Care Professions Council.

Excellence in practice and teaching

Goldsmiths has a long tradition of social work education, and our programmes are internationally regarded as excellent in both practice learning and critical studies. They also have a strong focus on anti-discriminatory and anti-oppressive practice.

We have a lively programme of research taking place in areas as diverse as:

-the links between child abuse and domestic violence
-multi-family group work with teenage parents
-service user perspectives and transnational adoption
-mental health social workers' use of mental health laws and coercion
-equality and diversity in social work education
-the effects of political conflict on social work practice and education
-reflective professional social work practice
-evaluative approaches to service provision

Our research informs and underpins our teaching and students are invited to share our interests as well as develop their own through undertaking a small scale research project and developing their research mindedness in a final year extended essay.

Find out more about service user and carer involvement in social work education at Goldsmiths.

South East London Teaching Partnership

The Department of Social, Therapeutic and Community Studies at Goldsmiths has recently entered into a formal Teaching Partnership with the Royal Borough of Greenwich, the London Borough of Southwark and the London Borough of Lewisham for the delivery of social work education at Goldsmiths.

We are one of only four sites across the country to have received government funding to develop and test new and innovative approaches to social work qualifying education, early career training and continuing professional development programmes. As a result, a significant number of social work practitioners, from all levels within these three local authorities, are involved in the MA Social Work programme, delivering or co-delivering lectures, workshops and seminars. This means that there is a very close relationship with practice to ensure that by the end of the programme students are equipped to deliver authoritative, compassionate, social work practice that makes a positive difference to people’s lives.

You will be encouraged to make links between anti-oppressive practice, social work values, the legal framework, theories, methods and skills of intervention and social work practice throughout the course.

Intake

The programme has an intake of around 35-40 students each year. Goldsmiths is committed in its policy and practice to equal treatment of applicants and students irrespective of their race, culture, religion, gender, disability, health, age or sexual orientation. We particularly welcome applications from members of minority groups.

The teaching includes lectures and workshops with the entire student group and small study groups, reflective practice discussion groups and seminars of between 10 and 14 students. A significant proportion of the course takes the form of small study groups and seminars.

The MA is a full-time course. It is not possible to study the course part-time. It is not possible for students to transfer from a social work course at another university onto the second year of the Goldsmiths MA in Social Work course.

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact the Admissions Tutor.

Modules & Structure

Successful applicants on the MA in Social Work commit to studying on a full-time taught course over two years. On successful completion you will receive a MA in Social Work which is the professional entry qualification to be a social worker and it enables you to apply for registration as a social worker with the Health and Care Professions Council.

The curriculum aims to provide you with the value, knowledge and skill base for practice and is organised around study units, workshops, lectures/seminar modules, projects and private study. The teaching and learning opportunities centre on the key areas of the social sciences and their application to Social Work practice, as well developing your intellectual capacity, and the skills necessary to get you ready for practice. There is an expectation that you attend at least 85% of all aspects of the programme.

The structured learning includes specific learning in:

human growth and development, mental health and disability
social work theories and methods; assessment, planning, intervention and review
communication skills with children, adults and those with particular communication needs
law, and partnership working across professional disciplines and agencies
social science research methods, including ethical issues
Practice is central to the programme, and there will be practice placements in two settings and with different service user groups (eg child care and mental health). The learning on the programme builds over the two years and prepares you to apply your knowledge to practice situations. We work closely with a range of practice organisations in the Greater London Area. The placements are allocated by our placement tutor and matched with individual profiles. In some instances you may have to travel long distances to your placement organisation. You will need to cover the cost of travel to your placement. You will be expected to work the core hours.

At Goldsmiths we recognise:

the unique contribution that all students bring as individuals to the programme in terms of their personal qualities and life experiences
that professional training builds on the uniqueness of each individual by facilitating the student’s exploration of the values, knowledge base and skills of Social Work practice
that it is the student’s responsibility not only to develop a technical acquaintance with the framework of Social Work practice but also to demonstrate competence through its application in practice
that Social Workers are at the interface of society’s attempts to promote welfare
Social workers have a dual responsibility to act within the state’s welfare framework and also to recognise the pervasive influence of oppression and discrimination at an individual and a structural level in most of the situations in which they work. We will prepare you for this professional responsibility.

Year 1

In year 1 you are introduced to social work as a professional activity and an academic discipline. You consider key concepts such as the nature of need, community, social work services, and the significance of the service user perspective.

You are also provided with an introduction to: life-span development, assessment in social work and a range of social work intervention approaches. Your assessed practice consists of 70 days spent as a social worker; this gives you the chance to develop your communication and social work practice skills with service users, and to work in partnership across professional disciplines and agencies.

Year 2

Year 2 provides you with an overview of the legal and organisational context of social work, and extends your knowledge and skills in one of the two main specialist areas of social work practice: working with children and families, or working with adults in need. You will work in small groups to explore methods of intervention, research and theories which are relevant to a particular area of social work, while another assessed practice element enables you to meet the professional requirements for social work training via 100 days of practice under the guidance of a practice assessor.

You are expected to demonstrate competence across a range of standards and this is formally assessed. The learning on the MA Social Work programme builds over the two years and prepares you to apply that knowledge to practice situations.

Practice placements

You are required to spend 170 days in practice settings.

In Year 1 there is a practice placement lasting 70 days and in Year 2 the practice placement lasts 100 days. These placements are arranged through the allocation system devised by the College. The practice placements will be supported by 30 days for the development of practice skills.

You have an identified Practice Educator for each of the two practice placements. Most of our placements are located in South East London, so if you live elsewhere you will need to travel.

We have partnership agreements with the following organisations for placements in social work:

London Borough of Brent – Childrens Services
London Borough of Brent – Adults Services
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea – Adults Services
London Borough of Lambeth – Childrens Services
London Borough of Southwark – Childrens Services
London Borough of Southwark – Adults Services
London Borough of Lewisham – Childrens Services
London Borough of Lewisham – Adults Services
London Borough of Croydon – Adults Services
Royal Borough of Greenwich – Childrens Services
Royal Borough of Greenwich – Adults Services
London Borough of Bromley – Childrens Services
London Borough of Bromley – Adults Services
NSPCC (London Region)

We also work with about 20-30 voluntary/private social care agencies each year. Here are some that we've worked with recently:

Equinox Care Mental Health Services
Body and Soul HIV Service
Jamma Umoja Family Assessment Services
Advocacy in Greenwich Learning Disability Service
Lewisham Refugee Network
Turning Point Mental Health Services
Carers Lewisham

Assessment

The programme is assessed by a range of methods including essays, assessed role plays, take home papers, project work, a practice based case study, a final year dissertation, and the production of a practice portfolio for each placement.

Assessment of practice is by reports by your Practice Educator. This includes direct observation of your work with service users as well as your practice portfolio, and a narrative giving an evaluation of your work.

Professional standards

Social work is a regulated profession. From 1 August 2012, the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) took on the regulation of social workers and the regulation of the performance of social work courses. This means that social work students will need to adhere to the standards set out in the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) Guidance on conduct and ethics for students (HCPC 2009), and work towards meeting the HCPC Standards of Proficiency - Social workers in England (HCPC 2012). These are the standards social work students are expected to demonstrate at the end of their last placement/ qualifying level.

Skills

You'll develop the ability to practise social work in a wide variety of settings with different service user groups.

Careers

The programme will enable you to register and practise as a qualified social worker.

Funding

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

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This is a creative, project-based course focusing on the practical and theoretical study of product design and its relationship to interaction. As an advanced product designer, this course supports your continued development and will refine your practice in interaction and user-centred product design.

The course explores academic theories as well as industry practice within interactive media, digital arts, entertainment and product design; and is a combination of two separate fields: product design and interactive media.

In Interactive Product Futures you will focus on user-centred design processes and research and analyse “user interaction” as your primary focus. The emphasis is on technology-mediated communication between humans and objects or spaces, allowing you to apply design and apply technological solutions to people’s infinite needs. You will also examine how technology gives personality to objects, and thereby how to ensure technology and design are more empathetic to people and their behaviours.

In the early units of the course you will be given short project briefs in which to design, implement, test and evaluate solutions in the form of an interactive product. Each project brief may take the form of an online or offline product; for example: an online quiz, an e-commerce type application, a toy. This is also an opportunity to produce a series of creative works within the specialisation of rapid prototyping (3D printing), animation, game design, web design, installation art, projection mapping, creative coding, computation design and entertainment media. The aim is to provide you with the opportunity to develop a software solution to a given problem, or aspect of a larger problem.

You will be encouraged to experiment with new ways of working with objects/scenarios and their integration with technology both creatively and collaboratively, and to apply emerging and existing technological solutions through personal fabrication, research and the experimental application of technology.

The course promotes cross disciplinary thinking as an approach to product design, so that the relationship between interactivity, artefacts, environments and the systems and organisations in which they operate can be re-examined.

By studying the course you will develop your creative design skills to innovate and influence product and interaction design practice and realise the commercial potential of your design proposals.

- Collaborative project
'The Digital Gym' project, which allowed students to research how emerging technologies are applied and user behaviour enhanced to provide a distinct, immersive gym experience on the Greenwich Peninsula.

Study units

- Technology Issues
- Business and Innovation
- Research Process
- Concept and Prototyping
- Major project

Through the Business and Innovation unit you will have the opportunity to explore the generation of innovative new business models that will help to shape your emerging project concept.

The Technology Issues unit encourages you to engage and explore emerging new technologies as well as skills in scripting and coding, first within a group, then as a cross-disciplinary, and finally in an individual project.

Through the Research Process unit, you will explore academic theoretical frameworks and research methodologies and their application within industry practice.

In both the Technology Issues and Concept and Prototyping units, youwill explore the dialogue between product and user, the function, usability and forms, flow and creativity and user experiences.

The course will culminate in your final Major Project.

Programme Aims

All postgraduate courses at Ravensbourne provide students with the opportunity to develop advanced skills in the conceptualisation and practical realisation of innovative creative projects in their discipline area and provide them with the entrepreneurial skills to realise their commercial potential. These courses share the following common aims:

- to develop advanced creative practitioners with the potential to originate, innovate or influence practice in their discipline area;

- to equip students with a comprehensive understanding of the core principles and technology underpinning their creative project and the theoretical frameworks within which to locate it;

- to underpin students’ creative practice with the entrepreneurial skills and business awareness necessary to turn concepts into commercially viable realities;

- to develop students’ skills in independent learning, self-reflection and research skills necessary to sustain advanced creative practice and scholarship;

- to offer a stimulating environment for postgraduate students which is both supportive and flexible in relation to their learning needs and a creative space in which to incubate their ideas.

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This exciting new multidisciplinary master's programme is fully designed to reflect the needs of contemporary interactive media industries, bringing together creative technologies, interactivity and design practices within digital cultures with the user in mind.

Interactive Media Practice combines a wide range of digital creative technologies primarily combining digital literacies design, technology and interaction, through user centred design for commercial outputs to an industry standard.

Interactive Media Practice places the user at the centre of the experience and focuses on design and content creation in areas such as: mobile app development, wearables, games, rich media websites, interactive guides and installations, immersive VR, next generation advertising and virtual and augmented reality systems, through to social media powerful eMarketing and entrepreneurship through innovation protocol.

According to the late CEO of Apple, Steve Jobs, the app industry "is worth several billion pounds annually and employs around 40,000 people, representing approximately ten per cent of the total audio-visual workforce. Sectors such as sound-driven games and apps show an even wider growth where providers such as Apple have paid a total of two billion dollars to apps within the US alone".

Adobe Systems (UK) fully support the programme with high recommendation, based on the development and key principles the course offers, which is rare and unique. We embrace excellent contracts within the interactive media and games industries, including regular visits and master classes from industry professionals at the top of their game from Adobe to Sony.

Adobe Systems (UK), said: “This Interactive Media degree offers an ideal grounding for those wishing to work in the digital media industries, which increasingly require people who work with technology from a creative perspective. This is the course that will create the next generation of interactive media stars…! ”

The course embraces a hackathon culture with specialist hack labs boasting newly designed flexible learning spaces for students to work more collaboratively on innovation protocols fostering cross-pollination of new ideas creatively. Many students will be working on live industry briefs as well as their own projects independently within and outside our course clusters. This collaborative approach to learning and research often leads to successful projects, which are commercially viable, and quickly gain industry recognition through our end of year show.

“It’s a really multi-faceted MA, bringing together creativity, technology skills and digital media, with an entrepreneurial thread.” – 2015 Graduate.

Our students learn to examine the communication of ideas in a networked world through our entrepreneurship incubator programme and consider the many impacts of digital media in everyday life, for commercial trajectories through practiced based projects.

As one of the top 100 international universities in the world, the University of Westminster's School of Media, Arts and Design currently boasts a series of professional recording studios, a new teaching recording studio, professional technology labs and access to an array of post-production, and multimedia facilities built and equipped to the highest standards.

Using the leading industry software, you will be involved in designing and making interactive digital media content for delivery over the Internet, on tablets and mobile devices and for installations to designing compelling user interfaces creating a great user experience, this also extends to the development towards creating content for the ‘internet of things’.

The MA in Interactive Media Practice course will prepare you for this sector, by leveraging and integrating the fine blend between creativity and technical capacities. You will also benefit from having access to a range of highly regarded industry practitioners who will offer you exceptional insight and working knowledge within the field, both challenging and encouraging your technical and creative fair. On this master's degree you will develop commercial-level interactive media and digital content production skills.

Course content

This multidisciplinary course prepares you to work in a wide range of industry combining theory, practice, and bringing together technical, creative perspective on new media systems, interactive technologies and digital culture as well as exploring new emerging creative technologies, producing an industry professional who can produce as well as explore future creative technologies.

Students are encouraged to work with technology experimentally in a creative way, collaboratively, and to apply emerging and existing technology in new and innovative ways, research and the experimental application. You will also have hands-on experience creating content for, iPad, iPhone, iPod, Playstation , Xbox, Oculus Rift and content rich media websites, advanced web production and design, design for interface all of this with the user in mind. The course will provide skills in the relevant multimedia software, media rich web production, Unity, UdK, website design and development to mobile app development. You will be taught creative coding, interfaces and the course encourages the use a wide range of programming languages delivered by industry practitioners. We also have accreditation opportunities within Adobe and Apple for those students wanting to develop their skills more prolifically within select software.

These include mobile apps, mainstream games, interactive installation, sonic media and eMarketing, with an emphasis on core creative skills. The course also prepares and enhances your ability in producing interactive media, methodologies and production workflows, supported by a robust understanding of the technologies and theories involved.

The Interactive Media Practice degree offers an ideal underpinning for those seeking employment in the digital media industries, which increasingly require people who work with technology form a creative perspective. This is the course that will create the next generation of interactive media talent who are both enterprising and creative.

Our approach on the course is implemented through hackathon culture as seen in technology start up sectors, where cross collaboration through interdisciplinary approach is very welcomed. Students are encouraged to apply from design, non-programming or non-technical backgrounds as well as technical backgrounds.

Modules

-Applied Innovation and Interactive Design
-Mobile Apps and Wearable Devices
-Entrepreneurship and Project Management for Creative Industries
-Social Media and E-Marketing
-Hack Lab and Creative Technologies
-UX Design and Development
-Major Project

Associated careers

There are many highly desirable careers that students from this course can go on into such as: interactive media, app development, new media production, interactive development, advanced web producer, content manager, UX designer, project management, media, digital marketing, media design, online branding, interactive game design, web production, game designer, media advertising, information design, digital production, strategic development, online advertising, UX architect, digital SAM, mobile UX, front end development, wen development, email marketing executive, ecommerce digital marketing manager, .net developer, UX designer academic publisher, UX researcher, social media executive, digital designer, digital advertising, SEO consultant, content marketing specialist, interaction designer, digital project manger, optimisation manager and digital content production. Digital marker, creative technologist, rich media website developer, games producer, social media manger, museum installation, VR gaming, VR advertising.

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Interaction Design is a highly sought specialist skill enabling the creation of compelling user experiences that keep individuals engaged with interactive computing products. This course is ideal if you have existing programming skills and want to understand software users and work with them to create positive user experiences. The MRes Interaction Design course will help you stand out from other graduates by providing you with the skills and theoretical understanding needed to create successful products in industry or go on to further postgraduate study in a Interaction Design/User Experience/HCI related research field. There is a vibrant international research community developing new methods and theories that underpin this discipline within the broad field of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) and more specific Interaction Design (IxD ) and User Experience (UxD) areas.

INDUSTRY LINKS

As part of the course you will have opportunities to work with external partners. At UCLan we work with a range on businesses and organisations, many of which provide work experience opportunities and project briefs to enable to you gain real work experience whilst you undertake your postgraduate programme.

LEARNING ENVIRONMENT AND ASSESSMENT

We aim to provide a challenging and stimulating environment in which you can develop and learn new skills. As an MRes student you will be supported in exploring your full potential through taught modules and an extended project. Teaching is done in small groups with plenty of opportunities for practical work, networking with students and staff, and to get involved with research activities.

Assessment methods will include individual and group assignments, presentation and seminars.

FACILITIES

The course is delivered in the Computing and Technology Building at the City Campus in Preston at which students have access to the latest technology, and can study in a supportive environment. Facilities include a purpose built Human-Computer Interaction Suite which is used for the evaluation of software products.

OPPORTUNITIES

The goal of the course is to guide you, depending on your interests, to either go out into Industry or to progress to an academic research career. We aim to produce Interaction Design practitioners who understand how to create excellent interaction designs for a range of different scenarios.

Placement opportunities are available as an option for students who want to gain some work experience as part of the course.

We also aim to give you a thorough grounding in the Interaction Design research area so you are ready to start a PhD. After completing the MRes there will be opportunities for students to continue to MPhil or PhD study.

Our alumni have gone on to work a range of destinations including UX specialists, the BBC, and Tata.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Interaction Design is a branch of Computing concerned with how users interact with computer systems. This includes the roles of users in analysis, design and evaluation of systems, as well as methods for the system developer to create usable and useful interactive products for people, and extends to consideration of social aspects of computer use. In fact it is often more helpful to regard the computer program and its users as each being a component of a system. Many systems fail because of problems with the user interaction, rather than problems with the underlying code. This is because the human is the most complex component of the system, and the least well understood.

This course is suitable for:
-Those who wish to enter a career in Interaction Design or User Experience Design
-Those who wish to enhance their appeal to employers and stand out from other computing graduates.
-Those who wish to go on to study at PhD level
-Those in employment who wish to use the MRes project to develop a product for their employer and develop personally

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Information Technology is now fundamental in every aspect of our daily lives. IT systems are crucial for delivering every day services such as banking, web based services and information systems.

The MSc Information Technology is a full time, one year taught course, intended for students who are seeking a professional career in the IT industry. There is no requirement for a first degree in computing, but proficiency in at least one programming language is a requirement.

The course covers a range of topics including advanced programming, user-interface design, software engineering and management.

This course will give you the knowledge of IT from an organisation oriented viewpoint, allowing you to be capable of designing and implementing IT systems for a wide range of organisations.

The course has been specifically designed to suit the requirements of the IT industry, where you will be able to take up technical or management positions. Our graduates enter employment in many roles, including computer programmers, technical authors and research associates.

Course Aims
-Programming: You will gain a thorough grounding of advanced programming concepts using Java including efficient data structures and algorithms and high performance distributed computing.
-User-Interfaces: You will learn the theory of human computer interaction (HCI) and put this into practice in a number of ways, including user centred design of aspects of people's interaction with digital systems.
-Software Engineering: You will learn and be able to apply the principles of software engineering and case studies using UML, software testing techniques, and privacy and security aspect of software systems.

Learning Outcomes
We expect our graduates to be capable of designing and implementing IT systems for a wide range organisations. A thorough understanding of the following subjects are expected:
-Designing user interfaces following sound principles of interface design
-Designing, specifying, implementing and testing software components and systems using UML, Java and a range of software testing techniques
-Dependability of IT systems including topics in privacy and security
-Computer architectures and high performance distributed computing

Project

The dissertation project undertaken by students in Terms 3 and 4 (Summer Term and Vacation Term) is carried out individually, which might involve collaboration with another organisation. The subject matter of projects varies widely; most projects are suggested by members of staff, some by external organisations, and some by students themselves, usually relating to an area of personal interest that they wish to develop further.

A collaborative project is supervised by a member of the Department, but the collaborating organisation will normally provide an external supervisor. Organisations that have collaborated in projects in the past include Glasgow Town Planning Department, British Rail Passenger Services Department, North Yorkshire Police, North Yorkshire Fire Services, NEDO, the Royal Horticultural Society, Biosis UK, Centre Point sheltered housing, York Archaeological Trust, and the University of York Library.

The subject matter of projects varies widely; most projects are suggested by members of staff, some by external organisations, and some by students themselves, perhaps relating to an area of personal interest that they wish to develop further.

All project proposals are rigorously vetted and must meet a number of requirements before these are made available to the students. The department uses an automated project allocation system for assigning projects to students that takes into account supervisor and student preferences.

Examples of previous project include:
-A Study into the User Experience and Usability of Web Enabled Services on Smartphones
-Agent simulation of large scale complex IT systems
-Do People Disclose their Passwords on Social Media?
-Dynamic Sound Generation for Computer Games
-Iterative linear programming as an optimisation method for buyer resources in online auctions evaluated using a Java-based Monte Carlo simulation
-Qchat (Web-based chat application for quantum physicists)
-Software for dyslexic readers: an empirical investigation of presentation attributes
-Web-based IQ Testing Application for Fluid Intelligence Analysis
-Agent simulation of large scale complex IT systems

Information for Students

Whilst the MSc in Information Technology does not require a formal qualification in computing, we do expect you to have some understanding of computer related issues.

As everyone arrives with different experience, we have put together the following summary of what we expect you to know, with some suggestions of how you can prepare before you arrive.

You'll start the course with a focus on writing and developing Java programs. We assume that you are familiar with programming concepts and terminology, so we advise you to review basic programming concepts, such as:
-Variables and their types
-Control structures (e.g. if-statements, loops)
-Subprograms (e.g. procedures, functions)
-Compilation and debugging.

If you have never used Java, you will benefit greatly from doing some reading and trying out Java programming before you arrive. We will teach you from first principles, but the pace will be fast and you will find it easier to keep up if you've practiced with the basics beforehand. Tutorials and practical exercises are the best way for you to prepare, and the Deitel and Deitel book below is a good source of these.

Careers

Here at York, we're really proud of the fact that more than 97% of our postgraduate students go on to employment or further study within six months of graduating from York. We think the reason for this is that our courses prepare our students for life in the workplace through our collaboration with industry to ensure that what we are teaching is useful for employers.

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The MSc in Human-Centred Interactive Technologies is a full-time, one-year taught course that is intended for students seeking a professional career related to human-computer interaction, user experience, usability or related fields or those wishing to pursue research in the area. The course is intended for students who already have a good first degree in a computer science or an appropriate discipline related to human-computer interaction or have equivalent industrial experience. The course covers a range of topics associated with designing interactive systems for good usability and enhancing the user experience. The course has been specifically designed for students wishing to specialise in the design and evaluation of interactive technologies.

The MSc Human-Centred Interactive Technologies course was updated for October 2016 entry. The course had been running successfully for eight years, but in that time the landscape of interactive systems has changed considerably, with the growth of iPhones and apps and the introduction of tablet computers. We have also responded to feedback from students who have asked for more integrated modules and more opportunities to practice interaction design.

Course Aims
The aims of the course are:
-To provide a specialist education in the theories of and methods for designing and evaluating interactive technologies
-To provide an opportunity to engage in a rigorous and scholarly manner with a range of current research topics around designing and evaluating interactive technologies
-To provide practical experience of designing and evaluating interactive technologies
-To develop the skills necessary to conduct research, particularly with users, into the design, engineering or science of interactive technologies
-To provide experience of undertaking a sizeable individual project, on a subject related to research in human-centred interactive technologies
-To prepare students for entry into research degrees or industry-based projects

Learning Outcomes
A fundamental objective of the course is to provide students with a sound theoretical knowledge and practical experience of the skills essential to the design and evaluation of interactive technologies. Having completed the course, students will be able to understand theories of the design of interactive technologies and critique individual technologies from a theoretical viewpoint. In particular they will be able to:
(a) choose appropriate methods for empirical investigations for the design, prototyping and evaluation of interactive technologies, including both quantitative and qualitative methods

(b) plan and undertake a range of empirical investigations of existing or proposed interactive technologies at all stages of the development lifecycle

(c) analyse, draw conclusions from and present the results of such investigations, and

(d) conduct a range of expert and theoretical analyses of interactive technologies to investigate their usability, accessibility and appropriateness for different user groups.

Graduates completing the course will be equipped to play leading and professional roles related to the designed and evaluation of interactive technologies in industry, commerce, academia and public service. The MSc in Human-Centred Interactive Technologies is also intended to provide a route into a PhD or research in this rapidly expanding field.

Project

The dissertation project undertaken by students over the summer is carried out individually, which might involve collaboration with another organisation. A collaborative project is still supervised by a member of the Department.

Projects are worth 50% of the total mark for the MSc. Examples of previous projects include:
-A Gesture Language for Interaction with Art and Cultural Artefacts in Museums
-Analysis of WCAG 2.0 Techniques and Remote Evaluation by People with Visual Disabilities
-Cultural issues in design of online banking websites: a Chinese case study
-Evaluating Human Error through Video Games
-Have the Same Image in Mind? Investigation of Personas in Web Design
-Inattention and Immersion in Video Games
-Measuring User Experience of Mobile Phones: a Study with Retrospective Protocol and Emotion Word Prompt List
-The Application of Game Mechanics to a Virtual Learning Environment
-The Design and Evaluation of NHS Pharmacy Dispensing Computer Software
-Using User-Generated Content as Discourses on the Gaming Experience

Careers

Here at York, we're really proud of the fact that more than 97% of our postgraduate students go on to employment or further study within six months of graduating from York. We think the reason for this is that our courses prepare our students for life in the workplace through our collaboration with industry to ensure that what we are teaching is useful for employers.

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Innovation has become an imperative for most private firms but increasingly also in the public sector. Therefore, competences in innovation management are emphasised as one of today's most important competences by CEO's and governments alike.

The programme provides a general background on innovation management including

- the management of innovation from invention to commercialisation
- innovation strategies, structures, and cultures
- market forces of innovation and market-oriented new product development
- the management of intellectual property rights
- Entrepreneurship

The programme creates a unique opportunity to experience the challenges throughout the new product development process and to develop a mutual understanding about the rationales on the technology as well as on the business management side. There is a broad empirical basis that such a mutual understanding is a key prerequisite for successful cooperation between R&D and marketing and ultimately for innovation success. The aim of the programme is therefore to enhance students' understandings about strategies, structures, processes, people and cultures to develop successful innovations and to enhance the innovative capability of firms.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

PREREQUISITE COURSES

Management Research Method
The learning objective of this course is to enable you to conduct empirical business research in a valid and reliable manner. You learn how to formulate research questions and to identify an appropriate research plan and methodology for the given set of research questions. This includes methodologies how to define unit of analysis and sample as well as methodologies how to collect, analyze and interpret data.

Entrepreneurship: Shaping Entrepreneurial Thinking
This course will enable you to develop entrepreneurial thinking and behaviour and to start your own firm based on your business ideas. Students develop and evaluate business ideas and learn how to develop a compelling business case based on entrepreneurial market research. The course furthermore includes the decision on the appropriate legal form for their new venture and new venture financing.

Classic and Contemporary Readings in Innovation and Entrepreneurship
The course enables students to create two forms of competences. 1) An improved ability to read, question, and form conclusions from research-based literature, and 2) an overview of the central classic and contemporary literature in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship. Together these competencies provide students with the ability to critically evaluate and choose relevant literature in the field of innovation and entrepreneurship.

New Product Development Clinic
The learning objective is to enable you to understand and execute the crucial tasks in the new product development process from idea generation to commercialisation. The course takes a concrete development problem as point of departure. Students will generate ideas for the solution of this problem and then carry out concept testing, prototype development, market assessment and pre-launch activities. Therefore, you will experience all the challenges in the new product development process hands-on. The course will be co-taught with faculty from Aarhus BSS and Aarhus School of Engineering. The teaching method of the course is project-based.

SPECIALISATION COURSES

Appropriating innovation – Managing Intellectual property rights
In this course the aim is to develop an understanding of how intellectual property rights, particularly patents, can be used as tools for technology development. A short introduction to the history and theory of patents is followed by an examination of the use of patents as tools of technology development. The course will also consider the evidence in support of the theory that patents on significant inventions are used to control and block 'downstream' innovation. Furthermore, the course will consider the 'anti-trust'- patent so-called 'interface' and recent changes to policy in favour of patents in the US.

Organising for Innovation
In this course the aim is to develop an understanding of the firm-internal perspective and context on innovation. This includes the formulation of and decision for innovation strategies, organisational structures and designs for innovation, creativity and performance within innovation teams, cooperation between R&D and marketing in the new product development process, champions and promotors of innovation, the management of radical innovation and the measurement of innovation performance.

Open and User-Driven Innovation
Shorter product life cycles and increased technological complexity of new products and services force firms to increasingly open their innovation processes to external sources of innovation. The learning objective of this course is therefore to enable you to understand which relevant sources of innovation exist outside the firm and how a firm can systematically use these external sources as leverage for new product development and for enhancing the innovative capability of a firm. The course includes emerging forms of open and distributed innovation. Specific focus will be given to user-driven innovation, including market orientation in the new product development process, lead user innovation, user communities and user toolkits.

In the third semester you can choose elective courses within your areas of interest. The courses can either be taken at Aarhus BSS during the semester, at the Summer University or at one of our more than 200 partner universities abroad. You can also participate in internship programmes either in Denmark or abroad.

The fourth semester is devoted to the master's thesis. You may choose the topic of the thesis freely and get a chance to concentrate on and specialize in a specific field of interest. The thesis may be written in collaboration with another student or it may be the result of your individual effort. When the thesis has been submitted it is defended before the academic advisor as well as an external examiner.

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