Masters Degrees in Creative Arts & Design

Our Creative Industries & the Creative Economy MA programme bridges the gap between creativity and business. This unique business degree programme enables you to combine specific creative practice and skills with a rigorous business education customised for the creative industries. It has been developed by academics and creative economy practitioners at Kingston Business School to help you respond to emerging trends and opportunities to realise value in the creative economy.

The programme is designed for individuals who come from creative industries, or have graduated in another discipline, including engineering and humanities. You will need a strong motivation to look beyond the traditional boundaries of your discipline, a readiness to participate in a start-up, and a willingness to work in a multi-disciplinary and experiential environment. You will work with students from all over the world and from different creative sectors. This diversity challenges you to think differently and exposes you to differing perspectives on creativity and business.

The programme now has nine generations of graduates and an active alumni network. Our graduates work in a range of creative and leadership positions ranging from freelance work in the creative sector, through to business ownership and employment in large innovative companies in the creative economy.

The creative industries are outpacing traditional industries both in the UK and the rest of the world. In the UK, the creative industries represent 5.2 per cent of the UK economy and provide 1.9 million jobs (DCMS, 2016). With the growth of the creative industries, the creative economy has grown at a rate faster than the whole of the UK economy, and was worth £133.3billion in 2014, accounting for 8.2 per cent of the UK economy (DCMS, 2016).

An increasing number of countries has now placed the creative industries at the heart of their economic development. This creates opportunities for professionals who understand the critical success factors for commercialising creativity, and are equipped with the mix of creative and business knowledge and skills.

What will you study?

This unique business degree programme enables you to combine specific creative practice and skills with a rigorous business education customised for the creative industries. By the end of the programme, you will be equipped with an in-depth knowledge, understanding and skills required to successfully realise value in the creative economy context.

You will specialise and become closely involved in the practice of a specific creative industry through engagement with a real business in the creative sector. This will be the opportunity to experience practical work and realise value in a chosen creative industry:
-Advertising and marketing
-Architecture
-Crafts
-Product design, graphic design and fashion design
-Film, TV, video, radio and photography
-IT, software and computer services
-Publishing
-Museums, galleries and libraries
-Music, performing arts and visual arts

(Creative Industries Classification, Department for Culture, Media & Sport, 2015)

You will also explore the process of collaborative creativity and examine what it takes to successfully develop ideas into innovative products, service and processes. The core of the programme is a real-life business experience; working in a team, you will start and run your own creative industries business in the supportive and risk-free environment provided by Kingston Business School. Our entrepreneurship experts will guide you through the process of designing and running your own creative business, which will help you develop your creative, managerial and entrepreneurial skills.

Assessment

Assessments are innovative and include a mix of individual and group project work and formal assessments, including essays, case studies, reports and presentations, role-play, games and simulations, plus the final Personal Research Project (maximum 15,000 words). You will study in a supportive environment where regular feedback is provided by both academics and professionals.

Why study the Creative Industries & the Creative Economy MA?

The course gives you the opportunity to gain a range of knowledge, skills and experiences:
-Develop your creative, entrepreneurial, managerial and leadership skills – participate in development of a start-up, pitch to real industry experts at our "Dragons' Den", and engage with a variety of professionals and entrepreneurial businesses.
-Experience practical work in a chosen creative industry by engaging with a real creative industries business to develop your CV and your understanding of the creative sector.
-Learn the fundamentals of business management theory and practice from the specific perspective of the creative industries, in the diverse and evolving context of the creative economy.
-Experience regular visits from industry experts and entrepreneurs, field trips to entrepreneurial businesses and events such as Frieze Art Fair that connect the creative industry to the local community and enable you to build a valuable network.
-Experience excellent teaching – the Creative Economy MA course is ranked as one of only six UK Eduniversal Best Masters in -Entrepreneurship. It is also ranked as one of the best entrepreneurship masters in the world by the Eduniversal masters ranking 2015/16, and Kingston Business School is one of only a few of the 120 UK business schools to be awarded an 'excellent' rating for its teaching quality by the Higher Education Funding Council.
-Earn a degree with prestigious international accreditation – Kingston Business School has joined an elite group of global institutions to be awarded the prestigious international accreditation by the AACSB (Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business). A hallmark of excellence in business education, the accreditation has been earned by just 5 per cent of the world's business schools.
-Finish the course with an international network of contacts – the programme has an active alumni network and our students come from all over the world to study the course.

Will this course suit me?

The Creative Industries & the Creative Economy MA is designed for individuals who come from creative industries, or have graduated in another discipline, including engineering and humanities.

-Are you a creative practitioner? We will give you the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in creating a product or service and taking it to markets.
-Are you a manager in a creative business? We will help you understand the processes of managing creativity and innovation and enhance your skills as a creative leader with a good grasp of strategy and appropriate business and management skills.
-Have you got years of experience? If you have substantial experience, you could benefit from undertaking the personal research project that will help you to apply your new skills and expertise to your specialist sector and enable you to identify new opportunities in the creative economy.

Course structure

Below are the core modules for this course:

Modules
-Mapping the Creative Economy
-Design Thinking for Start-ups
-Experiencing the Creative Industries - Professional Practice
-Conducting Collaborative Creativity
-Managing a Creative Business
-Personal Research Project/Gaining Insights

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What is the MA in Interaction Design about?

Interaction design focuses on shaping products for people’s use and behaviour and includes designing interactive digital products, environments, visual communication systems and services. Interaction design is the synthesis and imagining of things as they might be, rathere than focusing on satisfying the needs and desires of the end user. This programme is specifically designed for honours graduates in product and industrial design, multimedia and game design, visual communication design, architecture, engineering and other design related fields. This Masters programme has been developed by IT Carlow in consultation with industry and is delivered through combination of the self-directed learning and graduate research within the structutred environment of a taught programme. This dynamic educational environment seeks to provide a framework for interdisciplinary and peer learning and equiry, which facilitates, promotes and leads the interaction between practice and theory. The Masters of Arts in Interaction Design aims to nurture and support a unique interdisciplinary approach to research and learning in this area. The programme is centered around the development and delivery of a major project which can be either practice or theory based.

What will I be able to do when I finish the course?
The Master of Arts in Interaction Design will provide graduates with a unique opportunity to gain a competitive edge prior to embarking on a career in design or related fields. Graduates may also adopt research and advisory roles in relation to new product development and development of the provision of creative services in practice. It is envisaged that graduates will be in a position to critically evaluate existing creative services and to visualize future possibilities for devising better design methodologies and best practice in managing design practices and studios.

Potential employment for graduates include:
• Interaction Designer
• User Experience Designer/ConsultantEngineer
• User Interface Designer
• Mobile App Designer
• Mobile App Developer
• Web Designer
• Front End Developer
• Digital Media Designer
• Visual Designe
• Communications Designer
• Multidisciplinary Design Studios
• Strategic Design Thinkers
• Design Manage
• Content Develope
• Product Designer
• Industrial Designe
• Service Designer
• Design Thinking
• Design Entrepreneur

What follow-on study opportunities are available?
Graduates may pursue Level 10 (PhD) study opportunities upon successful completion of this programme. Postgraduate Diploma Postgraduate Diploma in Arts in Interaction Design is an Embedded Exit Award.

What subjects will I study?
Subjects
Framing User Experience
Principles of Interaction Design
Prototyping Interactions
Design Entrepreneurship
Human Interface Design
Communication Design
Design Research Methods
Design Project Dissertation

Special features of the course:
The Masters programme sits within the Department of Humanities at IT Carlow which facilitates the culture of design lead research and learning. Our programme facilities a culture of interdisciplinary learning embedded within the ethos of studio based education environment.

What are the entry requirements?

A Level 8 Honours Degree in Product or Industrial Design, Games Design, Visual Communication Design, or other related design disciplines such as Architecture or Engineering (minimum 2nd class honours).

Candidates with significant experience in the design services sector (as determined by the Institute’s recognition of prior learning policy), in addition to an honours primary degree in another discipline area may also be considered for entry on a case by case basis through IT Carlow’s RPL system.

Applicants applying for entry via routes other than that listed above will be considered on a case by- case basis through IT Carlow’s RPL system.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Con Kennedy
MA, PDP, LLM, PgCert
Programme Director
E: [email protected]

Allison Kenneally
BCL, BA, LLM, PgCert
E: [email protected]
T: 059-9175300

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MA Communication Design at Falmouth is a transformative, intensive studio based course, enabling you to develop your individual critical voice in communication design. The course prepares you for the demands of a rapidly changing, complex media world, where the ability to create meaningful and effective ideas is paramount.

Benefits:
- Learn from leading global design provocateurs and teachers in project challenges and study set
- Gain commercial experience through internships
- Work in a multi-million pound studio environment that mirrors leading contemporary design studios
- Specialist skills training, relevant for your project interests
- Final semester London show
- Digital final exhibition for global recognition and launch

Visit the website https://www.falmouth.ac.uk/communication-design-ma

How the course is taught

The course is structured over 45 weeks, across three semesters: deconstruction, reconstruction and reinvention.

You'll be in the studio most weekdays working on outcomes rooted in design process and the development of meaningful and innovative ideas. The experience is designed to be supportive yet provocative, so you can take your ideas and practice into new and exciting realms, that challenge you and the wider communications world.

Your learning is delivered across a mixture of set lectures, tutorials, workshops, and peer and tutor review.

Contact hours vary across the course, being most intensive during the first two semesters, with more self directed study as you develop your final project in the third semester. We expect some students to be away at points during the final semester, either working on research and project feedback, or attending internships.

Course outline

The course prioritises fresh and fearless thinking, developing students who see no boundaries to their work, curious to engage and discover while pursuing the highest level of innovation in communication design.

You'll gain an understanding of the global framework of communication design, and an approach to design process that delivers great ideas across diverse media platforms.

Mirroring the success of longstanding programmes at our School of Communication Design, you'll benefit from frequent industry contact, enabling you to stretch and question your practice, gaining inspiration from within and beyond your immediate boundaries.

Attracting a range of applicants, the course prepares you for independent or studio practice, in the applied creative industries, broader arts, or further academic research.

Our priority is to encourage your development by distilling and building your creative voice and ambition. We do so via three semesters, deconstruction, reconstruction and reinvention, with project outcomes mirroring a design process structure.

What you'll do

Semester 1: Deconstruction
- MACD 101: Process
(20 credits)
This module introduces the components of design process in relation to your own personal practice. Through provocation and critical debate you'll reflect on and challenge what you do, seeing how global, experiential and experimental insights can generate the most appropriate process models for a contemporary communications problem.

- MACD 102: Intersections
(20 credits)
This module examines the fundamental components to the production of design: human interaction and collaboration. Whether this interaction is between client and designer, object and user, or experience and emotion, it allows you to experience provocative challenges that hone your own standpoint. You'll learn how social engagement, polar tension or friction can inspire new thinking.

- MACD 103: Boundaries
(20 credits)
This module allows you to take more radical entry points into your understanding of practice; taking project interest into new forms or creating critical design response from more theorised or experimental catalysts.
Provocateurs will continue to challenge and stretch the limits of your enquiry, exploring new theoretical models and examining the debate of 'designer as author'; how works are translated or used; and how they or their work become the provocateur.

Semester 2: Reconstruction
- MACD 104: Curate and build
(40 credits)
You'll deep dive into your emergent interests, exploring how technology and an increasingly complex consumer and cultural landscape may effect your enquiry. Thinking by doing, you'll elect and develop skill sets and a depth of study in both practice and theory. With the module running across the whole semester, it allows you to fully prepare and test ideas and craft, sectors and media as you begin to prepare your main MA project.

- MACD 105: Compete
(20 credits)
Ahead of the final semester, you'll begin to look at avenues and insights for your own practice and from a business or funding perspective. You'll build professional skills relevant to individual need and examine components of design development including publishing, presentations, production and IP.

The module will also examine other methodologies of delivering work around the world, whether through commission or employment, working in known fields of the creative industries or with museums, arts organisations or universities and research bodies.
Student will also engage in competitive projects set by external bodies.

Semester 3: Reinvention
- MACD 106, MA project
(60 credits)
This module allows you to realise your final major project, in a largely self directed semester, bringing together practice, theory and an evaluation phase that provides reflection and potential industry or funding opportunities to be negotiated ahead of graduating.

The first phase leads to exhibiting at a key industry or cultural event, with an interim show. The second sees you gather insights, industry or critical feedback, or undertake an internship, or preparing for the launch of your project. This final phase sees the production of an essay or strategic report, depending on future plans.

Facilities

- Dedicated MA studio space
- Lecture theatres, design lab, break out spaces and meeting rooms
- Digital printing facilities, Risograph machine, woodblock printing and presses, workshop and negotiated access to screen-printing studios
- Apple suite, with Adobe CS and full collection of Monotype typefaces
- Extensive library facilities and digital collections
- Negotiated use of other facilities such as film, photographic, textiles and product design studios

Staff

You'll be taught by staff with backgrounds spanning design, academic, writing and research careers. They offer decades of experience teaching and working for leading studios, working with international clients, arts and cultural organisations, exhibiting and publishing work and research. They are enaged with many of the world's top creative universities and organisations as keynote speakers, external examiners and consultants. Overall they are all inspired by design, teaching, nurturing and encouraging great and motivated students.

Assessment

- Individual project briefs
- Design research journal
- Essay
- Oral presentations, individually and in groups
- Critical review or business plan

Careers

Communication design is a broad field of study, with career choices depending largely on your own personal project focus.

Options include:

- Graphic design
- Advertising
- Packaging and brand design
- Service design
- Photography and film
- Type design or illustration
- Editorial design
- Motion graphics, interactive or digital design
- Information or UX design
- Design criticism and writing
- Teaching, research or PhD study
- Allied fields: television, the heritage sector or exhibition design

Interview and selection process

Please apply via submission of an application form, an outline of your key interest or masters proposal and a portfolio. Details about our portfolio requirements can be found on the application form.

Interviews are held in person at the School, online via Skype or by phone.

Find out how to apply here - https://myfalmouth.falmouth.ac.uk/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=MACODEFC_SEP&code2=0001

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What is this programme about?

MA Design for Cultural Industries is an innovative programme for students who want to develop their career in cultural and creative sectors. Through the application of design theory and practice, incorporating new technologies into the discourse, students will be able to create or initiate solutions and experiences in the context of the cultural industries.

This MA programme provides its graduates with the advanced skills necessary to confront their professional challenges and move forward in this highly competitive industry. Integrating materiality and object interpretation through applied imagination, developing innovative creative-thinking, enterprise skills and research-led projects, the programme's multidisciplinary and critical approach gives students a distinctive insight into the collaborative nature of these industries.

The programme is relevant for those wishing to pursue an advanced career in cultural and creative organisations such as private and social enterprises, design agencies, museums, galleries and research centres. The programme will also be applicable to artists, curators, designers and policy-makers wishing to advance their design thinking by bringing their own projects to life, or create outputs for their own clients and industry partners.

Graduates of the MA Design for Cultural Industries will be equipped with advanced skills to go to wide range of leadership or senior creative roles in the cultural and creative industries, both in the private and public sector. With an international outlook, our graduates will be sought after across an array of arts, design, events, culture, entertainment, media and creative technology departments globally.

The career paths that our graduates can look forward to include arts and cultural management, design management, policy making, curatorship (museum, gallery, festival), creative direction, education advisory, cultural publishing and art/design criticism. Alternatively, the programme can inspire graduates to open their own cultural start-ups or work for international consultancy firms. Graduates of the programme can also develop academic profiles and research interests to go into teaching or advanced study at MPhil and PhD level.

Visit the website http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/pg/art/des-cul-ind OR http://blogs.gre.ac.uk/design-for-cultural-industries/

Who is this programme for?

This MA programme is relevant for those wishing to pursue an advanced career in cultural and creative organisations such as private and social enterprises, design agencies, museums, galleries and research centres. The programme will also be applicable to artists, curators, designers and policy-makers wishing to advance their design thinking by bringing their own projects to life, or create outputs for their own clients and industry partners.

How is the programme organised and what will I learn?

The programme is run in two modes: full-time over one year and part-time over two years, with the taught content made up of core and option courses totalling 180 credits.

Core courses
* Experience Design (XD) - 30 Credits
* Materiality & Interpretation - 30 Credits
* Design Management and Cultural Enterprise - 30 Credits
* MA Final Project - 60 Credits

Option courses (two to choose from):
* Curatorial practice - 15 Credits
* Coding in Creative Contexts- 15 Credits
* Sound Design- 15 Credits
* Social Media and SEO - 15 Credits

What do students do after this programme?

Graduates of the MA Design for Cultural Industries will be equipped with advanced skills to go to wide range of leadership or senior creative roles in the cultural and creative industries, both in the private and public sector. The career paths that our graduates can look forward to include arts and cultural management, design management, curatorship (museum, gallery, festival), creative direction, education advisory, cultural publishing, policy making, and art/design criticism. Alternatively, the programme can inspire graduates to open their own cultural start-ups or work for international consultancy firms.

Graduates of the programme can also develop academic profiles and research interests to go into teaching or advanced study at MPhil and PhD level.

How are we taught?

Typically, in full-time mode, you can expect 10 hours attendance per week over two days in a class of around 15-20 students. Teaching is a mixture of studio work, seminars, lectures and workshops. The full-time mode should only be considered by students who are able to dedicate at least 25 hours per week to the programme. The part-time mode is recommended for students in full-time employment.

How do I apply for this programme?

Apply directly on our website (link below). Selected applicants will be invited to attend a personal or skype interview. We recommend early applications, as the places are limited. Overseas applications for this course should be received no later than the end of July for entry in September to allow the sufficient time for visa applications.

Where can I find more information?

For more information, please see the course page at our online prospectus and take a look at the CPDA website.

MA Design for Cultural Industries Blog: http://blogs.gre.ac.uk/design-for-cultural-industries

MA Design for Cultural Industries Prospectus Page http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/courses/pg/art/des-cul-ind

Department Website and Student Work http://cpda.gre.ac.uk

How to Apply: http://www2.gre.ac.uk/study/apply/pg

For more information, you can also contact Programme Leader Dr. Isil Onol by email: [email protected]

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Do you have a keen interest in the value of creativity and design and how this can best be used as a strategic tool for organisations?

The MA Design Management course will allow you to harness the power of design and innovation in a corporate context.

Offering industry engagement in fashion management or design strategy and innovation, you will develop transferrable design knowledge that will enable you to recognise the value of design and provide effective leadership and management within this sector. You will also have the opportunity to undertake a series of collaborative projects with third parties or organisations currently working within this industry.

On completion of this course you will leave with an in-depth understanding of how design can contribute to leadership, sustainability and business or social innovation, in addition to possessing the necessary skills to build and manage organisational growth through the development and launch of new products, services and brands.

This course has several available start dates and study methods - for more information, please view the relevant web-page:
January full time - https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/design-management-ma-dtfdmf6/

September distance learning - https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/design-management-dl-sept-dtddmt6/

January distance learning - https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/study-at-northumbria/courses/design-management-dl-jan-dtddmf6/

Learn From The Best

Our academic team is made up of research-active experts with extensive knowledge of the design industry. This knowledge is integrated into all aspects of their teaching to ensure that all content within this course is relevant to the workplace and current and emerging trends.

All staff within this department have a strong commitment to developing your skills and knowledge by developing your critical thinking and your ability to apply your skills to complex real-world problems.

They will be there to support you through every step of your course, ensuring you leave with confidence and full understanding of all aspects of this dynamic industry.

In addition to our teaching staff, you will also have access to specialist communities of practice that will provide the foundation for your learning journey through research networks and cross-organisational collaboration. These communities will provide industry engagement in design strategy and innovation or fashion management.

Teaching And Assessment

The MA Design Management course incorporates learning through investigation and the application of design methods in a business context.

The theory-based aspect of the course covers essential elements such as creative thinking, intellectual property, inter-cultural communication, research principles, reflective practice, contemporary influences and commercialisation.

These contextual modules provide the perfect foundation for the remainder of your degree, which develop your understanding the field of design management.

Teaching is delivered via a mix of lectures, seminars and tutorials, which are assessed by coursework and design projects. You will also have the opportunity to participate in collaborative projects and, where possible, field trips to allow you to put your skills into practise in a real-world context.

Upon completion of the taught modules, you will undertake research report under the supervision of your dedicated tutor who will provide advice and guidance at all stages.

Module Overview
DE7001 - Design Thinking (Core, 30 Credits)
DE7002 - Design Process (Core, 30 Credits)
DE7003 - Project / Thesis (Optional, 60 Credits)
DE7003 - Project / Thesis (Core, 60 Credits)
DE7006 - Design Management 1: Articulating Design Value (Core, 30 Credits)
DE7007 - Design Management 2: Strategy (Core, 30 Credits)
EF0126 - E.S.A.P. in FADSS Level 7 (Optional, 0 Credits)

Learning Environment

This course is delivered at the Northumbria School of Design, which is located at City Campus East – a dedicated learning space that is located within Newcastle city centre.

Throughout the duration of your course you will have access to state-of-the-art facilities such as our University library – which is ranked in the top three in the UK – and well equipped working space, The Hub, which is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Your learning experience will be enhanced though the use of technology and learning materials such as module guides, assessment information, lecture presentation slides and reading lists will be available via our innovative e-learning platform, Blackboard. You can also access student support and other key University systems through your personal account.

Research-Rich Learning

The MA Design Management course is taught by our team of research-active academics who incorporate their individual areas of specialism into the course’s contextual modules to ensure they reflect the realities of the design industry and today’s modern working environment.

The development of your own research skills is at the core of the MA Design Management course content and you will develop research-informed methods of understanding the complexity inherent in real-world situations. These methods will enable you to make better decisions, advance the field of your practice and add new knowledge that will help you perfect your skills in your own particular discipline.

Supported by subject specialists and industry networks, you will also have the opportunity to join an expert-led community of practice in focussed on design strategy or fashion management to further enhance your learning experience.

Give Your Career An Edge

The MA Design Management course will allow you to develop your leadership skills and understanding of how design can be utilised by businesses to enhance opportunities and facilitate growth.

You will engage with industrial multidisciplinary projects based on real life situations, allowing you to enhance your CV and personal development through collaboration with those currently working within this dynamic industry. Some of the recent examples of industry projects include work on oral healthcare with Procter and Gamble, wearable technology projects with the CPI National Centre for Printable Electronics, person-centred healthcare services with the Academic Health Science Network and the development of innovative kitchenware with Lakeland.

You will also develop your business and employability skills, in addition to achieving a master’s level qualification in this discipline.

Your Future

Once you have completed the MA Design Management course you will possess an in-depth understanding of how to harness the power of design within a corporate context. You will also be suitably qualified to take on managerial and leadership roles within the design sector.

This course will prepare you for broad range of jobs within design companies, private organisations and the public sector, in addition to specialist jobs within your chosen specialism. Completion may also enhance promotion prospects in some professions.

This course will also provide you with a strong foundation for progression to PhD studies.

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This course is for designers who want to pursue their passion for particular areas of design, at an advanced level and with professional support.

Course overview

This Masters is built around your personal design interests and aspirations. It allows you to push the boundaries of creativity, within a framework of academic rigour and contextual research.

You can choose to study any of the following areas:
-Advertising
-Animation
-Calligraphy and lettering
-Creative computational design
-Design thinking, innovation and ideation
-Design leadership
-Fashion, product and promotion
-Graphic communication
-Graphic design
-Illustration
-Interactive media
-Motion graphics
-Typographic design

Other specialised design disciplines will also be considered. Our specialist tutors will work with you as you create a portfolio of creative designs that will excite and impress potential employers.

The course includes a theoretical element which contextualises your chosen areas of study within the broader field of design.
By the end of the course, you will have completed a major project that has evolved from your practice and research. The project will be supported by a critical evaluation report.

At Masters level, the specialisms of tutors are an important factor. Our Department offers a wide range of research expertise within design. For example, we host the International Research Centre for Calligraphy (IRCC) which promotes and supports the development of calligraphy both nationally and internationally. We have excellent engagement with industry, locally, nationally and internationally and have several academic partners overseas including Hong Kong, Malaysia and the USA.

Graduates from Sunderland have gone on to work throughout the design industry around the world. A Masters qualification not only opens doors in the workplace but also helps you progress more rapidly once your career is underway.

This course can also be taken part time - for more information, please view this web-page: http://www.sunderland.ac.uk/courses/artsdesignandmedia/postgraduate/design-part-time/

Course content

The content of the course is shaped by your personal interests with guidance and inspiration from Sunderland's supportive tutors and industry speakers and visits.

Modules on this course include:
-Design Studies 1 (60 Credits)
-Design Studies 2 (60 Credits)
-Design Studies 3 (60 Credits)

Teaching and assessment

Compared to an undergraduate course, you will find that this MA Design programme requires a higher level of independent working. The course aims to stretch your creativity and maximise your sense of personal fulfilment.

We use a wide variety of teaching and learning methods, which include lectures, seminars, critiques, workshops and practical demonstrations. These are supported by a range of guest speakers from diverse academic and industry backgrounds. You will also have high levels of contact with tutors who give regular feedback and support.

Facilities & location

Our Design Centre allows you to develop your creativity while taking advantage of state-of-the-art facilities and, importantly, your own workspace. We provide well-equipped facilities and industry-standard design software so it's easy to make a seamless transition from your studies to the workplace. The Design Centre also attracts international exhibitions and conferences, and it provides a highly stimulating environment.

Facilities at the University include:
-Five computer suites incorporating the latest Mac Pros
-Digital design suites using industry standard software like Adobe Creative Suite, Maya and Toon Boom
-Digital SLR and HD video cameras
-Fully equipped Photography studio
-Fully equipped printmaking studio
-Laser cutting machine
-Large format colour printers
-Access to 3D printers and scanners
-Large format digital fabric printer and full garment design and making facilities

Arts and Design Library
Our Arts and Design Library has a specialist collection of over 120,000 books, videos, slides and one of the largest electronic information networks in the sector.

Journals and research
We subscribe to a comprehensive range of print and electronic journals so you can access the most reliable and up-to-date articles. Some of the most important sources for your course include:
-Art Full Text + Art Abstracts, which is a major resource for media and arts information
-Design and Applied Arts Index, which covers journals featuring both new designers and the development of design and the applied arts since the mid-19th century
-British Universities Film and Video Council (BUFVC), which provides resources for the production, study and use of film and related media
-JSTOR (short for ‘Journal Storage’), which provides access to important journals across the humanities, social sciences and sciences
-Lexis, which provides access to legal information as well as full-text newspaper articles
-Screen Online (BFI), which is an online encyclopaedia of British film and television, featuring clips from the vast collections of the BFI National Archive

Employment & careers

Postgraduates are highly employable and, on average, earn more than individuals whose highest qualification is an undergraduate degree. On completing this course, you will be equipped for roles throughout the creative industries.

Potential roles include animator, graphic designer, illustrator, calligrapher, lettering designer, typographic designer, interactive designer, lecturer or broad-based designer.

A Masters degree will also enhance career opportunities within Higher Education and prepare you for further postgraduate studies, such as MPhil or PhDs.

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Our unique Creative Practices and Direction programme will develop your creative-practice and leadership skills through engagement with practice-oriented theory and new collaborations.

As a student of this programme, you will develop strong relationships with active professionals in your discipline and learn within a leading theatrical conservatoire that benefits from the intellectual stimulus of a major research-led university.

PROGRAMME OVERVIEW

This unique programme is aimed at creative producers and directors and those who train and work with actors and performers to develop and direct their skills.

The programme offers five specialist pathways, including actor training, choreography and movement direction, directing, musical theatre creation, and practices of voice and singing, and you will also have the opportunity to develop a specialist practice within your chosen pathway.

The programme is primarily designed for graduates in drama, theatre and dance from universities and conservatoires, but will also appeal to those who have established themselves professionally and wish to refresh their skills and perspectives and take on leadership, coaching, creative or directing roles.

PROGRAMME STRUCTURE

This programme is studied full-time over one academic year and part-time over two academic years. It consists of eight taught modules and an Advanced Creative Practice module.

Students enter the MA Creative Practices and Direction to a specified pathway, personally supervised by their pathway leader, an expert in the subject area.

The following modules are indicative, reflecting the information available at the time of publication. Please note that not all modules described are compulsory and may be subject to teaching availability and/or student demand.
-Facilitating Creativity
-Interdisciplinary Pedagogies
-Dramaturgy
-The Performing Body
-Body
-Research Methods for Practice
-Integrated Practice
-Specialist Techniques
-Personal Profile Development
-Technology
-Advanced Creative Practice

Pathways

Actor Training pathway
The specialist modules for this pathway are designed to produce a versatile and effective actor trainer with the strategies and skills required to enhance and facilitate an actor’s progress. Students will examine and contextualise a number of acting methodologies to develop their own comprehensive approach to professional practice.

Movement Direction and Choreography pathway
Students on this pathway follow and practically investigate a number of techniques and ideas dealing with onstage physicality. The focus is also on the development of movement language, through the investigation of the ideas and practices of seminal dance-based ideas (Laban, Bausch, Cunningham, Fosse, Graham, Horton, etc.) and methods for working with music and sound.

Practices of Voice and Singing pathway
This pathway brings together study and practice in both singing and voice, in order to create a new paradigm for teaching and coaching in these fields, enabling students to expand, develop and reflect on their coaching styles.

Directing pathway
This programme is a practice-led pathway incorporating methodologies and techniques that focus on approaches to theatre directing, dramaturgy, collaboration with other practitioners.

Musical Theatre Creation pathway
This pathway is designed for those who wish to study writing, and creative roles specifically in Musical Theatre. These might be as a director, choreographer, composer, librettist, musical director or creative producer.

Educational aims of the programme

-Provide advanced study and practice in creative leadership and direction in theatre-making and/or the training of theatre artists, specific to the pathway chosen
-Equip students for employment in the theatre industry and/or related performing arts industries as specialist practitioners in one of the following areas: Actor Training; Directing; Movement Direction and Choreography; Musical Theatre Creation; Practices of Voice and Singing
-Provide students with integrated practical and theoretical knowledge of specialist creative and/or pedagogic practices relevant to their chosen pathway; contemporary technical and scholarly contexts; and industry-specific contexts
-Enable students to develop intellectual and practical skills to inform and articulate self-reflection and critical awareness, through specialist study and practice, and work with other students in cognate fields
-Develop critical and independent practitioners imbued with a sense of learning as a lifetime pursuit via a commitment to professional and personal development

PROGRAMME LEARNING OUTCOMES

The programme provides opportunities for students to develop and demonstrate knowledge and understanding, skills, qualities and other attributes in the following areas:
-Understand critical, contextual, conceptual and ethical dimensions of creative practices, leadership and facilitation in theatre and performance practices
-Articulate the practitioner’s relationship with key creative and production colleagues, performers, industry professionals and audiences
-Comprehend the implications and potential for theatre and wider performing arts practices presented by key developments in creative processes, training and producing regimes, and contexts for preparation and production
-Demonstrate an awareness of recent developments and specific techniques in the relevant specialist pathway
-Generate ideas, concepts, proposals, processes, solutions and/or perspectives independently and/or collaboratively in response to set briefs and/or as self-initiated activity
-Employ both convergent and divergent thinking in processes of observation, investigation, speculative enquiry, conceptualisation, facilitation and/or making
-Critically evaluate one’s knowledge and understanding of relevant performance/pedagogic practice
-Interact effectively with others through collaboration, collective endeavour and negotiation
-Demonstrate leadership skills, providing clarity and direction for others
-Demonstrate competence with specialist creative/facilitative theatre and performing arts practices (specific to the pathway followed)

Knowledge and understanding
-Understand critical, contextual, conceptual and ethical dimensions of creative practices, leadership and facilitation in theatre and performance practices
-Articulate the practitioner’s relationship with key creative and production colleagues, performers, industry professionals and audiences
-Comprehend the implications and potential for theatre and wider performing arts practices presented by key developments in creative processes, training and producing regimes, and contexts for preparation and production
-Demonstrate an awareness of recent developments and specific techniques in the relevant specialist pathway
Intellectual / cognitive skills
-Generate ideas, concepts, proposals, processes, solutions and/or perspectives independently and/or collaboratively in response to set briefs and/or as self-initiated activity
-Employ both convergent and divergent thinking in processes of observation, investigation, speculative enquiry, conceptualisation, facilitation and/or making
-Critically evaluate one’s knowledge and understanding of relevant performance/pedagogic practice
-Manage and make appropriate use of the interaction between context, brief, planning, process, outcome and critical reflection.
-Analyse information and experiences, formulate independent judgments, and articulate reasoned arguments through reflection, review and evaluation
-Source and research relevant material, assimilating and articulating relevant findings
-Formulate reasoned responses to the critical judgments of others
-Identify personal strengths and needs, and reflect on personal development, adapting plans accordingly

Professional practical skills
-Select, evaluate, adapt and make appropriate use of techniques, materials, processes and partnerships
-Develop ideas through to outcomes
-Demonstrate skills in communication, expression and facilitation
-Utilise appropriate discipline-specific languages to investigate, analyse, articulate and apply ideas and information
-Demonstrate competence with specialist creative/facilitative theatre and performing arts practices (specific to the pathway followed)
-Present ideas and work to co-creators, performers, audiences and other stakeholders, as appropriate, in a range of situations
-Seek and respond to the views of others in the development or enhancement of their work
-Work in combination with others in relevant performing arts settings, demonstrating skills in teamwork, negotiation, organization, and decision-making

Key / transferable skills
-Interact effectively with others through collaboration, collective endeavor and negotiation
-Demonstrate leadership skills, providing clarity and direction for others
-Work effectively as part of a team and in pursuit of shared goals
-Study independently, set goals, manage own workloads and meet deadlines
-Anticipate and accommodate change, and work within contexts of ambiguity, uncertainty and unfamiliarity
-Source, navigate, select, retrieve, evaluate, manipulate and manage information from a variety of sources
-Select and employ communication and information technologies
-Demonstrate resourcefulness and entrepreneurship

FACILITIES, EQUIPMENT AND ACADEMIC SUPPORT

The School of Arts facilities include the 200-seat theatre in the Ivy Arts Centre, dark and light studios, digital creation stations and editing facilities, scenic, props and costume workshops, and interconnected sound recording and music facilities.

Teaching and workshop activity takes place largely in GSA’s dedicated rehearsal rooms, performance studios and design workshops. Lectures, presentations and seminars will occur in rooms across campus.

The University Library contains the majority of set texts, key journals, scripts, play texts and video materials necessary for the programme. Students have access to extensive facilities through the virtual learning environment, SurreyLearn, and IT Services.

Additional support is available in the Learning Resource Centre in the University Library.

Equipment is provided on a project-by-project basis according to the nature of the work in hand and the parameters of the project, which are negotiated with the tutor.

Facilities and equipment for production work will be booked by students according to specific project briefings and advertised resource parameters.

Academic support is provided by way of ongoing contact with the programme director and module leaders, group briefings and feedback, individual tutorials, and mentoring.

The programme makes use of a peer feedback system designed to provide a useful and supportive account of areas of strength and effectiveness, along with areas for improvement.

You are encouraged to identify personal learning and creative objectives that can be pursued in alignment with group project work.

RESEARCH

The School of Arts includes study in dance, digital arts, film, music, sound and theatre, with research activity in all areas, often with significant interdisciplinary connections.

With an integrated approach that comprises documentation, analysis and performance, Surrey’s agenda for research aims to engage critically with the past and present, while rigorously articulating new frameworks for understanding and practising the arts and culture in the twenty-first century.

Research infrastructure includes the Digital World Research Centre and the Laban Archive in the National Resource Centre for Dance (NRCD).

The School of Arts hosts and supports established research centres, research groupings and networks as well as individual research projects. Our research extends to partnerships with the artistic community, for instance, in support of public debates or in the dissemination of documentation for arts practice through the digital and print media.

GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES

We often give our students the opportunity to acquire international experience during their degrees by taking advantage of our exchange agreements with overseas universities.

In addition to the hugely enjoyable and satisfying experience, time spent abroad adds a distinctive element to your CV.

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The focus of postgraduate study in Design and Applied Arts is to consider your current and past practice and recognise the opportunities that exist for research, material investigation and professional development.

The aim is to provide a framework that will guide your enquiry within your subject specialism.

Subject specialisms:

- Ceramics

- Glass

- Interior Design

- Fashion

- Textiles

What happens on the course?

Typical modules may include:
- Defining practice in design and applied arts
- Creative enquiry
- Integrating concepts and practice in design and applied arts
- Critical, contextual and theoretical frameworks
- Critical realisation of practice in design and applied arts
- Critical contexts and audiences
- Professional practice and enterprise
- Master's Project

Assessment methods

You will be assessed through a mixture of written assignments and creative studio projects. You will be fully supported during studio practice and tutorials to raise the quality of your work to Masters level.

Why Wolverhampton?

At Wolverhampton, we aim to introduce you to a range of approaches in the analysis and debate of material practice related to applied arts and design driven outcomes.

- You will work in a friendly, supportive environment as part of the broader MA community
- Your practice will be supported by specialist academics with internationally recognised profiles
- You will have access to excellent workshop facilities
- You will benefit from lectures and presentations from visiting international artists and designers
- You will have the opportunity to engage in study visits both in the UK and abroad
- MA Design and Applied Arts will provide you with the opportunity to establish a career in design, practice and/or industry in the UK and internationally.
- The course is specifically designed to promote entrepreneurism

It also provides a platform for further research leading to PhD or other forms of academic research.

Career path

Employment opportunities include:

- Self-employment: Establishing yourself in your own business, or as a sole trader or freelance designer.
- A career in design, practice and/or industry in the UK and internationally.
- Advancement in current employment: education, public sector or the creative industries.

What skills will you gain?

MA Design and Applied Arts will provide you with the opportunity to mature into a self-confident, independent thinker. You will leave University equipped with the skills and attributes that will assist you in realising your creative ambition. The MA will provide you with the time and expertise to refine your ideas and enhance your professional skill in order to practice your chosen applied art or design specialism within the broader creative arena.

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This programme allows you to develop the business/entrepreneurial skills and attributes to commercialise on your creative and cultural practices and/or knowledge- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-creative-cultural-entrepreneurship-fashion/

The Fashion Pathway of the MA in Creative & Cultural Entrepreneurship allows you to build on a historical and theoretical understanding of cultural and creative industries and the development of a cultural economy to create your own creative initiatives, which might be research-based, policy-based, practice-based, or a combination of any or all of these.

The MA will be taught in partnership by a number of departments within Goldsmiths and with key individuals and organisations in the creative and cultural industries sector.

Our collective approach is to integrate entrepreneurship within the development of creative practices and to take a ‘creative’ approach to the development of new businesses and the infrastructure that supports them.

Contact the department

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

Modules & Structure

The programme contains four taught modules and a further dissertation/portfolio component.

You'll have a range of choices throughout the degree enabling you to design a pathway that is most relevant to your academic, business and career ambitions.

All students take modules I and III, and you can choose between options in fashion and design for modules II and IV.

Attendance is mandatory for all taught sections of the programme. To encourage collaborative learning we try to teach all students together wherever possible, irrespective of their particular pathway.

Module I: Theories of the Culture Industry: work, creativity and precariousness- 30 credits
Module II: Creative Practice- 30 credits
Module III: Entrepreneurial Modelling- 30 credits

Module IV: Entrepreneurial Practices and Modes of Production within one creative industry sector

You can choose from two strands for this module (i) College-Based and (ii) Internship.

(i) College-based

Delivered by the partner departments – these modules deal with creative sector issues and case studies within a specific discipline, although taking into account the cross-over with other areas – including Performing Arts (theatre and dance), Visual Arts, Music, Design, Media & Communications, Publishing and Computing. As well as studying producing companies, this would also include consideration of creative agencies relating to the above. The programme will start with the above areas but in this modular system can easily expand to include other subjects.

Computing offers Sector overview: Games and Interactive Entertainment Industries.

Design offers Sector overview consisting of: Component A – Design and Futuring, and Component B – Business and Design, or an industry placement.

Drama offers A Sector overview: Cultural Policy and Practice combined with management practice in audience development and fundraising.

Fashion offers Designing Fashion, taught by the Department of Design (subject to approval).

Media and Communications offers Either an industry placement, assessed by placement report, or an industry contextual module: Media Landscapes.

Music offers Sector overview of Music industries (a) combined with management practice in audience development and fundraising.

(ii) Internship

You will undertake an internship within an SME, Producing or Research Organisation within the cultural and creative industries. There will be initial taught/tutorial sessions on managing an internship and experiential learning and assessment would be by an analytical report on the ‘culture of management’ of the organisation. In some pathways this will be augmented by classes in specific skill areas (such as marketing) as you are likely to be working in skill-specific departments of organisations.

It is envisaged that the internship would be the equivalent of two to three days a week for three months, however each internship will be individually negotiated between you, the organisations (learning partner), and the department. Although duration and attendance pattern of each internship will vary, it will provide you with the context and experience to undertake the assessment. Please note that these module options are subject to ongoing revision. Any changes will be available at the start of the programme.

Module V: Dissertation or Project/Portfolio plus reflective analysis
The content and research imperatives of the dissertation/portfolio can be developed in tutorials with staff to address your individual needs. It could range from an entirely written document researching a particular area of the cultural and creative industries to a fully developed proposal for a new business.

To encourage collaborative learning we try to teach all students together wherever possible, irrespective of your particular pathway.

Skills

You can expect to develop an independence and integrity in developing creative ideas. You'll be able to apply entrepreneurial approaches to creative projects and demonstrate an understanding of different business models to establish a creative enterprise. You'll also develop team-working and leadership skills, and effective business and communication skills.

Careers

The programme will enable those who have previously studied an area of creative study/practice to start a career developing a business arising from an existing or new creative practice. This may relate directly to a 'product' or 'process' arising from you own practice or to a form of 'expertise', 'consultancy' or 'knowledge'. The programme will also equip those who wish to work within organisations that develop the infrastructure and environment for new creative businesses with the capacity to flourish in a variety of contexts.

Funding

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

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This programme allows you to develop the business/entrepreneurial skills and attributes to commercialise on your creative and cultural practices and/or knowledge- http://www.gold.ac.uk/pg/ma-creative-cultural-entrepreneurship-theatre/

The Theatre and Performance Pathway of the MA in Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship allows you to build on a historical and theoretical understanding of cultural and creative industries and the development of a cultural economy to create your own creative initiatives, which might be research-based, policy-based, practice-based, or a combination of any or all of these.

The MA will be taught in partnership by a number of departments within Goldsmiths and with key individuals and organisations in the creative and cultural industries sector.

Our collective approach is to integrate entrepreneurship within the development of creative practices and to take a ‘creative’ approach to the development of new businesses and the infrastructure that supports them.

Contact the department

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

Modules & Structure

The programme contains four taught modules and a further dissertation/portfolio component.

You'll have a range of choices throughout the degree enabling you to design a pathway that is most relevant to your academic, business and career ambitions.

All students take modules I and III, and you can choose between options offered in performing arts for modules II and IV.

Attendance is mandatory for all taught sections of the programme. To encourage collaborative learning we try to teach all students together wherever possible, irrespective of their particular pathway.

Module I: Theories of the Culture Industry: work, creativity and precariousness- 30 credits
Module II: Creative Practice- 30 credits
Module III: Entrepreneurial Modelling- 30 credits

Module IV: Entrepreneurial Practices and Modes of Production within one creative industry sector

You can choose from two strands for this module (i) College-Based and (ii) Internship.

(i) College-based

Delivered by the partner departments – these modules deal with creative sector issues and case studies within a specific discipline, although taking into account the cross-over with other areas – including Performing Arts (theatre and dance), Visual Arts, Music, Design, Media & Communications, Publishing and Computing. As well as studying producing companies, this would also include consideration of creative agencies relating to the above. The programme will start with the above areas but in this modular system can easily expand to include other subjects.

Computing offers Sector overview: Games and Interactive Entertainment Industries.

Design offers Sector overview consisting of: Component A – Design and Futuring, and Component B – Business and Design, or an industry placement.

Drama offers A Sector overview: Cultural Policy and Practice combined with management practice in audience development and fundraising.

Fashion offers Designing Fashion, taught by the Department of Design (subject to approval).

Media and Communications offers Either an industry placement, assessed by placement report, or an industry contextual module: Media Landscapes.

Music offers Sector overview of Music industries (a) combined with management practice in audience development and fundraising.

(ii) Internship

You will undertake an internship within an SME, Producing or Research Organisation within the cultural and creative industries. There will be initial taught/tutorial sessions on managing an internship and experiential learning and assessment would be by an analytical report on the ‘culture of management’ of the organisation. In some pathways this will be augmented by classes in specific skill areas (such as marketing) as you are likely to be working in skill-specific departments of organisations.

It is envisaged that the internship would be the equivalent of two to three days a week for three months, however each internship will be individually negotiated between you, the organisations (learning partner), and the department. Although duration and attendance pattern of each internship will vary, it will provide you with the context and experience to undertake the assessment. Please note that these module options are subject to ongoing revision. Any changes will be available at the start of the programme.

Module V: Dissertation or Project/Portfolio plus reflective analysis
The content and research imperatives of the dissertation/portfolio can be developed in tutorials with staff to address your individual needs. It could range from an entirely written document researching a particular area of the cultural and creative industries to a fully developed proposal for a new business.

Skills

You can expect to develop an independence and integrity in developing creative ideas. You will be able to apply entrepreneurial approaches to creative projects and demonstrate an understanding of different business models to establish a creative enterprise. You will also develop team-working and leadership skills, and effective business and communication skills.

Careers

The programme will enable those who have previously studied an area of creative study/practice, to start a career developing a business arising from an existing or new creative practice. This may relate directly to a 'product' or 'process' arising from you own practice or to a form of 'expertise', 'consultancy' or 'knowledge'. The programme will also equip those who wish to work within organisations that develop the infrastructure and environment for new creative businesses with the capacity to flourish in a variety of contexts.

Funding

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

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The new master’s programme in Design offers a studio-based, interdisciplinary approach to design, with collaborations tackling societal challenges.

This programme incorporates established and innovative design concepts in a unique interdisciplinary setup. Studio courses form the backbone of the programme, providing the fundamentals of working with societal challenges. The challenges are defined on a yearly basis, ranging from Food Waste and Civility to Nomadic Welfare.

The programme features three design tracks, allowing you to develop your skills within an area of speciality. Current tracks are Sustainable Futures, Transformative Service and Visual Media.

Please be advised that this programme has a multi-campus setup, with courses offered in Linköping and Norrköping as well as online.

Programme Description

The new master’s programme in Design offers a studio-based, interdisciplinary approach to design, with collaborations tackling societal challenges. Established and innovative design concepts are incorporated in a unique interdisciplinary setup across campuses.

Businesses, organisations and government agencies are facing ever more complex challenges that require innovative approaches. Increasingly, the field of design is expected to come up with answers and help achieve progress.

The purpose of this programme is to train qualified and confident designers who can enter these complex contexts, take on a leading role and co-create solid, sustainable solutions. We are reaching out to students with different backgrounds – not necessarily with previous academic design qualifications, but with excellent design abilities and a desire to develop design beyond specific materials and disciplines.

This programme incorporates established and innovative design concepts in a unique interdisciplinary setup. Studio courses form the backbone of the programme, providing the fundamentals of working with societal challenges. The challenges are defined on a yearly basis, ranging from Food Waste and Civility to Nomadic Welfare.

Theoretical courses and design projects run alongside studio work. You develop generic design skills and knowledge of design facilitation, co-creative practices and design history. You learn about designing and change and how to make design a strategic practice that is embedded in organisations.

Projects are carried out in mixed-competence groups, sometimes with students from other programmes, across campuses with blended learning, using physical and digital resources. You interact with companies, organisations and entrepreneurs.

Elective courses are structured into tracks allowing you to develop skills within an area of speciality.

Current tracks offered are:

Sustainable Futures
Design of sustainable systems, with accompanying business models, products and services. Project-based exploration of future solutions that may further a transition to a sustainable society and empower people interacting with those systems.

Transformative Service
Design and innovation for the service sector, including welfare and industrial service. Engaging humans at the centre of design projects and developing service concepts and social innovations to facilitate transformation of practices and co-creation of value.

Visual Media
Design of interactive visual environments, going beyond screens and handheld units towards augmented and immersive approaches. Studio-based exploration of advanced concepts at the intersection of graphic design, interaction design and information visualisation.

For your thesis, you are expected to undertake an individual project that comprises practical design work and writing a thesis.

Linköping University is one of Sweden’s leading design research universities, with world-class research into design for services, a state-of-the-art facility for visual media research, and a strong team devoted to design and sustainability.

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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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As a cultivated form of invention, design shapes, modifies and alters the world around us for better or worse, and the need for modern design to be more sustainable and ethically responsible has never been more important.

Many multinational companies, research centres, governments and individuals acknowledge that a change in attitude to the way we design products, spaces, communications and communities is a positive step and long overdue. Indeed, over the last 10 years, commercial understanding of sustainable design has transformed, shifting from being about risk and compliance to a dynamic leadership issue.

Our Sustainable Design MA helps you to rethink the parameters of good design in an unsustainable age. Working alongside experts in ecology, psychology, design and business, you will gain the knowledge, skills and confidence to focus your practice and become a more effective agent of change.

Why study with us?

• Interdisciplinary approach to sustainable design that incorporates ideas from ecology, psychology and business with a balance of theory and practice
• Campus in one of Europe's most progressive and creative cities
• World-renowned staff, including sustainable design expert Professor Jonathan Chapman
• Guest lecturers from industry including Louis Joseph (head of global strategy at Puma), Richard Gilbert (director of The Agency for Design) and Oliver Heath (founder of OH Designs)
• Diverse student body with backgrounds in graphic design, illustration, architecture, fashion, education, politics and product design

Areas of study

• Sustainable Design: Present(s)
Semester one, 20 credits

You start with a foundation in sustainable design principles, theories and methodologies. Themes include cradle to cradle, low-carbon building and production, design for recycling, biodegradability, biomimicry, alternative energy, ecological thinking, permaculture, and disassembly.

• Research Methods
Semester one, 20 credits

This module gives you an overview of design research methods and how they are used in professional practice. It enables you to construct the kind of research questions, hypotheses and methodologies that underpin innovative design, as you develop a more autonomous position in the process of critical inquiry.

• Studio
Semesters one and two, 60 credits

The Studio module spans two projects – ‘Behaviours’ and ’Matters’. The Behaviours project takes place in semester one and provides you with a theoretical context for the studio-based investigation, analysis and generation of essential design criteria that shape patterns of consumption.

In semester two, you undertake the Matters project, a studio-based experience that places emphasis on materiality and the nature of physical experience as mediated through the design, production and physical manifestation of things.

• Sustainable Design: Future(s)
Semester two, 20 credits

This module takes the form of a series of seminars, workshops and discussion groups where specialist practitioners, writers, researchers, manufacturers and theorists present their work on sustainability. It covers themes including consumer motivation, behaviour, phenomenology, deep ecology, temporality, consciousness, emotional durability, materiality, defuturing and experience-authoring.

• Master
Semester three, 60 credits

The Master project represents the culmination of your work throughout the course. It allows you to apply all of the experiences and skills that you have accumulated, as you choose an area of sustainable design that you want to pursue in detail.

You work is structured by an individually defined 'statement of intent' that provides the framework through which you will be assessed. This process enables you to explore distinctive areas of expertise with a unique approach to the ubiquitous issues of sustainability and design.

The final body of master work must be developed through practices relevant to you and your statement of intent. These might include the development and production of design proposals, a written thesis, a documentary, an ad campaign, an article for a leading publication, a touring exhibition or a combination of the above.

Our studio

From 2016, students will work in the new Masters Centre, which provides studio, seminar and tutorial space for all postgraduate students in the School of Architecture and Design.

Students on MA Sustainable Design will have dedicated studio space with access to workshop and digital model making facilities. More specialised materials and making requirements can be supported on an individual basis with colleagues in engineering, crafts and arts.

Careers and employability

After graduation, many students secure influential positions within major global businesses, charities and NGOs.

A number of our students establish independent design agencies, social innovation labs and research centres. Many decide to continue their research in the form of a PhD, and have a particularly strong record of achieving fully funded studentships, both here at Brighton and internationally.

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The Digital Design MA is concerned with the creation of any digital or computer related content or products. This includes digital media, digital products, digital interiors, digital exhibitions and installations, digital graphics, digital fashion and even digital branding and marketing. You can specialise in the following:

• Digital media design, including multimedia design, web design, 2D and 3D computer animation, visual and special effects for TV and film, mobile app design for tablets and smart phones, computer and video games, virtual and augmented reality and 2D and 3D visualisation

• Digital product design, including the design of any computer-based or screen-based product such as smartphones, smart TV’s, tablet devices, smart watches, games consoles, smart household appliances, information systems and 3D digital printing

• Digital interior design, including digital display and projection design, intelligent interiors, digital lighting design and digital furniture design

• Digital exhibition, museum and installation design, including digital heritage resources, digital archeology, interactive kiosk and installation design, virtual museums and exhibitions

• Digital graphic design, including the design of e-books, e-learning, interface design, interaction design and digital signage

• Digital fashion design, including the design of wearable computing, smart clothing design and digital fabrics

• Digital branding and marketing design, including digital corporate identity design, logo design, social media marketing, digital channel advertising and promotion

You will have access to industry standard software and hardware such as Adobe Creative Suite and Autodesk MAYA while working in a dynamic environment with ongoing multimedia research and commercial projects. There are also opportunities to work on digital design projects set by external companies and other organisations. You will develop the skills and ideas to go on to employment as a digital designer or to set up your own business as a freelancer after graduation.

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The MA in Transportation Design emphasises the design of niche and alternative fuelled forms of transport that explore our evolving relationship to mobility in a shrinking world. Design strategies aim to encourage free thinkers who are prepared to challenge received wisdom in the pursuit of excellence in vehicle design.

Course Overview

This programme explores the inter-relationship of form and emotion in the design and development of all forms of transport. The programme provides a platform for students to further their knowledge of the nature of vehicle design and the necessity for its application in the design of sustainable forms of transport, bridging the gap between human interaction and innovative transportation solutions. The programme provides graduates with the opportunity to develop their expertise to make them a mover effective and reflective design practitioner. An interdisciplinary approach is adopted, allowing the students the freedom to challenge conventions through cross collaborative experimentation and lateral thinking, with a goal of harnessing design ambiguity into a tangible outcome.

The programme is about pushing the envelope of Transportation Design by educating the next generation of visionaries and implementers, who will embrace, reflect and address environmental, economic and social-cultural challenges through the medium of creative dialogue.

An interdisciplinary approach allows the students the freedom to challenge conventions through cross collaborative experimentation and lateral thinking, with a goal of harnessing design ambiguity into an entrepreneurial outcome. It is our intention to promote the growing reputation of the School by embedding a culture of design led research activity closely supported by local, national and international organisations.

The MA Transportation Design programme aims to educate designers for professional practice with the modules in Part 1 focusing on design thinking and the development of the student’s creative and philosophical attributes, with Part 2 allowing the student freedom to deliver an in-depth investigation to a self-defined question. Students will explore the evolving relationship between humans and mobility in an ever shrinking world, challenging the current conventional approach and proposing new directions for getting from A to B.

The programme is a platform for students to further their knowledge and application in the design of sustainable forms of transport, bridging the gap between human interaction, innovative transportation solutions and the creative approach to new vehicle aesthetics, providing graduates with the opportunity to develop their expertise to make them a more effective and reflective design practitioner, reflecting society’s future needs.

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

The MA Transport Design programme within 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 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

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

This programme is written from an employability enhancement perspective, creating the platform for students to embrace the spectrum of commercial and cultural opportunities available, encouraging real life engagements, networking and other activities.

One of the guiding principles and enhancements of this programme is a commitment to flexible learning, with creative flexible learning and teaching relationships and discourses in order to make sure that the student’s individual needs and projected career opportunities are at the centre of their activities. This flexibility and concentration on individual needs and opportunities within learning is placed primarily at the service of employability.

Students will be encouraged to embrace professional networks and create links with enterprise – locally, nationally and globally, as well as connect with external agencies and organisations. Additionally the postgraduate programme has great potential to contribute to the commercial, academic and applied research aspirations of the University and its desire to contribute knowledge to the field of innovation, product and transportation research and development.

Professional Accreditations

The programme is not accredited by any single professional body. The programme team encourages students to participate in the work of professional bodies such as the Chartered Society of Designers and the Royal Society of Arts. The programme also benefits from close collaboration with industry through annual live projects. This flexible relationship with industry and the professions allows students to engage with events and projects from a broad spectrum of external bodies.

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