Why Study This Course?
Pursue your ambitions as a graphic designer with this specialised visual communication master’s degree. Based at our School of Art, Architecture and Design, you’ll benefit from everything our revered school of art, architecture and design has to offer – from its central London location and the collaborative, multidisciplinary nature of the School to the esteemed visual communication staff and their strong industry networks. Completing our Visual Communication: Graphic Design MA course will enable you to hit the ground running as you begin a career in your chosen field.
More About This Course
The Visual Communication: Graphic Design course will allow you to develop a collaborative, multi-disciplinary approach to your practice as a visual communicator whose specialist expertise lies in graphic design.
With an emphasis on research, experimentation and creative risk-taking, the course will empower you to graduate as a professional practitioner at the forefront of your field. You’ll leave the course with a clear sense of your own role as a designer in the world.
During this master’s degree in graphic design you’ll find theory and practice meet and inform one another as you implement an interconnected approach to research and design. In turn, this will help you to refine your portfolio of professional-level work and thus demonstrate your advanced problem solving, creativity and critical thinking skills.
This course will expand your critical thinking abilities through design practices, which will enable you to work both speculatively and on fully realised outcomes. Through design research methods and design project development you will develop a project proposal to complete as your final major project.
With a particular focus on socially-engaged design, our Visual Communication: Graphic Design course will encourage you to explore the social, cultural, ethical and economic impacts of graphic design practice.
The course will provide opportunities for:
- professional industry practice – take part in live project briefs with industry partners
- situating your practice – learn about formulating a clear direction for your practice
- complex problem solving and critical thinking
- collaborative and multi-disciplinary working
- building knowledge through research and development
- challenging your approach to communicating and presenting your thinking and outcomes
- exhibiting your work
Alternative Core Module Information
The School maintains a portfolio of alternative core MA (level 7) 20 credit modules, two of which will be core to this course in any particular year. Prior to the start of the course each September, the course team will decide which of the alternative core modules should be the core 20 credit modules for the following academic cycle. This decision is based on the project opportunities arising and the balance of students across the portfolio of MA design courses. Please note, students themselves do not choose which of the alternative core modules to take themselves. See the modular structure section below for more details.
Accreditation Of Prior Learning
Any university-level qualifications or relevant experience you gain prior to starting university could count towards your course.
Modular Structure
The modules listed below are for the academic year 2022/23 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.
Year 1 Modules Include:
Design Project Development (core, 40 credits)
Design Research for Practice (core, 40 credits)
Project as Professional Practice: Graphic Design (core, 60 credits)
Democratising Luxury (alternative core, 20 credits)
Design for Change (alternative core, 20 credits)
Experience and Environment (alternative core, 20 credits)
World Building (alternative core, 20 credits)
Where This Course Can Take You
Our Visual Communication: Graphic Design MA course will prepare you for a variety of professional roles. On completion of the course you may pursue positions in graphic design such as:
- graphic designer
- art director
- creative director
- brand strategist
- design director
- exhibition designer
- digital experience designer
- print designer
- image researcher
- project manger
- design strategist
- studio manager
