You’ll be challenged to think differently about design and creatively push boundaries, whilst developing the skills needed to become an imaginative and versatile designer.

This course is part of the Sheffield Institute of Arts (SIA), an amazing, diverse community of makers – where staff, students, and partners work as equals to deliver real innovation and creativity. It is one of the UK's oldest art and design schools and is a member of DESIS, a global network of social innovation and sustainability.

MA Design is an interdisciplinary programme with eight individual courses which promotes an ethos of social and cultural innovation.

MFA in Interaction Design

Masters programme, 120 ECTS-credits

Developments in Information Technology have challenged industrial design tradition by demanding a shift of emphasis from the idea of "product-as-object" towards the notion of "product-as-event" where the dynamic and interactive qualities of products and services need to be better understood in the context of human behaviour. This shift of focus has inspired us to develop our Interaction Design Programme and to initiate new areas of research in the design field.

Our Interaction Design Programme deals with the relation between people and Information Technology with a particular focus on the interaction between product and user. We see the discipline of Interaction Design as the ability to design both the cognitive and physical interface and integrate them into a successful whole. Our aim is to enable designers to create sustainable, comprehensible and pleasurable information-based products, services and environments.... [-]

Our ‘Learning by Doing’ approach combines traditional visual disciplines with new digital technologies and synthesizes individual study with group project work. We establish numerous collaborations and projects with Italian and international companies and institutions to give students hands-on work opportunities to develop their critical thinking, conceptual problem solving, and practical artistic and design skills.

The M.A. Communication Design is a future-proof program. It provides key competencies expected from creative heads in management positions, focusing on aesthetic production in advertising, marketing and visual communication. The aim is to master the entire design-oriented process of value creation both in theory and practice.

Integration of theory and practice of design:

The ability to carry out the roles and responsibilities associated with the position of Art Director and other management positions held by creative talents, within the framework of the ever-increasing convergence of print, online, broadcast and mobile media.... [-]

The MA and MDes courses offer a stimulating and creative environment in which students are encouraged to explore conceptual and theoretical issues. For the MA this is through research-based enquiries, while the MDes has a professional emphasis. Students initially join as an MA student but have the option to register as an MDes candidate as the course progresses.

We see design thinking and research as being at the heart of design innovation. As a designer, learning to manage complex ideas can be the key to finding solutions and developing strategies that can be applied across a range of disciplines.

Building upon your communication and research skills, the course will help you to apply them to successful problem-solving. You will explore contemporary issues such as global trends, ethics, gender and sustainability by crossing genres, and exploring new and emerging technologies for creation and communication. The UK produces world-class designers who are sought after internationally- our MA and MDes courses set out to help you realise your ambitions in a global context.... [-]

This course is all about the research, development and production of creative, original and effective graphic design solutions that function across a range of print and digital media. At the start of the course, you’ll work on short projects which are aimed at challenging conventions. You’ll then focus on a subject of your choice through the research, development and production of a single, in-depth project. You will also develop a professional Journal which explores current thought and practice.

Our Master’s degree program Strategic Design focuses on the systematic study of the relationships and interactions between ideas, people, brands, and space, building a coherent set of designed decisions to effectively tackle challenges.

With special emphasis on developing strong research and synthesis skills for brand innovation, our master study program prepares designers to strategically approach and deal with complex problems, build solid interdisciplinary as well as intercultural communication skills and learn to co-create with other design stakeholders. It equips students with the skills and expertise to work and lead on the strategy, design, brand, research & development sectors of the creative and innovation industry.... [-]

The Master’s programme in Interaction Design is aimed at students in various professions who actively want to work on the design and integration of new information and communications technologies into the man-made environment. Graduates with a Master's degree in Interaction Design are able to conceive intuitive user scenarios for complex industrial products and to realise these in a multidisciplinary team. Interaction Design places the user and user scenarios at the centre of conceptual development.... [-]

This unique program at the Department for Image Science enables students to profit from the knowledge and experiences of outstanding experts in the field of scientific and cultural exhibition-making and design. Participants will be presented with creative and organizational skills like exhibition development, scenography and project management as well as with know-how about the financing, copyrights-management and the international transfer & lending of exhibition objects and multimedia-based techniques of presentation.

The different characteristics of special, permanent and traveling exhibitions are taught, supported by many case studies. Best-practice-examples of leading experts in exhibition design and management give thorough insights into contemporary trends and introduce students to new working fields with a special focus on immersive exhibit architecture and experiential worlds.... [-]

This course is open to students who have graduated in any art or design related degree subject and who already have the knowledge and experience of a specialist area. The MA will allow you to continue with your area of specialism whilst being supported by subject lecturers.

Alternatively, you may be looking for a Master’s degree, but you are not clear which specialism to focus on. From our experience with students from all over the world, we know that there is sometimes a mismatch between previous experience and future ambitions. This course is for you: MA Art & Design is flexible enough to provide opportunities for you to experiment by trying out new approaches and developing new skills before finding your focus. As you move through the programme you will then start to identify and execute your final project, and we can support you to move to one of our specialist MA programmes if you want.... [-]

As you grow your expertise in critical aspects of communication design you’ll have the chance to explore areas including graphic design, graphic communication, illustration, information design, interactive communication, multimedia and typography.

From moving image and sound to questions of brand management and publishing, you’ll stretch your skills and ambition as a postgraduate student at NUA. As you develop your own voice and practice through experimentation, you’ll also have the chance to critically examine key design and communication issues such as sustainability, new technology, new audiences and markets, inclusivity and ethics.... [-]

You will perfect your knowledge base, positioning yourself at the very heart of communication design, learning to master thematic areas of visual design, from advertising and the highly structured world of multimedia communication, bringing together in these areas design techniques and digital innovation.

The Master of Arts Degree Program in Visual and Innovation Design is a two-year artistic specialization designed to launch designers beyond the boundaries of traditional graphic design limitations.

The course provides training and preparation for students to competently create visual communication, using a blend of multimedia design, visual design, and advertising skills.... [-]

With us, you can become the type of graphic designer who can react to real situations with creative and artistic insight, who within their field can imagine and create high-standard work.

During our course, you can become a graphic designer artist who is able to respond to actual situations and present creative and artistic solutions, and who is able to create and implement high-quality work on every job platform

We are a flexible program with a fresh perspective; our strength is in our open-mindedness. With the help of our acknowledged, professional academic teachers we can provide you with the opportunity to find your own individual style. In this course we will develop your practical, functional problem-solving skills focused on design, and we strive to help you unfold your innovative solutions individually as well as in a team. We await you in a great atmosphere where your creative work can unravel through integrated courses teaching modern design thinking in a team environment.... [-]

The MA Design: Explorations & Translations at the IAA brings together multiple practices: design, media studies, social sciences and natural sciences. By synthesising and embodying different knowledge and using the dynamic landscape and industries of Iceland as an experimental ground, you will develop a unique voice in the expanded design field.

To translate this personal vision, the MA Design Programme asks you to materialise and manifest possible realities through relevant media: you may e.g develop a concept for the industry, propose a new sensory experience, or craft a fictional scenario for a future reality. Using both real and fictional design strategies, we work to build ethical awareness, form dialogues to engage with contemporary culture.... [-]

MA Design Specialising in Digital Graphic

Digital Graphics is concerned with virtual spaces and interactive environments. These are understood as the spaces of experience and may include combinations of the real and virtual, the spaces of publication, time-based media and the internet. Interaction within spaces can operate at differing scales and levels of material intervention.

The contemporary cultural context of globalisation and dematerialisation leads to all spaces becoming less physically site-specific and arising from this an imperative to redefine and rediscover the real meaning of place. Representation becomes central to this as both the site of design production and increases the site of its dissemination and discussion. In this way, the design of digital environments can be both the means to understanding our real experience of space or a means to explore other mixed or hybrid realities.... [-]