MA Visual Communication: Graphic Design is an intensive studio-based programme that combines creative and professional development. Offering opportunities for internships with industry partners including Hearst Magazines UK, the course is focused on developing the industry-ready skills, digital confidence and creative expertise for careers in graphic communication design and related fields today.

During the intensive 12-month programme based in our central Cambridge studios, you will advance a specialist knowledge of your chosen area of communication design, and be encouraged to explore new methods, digital platforms, and technologies that help develop an original approach and take your work in exciting new directions. As well as refining your knowledge of fundamental principles and the traditional print and screen-based skills necessary for future careers in commercial work, you will be supported to explore the expanded field of contemporary graphic design, including motion graphics, digital and interactive design, UX/UI, information design, and user-centered approaches.... [-]

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.... [-]

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.... [-]

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.

This course is concerned with the advanced exploration and application of principles of graphic design within the contexts of research and professional development. Engagement with digital and making technologies is central to discovering and harnessing new thinking in design.

This course is of particular relevance to those interested in effective visual communication and developing innovative concepts and approaches in publication design, illustration, motion graphics, corporate identity, photography, design for digital media and graphic design for advertising.

Design NetworkBased in the heart of the School of Art, MA/MFA Design: Graphic Design and Art Direction is part of an innovative design network — a community of staff and students exploring design ideas in a discursive, cross-disciplinary studio environment. Critically informed practical designers, the group works experimentally, inspired by new insights and possibilities. While studying towards a particular qualification at MA/MFA level, students experience their subject in the broader context of contemporary design practice.... [-]

Master of Arts (MA) in Graphic Arts

The traditional studios of typography, lithography, intaglio, serigraphy, offset and digital graphics teach the skills which, when mastered, enables free experimentation and mature artistic expression. The students are familiarised with various graphical techniques so as to be able to select the ones they find the most appropriate for their own artistic work.

Letterpress Printing

Head: professor Andrzej BobrowskiAssistant: Agnieszka Cholewińska

Students will learn about traditional pressing techniques, including wood engraving, linoleum printing, plaster relief printing and tailored printing methods. The aim of the courses it will be to train the students to create their own pieces rather than copying previous concepts. Training will be provided to help the students to aptly consider the two phases of print creation: the matrix and the print itself. The students will be encouraged to synthesize and to simplify their work. Another aim of the course will be to educate the students to use their knowledge to efficiently resolve the creative challenges they face and to make them fully aware of the creative process as a quest as they strive to overcome their limitations. A broad study of artistic graphics will be provided, covering its historical background and contemporary trends, with a particular emphasis laid on letterpress printing.... [-]

MFA in Graphic Design

Graphic design is a professional major that addresses a range of advanced visual communication problems, with an emphasis on meaning, form, and function. In a professional studio setting, students work with faculty on the understanding and implementation of theories, principles, and methods related to concept development, design process, context, history and criticism, research, evaluation, visual aesthetics, typography, systems thinking, information design, inter - and cross-disciplinary collaboration, as well as social and ethical responsibility. Course assignments and thesis projects incorporate both theory and application in the solution of hypothetical and actual graphic design problems. Courses within this major evidence a balanced approach toward the integration of digital media and traditional processes. Final design outcomes focus on small- and large-scale, two- dimensional or three-dimensional printed artifacts and environmental graphic design solutions, with opportunities to develop relevant for time-based and/or interactive digital applications as well. Special lectures, guest speakers, exhibitions, and workshops complement studio and seminar goals. Students have ongoing access to RIT resources such as the Graphic Design Archive and the Cary Graphic Arts Collection, the Artists’ Books Collection, and the collections of the Vignelli Center for Design Studies.... [-]

*subject to validation

Apply now to be eligible for an early bird discount of up to £1,000.

Course outline

Falmouth University’s flexible online MA in Graphic Design will help you establish your own graphic design practice against the backdrop of today’s creative industries and contemporary visual culture.

Developed by award-winning graphic design practitioners with a wealth of experience in various theoretical and teaching approaches to graphic design, the course encourages peer discussion and learning so that you can continually improve your work and explore new creative processes to deliver your graphic design projects to their full creative potential.

*subject to validation

Apply now to get an early bird discount up to £1,000.

Course outline

Immerse yourself in the many different roles illustration has to play in today’s globalised world with Falmouth University’s MA Illustration course. With its flexible online format, the course enables you to connect with a global network of like-minded creatives, offering a learning experience and creative space like no other. You’ll explore exciting new and innovative approaches to illustration, as well as illustration’s role as one of the world’s most vital means of visual communication. As a world-leading creative industries university, Falmouth has a rich history and a renowned reputation for creative excellence, with many Falmouth graduates going on to receive international recognition for their creative work. As a Falmouth MA Illustration graduate, you’ll join this international community of Falmouth alumni and get the opportunity to also make your mark and make solid connections within the visual communication industry. You’ll have the opportunity to push creative boundaries to become a thought leader on best practice in illustration.... [-]

Visual Communication as a discipline is undergoing a major shift in both its vocational positioning and intellectual relevance. At the Royal College of Art, the programme has a long history that has radically examined the place of visual communication in relation to culture and society, while championing the importance of an interdisciplinary approach. The programme offers three pathways of study: Experimental Communication, Graphic Design and Illustration.

The pathways are interrelated and structured around the discipline of visual communication to facilitate well-informed risk-taking and experimentation from a grounded position of subject knowledge and understanding. Pathways are delivered in subject clusters (critical thinking) supported by shared workshops (critical making) and delivered by staff who are either advanced practitioners or active researchers engaged in both the core and margins of communication practice.... [-]

MA in Graphic Design

This programme in Graphic Design is designed for those students who have a background in Graphic Design, Industrial Design, or Visual Communication Design. Lectures are grouped as being elective or compulsory, depending on the student’s prior undergraduate education. With both conceptual and practical courses, students are guided towards specialisation in a range of various areas. The programme incorporates in-depth research and its applications, as well the solving of modern and creative/experimental design problems. The interdisciplinary approach between graphic design and communication includes theoretical and applied studies Fields of specialisation include graphic arts, illustration, typography, corporate identity and branding, packing design, interactive design, as well as the history of design and critique writing. Programmes of contemporary Graphic Design have an important responsibility in this rapidly advancing sector, to equip students with the skills for a professional life, as well as for those who wish to pursue a university career in academia.... [-]

Why you should study MA Graphic Design at Middlesex

Submerge yourself in the discipline of graphic design and be part of our well-established, award-winning graphic design department. We take a problem-solving approach to graphic design to explore contemporary practice through design thinking, insight and co-design processes, prototyping ideas, methods of design analysis and through building expert collaborative networks with external partners.

Our students come from a wide range of design and creative backgrounds, each with their own individual skill set, experience and cultural background. We are a diverse collective, working across project areas of typography & information, brand identity & campaigns, new technology & digital experiences, design writing & insight analysis, sustainability & environmental issues, structural packaging and book design.... [-]

Master in Design Cultures

The MA program Design Cultures is all about the study of product design, graphic design and fashion in a broad diverse cultural context. The focus is on both the designer as ‘author’ and the complex chain of production, sale, consumption, and criticism in which design operates and derives its many different meanings. Design Cultures restores design as the core object of academic interest without detracting from the cultural and material context in which it operates. The program combines a generalist, comparative approach to design with a clear focus on history and theory.

Career Prospects

The Design Cultures course is taught in English. It is an internationally oriented course which has close ties with real-life practice. Besides studying the theoretical and historical background of design, students get a chance to do their graduation project in association with key players in the design world. Students of Design Cultures can look forward to careers in cultural institutions (editor, project manager), museums (researcher, curator), media, (author, critic, producer), government (administrator, advisor), design agencies (researcher, consultant) and educational and research institutes (teacher, researcher).... [-]

MA Graphic Design

The MA course in Graphic Design encourages the diversity of design study opportunities possible within the wide field of Graphic Design. The focus of the course is rooted in visual communication research underpinned by theory, with an emphasis on the development of a very personal body of practical work. Students may choose to work within any area of contemporary graphic design practice or explore the potential for design diversity.Throughout the course, students are encouraged to pursue a unique personal line of inquiry within the broad subject area of Graphic Design. By the end of the programme, all students should have completed a cohesive body of work to a professional standard and be able to clearly articulate a sound intellectual rationale and a broad critical viewpoint.Entry requirementsEntry requirements for postgraduate courses vary and you are advised to check below for any specific requirements or with Enquiry Management. Normally the following general entry requirements apply:Postgraduate Diplomas, Certificates and Conversion Courses:A recognised British first degree or its equivalent, or a BTEC Higher Diploma/Certificate.Taught Masters Courses:A recognised British honours degree with a good standard, or its equivalent. Applications from all candidates will be considered on their merits and in the light of the nature and scope of the programme or work proposed. Informal enquiries are welcomed and will normally be followed by an initial advisory interview.Applicants must demonstrate achievement of any one of the following:... [-]

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.... [-]