MA Design
Develop new products, practices and applications for contemporary society through a speculative lens to imagine design beyond the status quo of production and consumption. This course teaches design as an active mode of research that seeks to positively impact human and planetary wellbeing.
This course teaches design strategies, analytical skills and existing material practices to help you reimagine the designer’s role in relation to nature and ecological systems, and the use of new and emerging technologies in the face of some of humanity’s most ‘wicked’ problems.
<ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Award: MA Design<br /></p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Approach: design as an active mode of research<br /></p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Core values: full life-cycle awareness and a more circular production ethos<br /></p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Facilities access: Natural Dye Lab, Biomaterials Lab, Materials Lab and Fab Lab South West</p></li></ul>
Work by Owen Rees
<p dir="ltr">Your learning will follow a design process based on practice-led research methodologies and project development informed by material investigation, iterative production, co-design, prototyping, visualisation and reflective market analysis.</p>
<p dir="ltr">You will be encouraged to consider both small-scale and mass market manufacturing, identifying the ways that your designs may potentially impact communities, the economy and the environment.<br /></p>
Work by Sue Lewry
<p dir="ltr">We value design principles based on full life-cycle awareness aimed at a more circular production ethos, now integral to an ethical approach to design, that furthers human and planetary wellbeing.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Exploring new technologies as a key driver of change is an important component of the course, being deployed in ways that make what we wear, own, experience and sell more accessible, more economical as well as desirable.<br /></p>
<p dir="ltr">Your ideas will be refined through peer team working and in collaboration with an external partner or institution whom you identify as influential or necessary to your design ideas and target market.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Thinking through the discipline of design, you will learn to bridge the gap between the artisanal and contemporary best practices so that regardless of the changes to come, you are prepared to respond and creatively adapt.<br /></p>
<ul><li>Open to any design discipline and for those whose design concepts do not easily fit a single area of practice.</li></ul><ul><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Study regenerative design methodologies to learn how to reimagine traditional design processes for more sustainable futures.<br /></p></li><li dir="ltr"><p dir="ltr">Have unique access to our Natural Dye Lab, Biomaterials Lab, Materials Lab and Fab Lab South West, allowing you to pursue design research through novel media and processes from concept to prototype.</p></li></ul>
<p>Career opportunities include: Designers, Creative Directors, Design Researchers, Design Educators, Entrepreneurs, Product Managers, Production Managers, Sustainable Design Advocates and Design Writers.</p>
<p>It develops new products, practices and applications for contemporary society through a speculative lens to imagine design beyond the status quo of production and consumption.</p>
<p>It teaches design as an active mode of research, grounded in full life-cycle awareness and a more circular production ethos that furthers human and planetary wellbeing.</p>
<p>Your work can explore usability, supply-chains, models of production, fabrication technologies, life-cycle analysis, consumer behaviour and digital-material interfaces.</p>
<p>Your learning follows practice-led research methodologies and project development informed by material investigation, iterative production, co-design, prototyping, visualisation and reflective market analysis.</p>
<p>Yes. You’ll consider both small-scale and mass market manufacturing and identify how designs may potentially impact communities, the economy and the environment.</p>
<p>You’ll have unique access to the Natural Dye Lab, Biomaterials Lab, Materials Lab and Fab Lab South West to pursue design research through novel media and processes from concept to prototype.</p>
<p>Arts University Plymouth graduates are offered a <strong>discount of 15% on Masters programme fees</strong>, regardless of when they studied with us previously. The discount applies if you studied on one of our pre-degree, foundation or undergraduate programmes.</p>
<p>MA applicants are normally expected to have an undergraduate degree at 2:2 or above. However, the strength of your creative practice and other forms of experience will be taken into account at the interview stage and we encourage you to start a conversation with us.</p>
<p>Your portfolio should give us an indication of the work that you have made, organised or been involved in. For our postgraduate arts, craft and design courses, we expect to see examples of work you have created. <br /></p>
<p>The best deadline to submit your MA application by is <strong>1 July</strong>, however please be reassured that we can take late applications until the start of the course if places are still available.</p>
<ul><li><strong>Email: </strong><a href="mailto:admissions@aup.ac.uk">admissions@aup.ac.uk</a></li><li><strong>Tel:</strong> +44 (0)1752 203434</li></ul>
<p>If you'd like to speak about Postgraduate study, you can <a href="https://calendar.google.com/calendar/appointments/AcZssZ04mw0_Je9BjyEo_V5CwiIJJ3fT4ImT30b-BbY=?gv=true" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">book an informal online chat</a> with a member of our academic team:<br /></p><ul><li>Associate Professor <a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/stephanie-owens" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Stephanie Owens</a>, our Dean of Arts, Design and Media</li><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/rebecca-dodman" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Becky Dodman Wainwright</a>, Co-Course Leader for Postgraduate Studies</li><li><a href="https://www.aup.ac.uk/people/jason-hirons" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Jason Hirons</a>, Co-Course Leader for Postgraduate Studies</li></ul>
<p><strong>Click the button below to book an informal discussion with a member of our academic team.</strong></p>
