Follow a chosen design discipline, including Animation, Fashion, Games Art, Graphics, and Illustration. Develop a portfolio of creative designs that will impress potential employers. Join our graduates in exciting jobs throughout the design industry and around the world.
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, design thinking, innovation and entrepreneurship, fashion and promotion, graphic communication, graphic design, illustration, interactive media, motion graphics, and typographic design. Other specialised design disciplines will also be considered.
You'll follow a chosen pathway for the duration of your MA study, with the option to be awarded with one of the following:
- MA Design: Animation
- MA Design: Fashion
- MA Design: Games Art
- MA Design: Graphics
- MA Design: Illustration
You'll graduate with MA Design if you do not wish to opt for a named pathway or if your chosen discipline does not apply to one of the pathways listed above (e.g. 3D Design).
By the end of the course, you'll have completed a major project that has evolved from your practice and research, and you'll have a portfolio of creative designs that will excite and impress potential employers.
Why us?
- This MA Design course is unique in that it facilitates the study of a wide range of diverse design disciplines through specialist staff and facilities
- We have excellent engagement with industry, locally, nationally and internationally and have several academic partners overseas including Greece, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Trinidad
- We host the International Research Centre for Calligraphy (IRCC) which promotes and supports the development of calligraphy both nationally and internationally
- Apply for the Robson Art & Design Masters award, a £1,000 cash scholarship designed to support students studying MA Visual Practice or MA Design
- The University of Sunderland is a member of the highly respected Design and Art Directors Association (D&AD), an influential body that rewards creative excellence. The prestigious D&AD Award is well-regarded in the world of advertising and design and recognised globally as the ultimate creative accolade
- Acclaimed guest speakers from every corner of the design world, such as Andrew Byrom, Ken Garland, Bruce McLean, Holly Sterling, Jill Calder and Fig Taylor
Course structure
Compared to an undergraduate course, you'll find that this MA course requires a higher level of independent working. The course aims to stretch your creativity and maximise your sense of personal fulfilment.
You'll be taught via lectures and seminars, with regular weekly one-to-one or group feedback. There are also additional workshops, demonstrations and external speakers to fully enrich your learning.
On the MA Design course you can express your learnings in a multitude of ways. We use a range of assessment methods including critical essays, presentations, evaluation reports, research journals, and practical work via different forms of visual communication (depending on the pathway that you choose).
Facilities
You'll be based in the School of Art and Design within the Faculty of Arts and Creative Industries. There is a dedicated MA Design Studio based in the Priestman Building at City Campus, which is a five minute walk from the city centre. In the same building, you'll find other facilities and resources, such as a dedicated printmaking studio, photography studio, wood and metal workshops, high-end computer suites (with Wacom Cintiqs, iMac Pros and PowerMacs), finishing rooms, laser cutting machines, 3D printers, fabric printers, and various laser and inkjet printers (from A4 to large format printing). In addition you'll have access to FabLab in the Hope Street Xchange building where there are other fabrication and production facilities available for you to use.
Career ready
On completing this course, you'll be equipped for roles throughout the creative industries. Potential roles include animator, graphic designer, illustrator, typographic designer, interactive designer, lecturer, or broad-based designer.
This creative degree can also open doors into many other careers, such as teaching, or further study at Doctorate level.
Career opportunities
Upon completion of the MA Design course you'll have a more consolidated portfolio ready for employment in the design industry. We have close contacts with the design industry and if appropriate could offer live projects, work placements and internships. During Semester one, we host an Employability Week, where you'll have the opportunity to see professional designers and design alumni for advice and portfolio surgery. We also have the Digital Incubator Unit and the Enterprise Place who can offer assistance for you to start your own business or freelance practice, plus we are members of the Association of Illustrators (AoI) and Design and Art Direction (D&AD) who can provide further resources regarding competitions, professional practice and employment.
Our graduates
Our graduates have forged careers all over the globe in graphic design, editorial, infographics, motion graphics, advertising, web, packaging and interactive design. We have graduates working in Ordinance Survey, MTV, SEGA, and the creative industries of publishing, design consultancies and advertising design. Some graduates are now running their own thriving design business, both nationally and internationally, while others have gone onto academic professions such as further research (PhD) and teaching (PGCE, HE and FE).
Sunderland Culture
Sunderland Culture is a collaboration between the University, council and the city’s key cultures organisations. This partnership brings big-name creatives in contemporary visual arts, glass, ceramics and performance to the city; showcases exciting local talent; and gives our students unique experiences including exceptional career-enhancing opportunities.
My name is Kavisha Prince Anthony, and I always had a dream of studying abroad. Thankfully, that dream came to life since I applied to the Study Advisor. I was able to receive my visa within four days. I also had some visa refusals in the past; I had about six UK visa refusals in the past, but thankfully, it was not an issue since the Study Advisor was able to make things work this time. I highly recommend Study Advisor for your dreams of going abroad, whether it be the UK or any other European country there is.