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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.
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:
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.
We will make all reasonable efforts to provide the courses and student experience outlined. It may be necessary to make changes in response to COVID-19 whilst we continue to follow government guidance. View our FAQs for more information or contact us.
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).
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| a Canadian bachelor's degree | GPA 2.40 |
| a USA bachelor's degree | GPA 2.5 |
If you already hold a postgraduate qualification, please see our Applying for additional postgraduate degrees Help and Advice article.
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
We usually require applicants to hold a good honours degree (2:1 or above) in a design-related discipline such as graphics, illustration, animation, or digital media. We may also consider applicants who have relevant experience and who can demonstrate their suitability for the course.
Please prepare a portfolio of creative work which shows what you have done so far and what interests you. We are not looking for perfection as we appreciate you are still developing work.
Your portfolio should be a PowerPoint presentation, ZIP file, or links to websites or videos and can include:
If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.
Full-time fees are:
Part-time fees are £417 per 10 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.
*European Union (EU), EEA (European Economic Area), and Swiss nationals who do not qualify for the EU Settlement Scheme are classed as international, however, for 23/24 admission you will receive a European student fee scholarship and will pay the home tuition fee rate for the duration of your studies. The discounted fee will be reflected in your offer letter. Learn more in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the Your Finances section to find out about the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
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.
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 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 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.
The course allows you complete freedom to explore the discipline fully, cultivating originality.
If you are older, or even younger and worried about going to university, I say ‘just do it’.
I knew that Sunderland was the right destination for me.
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