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Postgraduate

MA Interaction Design


College
London College of Communication
Start date
September 2024
Course length
12 months

MA Interaction Design is a creative course where you’ll learn to engage audiences with innovative and future-facing ideas through new forms of installations, objects, performances, and screen-based work.

Re-approval

Please note this course is undergoing re-approval. This is the process by which we ensure the course continues to provide a high-quality academic experience. During re-approval there may be some changes to the course content displayed on this page. Please contact us if you have any questions about the course.

Applying for more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3. Find out more in the Apply Now section.

Why choose this course at London College of Communication

  • Developing critical and creative practitioners: We tutor and support you to produce new and experimental practices with a range of technologies, media, and creative approaches that are driven by your own interests as a practitioner and researcher. These can include machine learning, physical computing, creative coding, performance, games, poetry and more, enabling you to graduate as a unique and dynamic practitioner.
  • A new future for Interaction Design: We help your research and thinking to expand past the traditional boundaries of Design to engage with diverse ideas in fields such as critical technology studies, contemporary philosophy, decolonial design and media art theory. Rather than designing for ‘users’, you’ll explore the complex relationship between you and your audience, and learn how to communicate depth and meaning through their interactions with your work.
  • Cultural partners and experience: You’ll have the option to exhibit and collaborate with internationally-renowned arts and cultural partners. Previous partnerships include the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum, the Design Museum, and Ars Electronica Festival in Austria.
  • Expert support: Alongside the substantial resources of the College and individualised specialist technical support, you’ll have access to our programme of regular guest lectures and workshops from international artists, designers, and researchers. You’ll have substantial support on your journey to become a professional practitioner with a sharpened critical mind.

Open Evenings

The next Open Evening for this course will be announced soon.

Course overview

MA Interaction Design provides an opportunity for experimental and interdisciplinary practice in an area of design that increasingly explores the intersection of digital and networked technologies with the world.

What to expect

  • This course immerses you in critical, creative, and experimental practice. Using new technologies, you’ll engage and provoke audiences through contemporary issues such as digital privacy, the Climate Crisis, and social and economic inequality.
  • On this course, we define interaction design as the practice of making objects, spaces, and experiences that instigate new relations with humans, environments, and the systems revolving around them. Through this, we find new ways to provoke imagination, discussion, and critique.
  • Our integrated approach to critical thinking will enable you to work with critical ideas in an applied design context while encouraging you to develop your own voice as a critical practitioner.
  • You’ll develop practical skills in interaction design, physical computing, creative coding, and other new and traditional media forms. You’ll also build research skills in areas such as critical design, post-human centred design, feminist and decolonial theory, speculative design, and critical data studies. You’ll combine these methodologies and ideas into new and unique forms of practice.

Work experience and opportunities

The course places you in a position to work across the broad spectrum of interaction and design, with transferable skills in creativity, complexity, criticality, strategic thinking, and technical understanding.

When you graduate, you’ll be prepared to work independently or as part of a studio/company in a range of roles such as international digital artist or designer, creative technologist, or researcher in a range of fields.

You’ll learn skills for conducting rigorous, practice-based research. You’ll use design to question the world around you, which means that you'll also be prepared for further design research at PhD-level internationally.

Mode of study

MA Interaction Design is in Full Time mode which runs for 45 weeks over 12 months. You will be expected to commit 40 hours per week to study.

Course units

We are committed to ensuring that your skills are set within an ethical framework, and we have worked to embed UAL’s Principles for Climate, Racial and Social Justice Principles into the curriculum and in everything we do. 

As part of this initiative, we’ve shaped our courses around social and environmental sustainability principles that ensure learning outcomes reflect the urgent need to equip you with the understanding, skills, and values to foster a more sustainable planet.  Our aim is to change the way our students think, and to empower you to work towards a sustainable future.

Each course is divided into units, which are credit-rated. The minimum unit size is 20 credits. The MA course structure involves 5 units, totalling 180 credits.

Theories and Practices of Interaction Design (40 credits)

You’ll participate in a seminar series that will introduce you to both historical and contemporary theories and approaches drawn from the world of art and design, giving you a profound understanding of the research context for the course. Alongside this, you’ll produce individual and group practice projects in a brief that engages with the deepest complexities of the modern technological landscape.

Through these activities, you’ll gain an important foundation of knowledge in critical design, exploratory research, and interaction, which are crucial for your development throughout the course.To assist you in your work and to broaden the horizons of your practice, you ‘ll take introductory workshops in key technical skills such as physical computing and creative coding, alongside specialist approaches such as sonic improvisational practice and augmented reality (AR).

Collaborative Unit (20 credits)

You’ll complete a group studio project in response to a brief from an external partner. Previous partnerships have been with organisations such as the V&A, the Design Museum, and BBC Research and Development.

Explorative Research (20 credits)

This unit will give you the option to choose between 2 distinct electives to pursue your own thematic research path in the field of interaction design.

As part of your ongoing exploration into the relationship between research and practice, you’ll produce a piece of screen-based media that reflects your elective research.This could take the form of a short film, interactive website, or video game.

Expanded Practice (40 credits)

You’ll undertake further skills development in physical computing and creative coding, alongside specialist workshops in narrative world-building and creative writing.

Final Major Project (60 credits)
Weighted 50% research component and 50% practical component

You'll undertake a Final Major Project which relates to the expanded field of design and interaction. You’ll turn your focus to the research video aspect of your Final Major Project, with one-to-one support for developing your own research domain and specialism for your work.

With access to broad theoretical models and practical skills spanning multiple disciplines, you will apply these models to your own specialist area of interest to produce a critically aware major project.

Examples of Final Major Projects

  • Chronic Suicider (Mich Tsai) – A robotic prosthesis and performance tool for exploring embodied relations to machines and pain.
  • Yo-Plotter (Anya Wang) – An installation that explores the evolving public perception of ‘AI as author’ and its intersections with the history of art.
  • Alt-Ctrl (Michael Sedbon) – A bio-art device that proposes new domains for the relationship between machine cognition and the natural world.

If you are unable to continue or decide to exit the course, there are two possible exit awards. A Postgraduate Certificate will be awarded on successful completion of the first 60 credits and a Postgraduate Diploma will be awarded on successful completion of the first 120 credits.

Learning and teaching methods

  • Lectures and group learning
  • Workshop and seminar learning
  • Academic tutorials
  • Self-directed learning
  • Outside speakers and visits
  • Assessed assignments

Online Open Day

(Recorded February 2023)

Course Leader, Wesley Goatley, gives an overview of what it's like to study MA Interaction Design at London College of Communication.

Graduate showcase

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Showcase

  • String in a Machine
    String in a Machine, Han Bao, 2023 MA Interaction Design, London College of Communication, UAL
  • Pipe Dreams
    Pipe Dreams, Olivia Burgess, 2023 MA Interaction Design, London College of Communication, UAL
  • SANCITY (Data Obelisk)
    SANCITY (Data Obelisk), Lok Yin Pang, 2023 MA Interaction Design, London College of Communication, UAL
  • The Heightened Horizons
    The Heightened Horizons, Ayushi Chandani, 2023 MA Interaction Design, London College of Communication, UAL

Student work

  • Mariana-Marangoni.jpg
    Mariana Marangoni, 2020. MA Interaction Design, London College of Communication, UAL. 2020
    MA Interaction Design, London College of Communication, UAL
  • Michael-Sedbon-Alt-C-2018.jpg
    Michael Sedbon, 2018. MA Interaction Design Communication, London College of Communication, UAL.
  • Ziwei-Wang-Dreama-2019.png
    Ziwei Wang, 2019. MA Interaction Design Communication, London College of Communication, UAL.

Student videos

Into the Ethereal

Nella Piatek

Tell-Tale Atom Heart

Mat Denney

See My Gender,

Qingyi Ren

Student voices

Qingyi Ren

Quingyi project, In Between, looks at facial recognition software and how this intersects with ideas of gender and the performance of gender.

Mariana Marangoni

Mariana's final project looks at the Internet as a ruin.

Jiawen Zhao

Jiawen tells us about Ying, her final year work about our need for certainty.

Mich Tsai

Mich's final project is an as immersive spinal installation exploring the relationship between the body, spine and physical pain.

Instagram

Stories

Facilities

  • Student soldering in the Creative Technology Lab
    Student in Creative Technology Lab, 2020. London College of Communication, UAL. Photograph: Tim Boddy

    3D Workshop

    Learn to work with a range of tools and technologies from traditional woodworking to digital fabrication.

  • Student reading a book in between two bookshelves in the Library
    Students in the Digital Space. London College of Communication, UAL. Photograph: Alys Tomlinson

    Digital Space

    The Digital Space is an open-plan, creative hub with computers set up with specialist software.

  • Students using the computers in the Digital Space
    Student in Creative Technology Lab, 2020. London College of Communication, UAL. Photograph: Tim Boddy

    Creative Technology Lab

    A multi-purpose space that supports students with: Creative Coding, Physical Computing, Projection Mapping, Games, and Virtual Reality.

Staff

Fees and funding

Home fee

£13,330

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£28,570

This fee is correct for 2024/25 entry and is subject to change for 2025/26 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

MA Interaction Design has a particular aim to appeal to communication designers who are interested in exploring these new and emerging areas of design practice.

The course seeks students who have a critical understand of how technologies and digital culture are affecting design practices, and who are keen to work with network digital systems and in areas of design research and practice that challenge preconceptions.

Although not an entry requirement, you should be comfortable with some basic coding (some i.e. HTML CSS) in order to communicate ideas with colleagues, although strong creative experience in this area is an advantage. We will introduce you to various coding languages and design prototyping platforms during the course, but expect that individuals will develop their skills base within specific project work.

The course team welcomes applicants from a broad range of backgrounds, from all over the world. MA Interaction Design attracts students who apply direct from an Honours degree course in a field relevant to graphic design, or those with other, equivalent qualifications.

The course team also welcomes students with relevant experience or those who may have previously worked in industry.

Educational level may be demonstrated by:

  • Honours degree (named above);
  • Possession of equivalent qualifications;
  • Prior experiential learning, the outcome of which can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required. Your experience is assessed as a learning process and tutors will evaluate that experience for currency, validity, quality and sufficiency;
  • Or a combination of formal qualifications and experiential learning which, taken together, can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required.

APEL (Accreditation of Prior Learning)

Applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered in exceptional cases. The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:

  • Related academic or work experience
  • The quality of the personal statement
  • A strong academic or other professional reference
  • OR a combination of these factors

Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

Language requirements

All classes are conducted in English. If English is not your first language, we strongly recommend you let us know your English language test score in your application. If you have booked a test or are awaiting your results, please indicate this in your application. When asked to upload a CV as part of your application, please include any information about your English test score.

  • IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required, with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the four skills.
  • If your first language is not English, you can check you have achieved the correct IELTS level in English on the Language Requirements page.

For further details regarding international admissions and advice please visit the International Applications page.

Selection criteria

Offers will be made based on the following selection criteria, which applicants are expected to demonstrate:

  • Sufficient prior knowledge and experience of and/or potential in a specialist subject area to be able to successfully complete the programme of study and have an academic or professional background in a relevant subject.
  • Also to show a willingness to work as a team player, good language skills in reading, writing and speaking, the ability to work independently and be self-motivated.
  • Critical knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject area and capacity for research-led design, intellectual inquiry and reflective thought through: contextual awareness (professional, cultural, social, historical); evidence of research, analysis, development and evaluation (from previous academic study and employment) and a grounded understanding of the world of sonic, visual and networked culture and the ability to engage in and contribute to critical discussion.
  • In the project proposal a description of the area of interest, field of study and the particular focus of their intended project. This should include an overview of how you intend to go about producing the project and the methodology.
  • Portfolio should be conceptual and research based, you must show your thinking and making process and a curious nature to explore, test and experiment.
  • A willingness to work in the physical realm with networked digital systems and in areas of design research and practice that challenges preconceptions.
  • A willingness to work with networked digital systems and an awareness of how they shape the varied contexts of human behaviour.

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

Apply now

Application deadline

Deadline

Round 1:

13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)

Round 2:

3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)

Digital portfolio and video task deadline

Round 1:

16 January 2024

Round 2:

16 April 2024

Decision outcome

Round 1:

End of March 2024

Round 2:

End of June 2024

Round 1
Round 2
Deadline
13 December 2023 at 1pm (UK time)
3 April 2024 at 1pm (UK time)
Digital portfolio and video task deadline
16 January 2024
16 April 2024
Decision outcome
End of March 2024
End of June 2024

All applications received by 3 April will be treated equally. If there are places available after this date, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Read more about deadlines

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Find your representative

How to apply

Follow this step-by-step guide to apply for this course

Step 1: Initial application

You will need to submit an initial application including your personal statement, CV and study proposal.

Personal statement advice

Your personal statement should be maximum 500 words and include:

  • your reasons for choosing the course
  • your current creative practice and how this course will help you achieve your future plans
  • any relevant education and experience, especially if you do not have any formal academic qualifications.

Visit our personal statement page for more advice.

CV advice

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If you have any web projects or other media that you would like to share, please include links in your CV. If English is not your first language, please also include your most recent English language test score.

Study proposal

Please provide a summary of your study proposal (400-800 words).

It should:

  • outline your intentions for your MA research
  • describe your area of interest, field of study and particular focus for your intended research project
  • provide an overview of how you intend to produce your project and your proposed methodology.

Please note, your proposal serves to inform your application and we understand that your ideas will develop and change throughout your studies.

Step 2: Video task and digital portfolio

We will review your initial application. If you have met the standard entry requirements, we will ask you to submit a video task and digital portfolio.

You’ll need to submit these via PebblePad, our online portfolio tool. Please submit your video task on the first page followed by your portfolio.

Video task advice

We would like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you. When recording your task, please face the camera and speak in English.

What to include in your video task

  • Discuss how you feel your practice is situated in wider political, social or cultural contexts.

Read our guidance for how to submit your video task and which file types we accept.

Digital portfolio advice

Your portfolio should consist of recent work that reflects your creative strengths.

It should:

  • be maximum 20 pages, including your video task
  • feature work from a maximum of 5 projects
  • demonstrate your knowledge, understanding, skills and engagement in interaction design and/or related fields
  • highlight your intellectual curiosity, open mindedness and commitment to postgraduate study
  • feature examples of your design process to explain how you develop your work from initial ideas to final outcomes.

For more support, see our Portfolio advice and PebblePad advice.

Step 3: Interview

You may be invited to an interview following our review of your application. All interviews are held online and last 15 to 20 minutes.

For top tips, see our Interview advice.

You also need to know

Communicating with you

Once you have submitted your initial application, we will email you with your login details for our Applicant portal.

Requests for supplementary documents like qualifications and English language tests will be made through the applicant portal. You can also use it to ask questions regarding your application. Visit our After you apply page for more information.

Applying to more than 1 course

You can apply for more than 1 postgraduate course at UAL but we recommend that you apply for no more than 3 courses. You need to tailor your application, supporting documents and portfolio to each course, so applying for many different courses could risk the overall quality of your application. If you receive offers for multiple courses, you'll only be able to accept 1 offer. UAL doesn't accept repeat applications to the same course in the same academic year.

Visas and immigration history check

All non-UK nationals must complete an immigration history check. Your application may be considered by our course teams before this check takes place. This means that we may request your portfolio and/or video task before we identify any issues arising from your immigration history check. Sometimes your history may mean that we are not able to continue considering your application. Visit our Immigration and visas advice page for more information.

External student transfer policy

UAL accepts transfers from other institutions on a case-by-case basis. Read our Student transfer policy for more information.

Alternative offers

If your application is really strong, but we believe your strengths and skillset are better suited to a different course, we may make you an alternative offer. This means you will be offered a place on a different course or at a different UAL College.

Deferring your place

We do not accept any deferral requests for our postgraduate courses. This means that you must apply in the year that you plan to start your course and you will not be able to defer your place to start at a later date.

Application deadlines

For postgraduate courses at UAL there are 2 equal consideration deadlines to ensure fairness for all our applicants. If you apply ahead of either of these deadlines, your application will be considered on an equal basis with all other applications in that round. If there are places available after the second deadline, the course will remain open to applications until places have been filled.

Careers

Graduates of the course are equipped to work in an increasingly technologically informed and interdisciplinary design world with real skills in areas such as: interactive art and design, foresight and futures, interdisciplinary studio practice, though leadership, and digital arts.

A high number of our graduates continue to PhD research and become BA and MA lecturers, shaping the future of their field.  Graduates are often awarded funded opportunities to exhibit their work around the world with work produced on this course.

Roles and destinations of recent graduates include:

  • Mat Denney – Artist and Lecturer in Emergent Technologies, London College of Communication
  • Eleni Xynologa – Interaction Designer, Red Design Consultants
  • Mariana Marangoni – Artist and Lecturer in Computational Arts, London College of Communication
  • Shuo Wang – Game Interaction Designer, ByteDance
  • Rania Svoronou - Lead visual interaction design, IBM iX
  • Qingyi Ren – PhD Researcher in Digital Technology and Gender, University of Linz
  • Anqi Wang – PhD Researcher in Machine Learning, Aalto University
  • Simona Ciocoiu - Interaction Designer, ICRI (Intel)
  • Masatato Seki - Creative Technologist, The Neighbourhood
  • Elliott Hall – Creative Technologist and Support Technician, London College of Fashion

Some international students choose to remain in the UK to gain valuable industry experience whilst others return to their home countries to pursue successful careers.

High quality written work on this course is ready to publish in academic and artistic contexts; high quality practice work is regularly exhibited internationally either during or after the course.