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Postgraduate

MA Design Management

Close up shot of moulded shapes in a variety of pastel colours
Exhibition shot 2019, MA Design Management, London College of Communication, UAL
College
London College of Communication Start date
September 2023 Course length
1 year 3 months full time (45 weeks across a four-term model)

Develop high-level leadership, management, communication and analytical skills for a career in the creative and cultural industries through a project-led curriculum.

Why choose this course at London College of Communication

  • Our world-leading art and design institution has strong links to the creative industries. We actively engage with current and future-oriented perspectives in design management.
  • You’ll apply design thinking to real-world challenges by designing collaboratively, engaging critically and creatively with others, and learning from shared experiences.
  • With design and systems thinking at its core, MA Design Management is informed by theories drawn the fields of design, business and humanities, and delivered through projects, crits and collaborations.
  • You’ll gain insight into creative briefs, target audiences, brands and markets through design research, forecasting and collaboration, while also developing your leadership and entrepreneurial skills.
  • You’ll be able to progress to diverse potential employment routes including setting up your own business, in-house and external design leadership roles, cultural positions and agency management.

Open Evenings

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

Course overview

Design and innovation are key drivers of change generating commercial, social, cultural and ecological value. MA Design Management will give you a leading-edge insight, and the mindset and problem-solving skills needed to effectively work in a constantly evolving global environment.

What to expect

  • The course combines academic study with creative and professional practice in a project-led curriculum that draws on a range of interdisciplinary perspectives from business and the arts.
  • You’ll have the opportunity to pursue your own design research project; work on real-life business ideas and challenges and team up with fellow students and collaborators from design, business, marketing and IT backgrounds.
  • You’ll interrogate, through practical projects, a range of perspectives including design research methods; design thinking for the cultural and creative industries; branding; the role of creative interventions in brand communications; trend forecasting; strategies for the management of brand experiences; design for social needs and sustainability; project management; entrepreneurship and innovation; change management; and design leadership.
  • You will be equipped with a set of practical skills in project management, change management, enterprise, leadership, branding and critical writing and practice.
  • You will also have the opportunity to customise your studies through a major project according to your own particular design interests and career aspirations.

Industry experience and opportunities

The course is designed to support employability and employer engagement, by developing both transferable skills and a strategic perspective of design leadership and management as well as broader transferable skills. Throughout the course there will be regular contact with industry professionals and guest speakers through various channels and events.

You’ll develop research, analytical, communication, business, management and problem-solving capabilities that are directed towards careers within the cultural and creative industries.

The growth of design management

Academic and instructional writing on design management has significantly increased, with articles on the subject appearing in major publications such as The Economist, Harvard Business Review, Business Week and The New York Times. The continuing growth of the creative industries in the UK has created employment opportunities for design leaders, design managers and innovative thinkers in this burgeoning sector.

The strength of demand for design management skills in a range of enterprises and organisations is reflected in the career sections of professional networking and employment sites. Growing job opportunities, in turn, create a demand for educational courses such as MA Design Management, which prepares future design leaders and managers for work in both traditional and new economy models. The last decade has witnessed a growing emphasis by government on the economic value of culture, at the same time as business and management studies are increasingly recognising social and cultural issues. The course combines theory with practice, through projects which draw on perspectives from a range of disciplines across business and the arts; covering a breadth of topics from branding, design and innovation processes to anthropology, culture, history and meaning.

Design and cultural opportunities

Design managers oversee design teams and departments to create the optimum product presence, design or brand identity. They are responsible for the operation of corporate design functions and design agencies. Design managers create quality and consistency of studio output and are required to have strong project management and communication skills.

Design leaders strategically champion design across an organisation as a means of innovation and differentiation. They stimulate and facilitate a culture of innovation, collaboration and enterprise within and across disciplines, cultures, companies and industries. Professional roles that encompass design management skills include design managers, creative directors, heads of design, design strategists and researchers, in addition to executives with responsibility for making decisions about design and innovation.

Career opportunities that emerge from the study of design business and management are further strengthened by exposure to cultural and critical studies. The latter is a diverse area that draws on sociology, anthropology, philosophy, politics, history and feminist theory and develops a discursive capacity for critical analysis and debate.

MA Design Management combines an understanding of management and organisation from perspectives drawn from business, the arts and humanities. The curriculum has a professional focus with a strong emphasis on the development of leadership, management, communication and analytical skills.

Mode of study

MA Design Management is in Full Time mode which runs for 45 weeks over 15 months. You will be expected to commit 40 hours per week to study.

Course units

In 2019, UAL declared a  Climate Emergency. In response,  LCC's  Design School set an ambitious Sustainability Action Plan in place to fully embed responsible practices within 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.  

Autumn, Term 1 

Design, Society and Cultures (20 credits) 
Design Research Methods and Critical Practice (40 credits) 

In the Autumn Term, you will critically engage with design thinking, design concepts and principals of design management and innovation. As you learn how to define research problems and develop effective research skills.

Spring, Term 2 

Design Leadership (20 credits) 
Design Research Methods and Critical Practice (continued) 
​Collaborative Unit (20 credits) 

At the start of the Spring Term, you’ll undertake the Collaborative Unit, which is common to all courses at Master's-level.

This is a group-based unit and may involve working a live brief along with external and or internal collaborators from the creative industries, cultural sector, public sector or commercial sector.

You’ll experiment with a range of interdisciplinary research methods while developing your understanding of leadership and management roles, and the various ways in which design engages and interacts with stakeholders across various sectors and cultural contexts.

Summer, Term 3 

Global Design Futures (20 credits) 
Final Major Project: Proposal, Project Report and Reflection (60 credits)    

In the Summer Term, you'll consider how design management can bring about transformation within a global context.

You will apply your design research skills to speculate around design and investigate key drivers behind the creation of social, political and cultural meaning, along with the impact both of and on design.

You'll take the knowledge, skills and experience from units studied to date on the course and bring these together in the production of a proposal for your self-directed Major Project that you will submit mid-way through the Summer Term.

You will then be assigned a tutor and develop this project which will culminate in a written report, reflective analysis and an end-of-year show in Term 4.

Autumn, Term 4 

Final Major Project: Proposal, Project Report and Reflection (continued) 

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

  • Independent learning/self-directed study
  • Personal tutorials
  • Group tutorials
  • Projects
  • Group project work
  • Live and simulated projects
  • Sketchbooks
  • Online presence
  • Portfolio/body of work
  • Self-initiated projects
  • Seminars
  • Lectures
  • Workshops
  • Study visits
  • Academic Support
  • Moodle

Online Open Day

(Recorded March 2022)

Course Leader, Sara Ekenger gives an overview of studying MA Design Management at London College of Communication.

Graduate Showcase

Explore work by our recent students on the UAL Graduate Showcase

Student voices

Maanushi Goel

Student voices

Maanushi tells us about exploring AI in her final year work.

Srishti Arora

Student voices

Srishti's final project looks at artificial intelligence in the fashion and beauty industries.

Ikenna Mirembe

Student voices

Ikenna talks to us about his project that aims to bridge the soft skills gap in secondary education.

Vincent Dore

Student voices

Vincent Dore, a graduating student from MA Design Management talks us through his project, The Pinterest Effect.

Nicola Acquisto

Student voices

Graduating student Nicola Aquisto talks us through her final year project, looking at social and environmental advertising campaigns.

Course stories

Facilities

  • Red light indicating recording is taking place.
    Image © Vladimir Molico
    Lens-Based and Audio-Visual

    Find out about the workspaces and studios that support Lens-Based and Audio-Visual practice.

  • Student using the Screen Printing facility
    Libo Li working in Screen Printing Workshop, Postgraduate Diploma Design for Visual Communication. London College of Communication, UAL. Photograph: Alys Tomlinson
    Printing and Finishing

    Discover our printing techniques, from Lithographic Printing to Print Finishing and Bookbinding.

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

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

Staff

Fees and funding

Home fee

£12,700

This fee is correct for 2023/24 entry and is subject to change for 2024/25 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.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£25,970

This fee is correct for 2023/24 entry and is subject to change for 2024/25 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

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Entry requirements

The team recognise that applicants come from a broad spectrum of backgrounds from across the world. We are actively seeking open-minded graduates from diverse academic and industry/professional backgrounds who want to explore design management at a high level.

A key characteristic of our candidates will be their desire to work across disciplines and professional boundaries, to explore the future changes of design management. Educational level may be demonstrated by:

  • Honours degree at 2.1;
  • Possession of equivalent qualifications;
  • Prior experiential learning or professional training, the outcome of which can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required;
  • Or a combination of formal qualifications and professional training which, taken together, can be demonstrated to be equivalent to formal qualifications otherwise required.

APEL - Accreditation of Prior (Experiential) Learning

If you do not meet these entry requirements but your application demonstrates additional strengths and alternative relevant experience, you may still be considered. This could include:

  • 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. We cannot guarantee an offer in each case.

English language requirements

  • IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required, with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the four skills.

All classes are taught in English. If English isn’t your first language, you will need to show evidence of your English language ability when you enrol. For further guidance, please check our English language requirements.

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 be able 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
  • The portfolio should be conceptual and research based, you must show your thinking and making process and a curious nature to explore, test and experiment.

Apply now

Home International

All applications will be considered by the course team who will consider key elements when making a decision on your suitability to join the course:

  • First, they will look at your qualifications and transcript (or projected results)
  • Secondly, they will review your personal statement and portfolio
  • There is no requirement for an academic or professional reference.

Required information for all Postgraduate course applications

Before you apply, please take time to read the guidance below. You will be asked to provide the following items and upload documents when completing the online application form:

  • Personal details (including full name; date of birth; nationality; permanent address and English language level)
  • Current and/or previous education and qualification details
  • Employment history
  • CV
  • Personal statement
  • Portfolio
  • Research proposal for a major project idea – Download the Research Proposal Template

Extra information required for applications to this course:

  • Video task

Start your application now

The online application can be saved as you fill it out, so you don’t need to complete it all at once. You will also have the chance to review all the information and make any necessary amendments before you press submit.

Apply now

Deferring your place

This course accepts requests from offer holders to defer their place for one academic year. Deferral requests are granted on a first-come, first served basis until all deferral places are filled, or a deadline has been reached, whichever is sooner.

Read our Admissions Policy for details, and request your deferral by contacting us through the UAL Portal using the Contact Us button in your My Application(s) tab.

External Student Transfer Policy

If you are currently studying at another institution and have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units/modules on your current PG course and wish to continue your studies at London College of Communication, you can apply to transfer.

The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.

Further information about the external student transfer policy can be found on the Office for Students Information page.

CV

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If English is not your first language it is important that you also include in your CV details of your most recent English language test score.

Personal statement advice

You will be asked to complete a personal statement (300-500 words) describing why you want to study on MA Design Management. You should give us information about yourself and why you want to join the course.

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate critical knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject, and a well-articulated rationale for joining the course. The personal statement is an important part of your application and should demonstrate to the course team that you are interested in the subject.

Ensure that your personal statement it is well written, clear and free of any spelling mistakes. It is your chance to impress the course team by showing a strong interest in the subject, demonstrating what you feel you would bring to the course, your appreciation of what the course can offer you and how you feel it might help you in the future.

This can be demonstrated through work experience, previous studies and your personal experience.

Research proposal advice (1500 words)

All applicants will be expected to outline their major project ideas in the application. 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.

It is important to recognise that these ideas will inevitably develop and change during your study on the course and only serve to inform your application at this stage. You will have opportunities within the course to revise and submit updated versions of the Major Project Proposal before you complete the major project itself.

Please download and read the Research Proposal template (PDF) which provides structure of how to develop and identify your Major Project Proposal.

Application deadline

19 December 2022 and 3 April 2023

For postgraduate courses at UAL there are 2 rounds of applications. This is to ensure equal consideration and fairness for all of our applicants. You must apply for 19 December 2022 for Round 1 or by 3 April 2023 for Round 2.

The round 1 deadline has been changed to 19 December to give you more time to make your application.

When you'll hear from us

If this course requires a digital portfolio as part of the application process, we will contact you to invite you to submit this through UAL’s online submission tool, PebblePad. For Round 1 applications, you will need to submit your portfolio by 9 January 2023 at the latest and by 20 April 2023 for Round 2.

This course receives a high volume of applications. We need to make sure that we give all applications equal consideration, so the course team will review them in 2 rounds, after each application deadline date. This means you won’t hear from us about the outcome of your application until after the relevant application deadline date. Outcomes for Round 1 will be released by (at the latest) end of March and outcomes for Round 2 will be released by end of June 2023.

Remember to check the outcome of your application in the UAL Portal. If you apply in Round 1 and don’t hear back from us, we will consider your application within Round 2.

Find out more about what happens after you apply.

All applications will be considered by the course team who will consider key elements when making a decision on your suitability to join the course:

  • First, they will look at your qualifications and transcript (or projected results)
  • Secondly, they will review your personal statement and portfolio
  • There is no requirement for an academic or professional reference.

Required information for all Postgraduate course applications

Before you apply, please take time to read the guidance below. You will be asked to provide the following items and upload documents when completing the online application form:

  • Personal details (including full name; date of birth; nationality; permanent address and English language level)
  • Current and/or previous education and qualification details
  • Employment history
  • CV
  • Personal statement
  • Portfolio
  • Research proposal for a major project idea – Download the Research Proposal Template

Please note: we will ask you for copies of certain documents (for example, English language qualification/certificate and copies of any previous UK study visas). Read our immigration and visa information to find out if you need a visa to study at UAL.

You can only apply to the same course once per year. Any duplicate applications will be withdrawn. Read the UAL international application advice for further information on how to apply.

Extra information required for applications to this course:

  • Video task

Start your application now

There are 2 ways international students can apply to a postgraduate course:

The online application can be saved as you fill it out, so you don’t need to complete it all at once. You will also have the chance to review all the information and make any necessary amendments before you press submit.

Deferring your place

This course accepts requests from offer holders to defer their place for one academic year. Deferral requests are granted on a first-come, first served basis until all deferral places are filled, or a deadline has been reached, whichever is sooner.

Read our Admissions Policy for details, and request your deferral by contacting us through the UAL Portal using the Contact Us button in your My Application(s) tab.

External Student Transfer Policy

If you are currently studying at another institution and have successfully completed 60 credits in the equivalent units/modules on your current PG course and wish to continue your studies at London College of Communication, you can apply to transfer.

The Admissions Tutor will consider applications on a case by case basis, subject to places being available. You must apply directly to the course via the course webpage as early as possible.

Further information about the external student transfer policy can be found on the Office for Students Information page.

Immigration history check

Whether you are applying through a UAL representative or direct application you will need to complete an Immigration History check. If you do not complete the Immigration History Check we will not be able to proceed with your application.

CV

Please provide a CV detailing your education, qualifications and any relevant work or voluntary experience. If English is not your first language it is important that you also include in your CV details of your most recent English language test score.

Personal statement advice

You will be asked to complete a personal statement (300-500 words) describing why you want to study on MA Design Management. You should give us information about yourself and why you want to join the course.

Candidates will be expected to demonstrate critical knowledge of and enthusiasm for the subject, and a well-articulated rationale for joining the course. The personal statement is an important part of your application and should demonstrate to the course team that you are interested in the subject.

Ensure that your personal statement it is well written, clear and free of any spelling mistakes. It is your chance to impress the course team by showing a strong interest in the subject, demonstrating what you feel you would bring to the course, your appreciation of what the course can offer you and how you feel it might help you in the future.

This can be demonstrated through work experience, previous studies and your personal experience.

Research proposal advice (1500 words)

All applicants will be expected to outline their major project ideas in the application. 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.

It is important to recognise that these ideas will inevitably develop and change during your study on the course and only serve to inform your application at this stage. You will have opportunities within the course to revise and submit updated versions of the Major Project Proposal before you complete the major project itself.

Please download and read the Research Proposal template (PDF) which provides structure of how to develop and identify your Major Project Proposal.

Application deadline

19 December 2022 and 3 April 2023

For postgraduate courses at UAL there are 2 rounds of applications. This is to ensure equal consideration and fairness for all of our applicants. You must apply for 19 December 2022 for Round 1 or by 3 April 2023 for Round 2.

We recommend you submit your application as early as possible before these deadlines to allow the Admissions team to resolve any initial queries about your application as quickly as possible.

When you'll hear from us

This course receives a high volume of applications. We need to make sure that we give all applications equal consideration, so the course team will review them in two rounds. This means that offers won’t be sent to successful applicants until after the relevant application deadline date. Outcomes for Round 1 will be released by 31 March 2022 and outcomes for Round 2 will be released by 30 June 2022.

Remember to check the outcome of your application in the UAL Portal. If you apply in Round 1 and don’t hear back from us, we will consider your application within Round 2.

Find out more about what happens after you apply.

After you apply

Communicating with you

After you have successfully submitted your application online, you will receive an email confirming your application and providing your login details for the UAL Applicant Portal. Please add @arts.ac.uk to your contacts to ensure that you do not miss any important updates re: your application to UAL.

Please log into the portal, as this is where we will send you important updates and requests, and you can contact us with any questions you may have about your application.

What happens next

Portfolio and interview advice

All applicants will be expected to submit an electronic portfolio as part of their application (maximum 20 images). The portfolio should be conceptual and research based, and must show your thinking and making process and a curious nature to explore, test and experiment.

It should include a maximum of six projects with supporting material and be clearly annotated and organised. You can include reports, reviews, essays, creative projects, etc. Also include any other examples that indicate your personal areas of interest in the field of design management and cultures.

The selected work will depend on your field of expertise (design, or other) and can cover examples from your most recent commercial or academic activity supported with documents showing your working processes and research.

Applicants with a background in design should include: 
  • Examples of visual work
  • Cross platform moving image work if appropriate
  • Developmental research material
  • Samples of written work
Applicants from all other backgrounds should include:
  • (In your CV) descriptions of any professional projects
  • Documentation of work where possible including reports, presentations or research projects for which you have been responsible

    • Applicants are usually interviewed by the course team before a place can be offered. Interviews will be held online, and details will be sent via the UAL Portal.

Video task

  • We'd like you to submit a 2-3 minute video to help us learn more about you.
  • Please speak clearly in English and face the camera.
  • Your video task is submitted along with your portfolio via PebblePad. Read our guidance for more information about how to submit your video task and the file types we accept.

As part of your video task please respond to the following direction:

We would like you to identify one project from your portfolio which challenged you and your understanding of Design Management. Explain how this experience has inspired you to apply to MA Design Management at London College of Communication.

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

You will receive the outcome of your application through the UAL Applicant Portal.

Requesting feedback

This course receives a high number of applications. Unfortunately, we can’t provide feedback to everyone who is unsuccessful. We can only provide feedback after you’ve had an interview.

We are only able to provide feedback to you directly, or to someone you have told us in writing can receive it on your behalf. If you would like to request feedback  please contact us through the UAL Portal using the Contact Us button in your My Application(s) tab.

Successful applicants will be guided through the rest of our admissions stages and towards enrolment on the course.

Careers

Graduates of MA Design Management will be equipped to make a contribution to both private and public sectors in areas such as private enterprise, public sector service provision and the voluntary sector.

They will leave with an in-depth understanding of design business and management with the skills of critical analysis and debate usually associated with the humanities and social sciences. 

Career opportunities include setting up your own business, managing design projects, strategic leadership in a variety of industries, forecasting, consultancy, research and entrepreneurship.

You could take up a career within a wide range of creative industries or organisations such as museums, galleries, auction houses, publishing, arts administration, Public Relations, marketing, forecasting consultancies, design and branding agencies, advertising and retail. Alternatively, they may go on to work as editors, design critics, journalists, event and exhibition curators or educators. 

There are also opportunities to study for further professional qualifications or research degrees such as a PhD or MPhil at LCC/UAL.

Alumni

London College of Communication

Contact

Telephone

+44 (0)20 7514 6500
Address
Elephant & Castle

London
SE1 6SB