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.
Unit 1 (60 credits)
This unit introduces you to postgraduate studies along with critical and reflective methodologies, inviting you to experiment with inclusivity and accessibility within the field of visual communication. It builds upon the collaborative nature of the profession and encourages you to examine your responsibility to design for climate, racial and social justice.
Unit 2: Collaborative Unit (20 credits)
This unit is designed to enable you to identify, form and develop collaborative working relationships with a range of potential partners. These could include fellow postgraduate students at LCC or UAL, postgraduate students at other Higher Education Institutions; external parties (e.g. companies, cultural organisations, community- based groups, NGOs, charities etc.)
The nature of the collaboration will involve working on a project whose outcomes are agreed by your tutors and will take the form of group work that can happen within the college or digitally/remotely. The focus of the unit is student-driven collaboration with projects being developed to meet the specific requirements of student groups within and across disciplinary boundaries.
Unit 3 (40 credits)
In this unit your focus lies on practice-based research and experimentation. You will refine your skillset in traditional visual communication methods and expand your knowledge in emerging fields. Positioning your practice and defining your audience in a real-world scenario are core elements of this unit. You may decide to explore practical and social challenges in areas such as: the role of design in civic management, the climate crisis, social change, racial justice, health and social care, accessibility, education, and urban life.
Unit 4 (60 credits)
Supported by a personal tutor who can offer guidance on both the theoretical and technical aspects of your work – alongside additional help from staff and peers across LCC - you’ll develop a self-directed project in an identified and agreed area of specialist practice. As you consolidate your specialism, you will frame your work through an academic and professional lens. Your Master’s Project will culminate in a showcase of your final outcome and a publication presenting the critical analysis of your findings.