-

Aimed at Graphic Designers, this programme enables you to develop your creativity and intellectual understanding through a high level of debate, subject-specific discourse and practical application. This programme will use your practice to engage you in innovative problem solving, critical debate, cultural and contextual environments, new approaches to communication design and graphic solutions and contemporary dialogues in interdisciplinary Graphic Design practice.

The programme has been designed to interconnect with MA Fashion, MA Print Design, MA Photography and MA Design Studies, as suite of MA programmes that utilize shared modules and interdisciplinary learning structures and experiences. The aim of this strategy is to provide a flexible postgraduate learning environment appropriate and relevant to the students own professional context, future aims and ambition.

The programme can be followed over twelve months full time or twenty four months part time.

The programme consists of 2 x 30 credit (single) modules and 2 x 60 credit (double) modules

Creative Practice (Graphic Design)
The main aims of this module are to develop advanced independent, original work and research within the subject area, and to facilitate students to critically reflect on their own work within a wider context of professional process and progress.

Options
The programme has a 30 credit ‘option’ module that enables the student to diversify their studies through Graphic Design Discourses, Photography Discourses, Entrepreneurship in the Creative Industries, Textiles Exploration and Practice or Fashion Exploration and Practice.

Professional Engagement
The programme has a 30 credit ‘Professional Engagement’ module that facilities opportunity for outward facing professional activities that could take the form of publications, exhibitions, collaborative projects, internships, or the design and organisation of workshop activities. Students are encouraged to collaborate and build on their strengths when designing their proposals for the module.

Negotiated Practice
The main aim of this module is for students to develop a coherent and sophisticated body of work for exhibition or presentation, as appropriate to their subject. The module culminates in a final showing of work, which will demonstrate a sustained and advanced level of practice necessary to achieve a Masters qualification.

MA Graphic Design is situated in the dedicated building for the School of Arts and Digital Industries (ADI) on the Docklands Campus. The building is home to programmes in Fine Art, Architecture, Fashion, Textiles, Graphic Design, Photography, Animation and Illustration. The proximity of this diverse culture of art and design practices will be integral to the learning community and environment of this programme.  The programme is centred on your creative practice and students are expected to be highly motivated and committed to self-direction and learning. All students will be supported by tutorials at 1:1.

Critical Evaluations:
These happen at key points of the programme to ensure progression of the work. After these
tutor /s will feedback on either verbally or in written form.

Group Forums/Peer Reviews
Students present their work in a formal setting to other students on the programme and are asked to make a measured judgement on the achievement of the project and the ideas presented by their peers.

Seminars
A seminar is an informal round table discussion with presentation of work and ideas. These seminars are capable of being held in situ or virtually. Students must be prepared for seminars bringing relevant material or having read preparatory texts.

Lectures
Lectures take the form of studio group teaching usually around a particular topic delivered by one or more tutors. Also field trips off campus are research based and form part of the lecture programme.

Interdisciplinary Workshops
Practical demonstrations and hands on learning take place as well as facilitating your own self initiated projects. These are available in keeping with access and entitlement as well as satisfying Health and Safety requirements.

Facilities
Graphic Design programmes have large open plan studios designed for a variety of needs and outcomes. There are two studios for shooting photography and moving image, two darkrooms, digital output laboratory, printmaking facilities and a large scale digital print laboratory. There are extensive wood and metal workshops and computer suites. Dedicated technical associates support all these facilities.

E-Learning
MA Graphic Design is supported by blended learning facilities in the form of the institutional virtual learning environment ‘UELPLUS’, web 2.0 social and professional networking sites and e-learning tools and technologies.

Study visits
Scheduled field trips to the UK and Europe will form an integral part of the contextual dialogue of this programme together with opportunities for International collaboration and workshops.

Postgraduate programmes strictly adhere to the University regulations on assessment. All coursework for assessment is double marked; seminar papers and presentations - essay assignments are supervised and double marked.

All work for assessment is monitored/moderated by external examiners.
All modules are assessed by portfolio and/or presentation at the end of the module.

Through out their studies, students will keep an ‘e-portfolio’ in the form of an online reflective journal of their ‘personal development’ that will detail research, critical thinking, contextualisation, concepts, technical and practical development, practice and realisation.
The e-portfolio will be assessed in conjunction with the physical portfolio and/or presentation.
All modules contribute to the final award classification.

The aim of MA Graphic Design at UEL is to provide postgraduate level study within a highly creative environment that is designed to stimulate critical analysis, subject specific debate and interdisciplinary opportunities. It aims to offer the recent graduate the opportunity to further advance their creative responses to Graphic Design practice. It is aimed at those who are returning to education from industry, and who may wish to reassess their direction and provide new opportunities for either broadening their practice or to deepen their critical understanding.  

We anticipate that students undertaking this programme will reassess their practice and emerge re-directed and renewed by the process.

Critical, cultural and contextual theory is integrated into the practice based modules on this programme, therefore the programme does not contain a thesis or dissertation.

This programme is delivered within School of Arts and Digital Industries (ADI) in a dedicated building for Art and Design on the Docklands Campus.

All Academic Staff and Technical Associate support staff working in the school are professionally engaged creative practitioners and are recognised nationally and internationally.

Within the School there is a wide ranging and vibrant research culture centred on discourse, practice and interdisciplinarity.

Field trips abroad and in the UK will form part of the curriculum

-

-

-

This programme will equip the graduates with a set of transferable skills suitable for work in the creative industries.

Job titles might be:

• Graphic Designer
• Graphic Design Researcher
• Exhibitions Designer
• Graphic Artist
• Design Director
• Projects Manager
• Art Director
• Advertiser
• Illustrator
• Magazine Editor
• Graphic Design Academic

The university provides a comprehensive range of support services for students which include: residential/student finance advice/careers advice/study skills development/IT/learning resources. The programme provides strong personal tutor guidance and professional advice related to the practice. Visiting artists, designers and other professional practitioners regularly visit the programme and study trips to working environments are an important component.

East London environment offers unrivalled access to the most important creative resources, as well as good transport links. There are also regular visits from important professionals who live and work locally.

The Digital Arts and Visual Communications area at UEL has genuine links with all sectors of the creative industries in the UK and abroad that will provide the programme with relevant up to date information and support, internships and careers.

The School of Arts and Digital Industries (ADI) have established links with GAFA and Tsinghua  (China), Legenda (Malaysia), Vantan Design Institute (Japan) and Tallin Institute Estonia, which offer opportunities for overseas exchange.

The School of ADI also provides a number of annual travel bursaries open to all subject areas enabling students to undertake research overseas.