MA Design: University of Southampton

Course Description

This MA will encourage you to explore innovative and experimental ideas and techniques in a stimulating and challenging learning atmosphere. Their interdisciplinary curriculum gives you the chance to work alongside other programmes and disciplines, while developing a professional portfolio. They offer one of the broadest choices of textile and fashion studies in the UK. Research seminars, symposiums and exhibition opportunities are central, and you will also benefit from close interaction with research students.

They have close links with industry and can help you arrange placements, in the UK and internationally. There are also opportunities to visit international centres of art and culture, and to take advantage of their proximity to London’s art scene. You will have the time and the inspirational atmosphere to develop creative skills and confidence, and the practical contacts to realise your ambitions in the field of design.

Programme structure

The following pathways are available:

Advertising Design Management

This programme builds a critical awareness of the advertising industry and the challenges it faces in finding novel ways to communicate with sophisticated consumers. Balancing the ideas of academics and industry practitioners, you will explore and debate contemporary advertising management challenges.

Architectural Design Management

You will spend semester one at Winchester School of Art, and semesters two and three at Elisava, Barcelona, addressing major challenges faced by architectural practices in understanding and managing a mass of relationships. You will acquire understanding of the interfaces between architectural design and the marketing and management challenges intrinsic to success; the relationship between the aesthetic values of architectural and landscape design; and the commercial factors that drive success. You will explore new tendencies in creativity, technology, legal and client relationship processes, plus the skills necessary to project manage, understand brand development and balance the demands of architectural designers, their clients and other stakeholders.

Communication Design

You will be encouraged to critically analyse your practice in relation to contemporary issues and theories of communication design from local and global perspectives, enabling you to challenge conventions, production methods and your audience, while developing your practice and ideas.

Design Management

This programme will suit you if you wish to develop a career in the design sector. Case studies, lectures and seminars by designers, business managers and entrepreneurs allow you to strengthen your knowledge and experience, enabling you to respond positively to the challenges of creating added value for customers by managing the design process. You will focus on the following challenges: brand equity development in excellent design; finance and design; new product development processes; the relationship of consumer focus and design processes; and the relationship of design and law, especially in intellectual property.

Fashion and Textile Marketing

This programme will encourage you to critically analyse your ideas in relation to contemporary issues and theories of textile and fashion marketing from local and global perspectives, enabling you to challenge conventions, production methods and target audiences, while developing your own agenda and ideas.

Fashion Design

This practice-led pathway will allow you to extend your knowledge and understanding of fashion design through an individually negotiated project, underpinned by research and creative practice. You will work across traditional and experimental boundaries, critically evaluating your working processes, methodologies and ideas.

Fashion Management

On this course you will develop the practical knowledge and skills required for a successful career in the fashion business. A wide range of subjects embrace the variety of contexts in which fashion management works. You will focus on the following challenges: analysing the nature of fashion; fashion buying; managing supply chains; stock management and distribution; and the role of fashion in developing brand value.

Product Design Management

You will spend semester one at Winchester School of Art, and semesters two and three at Elisava, Barcelona. You will be involved in an exciting and constantly evolving area of creative production. You will acquire understanding of the interfaces between product design, manufacturing and marketing, and the relationship between the aesthetic values of excellent product design and the commercial values that drive new product success. You will explore new tendencies in creativity, technology, legal and production processes, plus the skills necessary to product manage, understand brand development and take a design through to production.

Textile and Fibre Art

You will develop your conceptual and practical skills and knowledge in the production of textile-based art objects/installations, while engaging with debates surrounding current themes and contexts of contemporary practice.

Textile Design

This programme will prepare you for further research or practice, drawing on your creativity and knowledge. You will develop critical thinking skills, refine your textile design skills and undertake design research. You will acquire a critical understanding of your subject from different cultural and professional perspectives, and benefit from our international and industrial links.

Entry requirements

Second-class honours degree or equivalent qualification/experience; IELTS 6.0 or equivalent for international students; practical and creative artistic ability, demonstrated in a portfolio, will be the determining factor for entry for Communication Design, Textile Design, Textile and Fibre Art, and Fashion Design