Communication Design MA

Work in a studio environment to hone your communication of meaningful ideas.

Key details

Location

Falmouth Campus

Course duration

1 year

Attendance

Full-time

Course overview

On this progressive, interdisciplinary programme, you’ll develop your individual critical voice and practical skills in preparation for a range of careers in the creative industries.

You’ll stay current by engaging with projects and insights supplied by leading global ‘provocateurs’ from design and the broader arts fields, including writers, scientists, artists, curators and musicians. Through frequent industry-focused projects and guidance by expert tutors, you’ll be equipped with the design capability and philosophical means to not only carve your path in a rapidly changing media world, but to challenge it from within.

Study at Falmouth:

Be inspired by a purpose-built environment which mirrors leading contemporary design studios
Have the opportunity to go on study trips and attend lectures by award-winning designers, practitioners and agencies, which have included Lewis Moberly, Pentagram, Superunion, Trapped in Suburbia, Visual Editions, Wiedemann Lampe and Wolfe Hall
Develop interdisciplinary creative skills and a portfolio relevant to multiple sectors, including graphic, service, publication, exhibition and UX design, branding, art direction and copywriting
Refine your research skills for in-depth, critical engagement with a given subject

Course details

On this Communication Design MA course, you’ll go on a progressive learning journey via three study blocks: Deconstruction, Reconstruction, and Reinvention. This format allows you to unpack your existing skills and interests, and learn to answer complex communications problems by considering global issues and experimental approaches. You’ll then explore new insights and build towards your final MA project.

Process

Drawing on global, experiential and experimental insights, you’ll examine different components of the design process, and how they can support and enhance your practice.

Intersections

You’ll explore sustainability, ethics, human interaction, and how design for social change can inspire new thinking.

Boundaries

Drawing on critical design theory and catalysts, this Communication Design module allows for a more radical approach to creative practice - exploring the relationship between interdisciplinary research and making at the edges of contemporary design.

Curate and build

You’ll explore the increasing complexity of data in contemporary design problems - part of our evolving and accelerating consumer, technological and cultural landscape - and learn how meaning can be curated and revealed.

Compete

You'll engage in competitive projects set by external bodies and build professional skills relevant to your individual design development, such as publishing, presentations, funding, production and intellectual property.

MA project

This module allows you to realise your final major project in a largely self-directed semester, bringing together practice, theory and an evaluation phase at a key industry or cultural event.

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details

How you'll learn & be assessed

Based in the vibrant studio culture of our multi-million pound School of Communication, you’ll take on project work and competition briefs, and attend lectures and seminars from award-winning studios and professionals.

Falmouth's network of alumni, and our reputation, connects us to many of the country's leading consultancies and agencies, providing insights and reflections on various cultures and models of practice. We run study visits to studios in London and potentially abroad, which may be arranged around conferences and design festivals like the Breda Graphic Design Festival in the Netherlands.

Provocation is a continuous theme and a unique aspect to the course's design. Our annually selected provocateurs contribute through seminar sessions, critiques, lectures and project work. These include leading figures from design and the broader arts fields, and international and award-winning studios who set up debate around the similarities and differences in global practice. They also include interdisciplinary practitioners, such as writers, musicians, architects, artists and scientists, who explore process, collaboration and the origin of ideas.

Assessment methods

Individual project briefs
Competition briefs (eg. D&AD New Blood, RSA Student Design Awards, YCN Awards)
Design research journal
Essay
Individual and group presentations
Critical review or business plan

Facilities

Dedicated MA studio space.
Negotiated use of other facilities such as 3D printing, prototyping, film, photographic, textiles and product design studios.
Digital printing facilities, Risograph machine, woodblock printing and presses, workshop, and negotiated access to screen-printing studios.
Lecture theatres, design lab, break out spaces and meeting rooms.
Apple suite, with Adobe CS and full collection of Monotype typefaces.
Extensive library facilities and digital collections.

Two females in design studio in Amsterdam surrounded by design work and books

Students working together at desk, whiteboard behind them with ideas on.

Design journals on a desk in the foreground, students working out of focus in the background.

Students working in facilities with large machinery

Students working in university facilities

Students watching presentation in lecture theatre on Falmouth campus

Grayscale image of students hands writing and filling pages in front of them with ideas

Studio visit London, clocks with times from around the world on the wall.

Printing press in the printing facilities

Staff

You’ll be guided and supported by tutors and industry professionals with decades of experience teaching and working for leading studios, international clients, and arts and cultural organisations.

Bryan Clark

Head of Graphic Design

Bryan leads the subject of Graphic Design at Falmouth and is responsible for the undergraduate degre...

Bryan Clark

Andy Neal

Senior Lecturer

Andy's career began as a musician; composing and performing material with Detritus, and recording th...

Andy Neal

Ashley Rudolph

Senior Lecturer, Graphic Design

Ashley is a Senior Lecturer in Graphic Design within the School of Communication at Falmouth Univers...

Ashley Rudolph

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Careers

Communication design is a broad field of study, and your career choices will depend on your own personal project focus. These can include graphic design, branding, service design, publication design, exhibition design, UX design, design for social impact, criticism and writing, teaching, research and PhD study. You can also enter related fields like television, advertising, and the heritage and cultural sectors.

How to apply

Have a question?

To find out more about this course, how you'll learn and what funding is available, get in touch with our friendly Course Advisors using our online form:

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About applying to this course

After you apply, you’ll receive a login for the Falmouth Applicant Portal, we’ll use this to request anything we need from you and to update you on the progress of your application. You might be asked to submit some work, and the course team might contact you to discuss your application.

We welcome applications from those with relevant equivalent Level 6 qualifications. Our typical applicants hold an undergraduate degree of 2:2 or above, or equivalent experience and an demonstrable interest in the subject.

We'll also welcome your application if you have formal or 'certified' learning (such as training courses not run by universities or colleges) and learning from work experience or self-study. This is called Accreditation of Prior Learning (APEL), and should have been gained within the last five years, and be equivalent to the learning outcomes of our minimum entry qualifications.

APEL applicants using experience to apply should note there is an application fee for entry with advanced standing or with exemption from specific modules or credit.

If English isn’t your first language, you'll need to demonstrate English language skills that are sufficiently developed for successful completion of your studies. We accept a range of recognised English language qualifications that are equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic minimum score of 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

International applicants who require a student visa to study in the UK must take a recognised language test that is approved and vouched for by the University. Our Applicant Services Team can help with any questions you may have about study visas or suitable language tests.

What we're looking for

We aim to recruit a global and interdisciplinary mix of students in every year group. Most will hold first degrees in traditional entry areas like graphic design, visual communication, illustration, and interaction design. Others may come with particular professional experience, or from broader areas of arts practice, media, performance, or sciences - where subject interest can be clearly identified.

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

£9,200 per year - full-time UK (£250 acceptance fee payable. This is deducted from tuition fees.)

£17,950 - full-time EU/international (£500-£2,500 acceptance fee payable depending upon your status. This is deducted from tuition fees)

£9,200 per year - full-time UK (£250 acceptance fee payable. This is deducted from tuition fees.)

£17,950 - full-time EU/international (£500-£2,500 acceptance fee payable depending upon your status. This is deducted from tuition fees)

Tuition fees for September 2026 will be confirmed in summer 2025.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

A laptop will be an essential piece of equipment along with a reliable broadband connection
Adobe Creative Suite - you may be eligible for discounted licenses through Adobe's education pricing
£200 - Studio kit including: academic year diary, A3 layout pads, scalpel, rulers, graphite pencils, retractable pencil, pritt stick, masking tape, plastic eraser, fine line pens, memory stick
£100-£500 - Additional 'making' costs depending on projects
£150-£600 - Exhibition costs
£250-£500 - Optional study visits and placements for the course duration

If you need to bring equipment or materials with you, these will be outlined in your Welcome Letter.

Postgraduate funding

There are loans, awards, graduate discounts and alternative funding sources for postgraduate studies. Read about them on our Postgraduate Funding page.

Find out about funding

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