Sustainable Design MA

Why choose this course?

The Sustainable Design MA welcomes those who want to direct their existing creative practice towards ambitious visions of a more sustainable, inclusive and equitable society. Our established, multi-disciplinary course will enable you to raise your sustainability literacy, and then design meaningful responses to the challenges of unsustainability that move you the most.

As a course, we ask – what's next? What's next for design thinking that addresses the climate emergency? What's next for design innovation that imagines more sustainable futures? What's next for design practice that questions what we design, how we design, and why we design? Our graduates challenge the design industry to redesign design. And each year we invite our new students to challenge us to rethink what we currently think.

We explore innovative, practical, provocative, speculative and radical ways to help realise sustainable visions through design. We think critically, holistically and sensitively about the diverse agendas that sustainability addresses, and the intersectional challenges it presents. We think through making, testing, questioning, and imagining. We contribute our global perspectives and diverse experiences to our collective thinking and understanding of sustainability. We are collaborative. We work with students on other courses within the Design School.

We are a cohort of graphic designers, product designers, service designers, furniture designers, textile designers, digital designers, experience designers, fashion designers, interior designers, architects, illustrators, filmmakers, strategists and more. We are unified by a commitment to designing sustainability itself.

Teaching and assessment

Assessment will be made at the completion of each module. Module marks are added to achieve a total final mark. Assessment will be made through practical design projects, presentations, and a final major project.

You'll normally need to have: a 2:1 or above honours degree or equivalent in a related art, design or craft subject and/or appropriate professional experience; a portfolio of work reflecting your experience and skills working in 2D and 3D. We also welcome applicants with relevant professional or vocational experience