MA Illustration
Manchester, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 22,000 / per year
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
In the 21st century, advancements in technology, shifts in media consumption, and evolving industry needs have opened new opportunities for illustrators as digital content creators, interactive media specialists, environmental designers, research communicators, marketing creators, educators, e-commerce designers, animation artists, and social advocates.
The MA in Illustration is tailored for creative practitioners aiming to advance their knowledge and skills in this dynamic field. It is ideal for those eager to explore the impact of new technologies and innovate with traditional processes.
The programme emphasises meaningful themes such as social justice, sustainability, and health and wellbeing. Participants will create thought-provoking work addressing contemporary issues and contributing to global conversations.
Features and Benefits
- While studying towards a particular qualification at the MA level, students experience their subject in the broader context of contemporary design practice.
- Dedicated spaces for our Master's students have been developed to enable the postgraduate community to flourish. These spaces, for thinking and practice, are located at the heart of Manchester School of Art, allowing easy access to an extensive range of workshops where the combination of traditional and state-of-the-art equipment opens up a world of exciting possibilities.
- You will be taught by research-active staff who are part of the Manchester School of Art Research Centre and experts in their field.
- The University library has outstanding art and design holdings, including a special collection of artist's books and ephemera.
Admissions
Curriculum
Core modules
- Design Thinking - This module introduces an applied understanding of how design can be used as an iterative process for creative problem-solving. It will enable you to understand how to apply design thinking processes to your specialist area through understanding users, challenging assumptions, redefining problems and creating innovative solutions to prototype and test.
- Design Practice: Graphic Behaviours - The first part of this module is intended to acclimatise you to the challenges of MA-level research and practice, enabling you to identify and describe a clear direction for your postgraduate design study.
- Message / Audience / Context - This module is concerned with the development and production of a body of work realising your creative ambition within the fields of graphic design and art direction and illustration.
- Synthesis Project: Illustration - The Synthesis final MA module will support you to develop, resolve and present a significant body of work, located within illustrative practice. The module accommodates opportunities for collaborative, industry-based or international learning experiences, and enables you to undertake and submit work developed within professional placements and/or live projects.
- Art & Design: Culture & Context (MA:X) - This module offers a focused opportunity for students to extend and enhance their practice by including working in a wider design research community.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Career prospects
We cultivate highly motivated, independent and creative thinkers who can transfer their skills into the creative marketplace, as entrepreneurial innovators, freelance practitioners and innovative team players. Past graduates predominantly achieve graduate-level positions or practise as sole traders, design studio artists, exhibiting artists, museum curators, archivists, researchers, academics, community practitioners, specialist technicians and filmmakers at national and international levels.
Program delivery
Study
- Full-time 35% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 65% independent study
- Part-time 35% lectures, seminars or similar; 0% placement; 65% independent study
Assessment
- Full-time 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination
- Part-time 100% coursework; 0% practical; 0% examination