MA Design Innovation

Why study this subject?

The creative world is full of exciting and rewarding opportunities. This course enables you to challenge or extend your professional practice to acknowledge and address the core themes that are changing the sector: sustainability, digital design and entrepreneurship. With your final research practice focussing on one area that aligns with your career aspirations.

What facilities can I use?

At Buckinghamshire New University we are extremely proud to showcase industry-standard studios, technical machines and high-quality equipment. Students have access to course-specific spaces to work, collaborate and create inspiring spaces.

In our professional working studio, you’ll have your own personal workspace equipped with the technology and machines such as;

• 3D digital design programmes
• Industry standard and digital knit facilities
• Specialist technical support
• Specialist construction resources and supporting workshops

You will master materials, both through traditional methods and using digital software. We also have specialist technicians on site to support and share their knowledge with you, when and if you need it.

What will I study?

This course offers you the opportunity to identify and develop new products, processes or ways of working to become a confident, creative and motivated innovator of design.

You’ll gain a broader awareness of global challenges from economic, cultural, sustainable and ethical perspectives to extend your intellectual, technical and professional skills, through input from industry professionals.

The modules within this course are aimed at providing professional designers and graduates across the fashion, textile and fashion communication sector the opportunity to enhance your research knowledge and practice in parallel.

Whilst working to your individual strengths, interests and future aspirations you will initially complete rigorous investigation and experimentation across 3 key areas: Digital Futures, Entrepreneurship and Sustainability.

Theoretical and philosophical understanding of these themes will be further explored in the contextual research module to consider entrepreneurial, ethical, sustainable or economic perspectives. Ensuring you can show evidence of higher-level design thinking and acknowledge how design innovation can be influenced by cross disciplinary and complex relationships between product, processes, culture, society and the audience or consumer. 

This leads into the second semester where your individual topic of research will extend one of the themes into a practical final project which then leads into your final research dissertation.

Throughout your time studying with us we will support your progression and we encourage you to engage with opportunities in the external professional sector.

How will I be taught and assessed?

The curriculum combines theoretical knowledge to inform practical outcomes in relation to the three core themes of sustainability, entrepreneurship and digital design for innovation. You’ll have the opportunity to ensure your final research project reflects your interests and future aspirations. We also allow you to combine your degree with your own current work activities, making it relevant to your study and work life.

You’ll benefit from workshops, technical demonstrations and sessions, from our academic and our network of professionals.

The other assessment methods you will experience are:

• hybrid learning of practical and academic elements
• reflective and critically evaluative reports, sketchbooks, or artefacts
• research portfolio
• lecturers and seminars
• presentations
• self-evaluation
• dissertation

Self and peer feedback during regular group and individual discussions is an essential element in the growth of ideas and practical development. Students will be expected, during critiques and other discussions, to display a critical and reflective approach to their own work.