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Design Management

MA

Summary

Study level: Postgraduate Award: Master's Part time: 1 year+ Location: Online

What makes Arden University special?

Education for everyone, everywhere

Whether you're constrained by location, cost, time, or other life commitments, we're passionate about giving you access to higher education that fits into your busy, modern life.

You decide how and where to study

We offer a wide range of flexible undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in both our online and blended study modes.

Full support both online and on-site

We're also proud to offer non-standard entry, meaning your work experience and previous qualifications are taken into account when assessing your application.

Strong focus on employability

You will gain in-depth subject knowledge and transferable skills that employers from a huge range of industries will value. Many of our courses at Arden are also accredited by leading professional bodies in the UK.

Course Overview

Are you passionate about design and interested in advancing into a managerial position? Our accredited MA Design Management programme is tailored to meet the demands of contemporary design thinking and business practices. It equips you with the skills needed for emerging career opportunities across diverse sectors. Upon completion, you'll be eligible to apply for a Level 7 Strategic Leadership and Management certificate from the Chartered Management Institute.

This MA imparts advanced management skills for those currently working in or aspiring to managerial roles within the design industry. Through the programme, you will develop proficiency in design practices and methodologies while gaining a comprehensive understanding of management principles relevant to design.

What you’ll learn

During your studies with us, you'll focus on four main themes: visual design, design thinking and practice, project management, and strategic leadership. We extend unique insights and approaches that go beyond traditional education, equipping you with specialised skills not typically offered in other degree programmes. You'll develop a thorough understanding of the critical aspects involved in successfully developing innovative designs, products, services, brands and businesses. You'll graduate with the confidence and capabilities to drive transformative change in design business culture through innovative design solutions and strategic leadership and management.

Management focussed

This course provides extensive training in managing creative and design projects. You will develop a deep understanding of overseeing creative endeavours, managing teams and workflows within a creative context, and navigating the effects of evolving social norms and emerging technologies like AI. You'll graduate as a proficient problem solver equipped with highly transferable business skills sought after by a wide range of companies spanning various industries.

Chartered Management Institute (CMI) accredited

Upon graduation from this degree programme, you'll be eligible to apply for a Level 7 certificate in Strategic Management & Leadership Practice from the CMI. This also grants you the CMI Foundation Chartered Manager Status, allowing you to utilise the fCMgr post-nominals, demonstrating your proficiency in effective management. This distinction sets you apart in the job market and provides a clear path towards obtaining full Chartered Manager status.

Accreditation and Memberships

CMI Accredited

This course awards a CMI Level 7 Certificate in Strategic Management and Leadership Practice and grants graduates Chartered Manager Status.

Course details and modules

Arden University’s expertise as an established provider of online degree education means we have the technology and experience to deliver this course to you fully online, without compromising the quality of your learning journey.

Module structure

The unique and non-traditional quality of this master’s course is reflected in the structure of your syllabus. Course modules in design thinking and practice skills, paired with communication design, will help you better understand and demonstrate the unique aspects of physical, digital, or conceptual design practice. Throughout your studies you’ll be encouraged to consider sustainability and how to reduce environment impact through design, emphasising the concept of ‘social good’ and how this can be promoted through visual design communication. Additionally, the course gives you the opportunity to formulate, plan, and creatively explore a self-initiated industry-linked project in a specific area of design management with which you personally identify.

A unique feature of the course is that, unlike traditional design degrees, your dissertation or ‘Research Report’ module precedes the final Creative Situated Practice module. This means you’ll apply the content, learning, and assessment outcomes from your Research Report directly to your Creative Situated Practice module. This will help you achieve cohesion of learning throughout the all-important final stages of your degree, and gives you the opportunity to research and demonstrate the value that design can bring to a business and apply your findings to your career.

The MA Design Management is accredited by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), with CMI best practice integrated into each module of the curriculum. In particular, the Design Professional Practice and Creative Situated Practice modules each have recognised CMI best practice embedded into their learning outcomes. Having completed these two modules, you’ll be awarded a Level 7 Strategic Leadership and Management certificate from the Chartered Management Institute.

Modules

• Design Thinking and Practice
• Design Management Practice
• Emerging Communication Design
• Collaborative Design I
• Collaborative Design II
• Design Professional Practice
• Research Report
• Creative Situated Practice

Study options

This course is currently available to students as a fully online programme, which gives you the convenience of being able to study from anywhere worldwide.

Part-time online learning

How does it work?

Studying the MA Design Management online gives you the ultimate in convenience. You can enrol with Arden from anywhere in the world and study your degree from the comfort of home, without the requirement to attend classes in a physical location.

Our online students study their degree through ilearn, Arden’s university campus in the cloud. ilearn provides everything you need to study at University. As well as receiving regular feedback and guidance from your course tutor, you’ll be studying with likeminded students who you can meet with through our Unitu community, and you’ll have access to community message boards to discuss your course and the topics being raised within it. You’ll also have access to our Library Portal. The portal includes an extensive digital library including thousands of journal titles, eBooks, and academic and industry databases which you can use to research your assignments and projects. All of these materials are provided to you free of charge, and contain all the research information you’ll need to complete your degree with us.

Online learning students resident in the UK can apply for a Maintenance Loan for living costs if they cannot attend their course in person because of a disability. Please find more information on our fees and funding page. If you're a student from Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland you can find information on Living Cost Loans from your student finance body

Entry requirements

At Arden University we consider applications on a case by case basis. If you have significant work experience, have qualifications you have gained elsewhere, or a degree or qualification that isn't a clear pathway to this degree - we are more than happy to discuss your application.

What you need to study with us

Our aim is to make learning as accessible as possible by ensuring that you can study in a flexible and convenient way. That's why we keep our requirements simple. All you need is a laptop or desktop PC (we recommend one running the latest version of Windows), and a good internet connection. Through ilearn, our online university campus in the cloud, you'll be able to access your course calendar, support services, learning materials, and our online library containing thousands of ebooks, as well as tools for creating assignments, keeping notes, and collaborating with other students on your course.

Eligibility

Standard Entry

Standard entry onto the course takes place through a combination of portfolio assessment (five completed projects with evidence of design planning, process, and research), and evidence of a completed bachelor’s (undergraduate) degree at level 2:2 in a relevant discipline, such as: graphic design, multimedia and interactive design, visual communication, advertising and marketing, marketing and design, or IT. This list is not exhaustive, and previous academic qualifications are considered on a case by case basis.

Non-standard entry

Candidates who lack formal qualifications but possess significant, relevant experience will be considered on the basis of at least four years' relevant work experience and a portfolio of work. The portfolio must consist of a minimum of 5-10 complete design projects that display design process and use of the full design cycle, with evidence of planning and research.

English proficiency

• IELTS 6.5 (no less than 6.0 in any element); or TOEFL iBT 90; or equivalent
• Alternatively, evidence you have previously studied in English, such as a letter to show that the Medium of Instruction was in English, can be accepted

Course fees and funding

Funding and Scholarships

For our July 25 and October 25 intakes, we’re offering UK online learning students the opportunity to enrol on our MA Design Management course for just £7,000, a tuition fee reduction of £1,500. This means you can use the remaining balance from your Postgraduate Student Loan (up to £12,858 for students in England) to help with living costs, making it easier for you to invest in your future.

If you’re an international online learning student, we have Regional Offers that can help you save money on your tuition fees.

Terms and conditions apply

Refer a Friend

When you help a friend or family member to study with Arden through our Refer a Friend programme, both you and the person you refer will receive a £500 Amazon e-voucher or £500 tuition fee credit.

Meet the faculty

Katy Fowler joined Arden University as Head of Department in January 2025, bringing over a decade of leadership experience in Higher Education leading degree programmes in Drawing, Games Design & Fine Art.

Katy has expertise in Fine Art as a practising artist, she is also the founder of WAM! (Working-class Artist Mothers), a nationally recognised network supporting underrepresented artists. WAM! is currently developing an online residency programme, and exploring participatory research practices around equitable payment models, raising awareness of the systemic barriers faced by working-class artist mothers, and advocating for policies that support their artistic and caregiving responsibilities.

A committed advocate for widening participation, Katy has played a key role in developing evidence-based strategies to enhance access, retention, and success for underrepresented students. Her broader contributions to the Intersectional Students Working Group and the Student Success and Quality Committee demonstrate her dedication to fostering inclusive learning environments and promoting creative excellence.

Career prospects

What will I gain from this degree?

The MA Design Management gives you the opportunity to bring your creative talent to the foreground, while learning vital modern disciplines in the business side of the industry. The course will help you fully appreciate the contemporary design landscape from the perspective of visual communication, user experience (UX), and design studio management. Key learning outcomes embedded into the course include:

• Developing an appreciation of the management of projects in an evolving digital environment, including an evaluation of digital technologies relevant for design practice management.
• Critically analysing managerial responsibilities such as decision making, controlling processes, containing cost, maximising profit, and other key management functions.
• Examining your role within the society you serve as a design practitioner.
• Understanding how to work collaboratively within interdisciplinary teams and the design thinking framework to complete multiple projects on relevant global topics.
• Understanding how to develop as a strategic leader through strategic personal and professional development and the ability to provide world-class solutions to real problems in design strategy and leadership.

Industry skills

Chartered Management Institute (CMI)

This course provides the opportunity to apply for a CMI Level 7 certificate in Strategic Management & Leadership Practice and offers CMI Foundation Chartered Manager Status *

The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) promotes excellence in UK management and leadership. As the CMI possesses a Royal Charter, they are the only organisation in the UK that can award Chartered Manager status to their members – the gold standard in management. With 140,000 members, the institute aims to boost career development across the management sector and connect like-minded professionals.

As an Arden student, you’ll have free CMI Membership throughout your studies, giving you access to a range of additional resources including a mentoring service and invitations to networking events both online and offline.

Upon completion of this CMI-accredited course, you will be eligible to apply for a CMI Level 7 certificate in Strategic Management & Leadership Practice and gain CMI Foundation Chartered Manager Status. This recognises you have the skills needed to be an effective manager, helping you stand out from the competition and start your management career journey - with a CMI qualification and a clear pathway to full Chartered Manager status.

*Upon completion of your course, the CMI award and level of chartered status awarded will depend on your level and length of study, whether you entered your course with Recognition for Prior Learning (RPL) or if any compensation is applied on your modules throughout the duration of study. If this criteria applies to you, you may receive one of the 2 different levels; an Award or Certificate.