Program Overview
MA Design (Illustration)
Overview
This is a practical postgraduate course in Illustration, grounded in professional development and research. You’ll produce illustration projects in a collaborative and creative environment, working with and alongside students of Design, Visual Communication, Graphics, Textiles, as well as Photography and other Fine Art specialisms.
What you'll learn
- Develop your drawing practice through exciting professional illustration projects.
- Learn from accomplished design professionals and receive excellent academic and technical support.
- Benefit from dedicated studio spaces and excellent workshop and print facilities.
Course structure
This Design Master’s runs over one year and is divided into three trimesters.
Trimester one
- From the start of the programme we encourage playfulness and risk-taking.
- You’ll begin by making work that responds to a range of instructions in ways that will help you to interrogate your practical approach, and to learn from lecturers and other students as you progress.
- You'll develop primary and secondary research that will feed directly into your practical work and assessments, and the project that you produce will form the basis of your developing practice.
Trimester two
- Maintaining an experimental approach, you'll consolidate what you are learning and begin to narrow your focus within your chosen pathway or subject area.
- Academic staff will help you evaluate your development and refine your approach to support your project outcome.
- You’ll be encouraged to scrutinise the way in which your project functions and engages its audience.
Trimester three
- In the final trimester, you will work exclusively on your Masters Project.
- This is a self-directed, double weighted practice module in which you’ll be focussing your attention on your final Degree Show.
- By this stage you will have established a line of enquiry for your practice and will be working to a proposal for the show that you have developed.
Course modules
- Research Methods
- Theory and Professional Context
- Practice 1 (Design)
- Research Practice
- Theory and Professional Practices
- Practice 2 (Design)
- Master's Project
Assessment
Your progress is evaluated by formative assessment (throughout the duration of the course) and summative assessment (at the end of each trimester), through a mixture of exhibitions, verbal/visual presentations, research folders/blogs and written assignments.
Teaching
You’ll learn through lectures, seminars, workshops, talks, individual and group tutorials, studio critiques and self-directed study.
Facilities and resources
- Our student service point at Locksbrook where you can purchase subsidised art and design materials, hire out equipment for free and collect Library resources
- Access to our well-stocked Library at Newton Park
- Specialist technical workshops across all of art and design
- Access to studio space where you can work on projects and refine your practice
Fees
2025 entry
- UK full time: £9,950
- UK part time: £4,975
- International full time: £18,560
Additional course costs
You may need to pay additional course costs over and above your tuition fees, for example, for specialist equipment or trips and visits.
Funding opportunities
Please visit our Funding pages for an overview of the funding options that may be available, including scholarships and bursaries.
Entry requirements
- A good undergraduate degree in a design, visual communication or art specialism, or its equivalent in terms of learning or experience
- A good working knowledge of design, visual communication or art contexts
How to apply
Ready to apply? Click the "apply now" button in the centre of this page.
Interview and portfolio guidance
Interviews can be conducted onsite or online with a digital portfolio.
When to apply
Many of our postgraduate courses have a limited number of student spaces. To avoid the disappointment of the course being full, we recommend that you apply now.
Late applications (generally those made after 31 July) will only be considered if places remain on the course.
Related courses
- MA Design
- MA Design (Textiles)
- MA Design (Visual Communication)
- MA Design (Graphics)
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
This is a practical postgraduate course in Illustration, grounded in professional development and research. You’ll produce illustration projects in a collaborative and creative environment, working with and alongside students of Visual Communication, Photography, and other Design and Fine Art specialisms.
Outline:
- Course Structure: This Design Master’s runs over one year and is divided into three trimesters.
- Trimester One: Encourages playfulness and risk-taking, asking students to respond to a range of instructions in ways that will allow them to interrogate how they work. Students begin to gather primary and secondary research that will feed into their assessments. Key issues in design and communication practice are introduced, and students explore how their specialist approach relates to the wider field. Students also begin to develop their professional practice skills such as marketing, social media, IT, collaborative working and exhibition installation.
- Trimester Two: Maintaining an experimental approach, students begin to narrow their focus. Academic staff help students evaluate their development and refine their work to support the project outcome. Students are encouraged to pay greater attention to the way in which their project functions and engages its audience. Technical staff support students to bring their project to a level appropriate for the assessment submission.
- Trimester Three: A self-directed, double practice module leads to the final Degree Show. Students establish a line of enquiry, working to a proposal of their devising, which positions their work within their specialist discipline. Students work in the studio with increasing independence to produce a body of work that demonstrates their now advanced knowledge and understanding of their professional practice.
- Course Modules: This course includes or offers the following modules.
- Research Methods
- Theory and Professional Context
- Practice 1 (Design)
- Research Practice
- Theory and Professional Practices
- Practice 2 (Design)
- Master's Project
Assessment:
Your progress is evaluated by formative assessment (throughout the duration of the course) and summative assessment (at the end of each trimester), through a mixture of exhibitions, verbal/visual presentations, research folders/blogs and written assignments.
Teaching:
You’ll learn through lectures, talks, taught sessions, individual and group tutorials, and studio critiques and seminars. Visiting lecturers, and seminars with external professionals and internationally renowned designers and artists, will help you determine where your current practice sits within the industry. Your learning is also supported by specialist librarians.
Careers:
Careers opportunities encompass skills such as book illustration, graphic and digital design, research and teaching, and roles include:
- Illustrator
- Graphic Designer
- Art Director
- Multimedia Artist
- Animator
- Set and Exhibit Designer
Other:
- Fieldwork: When permitted, Bath School of Art, Film and Media offers fieldwork opportunities throughout the academic year.
- Adobe Creative Campus: One of only three Adobe Creative Campuses in the UK, Bath Spa provides all students with access to the full Adobe Creative Suite, giving them the tools to communicate creatively, whatever their course or chosen professional field.
- Specialist technical workshops across all of art and design
- Access to studio space where students can work on projects and refine their practice
- Locksbrook Campus: Locksbrook Campus is a Grade II listed building designed by Nicholas Grimshaw in 1976. It has now been transformed into an innovative, open plan space, redesigned to meet 21st century environmental standards, with technical workshops surrounded by flexible studio spaces and large social areas. Locksbrook has received both a RIBA South West Award 2021 and RIBA National Award 2021, recognizing and celebrating what an amazingly inspirational space it is to come together to design, make, do, create and learn in.
- UK full time £9,520
- UK part time £4,760
- International full time £17,760
