Program Overview

Master of Arts in Creative Arts (Visual Communication)

Overview

The MA Visual Communication programme, run by the School of Art and Design at TU Dublin, offers a unique opportunity for focussed study in an interdisciplinary environment that mixes studio practice with intellectual and historical inquiry.

Programme Structure

The programme is one of five delivered through the Creative Arts Masters Platform. Students on the MA Visual Communications programme will join those on the other studio-based programmes in Interior Design, Product Design, and Fine Art, and those on the Contemporary Visual Culture programme, where students study the theory and criticism of contemporary visual culture or the history of art and design. The Platform allows specialisation within a dynamic mix of practical and critical disciplines, placing particular emphasis upon practice engaged with critical and historical debate.

Minimum Entry Requirements

• Bachelor Degree (Honours 2.1 or above) in relevant disciplines.
• If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence of your English language proficiency as detailed on our website. Applicants for this programme should have a minimum IELTS (Academic Version) English Proficiency of 6 overall (or equivalent) with nothing less than 6 in each component.
• Applicants are required to include a portfolio of relevant art/design work and a one-page research proposal with their application.

Course Content

The MA Visual Communication is a twelve-month, full-time programme or twenty-four-month, part-time programme divided between core modules, including Discourses in Contemporary Art and Design, Research Methods, and a Discipline-Specific Seminar Series, and modules designed to provide core and advanced studio skills. The course is designed to equip students with a systematic understanding and knowledge informed by the forefront of visual communication theory and practice. It seeks to develop an expanded practice in and enhanced awareness of the broad remit and social/economic/public role of visual communication.

Key Areas of Practice

• Typography
• Editorial design
• Branding
• Visual identity
• Public awareness campaigns
• Social design
• Digital technology narrative and space
• Web and screen-based design

Seminar Themes

• Text and Type: Critical typography at the intersection of academic, cultural and professional paradigms
• Design Participation and Usability: Cultural and social factors in design with a particular focus on participatory culture, networks, the engaged citizen and ethnographically informed practice
• Spaces and Places: Exploring the social, cultural and technical contexts in which visible language systems are produced

Final Major Project

The final Major Project module facilitates specialisation in key areas of interest through the development of a comprehensive body of work demonstrating a critical comprehension of the methodologies and the range of divergent practices that constitute contemporary visual communication design practice.

Facilities and Resources

• State-of-the-art printmaking and 3D workshops
• Off-campus Project Spaces
• Individual on-campus studios during the third semester, when students will deliver their final project

Programme Details

• TU Code: TU382
• NFQ Level: Level 9
• Award Type: Major
• Award: Master of Arts
• ECTS Credits: 90
• Duration: 1 Year
• Course Type: Postgraduate
• Mode of Study: Full Time
• Method of Delivery: On-Campus
• Commencement Date: September 2025
• Location: Grangegorman
• Fees: €6,700 Total Fee (EU), €13,500 Total Fee (Non-EU)