Program Overview

Master of Arts in Creative Arts (Visual Communication)

Overview

The MA Visual Communication programme, run by the Dublin School of Creative Arts at DIT, offers a unique opportunity for focussed study in an interdisciplinary environment that mixes studio practice with intellectual and historical inquiry. The course is one of five delivered through the Creative Arts Masters Platform. Students on the MA Visual Communications course will join those on the other studio-based programmes in Interior Design, Product Design, and Fine Art, and those on the Contemporary Visual Culture course, where students study the theory and criticism of contemporary visual culture or the history of art and design.

Programme Details

TU Code

TU382

NFQ Level

Level 9

Award Type

Major

Award

Master of Arts

Duration

2 Years

Course Type

Postgraduate

Mode of Study

Part Time

Method of Delivery

On-Campus

Commencement Date

September 2025

Location

Grangegorman

Fees

€3,700 Per Year
€7,400 Total Fee

What is Visual Communication?

The MA Visual Communication programme 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 on the MA include: typography; editorial design; branding; visual identity; public awareness campaigns; social design; digital technology narrative and space; and web and screen-based design.

Minimum Entry Requirements

• Bachelor Degree (Honours 2.1 or above) in relevant disciplines.
• 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 course or twenty-four-month, part-time course 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.

Year One

• Semester 1
  • Discipline Specific 1: Project Initiation [Mandatory]
  • Discipline Specific 3: Project Realisation [Mandatory]
  • Discourses in Contemporary Art and Design [Mandatory]
  • Research Methods [Mandatory]
  • Discipline Specific Seminar [Elective]
• Semester 2
  • Discourses in Contemporary Art and Design [Mandatory]
  • Research Methods [Mandatory]
  • Discipline Specific 2: Project Development [Mandatory]
  • Discipline Specific Seminar [Elective]

Schedule

The course is offered full-time and part-time. Part-time students will take a total of 25 credits of coursework in the first year, and 55 credits in the second year.

Research Areas

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

Final 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.