Program start date | Application deadline |
2025-01-27 | - |
Program Overview
Specialist Skills Development
2024/25 Part-time Postgraduate Short course and CPD
Award
Contributes to the Postgraduate Certificate of Professional Development.
Faculty
Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
School
Belfast School of Art
Campus
Belfast campus
Credit points
40
Start date
27 January 2025
Overview
To expand practice & knowledge of user experience, design thinking & service design, providing creative direction & support for emerging practice.
Summary
This short course expands students' knowledge of user experience, design thinking, and service design, providing creative direction and support for their emerging practice. It covers topics such as narrative construction, emerging digital themes, globalisation, localisation, and aesthetics.
With a focus on theory and practical applications, students develop strategies and research methods for problem-solving, opportunity identification, innovation framing, prototyping, and testing.
The course includes a concentrated period of practical research and peer critique, challenging students to explore contemporary issues and design solutions for social impact.
About this course
About
This short course aims to expand students' knowledge of user experience, design thinking and service design. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the principles and methods that underpin these methods and will develop the practical skills needed to design effective and efficient digital services.
The course provides students with creative direction and support to advance the development of their emerging practice. Underpinning the research and practice, the short course introduces key cultural and theoretical discourses and developments in order to advance the student's ability to understand, reflect and analyse the intellectual creative territory of both their shared and independent enquiry. Subjects covered include: identifying and constructing narratives; the impact of emerging digital themes upon practice; globalisation and localisation; and aesthetics.
With a focus on both theory and practical applications, the course provides students with the opportunity to advance their knowledge and skills by developing critically informed strategies and research methods. These will include problem-solving, opportunity identification, innovation framing, prototyping and testing for a defined context/organisation or purpose.
The short course offers a concentrated period of studio and/or externally-based practical research leading to defined outcomes and is supported by focused input from experts in the field and through peer learning and critique.
These areas will challenge students to explore contemporary environmental, social, cultural, technological and economic issues through general design thinking; defining opportunities for innovation; constructing practical or disruptive design solutions to specific problems; developing design practices to benefit society and designing for social impact.
This short course aims:
- To develop work that engages with public audiences, participants, users and consumers in an innovative and creative manner. This may include forms of collaboration, innovation and testing with external partners, providing a lively and diverse working environment for design thinking and ideas to grow.
- To develop students' applicable knowledge of and skills in traditional and new technologies, strategies, media, materials and processes and to enhance their ability to employ them appropriately and effectively in relation to the terms and possible opportunities of their subject area.
- To expand and advance students' ability to initiate, re-frame, develop, coordinate and negotiate an appropriate body of practical research and practice in relation to a critical public, commercial or cultural context.
- Familiarise students with a range of key critical discourses relating to their subject area in terms of contemporary cultural, social, technological, economic and political contexts. Apply analytical skills and critical thinking in relation to practice and text.
Linked programmes
MDes User Experience and Service Design PgCertPD Professional Development
Assessment
Portfolio (Coursework) [100%]
Portfolio document representing a project and its outcome.
Through an individually produced document, students will submit a body of creative work that demonstrates the development of their (and the group's) creative engagement and understanding of the project brief.
They will demonstrate an appropriate level of sophistication and critical awareness. They will include developments arising from research findings, that demonstrate resolution of thinking and practice within the course's specialist areas of user experience, service design or design thinking achieved through the module.
The work should be accompanied by 5,000-6,000 words of reflection which contextualise the students' thinking and learning and position the work in relation to the work of others. This will include a reflection on their role in the group.
Assessments are to be submitted in Week 13.
Attendance
This course requires on-campus attendance, at our Belfast campus, during Semester 2, 2025.
- Please note, dates and timetabling are to be confirmed and may be subject to change.
Entry requirements
Applicants must hold a degree (with at least 2:2 Honours standard) or equivalent or demonstrate their ability to undertake the course through the accreditation of prior learning.
The specific requirements for admission are detailed below:
- i) Applicants should normally hold a good honours degree in design practice or cognate subject from a University of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, from the Council of National Academic Awards, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council or from an institution of another country which is recognised as being of an equivalent standard.
- ii) Applications are welcomed from diverse backgrounds however, where there is a discipline shift the applicant must represent a coherent rationale for this shift and evidence prerequisite understanding and skills/experience (see below).
- iii) Interview by portfolio and proposal. Portfolios must be digital but multiple file types are acceptable (e.g., .pdfs, .docx, .pptx, .jpegs, etc.). Portfolios may also take a variety of forms. For example, if applicants come from a non-design background (e.g., the social sciences), they may use the portfolio to demonstrate research competencies or outline a series of possible projects.
Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)
The course is devised specifically to support continuing lifelong learning for professions in a rapidly changing field. Therefore APL (Accreditation of Prior Learning) will be considered as evidence of exceptional ability appropriate to recruitment to the programme.
Applications from professionals with extensive professional, industrial and/or commercial experience but lacking recent or higher-level academic qualifications will be encouraged. APL (Advanced Prior Learning) will be considered as evidence of exceptional ability appropriate to the course.
English Language Requirements
Applicants whose first language is not English must meet the minimum English entrance requirements of the University and will need to provide recent evidence of this (certified within the last two years).
Most of our courses require a minimum English level of IELTS 6.0 or equivalent, with no band score under 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement.
Start dates
- 27 January 2025
Teaching, Learning and Assessment
Attendance and Independent Study
Attendance and Independent Study
As part of your course induction, you will be provided with details of the organisation and management of the course, including attendance and assessment requirements - usually in the form of a timetable. For full-time courses, the precise timetable for each semester is not confirmed until close to the start date and may be subject to some change in the early weeks as all courses settle into their planned patterns. For part-time courses which require attendance on particular days and times, an expectation of the days and periods of attendance will be included in the letter of offer. A course handbook is also made available.
Courses comprise modules for which the notional effort involved is indicated by its credit rating. Each credit point represents 10 hours of student effort. Undergraduate courses typically contain 10, 20, or 40 credit modules (more usually 20) and postgraduate courses typically 15 or 30 credit modules.
The normal study load expectation for an undergraduate full-time course of study in the standard academic year is 120 credit points. This amounts to around 36-42 hours of expected teaching and learning per week, inclusive of attendance requirements for lectures, seminars, tutorials, practical work, fieldwork or other scheduled classes, private study, and assessment. Teaching and learning activities will be in-person and/or online depending on the nature of the course. Part-time study load is the same as full-time pro-rata, with each credit point representing 10 hours of student effort.
Postgraduate Master’s courses typically comprise 180 credits, taken in three semesters when studied full-time. A Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) comprises 60 credits and can usually be completed on a part-time basis in one year. A 120-credit Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) can usually be completed on a part-time basis in two years.
Class contact times vary by course and type of module. Typically, for a module predominantly delivered through lectures you can expect at least 3 contact hours per week (lectures/seminars/tutorials). Laboratory classes often require a greater intensity of attendance in blocks. Some modules may combine lecture and laboratory. The precise model will depend on the course you apply for and may be subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. Prospective students will be consulted about any significant changes.
Assessment
Assessment methods vary and are defined explicitly in each module. Assessment can be a combination of examination and coursework but may also be only one of these methods. Assessment is designed to assess your achievement of the module’s stated learning outcomes. You can expect to receive timely feedback on all coursework assessments. This feedback may be issued individually and/or issued to the group and you will be encouraged to act on this feedback for your own development.
Coursework can take many forms, for example: essay, report, seminar paper, test, presentation, dissertation, design, artefacts, portfolio, journal, group work. The precise form and combination of assessment will depend on the course you apply for and the module. Details will be made available in advance through induction, the course handbook, the module specification, the assessment timetable and the assessment brief. The details are subject to change from year to year for quality or enhancement reasons. You will be consulted about any significant changes.
Normally, a module will have 4 learning outcomes, and no more than 2 items of assessment. An item of assessment can comprise more than one task. The notional workload and the equivalence across types of assessment is standardised. The module pass mark for undergraduate courses is 40%. The module pass mark for postgraduate courses is 50%.
Calculation of the Final Award
The class of Honours awarded in Bachelor’s degrees is usually determined by calculation of an aggregate mark based on performance across the modules at Levels 5 and 6, (which correspond to the second and third year of full-time attendance).
Level 6 modules contribute 70% of the aggregate mark and Level 5 contributes 30% to the calculation of the class of the award. Classification of integrated Master’s degrees with Honours include a Level 7 component. The calculation in this case is: 50% Level 7, 30% Level 6, 20% Level 5. At least half the Level 5 modules must be studied at the University for Level 5 to be included in the calculation of the class.
All other qualifications have an overall grade determined by results in modules from the final level of study.
In Masters degrees of more than 200 credit points the final 120 points usually determine the overall grading.
Figures from the academic year .
Academic profile
The University employs over 1,000 suitably qualified and experienced academic staff - 60% have PhDs in their subject field and many have professional body recognition.
Courses are taught by staff who are Professors (19%), Readers, Senior Lecturers (22%) or Lecturers (57%).
We require most academic staff to be qualified to teach in higher education: 82% hold either Postgraduate Certificates in Higher Education Practice or higher. Most academic and learning support staff (85%) are recognised as fellows of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) by Advance HE - the university sector professional body for teaching and learning. Many academic and technical staff hold other professional body designations related to their subject or scholarly practice.
The profiles of many academic staff can be found on the University’s departmental websites and give a detailed insight into the range of staffing and expertise. The precise staffing for a course will depend on the department(s) involved and the availability and management of staff. This is subject to change annually and is confirmed in the timetable issued at the start of the course.
Occasionally, teaching may be supplemented by suitably qualified part-time staff (usually qualified researchers) and specialist guest lecturers. In these cases, all staff are inducted, mostly through our staff development programme ‘First Steps to Teaching’. In some cases, usually for provision in one of our out-centres, Recognised University Teachers are involved, supported by the University in suitable professional development for teaching.
Figures from the academic year .
Fees and funding
Prices
Northern Ireland, Republic of Ireland and EU Settlements Status Fees: £1,555.60
England, Scotland, Wales and the Islands Fees: £1,555.60
International Fees: £Not Applicable
Fees information
Payment of Fees and Deposits
Information about how to pay for a course including different payment options is available.
Fees and Funding
Information and advice about course fees and a guide to budgeting for your living costs, as well as sources for financial assistance including hardship funding, scholarships, prizes and awards, is available.
Additional mandatory costs
It is important to remember that costs associated with accommodation, travel (including car parking charges) and normal living will need to be covered in addition to tuition fees.
Where a course has additional mandatory expenses (in addition to tuition fees) we make every effort to highlight them above. We aim to provide students with the learning materials needed to support their studies. Our libraries are a valuable resource with an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as first-class facilities and IT equipment. Computer suites and free Wi-Fi are also available on each of the campuses.
There are additional fees for graduation ceremonies, examination resits and library fines.
Students choosing a period of paid work placement or study abroad as a part of their course should be aware that there may be additional travel and living costs, as well as tuition fees.
Ulster University
Overview:
Ulster University is a public university in Northern Ireland with campuses in Belfast, Coleraine, Derry~Londonderry, and a dedicated Sports Village. It offers a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate programs, as well as short courses and research opportunities. The university is known for its commitment to research and innovation, ranking in the top 10% of UK universities for research impact.
Services Offered:
Ulster University provides a comprehensive range of services to its students, including:
Accommodation:
On-campus accommodation options are available at all campuses.Sports Services:
The university boasts a dedicated Sports Village with various facilities and memberships.Student Union:
The Ulster University Students' Union (UUSU) offers a variety of support services and social activities.Student Wellbeing:
The university provides support services for student mental health and well-being.Digital Services:
Students have access to online resources and services through the university portal.Library Services:
The university library offers a wide range of resources and support for learning, teaching, and research.Employability and Careers Advice:
The university provides guidance and support for students seeking employment opportunities.Global Partnerships:
The university offers opportunities for international students and partnerships with other institutions.Student Life and Campus Experience:
Ulster University offers a vibrant and diverse campus experience. Students can expect:
Strong sense of community:
Each campus fosters a welcoming and supportive environment.Active student life:
UUSU organizes various social events, clubs, and societies.Access to facilities:
Students have access to modern facilities, including libraries, sports centers, and accommodation.Opportunities for personal development:
The university offers various programs and activities to enhance students' skills and well-being.Key Reasons to Study There:
High-quality education:
Ulster University offers a wide range of programs taught by experienced academics.Strong research focus:
The university is known for its commitment to research and innovation.Vibrant campus life:
Students can enjoy a diverse and engaging campus experience.Excellent support services:
The university provides comprehensive support services for students' academic and personal needs.Career-focused approach:
The university emphasizes employability and provides career guidance to students.Academic Programs:
Ulster University offers a wide range of academic programs across various faculties, including:
Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment
Life and Health Sciences
Ulster University Business School
The university is particularly strong in areas such as:
Nursing and Healthcare
Business and Management
Engineering and Technology
Arts and Humanities
Other:
- The university has a strong commitment to sustainability and social responsibility.
- Ulster University is registered with the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland.
- The university has a dedicated website for alumni and supporters.
- The university offers a range of online courses and resources.