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| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-10-01 | - |
| 2026-10-01 | - |
Program Overview
User Experience and Service Design
The User Experience and Service Design programme is offered as either an MA or an MSc. This advanced degree will develop your knowledge, skills, and practice in Experience (UX) Design, Service Design, and Interaction Design. Our modules will teach you how to undertake user research, identify opportunities for creating great user experiences, and design transformative products/services. You will also work with industry clients and develop material for your portfolio.
Qualification(s) available: MA, MSc
Fees
- Dependent on start date. See below.
- Scholarships available
Entry requirements
- 2:1
- Full-time: 1 year
- Part-time: Typically 2 years
- Location: Loughborough
- Start date: October 2025 or October 2026
- Department: Design
Programme Description
Our User Experience and Service Design programme is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and practice required to become human-centred designers within the industry. The programme empowers students to design socially and environmentally responsible products and services. The content of the programme will enable students to develop their skills and competencies in both the creative and analytical aspects of UX while working on a diverse range of projects.
Programme Aims
The User Experience and Service Design programme has six aims:
- Nurture a comprehensive intellectual understanding of User Experience and Service Design and the vocational and professional skills required to master connecting theory, creativity, and practice.
- Foster an innovative, systemic, and disruptive approach to concept development informed by a detailed understanding of people and context through real-world research.
- Achieve mastery in conceptualising, designing, and developing transformative, responsible, and sustainable digital and non-digital experiences.
- Cultivate the organisational, technical, collaborative, and creative skills required to apply User Experience and Service Design across various sectors.
- Challenge students' preconceptions of User Experience and Service Design by exposing them to transdisciplinary working through practice-based learning and live industry projects.
- Enable students to become independent scholars and practitioners in User Experience and Service Design, preparing them for future study or practice.
Programme Structure
The programme is based around a series of lectures and workshops. There will also be a series of guest lectures on various professional topics, including career development. The User Experience and Service Design programme uses a mix of teaching and learning methods:
- Lectures
- Seminars
- Tutorials
- Field trips
- Independent study
- Group work
- Supervision
- Workshops
- Practical sessions
- Online tutorials
- Virtual learning
- Access to online material
Modules
Semester 1
Compulsory
- Experience Design (30 credits)
- Understanding People, Behaviours and Context (15 credits)
- Systems Thinking for Designers (15 credits)
Semester 2
Compulsory
- Industry Project (15 credits)
- Service Design (30 credits)
Compulsory for the MA award
- Generative Research and Prototyping for MA Design Major Project (15 credits)
Compulsory for the MSc award
- Evaluative Research and Prototyping for MSc Design Research Project (15 credits)
Summer
Compulsory for the MA award
- Experience Design Major Project (60 credits)
Compulsory for the MSc award
- UX Research Major Project (60 credits)
Assessment
We will give you helpful feedback on your work throughout the year to help you develop to your potential. You will be assessed through various coursework, including submission of design projects, group and individual presentations, and discussion of work.
Entry Requirements
Our entry requirements are listed using standard UK undergraduate degree classifications, i.e., first-class honours, upper second-class honours, and lower second-class honours. To learn the equivalent for your country, please choose it from the drop-down below.
We will consider applicants from all academic backgrounds, not just design. We value and promote diversity of all forms on our course. We are looking for applicants who can demonstrate a genuine desire to design better experiences for individuals and society.
Entry Requirements for United Kingdom
- A 2:1 honours degree (or equivalent international qualification).
- We consider students from a range of disciplines relevant to User Experience Design (including Art and Design, Computer Science, Media, Psychology, Business).
English Language Requirements
Applicants must meet the minimum English language requirements. Further details are available on the International website.
Please note: a good level of spoken English language is important to succeed on this programme.
Fees and Funding
Fees for the Academic Year
- UK fee: £13,250 Full-time degree per annum
- International fee: £30,950 Full-time degree per annum
Fees for the Academic Year
- UK fee: £13,700 Full-time degree per annum
- International fee: £31,900 Full-time degree per annum
Fees for the academic year apply to courses starting in October 2025 or January 2026. Fees for the academic year apply to courses starting in October 2026.
The fee stated is for a full-time student undertaking a master's programme of 180 credits. Part-time students should divide the published fee by 180 credits and then multiply by the number of credits they are taking to calculate their tuition fees.
Fees are reviewed annually and are likely to increase to take into account inflationary pressures.
Scholarships and Bursaries
There are scholarships and bursaries available to help with funding your study.
- 10% off tuition fees: Loughborough University Alumni Bursary
- 1851 Royal Commission Fellowships and awards: These opportunities are external to Loughborough University. See The Royal Commission website for eligibility criteria and further details.
Your Development
We are committed to helping you develop the skills and attributes you need to progress successfully in your chosen career.
We offer diverse extracurricular activities, including guest lectures, seminars, and entry to UX Design competitions to build your personal, professional, and teamworking skills alongside your academic proficiencies. Each student has a personal tutor who offers mentorship and support to their students throughout the course. Loughborough University also offers an extensive range of societies for students to explore their social, sporting, or creative aspirations.
Our Academics
- Dr. Tracy Ross: Reader in People-Centred Innovation Design
- Dr. Stuart Cockbill: Senior Lecturer in Design
- Dr. Andrew May: Senior Lecturer in Design
- Dr. Chris Parker: Senior Lecturer in Design
Your Future Career
We help you develop the skills you need to succeed as a UX professional.
Our students work in many different job roles, including UX Designer, UI Designer, User Researcher, Product Manager, Experience Designer, Product Designer, UX Consultant, User Insights Specialist, Service Designer, and Digital Consultant. They work in many companies outside the design field, including those in management and IT, that value the user-centred design skills we teach. Some graduates go on to careers in research, teaching, or progress onto PhD study. The employment destinations of our recent graduates include IBM Design, IBM iX, Samsung, Next, Dyson, Tencent, Huawei, Baidu, and Pivotal Labs.
Related Master's Degrees
- User Experience Design MA, MSc
- Ergonomics and Human Factors MSc, PGDip, PGCert
- Human Factors and Ergonomics for Patient Safety PGCert
- Integrated Industrial Design MSc
Search for a master's degree or browse all master's degrees.
