Course summary

This multidisciplinary course engages with the myriad possibilities of a fluid approach to Art and Design. Our course values creative research skills and activities and contextual studies as much as creative practice itself. Through a combination of making, reading, and writing, you'll become a critical and creative thinker and practitioner. You will experience an innovative approach to Art and Design, working across disciplinary boundaries, combining traditional and contemporary approaches between thinking and making, you will develop into creative and critical artists, designers, or hybrids, who are informed by the past, who challenge the present, and who are prepared for the future. Examples of integrated/hybrid Art and Design practices might include, but are not limited to, participatory and community arts/design projects, digital and physical mapping projects, artist books, publication as practice, interpretation of archival and historical materials, speculative design projects, environmental, landscape and place-based work. The course encourages making, creativity and innovation in tandem with the opportunity to develop your critical, contextual, and theoretical abilities. You will develop your understanding of research methods relevant to Art and Design research-based practices and whatever, your background, you will have the opportunity to develop your creative practice. By the end of the programme, you will have produced a substantial portfolio of work which will demonstrate a distinct and personalised approach to creative practice and will further your future career. You will be supported by a team of experienced artists, designers, academics and technical staff who will help you develop your skills and maximise your potential. You will be encouraged to make use of the School’s dedicated exhibition spaces, other venues on the University campus and across the city. The MA in Interdisciplinary Art and Design is designed for students from a range of backgrounds including Graphic and Communication Design, Curation, Fashion, Textiles, Fine Art, Photography, Digital Media and more. The School of Design offers excellent facilities and technical support for developing your creative skills. We have a range of dedicated spaces where you can work independently. We also have several practical workshop studios and specialist facilities: fashion design studio, knit and weave studio, photography studio, digital print workshop, laser cutting and 3D print workshop, printmaking workshop, XLab for Immersive Technologies and 3D workshop. We provide you with access to a team of excellent technicians across the full range of skills who can help you to realise your work to reach its potential. We have a gallery within the School, as well as other dedicated spaces in which students can show their work. We also provide a range of other support to enhance the student experience and prepare students for the workplace: free dedicated software, a wide range of technical induction programmes, free access to LinkedIn Learning Tutorials, free camera and video recorder loan, costs of final MA Show (infrastructure, course catalogue and exhibition set-up), external promotion, Yorkshire Fashion Archive, visiting speakers from industry or other institutions around the world The School of Design provides a very different educational experience from our competitors. We value research activities and contextual studies and see these as integral to contemporary creative practice. In this interdisciplinary Art and Design postgraduate course you’ll develop a very broad range of creative and critical research skills. There are opportunities to gain deep understanding of the creative and cultural industries.