22Jun
PostgraduateCourse summary
Plymouth College of Art has been granted full university status and formally recognised with the new title of Arts University Plymouth, following approval by the Privy Council. This makes us the City of Plymouth’s first specialist arts university. The title of Arts University Plymouth signifies a change to the way that the world will see us, our position within the sector and the mobility of our graduates; but not a change in the way that we see ourselves or what we do. Arts University Plymouth will build upon the existing strength of our unique culture and incredible community; we have no plans to change the specialist focus of the work we do together. The name Arts University Plymouth will appear on our qualifications, making it easier for employers and peers to recognise that our students were taught at a leading specialist arts university. In May 2022 we were awarded the Best Small or Specialist University at the 2022 WhatUni Student Choice Awards, coming top in a list of well-respected specialist UK universities, based on unbiased and honest reviews from students across the UK, in a category that highlights the quality of our provision as a specialist creative university. Our MA Visual Communication programme encourages the development of an individual and distinctive contemporary graphics practice through considered engagement with current contexts and audiences. Ethos The MA Visual Communication brings together design-led and research-driven approaches to an increasingly important practice and field of study. Our programme takes a critically informed and widely experimental approach to the production, form and circulation of ‘message’. The programme is ideas-driven, and devised to assist you in developing your unique approach within the broad field of contemporary communication-led practices, including graphic design, information design, typography, packaging design, branding, and more. You will engage in design thinking and research-centred projects, developing visual literacies through iterative design. Outline Through your work, you will develop a critical framework that will enable you to take on complex ideas and respond to commercial demands. The programme addresses areas of information design, work motivated by social needs, local, national and global contexts, and commercial propositions. You will develop a critical understanding of your subject by testing and evaluating contemporary techniques and a combination of processes, from letterpress, laser cutting, animation, photography and screen printing, to the latest software suites. Taught delivery within the programme provides a mix of discipline-specific methods and cross-disciplinary approaches that can be applied across creative and commercial sectors. Our shared module structure allows you to develop a dialogue with creative practitioners across the Graduate School. Supported practices This programme supports critically-investigative practices in graphic design, motion graphics, information design, moving image and typography.
Modules
Through three sequential phases or modules, we support our students in investigating, testing and developing their ideas in depth. The core tuition includes advanced training in specialist disciplines, research methods, critical thinking, research ethics, project design, professional codes and conceptual frameworks, and an opportunity for negotiated study under specialist supervision. All of our programmes have access to our outstanding workshop facilities. By combining our generic modules with specialist assignments and personal project proposals, we provide depth and specialisation within each subject area, while also equipping you with robust approaches, methodologies and techniques that can be applied across the commercial, social and public sectors. All students are asked to submit an initial research proposal on application to the course. This proposal should explain the kind of work that you want to create in the course of the MA or MFA programme, and identify your key professional aims. Of course, we understand the creative practice is all about change and development, so you won’t be stuck with these initial ideas. Instead, they will form the starting point for a dialogue with your tutors about your work. The first module on the MA examines the role of research methods in creative disciplines. The focus will be upon refining your research proposal through a process of making to ensure that it can act as a robust framework for your study. The second module supports you to identify the kinds of collaborations and public-facing opportunities that will strengthen your identity as a creative practitioner. The final module of each programme may be submitted as a dissertation or as practice, depending on which pathway best suits your concerns as a creative practitioner.
Assessment method
The final module of each programme may be submitted as a dissertation or as practice, depending on which pathway best suits your concerns as a creative practitioner.
Entry requirements
BA 2.2; equivalent professional experience or portfolio; exceptional project proposal.
English language requirements
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| Trinity ISE | Merit | Integrated Skills in English II (Level B2), minimum grade required: Reading: Merit, Listening: Merit Certificate valid for two years |
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | IELTS (Level B2), minimum grade required: IELTS overall score of 6.5, minimum of score Listening: 6.0, Speaking: 6.0, Reading: 6.0, Writing: 6.0 Certificate valid for two years |
| PTE Academic | 59 | PTE Academic (Level B2), minimum grade required: Listening: 59, Reading: 59, Writing: 59, Speaking: 59 Certificate valid for two years |
Click here to find out the most up-to-date information on our English Language requirements
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| Republic of Ireland | £8700 | Year 1 |
| Channel Islands | £8700 | Year 1 |
| EU | £16500 | Whole course |
| England | £8700 | Year 1 |
| Northern Ireland | £8700 | Year 1 |
| Scotland | £8700 | Year 1 |
| Wales | £8700 | Year 1 |
| International | £16500 | Whole course |
Additional fee information
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Provider information
Arts University Plymouth
Tavistock Place
Plymouth
PL4 8AT