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Graphic Design MA

  • Intro
  • Entry
    criteria
  • Course
    content
  • Careers
  • Fees
    and costs
  • Location and
    student life
  • Stay in
    touch
  • Related
    courses

Intro

Our distinctive Graphic Design MA is an enriching and advanced programme for both graphic designers looking to push their practice in ambitious new directions and creatives wanting to move into the field.

You will be encouraged to explore social, political and environmental issues in your work and to consider the crucial role of design in relation to the most pressing debates in contemporary society.

At the heart of graphic design is communication - this programme is rooted in defining and challenging the boundaries of existing and developing creative design practice.

We will support you in discovering fresh new ways of working and in expanding your creative ideas and research interests – you will be solving real-world design problems at a high level.

Find out about postgraduate events

Key facts

Location Brighton: City campus

Full-time 1 year
Part-time 2 years

Apply now for your place

Please review the entry requirements carefully and if you have any questions do get in touch with us.

View looking up at Grand Parade building
You will be learning at our Grand Parade building in central Brighton, working alongside students from across the visual communication postgraduate programmes, which encourages interdisciplinary collaboration and conversation.
Details of printing fonts
The course covers motion graphics, user experience design, editorial design, branding, typography, narrative systems, gamification and art direction.
Drawing colourful shapes in a notebook
Your learning will be a mix of practical workshops, lectures, guided and independent study, critical reflection and writing, presentations and study trips.
Graphic design publications on shelves
At the end of your MA you will exhibit your major project work in a show open to the public.

Art and design courses at Brighton are ranked joint 8th in the UK and in the top 100 globally by the QS World University Rankings® 2023

This MA takes the view that issues of sustainability, social change and our place as designers, consumers and citizens are at the heart of what it means to be a responsible and responsive graphic designer. The future is unfolding in front of us on a daily basis

Nigel Aono-Billson, Course Leader

Entry criteria

Entry requirements

Degree and experience
Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant area. Other candidates with relevant experience and demonstrable ability are also considered.

Applicants are requested to submit a proposal at the application stage (guidelines are available on request)

 

 

English language requirements
IELTS 6.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each element. Find out more about the other English qualifications that we accept.

International requirements and visas

International requirements by country
Country name
Albania
Algeria
Argentina
Australia
Austria
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Belarus
Belgium
Bermuda
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Botswana
Brazil
Bulgaria
Burma (Myanmar)
Cameroon
Canada
Chile
China
Colombia
Croatia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Ecuador
Egypt
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Ghana
Greece
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
India
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Jamaica
Japan
Jordan
Kazakhstan
Kenya
Kosovo
Kuwait
Latvia
Lebanon
Liechtenstein
Libya
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macedonia
Malaysia
Malawi
Malta
Mexico
Moldova
Montenegro
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Zealand
Nigeria
Norway
Oman
Pakistan
Palestinian National Authority
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Romania
Russian Federation
Saudi Arabia
Serbia
Sierra Leone
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Syria
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Tunisia
Turkey
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United States
Uzbekistan
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe

We can help you meet our English language or academic entry requirements.

View our English language courses

For pre-sessional English preparation courses.

Visit our International College

For degree preparation courses.

Visas and immigration advice

Applying for a student visa

Check out our step-by-step guidance.

Portfolio

Admission to this course involves reviewing your portfolio. After you apply, we will ask you to share a link to an online portfolio of your work. This enables us to see your potential and understand your approach and motivations. 

We will ask you to log on to Student View to share your portfolio link. We will not be able to progress your application to Brighton until you share your portfolio.

  • Find out about the specific requirements for your course.

Creating your portfolio
We’ve put together advice and guidance to help you create and share your portfolio and we run regular online portfolio advice sessions where you can get help from our expert team.

Creative media work

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Course content

Course structure

The course is delivered over three semesters through:

  • practical workshops
  • guided and independent study
  • critical reflection and writing
  • lectures
  • presentations
  • study trips.

Part-time students take the same key modules over two years.

Graphic design student printing

Areas of study

At the heart of the Graphic Design Masters course students explore the ever-changing opportunities that exist within graphic design and visual communication, generative design systems convergent, and digital technologies.

Specialisms covered include design innovation, thinking, making, doing, engaging in multi-disciplinary approaches, redefining problems beyond predefined boundaries, creating solutions based on a new understanding of complex situations, fostering progressive, radical approaches and creative resolutions, using prototypes and archetypes, to discover new intuitive behaviours. 

Areas of research examine and explore the digital and physical, new futures and frontiers, universal design for intelligence, design systems for living and AI futures.

Graphic design students working together

Syllabus

Modules

  • Design Landscapes

    In this module you will consider design practice as research and learn how to clearly present complex information through either an academic essay or a reflective journal. A range of guest speakers will cover topics related to graphic design and discuss research methods linked to studio practice, new media technology, exhibitions and cultural issues. Discussion topics will include criticism, curatorship, writing, ethics, impact, sustainability and partnerships.

  • Project Development

    You will plan, develop and pitch a proposal for your major project during this module. The learning comprises project work, critical thinking, lectures, seminars, presentations and tutorials. You’ll create a portfolio of work to reflect the variety of research and practice methods you’ve studied and implemented during the semester. The module will encourage you to select, test and use different materials to create images, artefacts, products, systems or texts using critical approaches to explore a range of processes.

  • Research Presentation

    This module builds upon your prior work and culminates in a final research presentation which links, explores and describes research, theory and practice. During seminars, you will examine and discuss research methods linked to contemporary graphic design practice, exhibitions and cultural issues. Subjects covered include orientating your design practice through research; marketing and PR; presenting your work; project management; and public programming and events planning.

  • Project Resolution

    In this module there will be opportunities to collaborate with industry and other institutions to support the development and completion of your final major project, a single body of work that reflects a coherent programme of study. You will demonstrate strong observational and visualisation skills, confidently communicate visual communication concepts and be able to be self-reflective, work pro-actively with others and recognise and argue for alternative approaches.

  • Professional Development

    This module is designed to enhance your professional practice through a combination of briefings, seminars, online resources and independent study. You will learn to critically appraise your current skills and professional development needs as a design practitioner and professionally represent yourself and your practice. You will be encouraged to network with external professional practitioners to equip you with the skills and contacts to manage your future career path.

Facilities

You will work in postgraduate studio spaces alongside fellow visual communication students, encouraging interdisciplinary collaboration and conversation between other courses and external partners.

Technical staff are on hand to assist you in the workshops and facilities available to you include:

  • one of the country's best-stocked art and design libraries
  • the internationally important Design Archives with a wealth of graphic design and illustration material
  • dedicated graphic design studio
  • letterpress printing workshop (dedicated technician)
  • book arts workshop (dedicated technician)
  • Techhub featuring laser cutting, plasma cutting, CNC 3-axis milling, CNC routing, 3D body scanning, portable 3D scanning and rapid prototyping
  • department print bureau.
Students using printing facilities

Meet the team

Our team of practitioners and specialists, as well as experienced technicians, will guide you in mastering your specialism within the field.

Nigel Aono-Billson, Course Leader

Nigel has an international graphic design practice background working as a graphic designer for over 43 years, in the UK and internationally.

He has held the positions of course leader and graphic design educator on both MA and BA graphic design courses within the UK and international higher education sector for over 33 years.   

Nigel continues to run his own design practice and studio alongside his academic career. 

Read Nigel's full profile.

Gavin Ambrose

Gavin is a practising graphic designer who works with clients on diverse and engaging social, cultural and environmental projects. His practice, Studio 245, works within graphic design, print and environmental design with the aims of culturally enriching our environment and field of vision and embracing new ways of learning. He teaches through activities focused around workshops and activity led sessions aimed at empowering learners.

This method is based, in part, on the teachings of Jean-Pol Martin, who pioneered the LdL method of teaching (Lernen durch Lehren or Learning by Teaching) where peers are encouraged to teach one another.

Since 2005 Gavin has authored and designed a series of books on design and design theory for Bloomsbury Press London and New York which have been translated into multiple languages.

Gavin is a registered PhD supervisor at the University of Brighton, and this presents an opportunity to advance higher level study and research.

Read Gavin’s full profile.

Nigel Aono-Billson

Careers

Graphic design is a large and varied discipline. It spans the analogue traditions of the printed word and image to sophisticated and ever-evolving emergent digital technologies which are now integrated into all aspects of our professional and personal lives.

At Brighton, our Graphic Design MA has been created to enable you to develop the skills, confidence, agility and ambition to position yourself within this immense and fast-changing landscape. 

We will help you to understand the wide-ranging career options open to you, and to make informed choices for your future.

Post-study opportunities within graphic design extend beyond traditional roles found within studios, in-house, agencies, or as a freelancer. The field offers various paths and futures including advanced study options at a PhD level or as a researcher.

Graphic design prints

Fees and costs

Course fees

UK (full-time)9,250 GBP

International (full-time) 17,900 GBP

Scholarships, bursaries and loans

We offer a range of scholarships for postgraduate students. Bursaries and loans may also be available to you.

Find out more about postgraduate fees and funding.

The fees listed here are for the first year of full-time study if you start your course in the academic year 2025–26.

You will pay fees for each year of your course. Some fees may increase each year.

UK undergraduate and some postgraduate fees are regulated by the UK government and increases will not be more than the maximum amount allowed. Course fees that are not regulated may increase each year by up to 5% or RPI (whichever is higher).

If you are studying part-time your fee will usually be calculated based on the number of modules that you take.

Find out more

  • Fees, bursaries, scholarships and government funding info for UK and international postgraduate students
  • Student finance and budgeting while studying
  • About the university’s fees by checking our student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

What's included

You may have to pay additional costs during your studies. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. A summary of the costs that are included and any extras that you may be expected to pay while studying a course  in the School of Art and Media in the 2022–23 academic year are listed here.

  • Typically, practice-based courses incur more costs than text-based subjects. For many courses you will need to budget for the cost of specialist materials, equipment and printing and are likely to spend between £50–£300 per year.
  • For some courses you may also need to budget up to £100 for specialist personal protective clothing which, with care, will last for the whole of your course and beyond.
  • For most courses you will have the opportunity to attend field trips and off-site visits, for example to galleries, exhibitions and studios both in the UK and overseas. These are optional and are not required to pass your course. The amount spent would be based on location and number of trips taken, and typically range between £100 and £700 across the duration of your course.
  • You will have access to computers and necessary software at City campus and Moulsecoomb campus and at other locations across the university. Specialist equipment is provided to cover essential learning. Students may choose to buy their own specialist equipment, these may include cameras, or computers and software, university/student discounts are available for some equipment and software. Budgets can range from £50–£2,000. Buying specialist equipment is best undertaken in consultation with our academic and technical staff. This expenditure is not essential to pass any of our courses.
  • For some courses you will need to budget up to £200 for printing and publishing. Photography courses may incur higher costs (£500–£2,000) when printing and framing images of professional standard for public presentation.
  • Course books, magazines and journals are available in the university libraries. You do not need to have your own copies, but if you wish to, you should budget up to £200 over your course to buy them.
  • For courses in which there is an optional placement year, you will need to budget for living costs (rent, food, travel etc) in that city/country, as if you were on site at the university.
  • For some courses you will need to budget up to £150 for stationery.
  • Final-year graduation shows are opportunities to present your final, independent project work to the public. Practice-based courses will typically incur higher costs. Depending on the specific nature of your final project you will need to budget between £20–£2,500.

You can chat with our enquiries team if you have a question or need more information. Or check our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as more information about fees and advice on international and island fee-paying status.

Location and student life

Campus where this course is taught

City campus

City campus is located at the heart of central Brighton.

The facilities for making and designing, the theatre, galleries, workshops, studios, archives and the independent arts organisations based on site provide a unique and inspiring environment where creativity thrives.

St Peter’s House library and Phoenix halls of residence are close to the Grand Parade main building where you will find the student centre with careers, counselling, student advice service, and disability and dyslexia support. Edward Street provides extensive teaching and gallery space for media, photography and film.

Also on site are Screen Archive South East and University of Brighton Design Archives.

Brighton Pavilion, Brighton Museum and Art Gallery, the iconic pier and beach are a very short walk away. The independent shops and businesses of the North Laine and Kemptown, and Brighton main line station, with frequent express services to London, are 10 minutes walk.

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Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of a place in halls of residence to all eligible students. So if you applied for halls by the deadline you are guaranteed a room in our halls of residence.

Brighton: City campus

Halls of residence
We have self-catered halls on all our campuses, within minutes of your classes, and other options that are very nearby.

You can apply for any of our halls, but the options closest to your study location are:

  • Phoenix halls are in the heart of the city, a short walk from City campus – and from the seafront.
  • Varley Park is a popular dedicated halls site, offering a mix of rooms and bathroom options at different prices. It is around four miles from the city centre and is easy to get to by bus.

Want to live independently? We can help – find out more about private renting.

Phoenix Brewery Halls Accommodation

Accommodation for City campus is in the nearby Phoenix Halls

Student kitchen in Phoenix Halls

Student kitchen in Phoenix Halls

Relaxing in nearby Pavilion Gardens

Relaxing in nearby Pavilion Gardens

Local area

One of Time Out's 50 best cities in the world

“Brighton has… all the important parts of a sprawling cosmopolitan metropolis (connections to London in under an hour, an array of properly excellent restaurants, energetic late-night spots) … with the easy-breezy beachy attitude to life that makes you feel welcome in an instant.”
Time Out’s 50 Best Cities in the World, 2025

About Brighton

The University of Brighton is at the heart of our city’s reputation as a welcoming, forward-thinking place which leads the way when it comes to the arts, music, sustainability and creative technology. Brighton is home to a thriving creative community and a digital sector worth £1bn a year. Many of the work-based learning opportunities offered on our courses such as placements, live briefs and guest lectures are provided by businesses and organisations based in the city.

We provide support and venues for key events in the city’s arts calendar including the Brighton Festival, the Festival Fringe, the Great Escape, the Brighton Digital Festival, Brighton Photo Biennial and the Cinecity Brighton Film Festival. Other annual highlights include Pride, the Brighton Marathon, and Burning the Clocks which marks the winter solstice. Our own Brighton Graduate Show transforms our campus into the largest exhibition space in the South East as we celebrate the outstanding talent and creativity of our students.

As a student you’ll get lots of opportunities to experience these events at first hand and to develop your skills through the volunteering and other opportunities they offer.

You'll find living in Brighton enriches your learning experience and by the end of your course you will still be finding new things to explore and inspire you.

It's only 50 minutes by train from Brighton to central London and there are daily direct trains to Bristol, Bedford, Cambridge, Gatwick Airport, Portsmouth and Southampton.

Map showing distance to London from Brighton
Brighton Beach sunset

Maps

City campus map

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Support and wellbeing

Your course team

Your personal academic tutor, course leader and other tutors are all there to help you with your personal and academic progress. You'll also have a student support and guidance tutor (SSGT) who can help with everything from homesickness, managing stress or accommodation issues.

Your academic skills

Our Brighton Student Skills Hub gives you extra support and resources to develop the skills you'll need for university study, whatever your level of experience so far.

Your mental health and wellbeing

As well as being supported to succeed, we want you to feel good too. You'll be part of a community that builds you up, with lots of ways to connect with one another, as well having access to dedicated experts if you need them. Find out more about how we support your wellbeing.

Sport at Brighton

Sport Brighton

Sport Brighton brings together our sport and recreation services. As a Brighton student you'll have use of sport and fitness facilities across all our campuses and there are opportunities to play for fun, fitness or take part in serious competition. 

Find out more about Sport Brighton.

Sports scholarships

Our sports scholarship scheme is designed to help students develop their full sporting potential to train and compete at the highest level. We offer scholarships for elite athletes, elite disabled athletes and talented sports performers.

Find out more about sport scholarships.

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Take a tour of sport facilities on our Falmer campus

Stay in touch

Find out about postgraduate events

Ask a question about this course

If you have a question about this course, our enquiries team will be happy to help.

01273 644644

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