Design for Change is an exciting new programme which seeks to address complex, global challenges such as disruptive technologies, ageing populations, economic instability, conflict and displacement and environmental degradation through design-led interventions.
As a student, you will develop the skills to ideate, communicate and deliver propositions for change founded on inclusive design-led interventions driven by tactical, critical, strategic and creative approaches.
Our programme is ideal for students who are looking to broaden their existing specialist approaches from a range of disciplines with new and appropriate 21st century design skills which can be applied across a variety of intellectual and creative contexts, including sociology, engineering, business, anthropology, geography, and especially design itself.
Programme Structure
Teaching will take place across two semesters through a series of Design Labs, which provide thematic focus to open project briefs.
Through these Design Labs, you will be encouraged to make innovative use of analytical design research methods, apply contemporary synthetic approaches to producing and prototyping design-led insights and to develop bleeding edge forms of communication, presentation and dissemination of design knowledge and future propositions for design-led interventions.
Design Labs are complimented by optional courses, which you will select from a range of subjects across the School of Design, Edinburgh College of Art and allied academic disciplines within the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. You will also benefit from our keynote speaker series, providing you with direct access to industry thought leaders and academic experts and our annual field trip which will build on an intensive session of workshops, site visits and engagement in the field.
The programme culminates in an independent dissertation embracing your own, situated and practical interventions to real world challenges interrogated through the first two semesters.
It may be possible to undertake a work-based dissertation and apply your new skills in real world applications.
Online information sessions
Join Programme Director, Arno Verhoeven, for an insight into the MA Design for Change degree, followed by an opportunity to ask questions.
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Proposed new PGT programme
One of our institutes, the Edinburgh Futures Institute, is looking for feedback to help develop one of their highly flexible, interdisciplinary, data-focused and project-led taught postgraduate (PGT) programmes.
We invite you to share your thoughts on the early ideas for an MSc in Future Democracy/Governance.
