MA in Design & Environment
The MA in Design and Environment addresses the intersection of design and environmental issues from the perspectives of both theory and practice-based study. In distinction to other programmes in the area, the programme undertakes an intensive inquiry into environmental discourses and practices, and maintains that such an inquiry enables creative projects that would not be possible in other contexts. In this sense, the MA establishes a critical-creative setting in which you can challenge existing theory and practice and explore ways to expand your own research and practice.
1 year full-time or 2 years part-time.
Along with your completed application form please include examples of your work: slides (approximately 12), a CD-ROM, or another appropriate representation accessible on generally used software; please include an index which outlines the concerns and ideas in what you have submitted (200-500 words) and a brief description of individual pieces (including scale, materials and collaborators and object performance where relevant). You should also submit a brief written statement (approximately 250 words), outlining your reasons for wishing to undertake this degree. Please make sure that slides and any supporting material are clearly labelled with your name and address: Goldsmiths cannot accept responsibility for any loss or damage.
Find out more about applying
You should have a first degree of at least upper second class standard in Design, Architecture, Art, Geography, Sociology, Cultural Studies or related field. You will need to present, in portfolio and at interview, evidence of developed critical and creative thinking related to environment topics through creative practice and/or written work. We expect a high standard of achievement in creative practice and/or written work, and competencies in the use of technology used to produce practice-based projects. If your first language is not English, you should normally have a minimum score of 7.0 in IELTS (including 7.0 in the written element) or equivalent. Find out more about our English Language requirements.
We produce graduates of consistently high calibre, including many who have become leaders in the creative industries of a number of countries, including China, Japan and Korea. Our students have won numerous awards (including UK Young Designer of the Year and Eco-Designer of the Year) and their shows have attracted positive attention in the media and achieved great acclaim in the design community. A number of graduates are now working in top London design consultancies (Fitch, Thomas Heatherwick Studios, Imagination, Pentagram) and major UK companies (John Lewis Partnership, Eden Project, Harvey Nichols).
You will develop strong conceptual and critical design skills alongside a broad range of transferable skills in areas such as project management, creative facilitation, research methods, and a working understanding of contemporary environmental topics in relation to creative practice.
Please see Tuition fees.
Please see Staff research interests.
Contact Dr Jennifer Gabrys
The MA is transdisciplinary in focus, and offers you the opportunity to develop a specific design practice or area of research at Master’s level in relation to environment topics. Students may have training in design, arts, architecture and landscape architecture. In addition, the programme offers a thesis pathway option, which may be suitable for applicants with training in cultural and social theory, environmental studies, and geography. Applicants will have had some exposure to the creative industries, arts and practice, whether as actual practitioners, curators or people from disciplines engaged with thinking and writing about practice-based fields.
The MA helps you to:
- develop a systematic understanding of relationships and connections between design and environment, as informed by both theory and practice
- develop reflective abilities through exploring new practices and discourses in design and environment
- review methods and processes used in design and environment practice and research
- research, explore and extend understanding of sustainable practices and their social impact in design and related fields
- develop new approaches and skills to a high level to inform and develop practical and intellectual domains of professional work.
Depending on their area of focus, graduates from the programme will also develop strong conceptual and critical design skills alongside a broad range of transferable skills in areas such as project management, creative facilitation, research methods, and also a working understanding of contemporary environmental topics in relation to creative practice.
What you study
The MA in Environment and Design is structured around core modules, options courses and a major project.
Core modules
Design and Environment (30 credits) explores relations between design and environment. How do creative practitioners undertake environmental projects? What are the assumptions about what constitutes environment? What is the prevailing rhetoric about how to do something in the environmental arena? How do the different scale and media of design constitute the environment and scope of environmental effect differently? In this core module, we consider theory and practice at the intersection of design and environment; we critique and expand on the prevailing environmental discourses and practices; and we propose alternative models for environmental thought and practice.
Researching Design and Environment (30 credits) explores the means through which we know about – and find out about – design and the environment. We examine research paradigms, including what kinds of questions can be explored through observing and engaging in practice, and what questions emerge through empirical, critical and theoretical inquiry. We explore methodologies; create new research tools; and analyse and present research in new ways for the purposes of specific users and audiences.
Additionally this new MA offers breadth through a number of options (totalling 60 credits) that have been planned in collaboration with other MA programmes within the department. These options include:
- Design Ecologies
- Technonatures
- Materialities
- Sustainability
Other options are currently available on the MA in Design in Critical Practice, and we anticipate further options being added as new MAs are offered within the Design framework. The core and option units allow students to develop understandings and expertise that they can draw together and utilise in their final project (60 credits).
The final project will enable students to engage in a significant research undertaking in a context of their choosing that will inform understandings of design and environment. The project can be undertaken as either practice-based research supported by theory or theory-based research supported by inquiries into practice.
Assessment
Assessment is through peer review, tutor appraisal, student self-evaluation and student-tutor consultation. The assessment may be both formal and informal. In discussions through seminars and tutorials, tutors and students will be able to assess learning through process to final outcome. Depending on a student’s focus, the outcomes may consist of essays, design work, portfolios, and formal presentations.
Register your interest
If you register your interest in this programme we will keep you informed about open days and send you relevant further information. If you subsequently decide to apply for this programme you will be able to use the same login details to apply.
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