Course information

Length

1 year full-time, 2 years part-time

Course overview

This programme will equip you with the fundamental business and social enterprise knowledge and skills needed to manage innovative product and brand or policy development, service delivery, and integration of emerging technologies in fast-paced industries.

Studying with us will allow you to participate in a lively guest lecturing schedule. In past years, senior leadership from the following organisations have come to discuss innovation challenges and opportunities with students on this programme:

  • Technologists like Microsoft, Tesla, and Apple
  • Consultancies, and think tanks like PwC, Ogilvy, and Accenture
  • Media organisations like Monocle, the Financial Times, or The Economist
  • Movements like the Bitcoin and Black Lives Matter
  • These practical skills will equip you to lead and deliver the twin ambitions of transformation and sustainability driving the global economy. Our programme focuses on the means of generating economic impact through gains in revenue, competitiveness, productivity, project management, and profitability alongside the means of generating social impact through inclusivity, diversity, social mobility and equality.
  • The management of innovation is a critical element in ensuring countries, organisations, and individuals encourage speed to impact decision-making, enhanced digital skills and strategies for future-readiness. The focus has shifted from serving and valuing shareholders to serving and valuing stakeholders – customers, workforces, investors, regulators, anyone else impacted by your product, service, or brand.
  • Recent speakers in our Innovation Case Studies series have also included fashion designer Sir Paul Smith, 'city superwoman' Nicola Horlick, Xynteo CEO Osvald Bjelland, Microsoft UK CEO Clare Barclay, and Edelman EMEA CEO Ed Williams.
  • Goldsmiths has a long history of demonstrating innovation and our students have the unique opportunity to develop interdisciplinary practical and theoretical management skills in a bustling creative and entrepreneurial environment. Past Goldsmiths graduates have received Academy Awards, Baftas, Golden Globes (Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave), the Mercury Prize (James Blake) and the Turner Prize (Laure Prouvost).

Contact the department

If you have specific questions about the degree, contact Chris Brauer.

What you'll study

Overview

You'll learn core leadership skills, and how to apply them to manage the near continuous need for innovations and changes in organisational products, structures, strategies, and processes. You can choose to study the latest techniques and strategies for consumer behaviour and marketing or seek to develop a fully formed business model for entreprenurial ventures.

The programme mixes theory and practice and allows you to obtain a professional qualification in project management and development, which will enhance your employment prospects.

The Institute of Management Studies (IMS) at Goldsmiths benefits from excellent links with industry. Graduates of this programme will be capable of leadership and adaptive management styles, and will be able to direct and manage innovation in a variety of organisations.

Compulsory modules

You'll take the following compulsory modules, including a 60-credit in-depth research project in your particular area of research interest.

Module title Credits
Innovation Theory 15 credits
Design Thinking 15 Credits
Project Management 30 credits
Digital Research Methods 15 credits
Innovation Case Studies 15 credits
Research Project 60 credits

Option modules 

You'll then take 30-credits of the following optional modules:

Module title Credits
Organisational Behaviour and Health 15 credits
Leadership and Talent Management 15 credits
Training, Coaching and Counselling 15 credits
Entrepreneurial Modelling 30 credits
Consumer Behaviour 15 credits
Psychology of Marketing and Advertising 15 credits
Research Design and Applied Statistics 15 credits

Please note as an enrolled postgraduate student it is often possible to take additional modules from other departments at Goldsmiths, however these audited modules are not for credit towards your MSc.

Download the programme specification.

Please note that due to staff research commitments not all of these modules may be available every year.

Entry requirements

You should have (or expect to be awarded) an undergraduate degree of at least upper second class standard in a relevant/related subject. 

You might also be considered for some programmes if you aren’t a graduate or your degree is in an unrelated field, but have relevant experience and can show that you have the ability to work at postgraduate level.

International qualifications

We accept a wide range of international qualifications. Find out more about the qualifications we accept from around the world.

If English isn’t your first language, you will need an IELTS score (or equivalent English language qualification) of 6.5 with a 6.5 in writing and no element lower than 6.0 to study this programme. If you need assistance with your English language, we offer a range of courses that can help prepare you for postgraduate-level study.

Fees, funding & scholarships

Annual tuition fees

These are the fees for students starting their programme in the 2024/2025 academic year.

  • Home - full-time: £15980
  • Home - part-time: £TBC
  • International - full-time: £23660

If your fees are not listed here, please check our postgraduate fees guidance or contact the Fees Office, who can also advise you about how to pay your fees.

It’s not currently possible for international students to study part-time under a student visa. If you think you might be eligible to study part-time while being on another visa type, please contact our Admissions Team for more information.

If you are looking to pay your fees please see our guide to making a payment.

Additional costs

In addition to your tuition fees, you'll be responsible for any additional costs associated with your course, such as buying stationery and paying for photocopying. You can find out more about what you need to budget for on our study costs page.

There may also be specific additional costs associated with your programme. This can include things like paying for field trips or specialist materials for your assignments. Please check the programme specification for more information.

Funding opportunities

Find out more about postgraduate fees and explore funding opportunities. If you're applying for funding, you may be subject to an application deadline.

How to apply

You apply directly to Goldsmiths using our online application system. 

Before submitting your application you’ll need to have:

  • Details of your academic qualifications
  • The email address of your referee who we can request a reference from, or alternatively a copy of your academic reference
  • Copies of your educational transcripts or certificates
  • personal statement – this can either be uploaded as a Word Document or PDF, or completed online. Please see our guidance on writing a postgraduate statement

You'll be able to save your progress at any point and return to your application by logging in using your username/email and password.

When to apply 

We accept applications from October for students wanting to start the following September. 

We encourage you to complete your application as early as possible, even if you haven't finished your current programme of study. It's very common to be offered a place conditional on you achieving a particular qualification. 

If you're applying for external funding from one of the Research Councils, make sure you submit your application by the deadline they've specified. 

Late applications will only be considered if there are spaces available.

Selection process 

Admission to many programmes is by interview, unless you live outside the UK. Occasionally, we'll make candidates an offer of a place on the basis of their application and qualifications alone.

Find out more about applying.

Staff

The following staff members all teach on this programme and are complemented by visiting tutors and industry professionals in the delivery of the programme curriculum.

Dr Chris Brauer BA MA GradDipProjMgmt PhD PMP (Programme Director)
Courses: Innovation Case Studies, Project Management, Dissertation

Chris is the Director of the MSc Management of Innovation programme and teaches the Innovation Case Studies and Project Management courses. His research interests are in the intersections of emerging technologies and management. He consults extensively in the public and private sectors and regularly appears in the media discussing and analysing the intersections of innovation and markets, society, and culture. He supervises MSc Management of Innovation dissertations focused on practical projects, project management, digital and offline ethnographies, social network analysis, and qualitative methods.

Dr Jennifer Barth BA MA PhD
Courses: Digital Research Methods

Jennifer is a Lecturer in the Department of Computing and teaches the Digital Research Methods course on the MSc Management of Innovation. Her research interests are in hybrid social research across digital and offline society, economics, and science. She consults in social responsibility, ethnographic research, and emerging technologies.

Professor Frank Bond BA PGDip MSc PhD CPsychol ICTLHE
Courses: Dissertation

Frank is the Director of the Institute of Management Studies and was previously Head of the Department of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London. His research and consultancy focus on identifying and enhancing the organisational and psychological factors that determine work effectiveness (e.g., productivity, innovation), leadership skills, and employee health (e.g., mental/physical health). Frank has consulted with a wide-range of organisations, for example, to enhance leadership skills in investment bankers and innovation potential at the BBC. He supervises MSc Management of Innovation dissertations focused on organisational behaviour and the psychology of management.

Dr Nigel Guenole BA (hons), MA, GradDipApplStat, PhD
Courses: Leadership and Talent Management, Dissertation

Nigel is the Director of the MSc Global Leadership programme and teaches the Leadership and Talent Management course on the MSc Management of Innovation. His research focuses on the measurement of high performance for leadership and talent management using advanced psychometric methods. His consulting work focuses on the design and validation of psychological assessment instruments  for employee selection and development purposes. He supervises MSc Management of Innovation dissertations focused on quantitative methods and advanced statistics.

Dr Jo Lloyd BSc MSc PhD CPsychol
Courses: Organisational Behaviour, Dissertation

Jo is the Director of the MSc Occupational Psychology programme and teaches the Organisational Behaviour courses on the MSc Management of Innovation. Her research focuses on occupational health psychology and in particular workplace health and performance. She is a chartered psychologist with the British Psychological Society (BPS) and supervises MSc Management of Innovation dissertations focused on organisational behaviour and employee health and wellbeing.

Ms Siân Prime BA (Hons) FRSA
Courses: Entrepreneurial Modeling

Siân is the Director of the MA Creative and Cultural Entrepreneurship and teaches the Entrepreneurial Modeling course on the MSc Management of Innovation. She is a trainer, facilitator, coach, and consultant in the creative industries, cultural policy, and management.

Staff in the Institute of Management Studies

Careers

Skills

The programme will help you develop strong project management, problem-solving, decision-making and critical evaluation skills. You'll develop an understanding of theories of leadership, and the characteristics of the organisational and social structures within which leaders and talented individuals work. You'll learn about project management and how it can be applied to a range of project environments. You'll also learn about innovation approaches and challenges, and how to translate conceptual and theoretical implications of innovation to practical applications.

Careers

Graduates of the programme will be capable of managing projects full of change, transformation, and innovation in any size of organisation – from start-ups to non-profits and Fortune 500 companies. Senior level industry guest speakers and analysts feature on several of the modules on the programme.

Find out more about employability at Goldsmiths.

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