Design: Active Practice - MA
Currently viewing course to start in 2025/26 Entry.
Are you passionate about using design to create a more equitable and sustainable world? MA Design: Active Practice offers a unique opportunity to rethink conventional design models through the blending of research and practice....
- Level Postgraduate Taught
- Study mode Full Time/Part Time
- Award MA
- Start date September 2025
- Subject
- Location Margaret Street
This course is:
Open to International Students
Overview
Are you passionate about using design to create a more equitable and sustainable world?
MA Design: Active Practice offers a unique opportunity to rethink conventional design models through the blending of research and practice.
This course empowers you to critically engage with the purpose and value of artefacts, systems, and processes, equipping you to address complex social, political, and technological challenges with innovative design solutions. By merging critical inquiry with hands-on studio work, you will develop the skills and confidence to become a leader driving transformative change in the design field.
With a strong emphasis on social change, the course centres on learning by doing. Active design processes—such as making and dialogue—are crucial for developing competencies in design research, analysis, creative problem-solving, and prototyping. Key themes like Design Cultures, Connections, and Challenges will guide your practice-based learning through individual and collaborative projects, enhancing your teamwork and communication skills via real-world design briefs and live assignments.
Housed in the historic Birmingham School of Art, this program thrives within a vibrant research culture that welcomes practitioners from diverse backgrounds. Our dynamic studio environment fosters individual growth and collaboration, empowering you to build an impressive portfolio and expand your professional network through participation in design festivals and workshops across Europe.
Our alumni have successfully ventured into various careers, including independent design practices, PhD research, teaching, service design, consultancy, and tech start-ups.
What's covered in this course?
- Engage in a curriculum that combines hands-on design practice with in-depth theoretical insights.
- Explore how design shapes society, politics, economics, and the environment.
- Develop critical thinking skills to apply innovative approaches in your practice and research.
- Address complex design challenges with ethical awareness and responsibility.
- Build advanced analytical skills for effective problem-solving and insightful evaluation.
- Prepare to lead as an adaptable, change-driven professional in the design industry.
“The tutors were always on hand to help and were of great support. They were the ones who guided me through my work process, gave me confidence and, best of all, helped me gain a place at the Royal College of Art.”
Why Choose Us?
- Birmingham School of Art is celebrating 130 years of art at Margaret Street – its Grade I-listed building has been the inspiration for countless artists and practitioners of international reputation over the years. There has also been a multi-million-pound investment in facilities for photography, casting, woodwork, metalwork, silk screen, etching, 3D printing, laser cutting, and printed and constructed textiles.
- You'll instantly become part of the Faculty of Arts, Design and Media’s 6,000-strong student community, and you will be supported by our highly experienced staff, who are all nationally and internationally active artists.
- You will curate exhibitions, have the opportunity take part in work placements and exchanges, and go on national and international study visits.
- Each year the onsite project space, the International Project Space (IPS), will be the hub for a series of residencies, exhibitions and events, and we will work with a number of local, national and international partners to deliver a range of projects with our students.
OPEN DAY
Join us for an on-campus Open Day where you'll be able to learn about this course in detail, chat to students, explore our campus and tour accommodation.
Next Event: 24 November 2024
Entry Requirements
Essential requirements
Essential Requirements
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BA (Hons) Degree in Fine Art or Art and Design, or other Arts-based Degree course, related subject. The minimum academic qualification required is a 2:2 award. Those with equivalent prior professional or life experience will also be considered. |
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Applicants will also need a good portfolio. |
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IELTS 6.0 overall with 5.5 minimum in all bands or its equivalent. |
If you have a qualification that is not listed, please contact us.
Fees & How to Apply
UK students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
-
TBC
- Register interest
- Part Time
- 2 years
- Show fees
- Register interest
- £1022 per 20 credits
- Year 1 - 120 credits
- Year 2 - 60 credits
Fees for Part-time students
This course can be studied on a Part-time study basis. The cost per year of study is based on credit requirements for that year.
International students
Annual and modular tuition fees shown are applicable to the first year of study. The University reserves the right to increase fees for subsequent years of study in line with increases in inflation (capped at 5%) or to reflect changes in Government funding policies or changes agreed by Parliament. View fees for continuing students.
Award: MA
Starting: Sep 2025
- Mode
- Duration
- Fees
- Full Time
- 1 year
-
TBC
- Register interest
- Part Time
- 2 Years
-
TBC
- Register interest
Portfolio guidance
If you receive an offer to study this course, you will be required to submit a portfolio.
Please see our portfolio guidance page for tips on putting your portfolio together.
Personal statement
You’ll need to submit a personal statement as part of your application for this course. This will need to highlight your passion for postgraduate study – and your chosen course – as well as your personal skills and experience, academic success, and any other factors that will support your application for further study.
If you are applying for a stand alone module, please include the title of the module you want to study in your Personal Statement.
Not sure what to include? We’re here to help – take a look at our top tips for writing personal statements and download our free postgraduate personal statement guide for further advice and examples from real students.
Course in Depth
Modules
This 14-week module acts as an effective bridge between your prior study and the start of the course, recognising the span of the social, cultural and ‘life’ experiences within your cohort. We employ small group tutorials, group critiques, collaborative group activity and contextual lectures, each of which supports this transition, learning and development.
Themes and Concepts in Art supports and advances the historical and theoretical knowledge that informs your studio practice. It promotes intellectual curiosity and critical reflection, developing your confidence in speaking and writing about art.
The overarching aim is to introduce the skills and understanding necessary to initiate and organise a self-directed fine art practice in relation to contemporary art and historical precedents.
The ability to work collaboratively in a team is a vital employability skill within the creative industries. This module is an opportunity to learn and critically reflect on the skills of collaboration by enabling you to create a group project with students from complementary disciplines.
Employability
Enhancing employability skills
You will learn a range of skills which will be key to enhancing your future employability.
Specifically, you will learn to:
- Develop your own practice and how to analyse this in relation to future employment options.
- Identify the relationship of theory to practice and how this can be used to develop your own individual identity.
- Negotiate, plan exhibit and present to a professional standard.
- Work independently and collaboratively.
- Be a self-motivated, organised, effective learner.
You will also learn skills in a range of workshop practices in relation to individual development, including photography, casting, woodwork, metalwork, silk screen, etching, 3D printing, laser cutting, and printed and constructed textiles.
Professional practice guidance will teach you a range of skills such as CV writing; the use of social media and other platforms for self-promotion, presenting yourself and your work in a professional framework using a range of appropriate communication skills, such as video and various types of presentation software.
Links to Industry
Birmingham School of Art has a wide array of links with partner organisations regionally, nationally and internationally. These partnerships will provide work experience opportunities for you, and contribute to your learning and teaching activities. Our overseas partnerships often result in opportunities for you to mix with students from different countries and gain different perspectives, as well as opportunities to undertake a period of study overseas.
Regional - Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, Ikon Gallery, Eastside Projects, Midlands Art Centre, New Walsall Gallery, The Mead Gallery, VIVID, Capsule, Grand Union, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham Children’s Hospital, Hippodrome, the REP, the new Library of Birmingham, Primary and Secondary Schools across the region.
National - Arts Council England, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, Tate Liverpool.
International - Established links with other significant institutions both in Europe and the USA, as well as in Canada, Russia and Japan.
Other institutions include:
These include: The Sorbonne, the Metz/Pompidou (France); Studio for Electronic Instrumental Music, The Hague (Netherlands); Ars Electronica (Austria); University of Cologne, Free University of Berlin, Leipzig Academy of Art (Germany); University of Ljubljana (Slovenia); MIT List Visual Arts Center, Massachusetts College of Art, California Institute of the Arts, University of California (USA); Pacific Centre for Technology and Culture (Canada); Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (Japan); The Laboratorium (Russia).
Placements
You will have the option of an international exchange, and the opportunity to get involved in a range of projects and placements.
Our students have recently been on placements with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, working with and alongside sculptor Rob Olins on a recent production of ‘The BFG’.
Students have also worked with the sound artist, Justin Wiggan, exploring the University archives in relation to the school of Art to create site-specific work.
The Fierce Festival and the Flatpack Festival regularly work with our Fine Art students.
International
Birmingham City University is a vibrant and multicultural university in the heart of a modern and diverse city. We welcome many international students every year – there are currently students from more than 80 countries among our student community.
The University is conveniently placed, with Birmingham International Airport nearby and first-rate transport connections to London and the rest of the UK.
Our international pages contain a wealth of information for international students who are considering applying to study here, including:
- Details of the entry requirements for our courses
- Some of the good reasons why you should study here
- How to improve your language skills before starting your studies
- Information relevant to applicants from your country
- Where to find financial support for your studies.
Our international students
The Art Based Master’s Programme is an international community of aspiring researchers and professionals and the programme attracts candidates from all over the world including: Africa, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Italy, India, Iran, Israel, Japan, Lithuania, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Nigeria, Norway, Poland, Romania, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, Thailand and the USA.
This diversity provides you with an opportunity to study with people from diverse social, cultural and ethnic backgrounds and who bring a wealth of experience to the programme. This gives the ABM programme a dynamic energy that enriches everyone’s educational experience.
Facilities & Staff
Our Facilities
We are constantly investing in our estate and are currently in the process of spending over £400 million on new learning facilities.
Birmingham School of Art (an impressive purpose built Grade 1 listed example of Venetian Gothic architecture) was the first major renovation project undertaken by the university (£5.5m refurbishment). The School provides an incredible resource for the production of art and its associated fields of study. The building has a range of facilities available including studios, workshops, specialist art and design library, bookable spaces and lecture/seminar rooms.
