Creative Advertising MA

You’ll get to grips with the contexts and histories of modern advertising and the industry’s professional cultures through collaborative workshops, tutorials and studio-based activities. 

As you progress through the essential steps of creating an ad, you’ll explore the creative ideation process in depth, honing fundamental skills in art direction, copywriting, strategy, planning, pitching and creative problem-solving techniques. Working with our dedicated technicians and computer facilities, you will master industry standard software and methods for creating experiential, interactive and immersive campaign areas. 

Modules

Concept Creation

On this introductory module you will explore the craft of advertising through a future-facing lens. You'll be introduced to the advertising industry and the agency landscape and engage with the techniques and vocabularies used in the creation of advertising, developing advanced approaches to concept creation and interpretation of briefs.  

Strategic Approaches to Creativity

This module will develop your grounding in advanced communication strategy. Through both modelling and studio work, you will explore behavioural economics; audience, brand and cultural analysis; and key advertising theories and other advances in marketing science. 

Sustaining Practice

This module builds on the strategic thinking skills you have accrued to further explore creative concepts for a different range of communication objectives. 

To help you prepare for and shape your unique portfolio and personal brand as an advertising professional, you will develop leadership skills and presentation craft, with space to explore ideas around enhancing personal creativity and wellbeing.    

You will also have the opportunity to apply your mastery of advertising skills to industry competitions and graduate shows. In previous years, we have attended D&AD New Blood and Creative Conscience. 

Digital Media and Critical Futures

This module is focused on the future of advertising. You will explore and analyse the impact of technology on the advertising landscape; how it has fundamentally altered patterns of media consumption and where further technological advancements may be leading us.  

Channelling this deeper understanding, you will create future-facing advertising campaigns that use technology or non-conventional media in radical and unorthodox ways. 

Building on the skills and knowledge you have developed during the course, you will hone your professional and creative identity by developing a unique portfolio of creative work in response to a variety of both self-initiated and industry-led briefs.  

You will build your portfolio through workshops and seminar discussions with your peers, creating stand-out, attention grabbing campaigns that could catch the eye of industry creatives.  

You will showcase your work in an online portfolio and may have the opportunity to apply to take your work to the D&AD New Blood exhibition in London, where in previous years our students have pitched and presented their ideas to senior advertising creatives looking to network with the next generation of advertising talent. 

Modules

Final Portfolio 

For any creative advertising graduate, the portfolio is their calling card and replaces the traditional 'CV' as the most important factor for getting their first job. 

This module builds on the skills you have accumulated in all your previous modules, to produce a distinctive portfolio that showcases your skills and creativity to prospective employers. 

Your portfolio will include brand new campaigns using briefs devised with your tutors, demonstrating a breadth of advertising styles and outputs. 

This is a one-year, full-time course delivered over 45 weeks and divided into three 15-week study blocks.

Working in small groups, you’ll learn in seminars, workshops, and through individual and team tutorials. Your projects and processes will mirror life in a full-service agency as you work in copywriter/art director pairs, as well as individually. Lectures from industry professionals will provide advertising and media insights, and you’ll find helpful research and project work information in our Virtual Learning Environment.

Assessment methods

• Assessment at the end of each study block.
• Combination of visual, verbal and written assignments.
• Final, external assessment takes place in September.

We welcome applications from those with relevant equivalent Level 6 qualifications, or relevant equivalent experience, and a demonstrable interest in the subject.

Please provide a digital portfolio of your current creative practice. The portfolio should indicate your areas of interest and can be made using any format of your work you wish to include. Upload a single link to an online portfolio of your own work using the Upload instructions in your applicant portal.  

We’ll also welcome your application if you have formal or 'certified' learning (such as training courses not run by universities or colleges) and learning from work experience or self-study. This is called Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL), and should have been gained within the last five years, and be equivalent to the learning outcomes of our minimum entry qualifications.

APL applicants using experience to apply should note there is an application fee for entry with advanced standing or with exemption from specific modules or credit.

If English isn’t your first language, you'll need to demonstrate English language skills that are sufficiently developed for successful completion of your studies. We accept a range of recognised English language qualifications that are equivalent to the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic minimum score of 6.5 overall, with a minimum of 6.0 in Speaking, and a minimum of 5.5 in Reading, Writing, and Listening. 

International applicants who require a student visa to study in the UK must take a recognised language test that is approved and vouched for by the University. Our Applicant Services Team can help with any questions you may have about study visas or suitable language tests. 

Welcome to Creative Advertising MA. Here you will find information about any pre-course preparation, as well as confirmation of your tuition fees together with any other costs that you might incur throughout your course that are not covered by your student loan.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees for postgraduate students starting in September 2027

Materials, equipment and course costs

Essential

Pencils, marker pens and an A3 layout pad are all you need to succeed in advertising (apart from good ideas). More specifically, we suggest you use a black Pentel N60 permanent marker pen or a Pentel sign pen in black, RRP pack of 12 pens from approx. £10.00. This will start you off on the right track and prevent you from getting too detailed and fussy in your drawings.

Please note, we advise you to make provision for spending up to £50 on layout pads over the duration of the course. Rough layout paper is also freely available in the studios.

Nice to have

Your academic experience will be predominantly in person with some courses using a small amount of digital resources to support your learning. To engage in the digital learning activity, although you will be able to access IT suites on campus, you will benefit from a laptop to access the platforms and tools we use. You will be provided with free access to the Microsoft Office suite, (including Word, Excel and PowerPoint) while you study at Falmouth.

Although this is primarily a course about ideas, rather than technology, we aim to help you become as competent as possible in Photoshop, InDesign, After Effects and other relevant software applications. These skills are especially useful if you lean more towards Art Direction.

A camera would be a good idea. You will have a camera in your phone, of course, but a dedicated, 'real' camera is better. Taking pictures trains the eye, whether you’re a Writer or Art Director. Even if you’re an average photographer you might well find that taking your own shots will help you communicate visually. Moreover, Cornwall is very photogenic!

The majority of students choose to enter some work in the D&AD New Blood awards, quite possibly Cannes Future Lions and YCN too. D&AD make a charge for this, currently (with our D&AD membership discount) around £15 per entry. YCN entry is usually free. Cannes Future Lions awards may cost up to £100.

Study trips and costs

Essential

London Study Week is scheduled for a week, and usually takes place in November. This trip is a required part of the course, and you will need to self-fund your travel, accommodation and food/drink during this trip. The total cost of the trip varies, pending student preferences, but general costs are a coach at approx. £50, and accommodation for three nights in London (approx. £40-100 per night). Previous students have secured rooms for as little as £40 per night with pre-booking.

Optional

There are often other events for Advertising students (especially those organised by D&AD) throughout Spring and early Summer during study block two. These usually take place in London. Your attendance at any of these is not compulsory and is not always possible due to the intensive nature of the course. If you do attend, it must be by negotiation with the course team and will be at your own expense.

Exhibitions

Essential

The D&AD New Blood exhibition is an important fixture for the course. We have taken a stand there each year for more than 20 years. The show is usually held during three days in the first week of July. The University pays for the cost of the stand(s), but students must organise and pay for their own travel and accommodation. The total cost of the trip varies, pending student preferences, but general costs are a coach at approx. £50, and accommodation for three nights in London (approx. £40-100 per night). Previous students have secured rooms for as little as £40 per night with pre-booking.

Pre-course preparation

Our course is about creating advertising campaigns. Over the year you will generate between fifteen and twenty. So let's get you started before you arrive.

What's a brand you've always loved?

The one that made you interested in advertising in the first place. Got one? Good.

Now make an ad for it. Draw it. No polish or software required. Just draw it.

An ad that could be the start of a campaign that endures. Don't worry at this point about analysing, researching, strategising. Go with your gut. Make something funny, strange or emotionally potent. Be unrestrained.

Let's get your creative juices flowing.