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User Experience Design MA (Online)

Apply key principles of user-centered design to create original work.

Key details
Location
Online
Course duration
2 years
Attendance
Part-time

Course overview

Use human-computer interaction research methods to evaluate the user's needs and improve the experiences you create for them. Join our UX Design master's course and gain practical skills in how to evaluate artefacts and development processes in an ongoing and iterative way.

Learn how user-centered design can be applied in areas such as the Internet of Things, creative apps, museum installations, educational technology and immersive business.

You will:

  • Explore how to innovate as a user experience designer
  • Learn methods from experimental psychology and data science to better understand how people engage with digital products and services
  • Practice interaction design across a range of application domains, including cybersecurity
  • You'll also be able to keep and control any IP interfaces you produce

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Start dates: January / May / September

(Three intakes per year) 

Course details

On this UX Design course, you will learn to create engaging interfaces and interactions, appropriately evaluating usability and professionally applying key principles of experience design. You'll gain the ability to critically reflect upon and evaluate working methods and find the most effective ways to collaborate on projects. You'll also learn how to pitch your ideas; communicating concepts and presenting artefacts visually with clarity and enthusiasm.

Modules

This online UX Design course is comprised of five modules, four 30-credit modules and one 60-credit project (180 credits in total). The modules have been specifically designed to be studied in a non-linear order, with the order in which you’ll study the modules depending on when you begin the course. All modules on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award.

MA User Experience Design Online: Josh's Story

MA  

You will need to complete four 30-credit modules and one 60-credit project (180 credits in total). All modules on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award. 

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details for the MA.

PGDip  

You will need to complete four 30-credit modules (120 credits in total). All modules on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award. A dissertation (major project) is not required. 

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details for the PGDip.

Module details

By devising a series of small-scale creative artefacts, you'll use your existing ideas about development practice and then experiment with new approaches to challenge these ideas. This will enable you to create a personal case study, from which you can define how to expand and enrich your practice. Beyond the personal case study, you'll gain a broader sense of the contexts in which these practices are applied across disciplines.

(30 credits)

In this module you'll learn the core principles, methods and techniques of user experience (UX) design. You'll use concepts from a range of disciplines to develop a sequence of explorative designs and interactive prototypes. You'll also learn how to apply user-centered approaches to produce artefacts that meet the requirements of end users and adhere to best practice.

(30 credits)

You'll work in a team on a problem-led creative project. This will typically, but not necessarily, be a small game or creative app. You'll work together to situate, design, implement and evaluate your creative artefact. With the support of a supervisor, you'll strategically manage scope, workflow, communication roles and responsibilities. At the end, you will have produced an original artefact, based on your own intellectual property, that clearly illustrates how you can engage an audience.

(30 credits)

Here, you'll learn the key techniques of human-computer interaction (HCI). This is a multidisciplinary field focusing on the interaction between humans and computers. You'll refine your understanding of HCI through the specification, design, implementation and evaluation of an artefact. This is typically a small-scale experimental proof-of concept. Questions and challenges will be shaped by our partners from the digital creative industries and from fields relevant to creative technologies. This will enable you to work towards an industry-led brief.

You'll work on a major research and development project, either independently or with others. This will allow you to expand and consolidate your skills of devising, developing and executing an extended development project. You can build upon your projects from other modules or develop a new concept. You should finish the course with a polished project of a publishable quality. A supervisor will act as your mentor and adviser.

(60 credits)

The modules above are those being studied by our students, or proposed new ones. Programme structures and modules can change as part of our curriculum enhancement and review processes. If a certain module is important to you, please discuss it with the Course Leader.

Studying User Experience Design online means you'll be part of the renowned Games Academy, which was ranked in the top 30 games schools worldwide by the Princeton Review.

MA User Experience Design Online: Viktoriia's Story

How you'll learn

You'll learn through a blend of lectures, webinars, guest talks, tasks and discussion forums, which you'll access via our dedicated virtual learning environment. This is also where you'll find all key documentation, get course announcements and access extensive learning resources.

You'll be supported academically by Online Tutors, who will also deliver weekly webinars and facilitate the online forums. If you need assistance with anything that isn't directly related to course material, a dedicated Student Advisor team will be on hand to help. You'll also have access to Falmouth University's excellent employability service, RealWORKs.

You'll master key principles of experience design, spending 20-25 hours a week working on your craft. We incorporate optional face-to-face events for all our online students. There will be up to two per year and will typically run over weekends, to fit around your other commitments.

Find out more about learning online

Study hours

A postgraduate student should dedicate at least 20-25 hours per week for study.

Assessment methods

Assessment provides the course team with a means of offering tailored guidance alongside advice on how to progress knowledge and skills in key areas that relate to the course Learning Outcomes. The course team will identify your strengths and weaknesses as an individual and discuss them with you throughout your time on the course.

Assessments are 100% coursework, submitted in an electronic format to the virtual learning environment, and designed to reflect professional practice. Assessment methods include:

  • Projects
  • Portfolios
  • Pitches
  • Papers

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Staff

The course is part of Falmouth’s Games Academy, one of the largest dedicated game development studio spaces of any UK university. You'll learn from a multidisciplinary team from Falmouth Games Academy with expertise across disciplines, bringing together user experience design, programming, art, animation, audio, design and writing.

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Dr Jamie White

Course Coordinator, UX Design and Indie Game Development

As Course Leader for the Games Academy's online master's courses, my responsibilities involve managi...

Dr Jamie White

Liz Coulter-Smith

Lecturer and Module Leader, UX Design MA (Online)

Liz Coulter-Smith (MFA, BFA, PGCHE, PGCertResMeth) is a researcher, designer/creative coder, educato...

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Resources and Support

  • Dedicated easy-to-use virtual learning environment (VLE)
  • Accessible online audio / visual content
  • A Student Advisor to support you throughout your studies and access to our Student Support Services
  • Access to our careers and employability service RealWORKS
  • 24/7 access to Falmouth's extensive online library of contextual books, journals and resources
  • Access to online software tutorials at LinkedIn Learning
  • Students' Union community
  • Optional face-to-face events
  • Invitation to attend alumni events

Although online students don't have access to on-campus facilities as part of the course, you can hire equipment and access facilities by paying a charge. Find out more about availability and prices here.

Two people standing in a dark room with blue projections
UX Design - blue room

Careers

This UX Design master's degree is for anyone who is excited by the opportunities presented by technology and who wants to carry out practice-based research to create thoughtful and engaging user experiences.

Games Academy graduates have worked as:

  • Creative practitioners at companies such as MediaTonic, Firesprite, Creative Assembly, Project Gamechanger and Rare
  • Creative AI specialists at companies including Ultrahaptics, Solutionpath and Bewsign
  • Researchers and developers at companies such as Facebook
  • Further study at doctoral-level in artificial intelligence and/or data science, sponsored by the likes of Google

How to apply

You can apply to begin your studies in May 2023 by selecting the relevant course route below:

Apply for MA

Apply for PGDip

You can apply to begin your studies in September 2023 by selecting the relevant course route below:

Apply for MA

Apply for PGDip

You can apply to begin your studies in January 2024 by selecting the relevant course route below:

Apply for MA

Apply for PGDip

 

An honours degree or Level 6 equivalent qualification is desirable. However, candidates without a degree or formal qualification are still encouraged to apply. If you'd like to discuss our entry requirements, speak to an advisor.

For more information regarding equivalent international qualifications and Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) either request information with our easy online form, or read about it on our apply page.

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 Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening.

This course has three intakes per year: January, May and September.

Academic start date* Application deadline
23 January 2023 5 January 2023
29 May 2023 8 May 2023
25 September 2023 4 September 2023 

Please note:

*Virtual Welcome Week begins the week before the academic start date. During this time, our Student Advisor team will host Welcome Webinars and be in touch with practical information on how to study online.

An Early Bird discount is available for early applications. The scheme offers a £300 MA tuition fee reduction if you apply by the Early Bird discount submission deadline:

Early Bird discount submission deadline* Academic start date
28 November 2022 23 January 2023
3 April 2023 29 May 2023
1 August 2023 25 September 2023

*If you receive an offer and within two weeks you accept the place and pay the acceptance fee, you will then qualify for a further £300 off your MA tuition fees. Both these payments would be applied to your final fee instalment.

To discuss all our discount opportunities, contact an advisor.

Speak to an advisor

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

£11,795 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - 2 years part time - MA/MSc course

£7,865 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - PGDip course

£12,150 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - 2 years part time - MA/MSc course

£7,921 total fee (incl. acceptance fee) - PGDip course

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. 

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

As part of studying User Experience Design MA you will require:

Laptop/computer

You’ll require a desktop/laptop at an expense of around £1,300. This machine should have a minimum operating system of Windows XP SP3 or Mac OSX 10.6, 1GB of RAM, and a 2GHz processor. It will also need to be capable of running our virtual learning environment. 

Optional face-to-face events 

You will be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation and subsistence costs to attend these events.

Ask a student

What better way to find out about life at Falmouth University than by asking our current students?

From course details and academic support, to the social scene and settling in, our students are ready and available to answer any questions you might have. Simply set up your account, send them a question and they'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Request information

Do you have questions about the course or studying at Falmouth? Fill in our simple online form and we'll get in touch to support your application journey.

Submit form
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