Design Management and Entrepreneurship MA

Course modules

Modules

Term one core modules:

Research Methods (Compulsory)

Teaches you a range of conceptual and practical research skills, such as questionnaire design and interview techniques. As part of this module, you will formulate your major project proposal, specifying your aims, objectives, research methods and expected outcomes. You will also learn how to undertake the literature review for your major project.

Design as a Strategic Business Tool

Looks at how design itself can be the driving force behind the strategic management and development of digital design and creative businesses. You will audit the use of design, design management and design thinking in the creative industries and business.

Integrated Brand Management

Provides a practical exploration of branding from both a business and design perspective. You will investigate brand management with an emphasis on brand narrative and explore the holistic approach to brands by examining sensory branding, emotional branding, spiritual branding and experience design. You will learn how brands are used to promote business both internally and externally and how to apply the principles of a design audit to a brand of your choice in order to explore how it supports the business objective.

Optional modules:

Marketing for the Creative Entrepreneur

Examines the key marketing and corporate strategy issues that affect a designer. You will develop your own marketing strategy and carry out an analysis of the competitive environment.

Fashion Promotion and Marketing

The module reviews both theoretical concepts and current approaches to communication and commerce in global fashion markets. Exploring key aspects of fashion marketing and promotion via case studies of retailers, brands and designers, to enable you to develop creative strategies and commercial solutions to real-life industry challenges.

Term two core modules:

Business Planning for the Creative Entrepreneur

Develops your business knowledge and planning skills enabling you to identify the potential for a new product or service. You will study the key issues in starting a business and covers topics such as business plans, leadership, investment and risk management.

Global Markets: Designing businesses for international growth

Examines the key issues involved in developing new international markets and the role of the design manager and entrepreneur in enabling design and creative businesses to compete effectively in the global economy.

Service Design

Examines the role of design in the service industries. You will pay particular attention to ethical, political, social and ecological concerns, all of which require approaches that focus on design and the designers’ role in maintaining sustainability.

Optional modules:

Critical Perspectives in Ethical and Sustainable Fashion

Investigates the impact of ethical and environmental considerations on designed products, garment production and business ideology. It will enable those looking to work in fashion manufacturing or retail to provide future designers and buyers with a clear overview of the major sustainability issues within the industry.

Managing Business Web Presence

Teaches you how to critically appraise website designs, social media activity and wider networking channels while learning about creative production and management processes. You will learn how best to evaluate the role of website design in business, marketing and the creative industries, while examining advances in web architecture, technology, interface and management.

Museum and Exhibition Design

Examines innovative designs and strategies specifically for museums and exhibitions. It focuses on display, interpretation, conservation, marketing, management and funding, cultural identity, heritage, inclusive design, sustainability, education and audience.

Design for Retail

Covers all aspects of in-store retail design, including product, environment, technology, communication and service. You will also examine brand perception, buyer behaviour and engagement with the retail experience.

Term three:

The final module will either be a dissertation on your major research project or an assessed work based research project.

Teaching and assessments

Overview

The School of Design’s close-knit community of postgraduate students and staff creates a supportive learning environment for design students from around the world. The Design Management and Entrepreneurship team maintain the currency of their modules and design project teaching through involvement in consultancy, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships as well as noteworthy research activities and continuing professional development training.

Contact hours

In your first two terms you will normally attend around 12 hours of timetabled taught sessions including lectures, tutorials and workshop and studio sessions each week, and be expected to undertake at least 23 hours of independent study each week. Your third term will be pre-dominantly self-directed (including meetings with your supervisor), during which you can expect to undertake 35 hours of independent study each week.

Part-time study is normally undertaken on a half-time basis