Place: Spaces, Environments, Design - MA

The full masters course comprises 180 credits divided into three 60 credits stages: Postgraduate Certificate, Postgraduate Diploma, and Masters. You will be required to work incrementally through the three stages and must pass all modules at each stage in order to progress to the next.

The course is made up of four modules:

• The City: Scale and Media (30 credits) investigates the ways in which we understand places, often ones we have never visited, from sources such as literature, art, film and data.
• Praxis (30 credits) explores methods and techniques of managing, interpreting and curating places through visits to a diverse range of organisations/custodians such as cultural institutions, heritage sites, land owners, property developers and designers.
• Design Studio (60 credits) asks you to produce a considered and designed response (eg film, exhibition, artwork) to a given site working in a tutored studio environment.
• Dissertation (60 credits) is the opportunity for you to undertake a piece of academic research that explores a chosen place related topic in detail. There might be the chance to work closely with place related organisations to develop the theme for study and to carry out the research.

The University continually enhances our offer by responding to feedback from our students and other stakeholders, ensuring the curriculum is kept up to date and our graduates are equipped with the knowledge and skills they need for the real world. This may result in changes to the course. If changes to your course are approved, we will inform you.

You will learn through working closely with expert staff, visiting professionals and fellow students. Learning in the design studios forms the largest proportion of credit over the year. In these, you will develop informed designed responses - both individually and as part of a team.

Alongside working in our well-equipped studios, you will study modules that are based around formal lectures, seminars, workshops and demonstrations.

For more details see our glossary of teaching and learning terms.

This degree culminates in a design proposal: this could be an urban intervention, an exhibition, a film, or anything suitable for communicating your understanding and creative response to place. This is accompanied by a piece of critical writing in an area of specific interest to you.

This course is designed to suit those from a wide range of undergraduate degrees. The common interest in developing a deep understanding of 'place' is what brings our students together. We strongly believe that the perception of place and our responses to it are better informed by collaboration and joint learning amongst all like-minded staff and students.

You will be assessed through a combination of techniques including individual and group design proposals, presentations, a logbook and written outputs including a dissertation.

Design outputs are varied and can range from an architectural proposal to an installation, curated set of photos or interactive digital resources. The exact nature of the output is discussed with tutors so it integrates with your undergraduate degree and preference for communicating your ideas.

For more details see our full glossary of assessment terms.