COURSE CURRICULUM

The MA Illustration with Advanced Practice programme provides an intensive and professionally focused learning experience that develops advanced illustration skills, creative thinking, and industry knowledge through practical projects, experimentation, and research. The Illustration for Communication module strengthens students' practical illustration and image-making abilities while encouraging the development of specialist techniques and professional portfolios that reflect individual creative ambitions and artistic direction. Students respond to live briefs, competitions, client projects, and promotional opportunities while collaborating with professionals, agencies, and organisations to gain valuable industry experience and networking opportunities. The programme promotes an understanding of professional standards, ethics, and industry expectations, helping students connect practical skills with theoretical and commercial applications. The Masters Project allows students to undertake a substantial self-directed investigation aligned with their specialism and career aspirations, resulting in significant creative outputs such as exhibitions, publications, campaigns, artefacts, or digital works that demonstrate their professional identity and artistic vision. Speculative Illustration Practice encourages students to challenge conventional approaches to illustration through research-led experimentation, combining traditional drawing and craft methods with emerging technologies and post-digital practices while exploring sustainable and independent methods of production and publishing. The Moving Image module develops skills in sequential storytelling and narrative image-making across multiple platforms and audiences, enabling students to create visual narratives for print, digital media, installations, and site-specific environments. The Advanced Practice module provides opportunities to apply existing knowledge and experience to real-world challenges while developing solutions to professional and business problems through critical reflection and practical action. Together, these modules equip graduates with the technical expertise, creative confidence, research abilities, and professional awareness required for careers as illustrators, visual storytellers, publishers, animators, creative directors, and interdisciplinary practitioners working across the global creative industries.