MA Illustration at Manchester Metropolitan University

MA Illustration at Manchester School of Art is a postgraduate programme for creative practitioners seeking to extend and deepen their individual practice through advanced study, critical reflection and experimental making. The course provides a supportive environment in which you can explore the possibilities of contemporary illustration, develop a distinctive body of work, and engage with the cultural, social and creative contexts that shape visual communication today. Through a combination of practice-based inquiry, critical engagement and creative experimentation, you will investigate illustration as a dynamic and evolving discipline.

Faculty: Faculty of Arts and Humanities  |  Department: School of Art and Design  |  Duration: 1 year full-time or 2 years part-time  |  Study mode: full-time, part-time  |  Intake: September 2027  |  Location: Manchester, England, United Kingdom

What you will study

MA Illustration at Manchester School of Art is an academic Masters degree and professional qualification for creative practitioners who want to extend their practice through advanced study, research and creative exploration. Situated within one of the UK's oldest art and design schools, the course enables you to develop an individual approach to illustration while engaging with the cultural, social and technological contexts that shape contemporary visual communication. Modules core: Design Thinking, Graphic Behaviours, Message / Audience / Context, Synthesis Project: Illustration, Art & Design: Culture & Context (MA:X).

Career pathways

We cultivate highly motivated, independent and creative thinkers who can transfer their skills into the creative marketplace, as entrepreneurial innovators, freelance practitioners and innovative team players. MA Illustration students develop advanced capabilities in: Independent creative practice and self-directed learning.

Official programme page