This brand new course that links two leading universities - University of the Arts London and Cranfield University - grew out of the need to meet the future demands of public, and private service organisations and industry. It is aimed mainly at students who have studied a design discipline and wish to broaden their understanding of design and its application within a wider strategic role in organisations and society. But it may also interest students from social science backgrounds and related fields as well.

The course is structured to develop the creativity, design knowledge and skills needed by people who want to work as inter-disciplinary practitioners. During the course there are many opportunities for collaboration and exchanges between LCC and Cranfield through group design projects, lecture programmes, exchange trips, joint critiques, podcasting and Second Life. This rich collaboration will encourage you to develop your design thinking, methodologies and skills and apply them to new contexts within industry, services and the public sector. You will work on projects in multi-disciplinary teams of three or four with students from Cranfield who come from engineering, science and technology-based backgrounds.

This course is taught within the Faculty of Design.

—Who teaches the course?

Course Director Dr. Alison Prendiville has a background in service design research within the area of public transport. The course also draws upon a wide range of internationally and nationally recognised lecturers and practitioners from both the University of the Arts and Cranfield University. Outside lecturers from industry, non-profit organisations, local authorities and government will also contribute to the teaching programme.

—What students say about the course

"The course is all about the process of working in collaboration with people like engineers and scientists. What people from a design background can offer is the ability to think more freely and see the bigger picture. They can show different ways of innovating and thinking 'out of the box'. We cannot be 'one trick pony' professionals any more. It's no longer acceptable to work just with people in your own field - we need to collaborate with people from different backgrounds and be more flexible. Industry wants new ways of thinking and doing - that's what this course is all about."

Donagh O'Hargain, 2009

Applications to discuss the MDes at UAL should make contact in the first instance with Alison Prendiville.