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MA Design Management

Covering all aspects of project management, design and strategic planning to administer the creative process and with a focus on academic underpinning to real-life situations, our Master's degree prepares you for a career in innovation and leadership.

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  • Delivery:
    Full time according to Funding Council definitions, Part-Time, Sandwich (Thick) out of college.

Why study MA Design Management at BU?

  • This Master’s will appeal to anyone who works in an organisation that designs new products, as well as those holding a first degree or equivalent qualification in a design-related field 
  • Enhance your existing skills and abilities by enabling a systematic approach to design and the decision-making process 
  • Apply academic underpinning to real-life situations 
  • Benefit from an optional 30-week placement in industry and gain essential real-world experience and a network of professional contacts  
  • Be prepared for a career in innovation and leadership within the fast-moving creative industries. 

Find out more about the content of this course.

Career opportunities

This course will give you the confidence and knowledge to manage the development of new products and projects within the technological industries. 

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Talbot Campus is where you'll find facilities such as The Sir Michael Cobham Library, the Student Centre (where our Students' Union offices are based), the £22 million Fusion Building and the brand new Poole Gateway Building
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Inside the Fusion Building, which features 27 seminar rooms, three lecture theatres, research space, a 24-station PC laboratory, rooftop terraces and numerous catering facilities, topped with a glass-domed roof. The building has achieved an Energy Performance Certificate rating of A and BREEAM Excellent; it features a range of the latest technologies designed to reduce its environmental impact.
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Outside the Fusion Building
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The Student Centre
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Fusion Building lecture theatre
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Stevenson Lecture Theatre

Key information

Next start date:

September 2021, January 2022, September 2022

Location:

Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus

Duration:

1 year full-time (15 months for January starts), 2 years with an optional work placement, or 2 years part-time

Required subjects:

Design

Entry requirements:

A Bachelor's Honours degree with 2:2 in a required subject, or equivalent. For more information see our full entry requirements.

International entry requirements:

If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component. For more information check out our international entry requirements.

Course details

The course is designed to provide industry with personnel who understand and can employ management and technical tools, and are able to spearhead and manage the development of new products and projects appropriate for the technological industries.

Contact hours and assessment

Details of the assessment methods and contact hours for each unit of the course can be found in the programme specification.

Download the programme specification (pdf 370kb)

Placements

If you choose to take the optional placement, it will begin after completion of the taught units, providing an excellent opportunity for you to gain first-hand industry experience and apply the learning that you have achieved through the course. The placement should be a paid job but voluntary work can be just as enjoyable.

Find out more about postgraduate placements

Your application

Entry requirements

Careers

This course will empower you with the business skills, industry knowledge and confidence needed to spearhead and manage the development of new products and projects within the technological industries, providing you with a route to becoming a successful, dynamic leader in the engineering industry. Good project managers are indispensable to all organisations competing in today’s international businesses, meaning you will be able to enjoy career opportunities in a wide range of industries.

Costs and fees

You can find full information about the deposits required and how to pay your fees in our postgraduate fees and funding section, including details of the Postgraduate Loan (subject to fee status).

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per annum. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course. 

Find out more about living expenses for postgraduate students

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. You may also benefit from guest lectures from industry, including our alumni. Please note that teaching staff can change.

You can find out more about some of the staff that are currently teaching on the course and their research activities below. 

Read more about the expertise of other members of the Department of Design & Engineering, and book an Open Day to come along and meet some of them.

Statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Unistats and BU institutional data unless otherwise stated.