This degree is for graduates who want to deepen their understanding and hands-on skills in both research-for-design and research-by-design as a way to define the future of the design profession.

Design challenges are becoming more complex: digitisation, globalisation, the growing importance of services and the shift towards culturally and socially intelligent design means that the profile and role of the designer are changing. Research for design and researching through design experiments are becoming part of new design practice. In this course, students are challenged to develop a deep understanding of what this means for them as practising designers. They are trained in the insights and hands-on skills to do the various types of research that are becoming all-important in modern design practice.

Graduates are the new guard of academically trained designers who have deepened their insight into where design is going, and can offer employers the combination of design and research skills that they need for their long-term prosperity. There is also a clear path from this degree towards a more research-focused career, either in industry or in academia.