Master of Science in Communication Design

at Falmouth University - Penryn Campus United Kingdom

You'll collaborate with other students in the Games Academy – from animators through to sound designers – to develop a multi-disciplinary approach with creativity at its heart. By the time you graduate, you'll be confident in pursuing a career in software development, in the games industry and beyond.

You will:

• Get under the hood of video game engines like Unity and Unreal while learning a range of programming languages like C#, Python, and C++
• Engage with the latest technologies, including procedural content generation, cloud systems and mixed reality to develop broadly transferable skills
• Blend art and science while developing teamwork and communication skills that are highly desired in the industry
• Develop an 'optimisation mindset' by learning to work within platform constraints
• Make games collaboratively with artists, animators, composers, designers, writers and other programmers

Falmouth is one of only a few UK universities to offer a bespoke drawing degree and is the ideal location to grow your skills and critical and contextual understanding of this exciting field of practice.

You will:

• Work in our purpose-built, dedicated suite of studios with like-minded peers where you can engage in critical discussions and student-led debates
• Engage with Cornwall's unique landscape and heritage
• Study a variety of approaches and processes to the discipline, including life drawing, printmaking, etching, digital methods and the moving image
• Have the opportunity to take part in a range of informative study visits
• Have opportunities to go on a work placement in your second year and make industry connections while exploring the practical applications of drawing in professional contexts
• Have the chance to exhibit your work throughout your degree. Previous spaces have included Trelissick House, Wheal Martyn Clay Works, Gallery Tresco, R.K. Burt Paper Gallery and ShelterBox Truro

Studying in Cornwall, home to several of the UK’s most exciting festivals, you’ll get hands-on industry experience, both here and further afield. Alongside tuition from experienced professionals, you’ll benefit from the expertise within our School of Entrepreneurship – including finance, marketing and project management. 

You will:

• Develop a sustainable approach to management in the globally expanding festival industry. 
• Study on one of the first courses in the world accredited by A Greener Festival.
• Organise live events and engage with industry experts. 
• Be industry-ready with a full degree in just two years. 
• Benefit from the expertise and knowledge of specialist staff with music, events, hospitality, technical and entrepreneurial backgrounds. 
• Undertake multiple micro-placements, at the Eden Sessions and other locations.
• Be part of a course in the hospitality, event management and tourism sector where
  Falmouth holds a top ten ranking in the Guardian University Guide 2021.

Through this fashion marketing degree, you'll learn to fuse skills in business, design and communication. You’ll gain an understanding of the need for a considered, conscious and sustainable approach in a fast-paced marketplace. And you’ll be part of a creative community preparing for an exciting career.

You will:

• Work on live projects with brands such as Fred Perry and John Lewis.
• Collaborate with photographers, designers and creators.
• Gain valuable experience through an optional placement year in industry (during the four-year course).
• Graduate from a course accredited by the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

You’ll learn to tell stories in an inventive and meaningful way, within a specialist facility, working with industry professionals. A focus on narrative, craft and practical making, alongside critical thinking, will help you develop the skills needed to succeed in the fast moving television industry.

You will:

• Work on professional commercial briefs with MAYN, our award-winning in-house creative agency. 
• Benefit from opportunities for industry-based placements and work experience. 
• Attend masterclasses, this year these have included showrunners, Emma Frost and Matthew Graham; directors Sam Masud, Stroma Cairns and Jon East, director of Killing Eve and Lost in Space; and Otto Bathurst, director of Black Mirror and Peaky Blinders.
• Have the opportunity to apply for The Hothouse, a placement with the acquisitions team at NBCUniversal in London.
• Study in a facility that's part of CILECT, the global association of the world's best film, television and animation schools.

Find your passion and pursue it. Investigate, experiment and specialise in all forms and industries including poetry, literature, children's fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting and digital games. You'll gain practical experience with our partners in publishing, literary festivals and professional writing, learning valued critical and technical skills.

You will:

• Design and run a student-led collaborative project as part of your third year. Previous projects have included producing illustrated anthologies, sitcoms and podcasts while working in collaboration with schools, charities and businesses
• Attend our guest lecture series, where you'll build relationships and contacts within all facets of the literary world.
• Participate in literary events, such as The London Book Fair and the North Cornwall Book Festival.
• Take inspiration from The Lighthouse (pictured above) – the glorious workspace at the heart of our community – which hosts everything from skills and craft workshops to board game sessions, literary quizzes and poetry readings
• Contribute your own work to Falwriting: our student-led online magazine
• Use our state-of-the-art Soundhouse and edit suites to record audience-ready productions.

After establishing a firm foundation in developing software and hardware, you'll apply your skills to both individual projects and major collaborations. We'll provide you with exciting opportunities to bring your ideas to life by designing engaging human-robot interactions and working prototypes.

You will:

• Apply your skills to inspiring projects spanning creative and technical domains, on briefs set by industry partners
• Build robots that interact with people and environments in novel and interesting ways
• Develop an understanding of the environmental, societal and cultural context for robotics and the implications for the design, engineering, deployment and adoption of robotic technologies
• Implement robotic systems that leverage state-of-the-art artificial intelligence
• Obtain a mastery of programming and physical fabrication by working on practical problems in a bespoke social robotics lab

You'll prepare for a career in screen-based costume design through interdisciplinary learning across our Fashion & Textiles Institute and the School of Film & Television. You'll be supported by professionals working at the forefront of the industry to develop your own distinctive design voice and portfolio.

You will:

• Gain core skills such as drawing, pattern cutting, costume construction and fitting techniques, observation, analysis and expansive research practices
• Explore anthropological, socio-political, psychological, environmental and cultural concepts when considering the analysis of character and script, as well as how to plot costumes for moving image
• Enhance your developing design profile through an exploration of industry applications such as music promos, commercials, costume breakdown and innovative challenge-based projects
• Develop essential knowledge of the various roles available across the costume design sector, budget organisation, ideas pitching, collaboration and team working, as well as increased awareness of freelance practice and self-management techniques
• Refine your skills as a costume practitioner in your final year through a major collaborative screen production project to develop your portfolio, making you industry ready

Taught by a dedicated team of artists, you’ll expand your understanding of contemporary art and explore the full spectrum of practice, from painting, drawing, sculpture, textiles, casting and printmaking, right though to new media, performance and 3D printing.

You will:

• Work in a Fine Art studio space from day one
• Collaborate with industry partners like Newlyn Art Gallery and the Tate St Ives
• Evolve your practice through opportunities such as field recordings, voice laboratories, self-publishing projects, specialist workshops, guest lectures and performances
• Access excellent studios, as well as 3D printmaking and time-based media workshops
• Have the opportunity to study abroad and to exhibit your work in major cities around the world