User Experience and Service Design

Entry requirements

Applicants must hold a degree (with at least 2ii Honours standard) or equivalent or demonstrate their ability to undertake the course through the accreditation of prior learning.

The course interlinks the domains of: User Experience Design, Service Design and Design-Thinking. Students first explore aspects of each before selecting a personal focus during Semester 2.

The specific requirements for admission are detailed below:

i) Applicants should normally hold a good honours degree in design practice or cognate subject from a University of the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland, from the Council of National Academic Awards, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council or from an institution of another country which is recognised as being of an equivalent standard.

ii) Applications are welcomed from diverse backgrounds however where there is a discipline shift the applicant must represent a coherent rationale for this shift and evidence prerequisite understanding and skills/experience (see below).

iii) Interview by portfolio and proposal. Portfolios must be digital but multiple file types are acceptable (e.g., .pdfs, .docx, .pptx, .jpegs, etc.). Portfolios may also take a variety of forms. For example, if applicants come from a non-design background (e.g., the social sciences), they may use the portfolio to demonstrate research competencies or outline a series of possible projects.

The programme is devised specifically to support continuing lifelong learning for professions in a rapidly changing field. Therefore APL (Accreditation for Prior Learning) will be considered as evidence of exceptional ability appropriate to recruitment to the programme. Applications from professionals with extensive professional, industrial and/or commercial experience but lacking recent or higher level academic qualifications will be encouraged. APL (Advanced Prior Learning) will be considered as evidence of exceptional ability appropriate to the course.

Months of entry

September

Course content

MA UX and Service Design responds to continuing changes in contemporary design practice and challenges the perceived boundaries between the many design disciplines by foregrounding human experience and social research approaches.

The domains of User Experience Design, Service Design and Design-Thinking interlink within the curriculum. Students first explore aspects of each before selecting a personal focus during Semester 2.

There is a strong emphasis on group work and collaboration throughout. By connecting to external organisations, companies and wider stakeholders, it is expected that students will aim to expand horizons and push boundaries, exploring how design may contribute to real change in the areas of technology, leisure and daily-life.

Through ongoing questioning and development during the course a student may identify themselves with a variety of outcomes such as;

Designer – Employed as part of in-house or agency teams, or in self-employment

Design Researcher – Employed as part of in-house or agency teams, or as a PhD student leading to academia

Designer Leader – Leading to business leadership or Strategic Thinker within the creative industries.

Information for international students

English language requirements for international applicants

The minimum requirement for this course is Academic IELTS 6.0 with no band score less than 5.5. Trinity ISE: Pass at level III also meets this requirement for Tier 4 visa purposes.

Ulster recognises a number of other English language tests and comparable IELTS equivalent scores.