On this course, you’ll explore the ways in which you can convey messages and meaning through a diverse range of media - from illustration and motion to digital - and you’ll be encouraged to develop new skills to strengthen and inform your design language.
During your studio-based studies, you’ll collaborate with other members of our creative community and courses to enhance your workflow skills and interdisciplinary understanding in the areas needed to become a creative leader and innovator within the field of visual communication. This is an area that spans from Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation, User Experience Design, Brand Design, Motion Design, Web & App Design, Virtual and Mixed Reality Design, Exhibition Design and Advertising.
MA Visual Communication is designed to help you develop your identity as an author and thought leader, equipping you with the skills and knowledge to identify and solve design problems within complex cross-media environments, including digital printmaking, still and moving image productions – both digital and virtual.
You will enter the professional world with a confident design voice, a specialised and specified informed design language and an outstanding portfolio.
Berlin School of Business and Innovation is in partnership with University for the Creative Arts (UCA). As a result of this partnership, BSBI is able to offer the MA Visual Communication programme. UCA is an acclaimed creative institution in the UK that ranks highly in all three of the major UK league tables. The university has also been ranked 13th out of all UK universities in the Guardian League Table 2020.
Central elements of this course include the appropriate environment for evaluation and testing of a compelling proposal development practice. Interdisciplinary key discussion embedding theory, text and design case studies are core elements of this programme. Exploration and pushing the boundaries of contemporary visual solutions in the culmination of methods and strategies for independent research and practice, will enable you to show a cohesive and innovative final body of work.
The course is delivered 100% on-campus with full access to state-of-the art facilities. Students will also have additional access to course and reading materials via the University for the Creative Arts platform.
As one of the highest ranked creative education institutions, we aim to attract the most creative and proficient individuals who will be equipped and facilitated with an educational foundation to develop a focused and structured framework. We are looking for individuals aiming to thrive as leaders in the professional environment of a generic creative pathway, relating to our three specialisations in Illustration, Graphic Design and Animation.
This programme pushes students to investigate and further their knowledge of the possibilities of the fast-evolving creative industry, while refining their mindset with the dedicated support from our expert faculty who have a wealth of industry experience.
Your learning will be enhanced through a well-informed magnitude of contextual and contemporary engagement in order to develop convincing proposals and solutions in the field of Graphic Design, Illustration, Animation and Visual Communication in general.
2023 INTAKES
International students Price: €12,600 | EU students Price: €8,000
Special offers effective Jan 2023: Up to 33% discount for International Students | 10% discount for EU Students
Terms and conditions apply. Find out more here.
The School's admissions process is subject to the Consumer Contracts (Terms and Conditions). Information on your Right of Withdrawal and our Refund Policy can be found in the BSBI study agreement.
This 18-month (Level 7) Visual Communication MA consists of three terms of study and six months dedicated to your dissertation.
The first two terms include a range of lectures and seminars and you’ll start to explore your creative practice in order to inform the detailed development of your project proposal later in the course.
In the third term you begin developing your MA project, evaluating and testing out the aims of your proposal over a sustained period of self-directed study.
In the final stage, you'll apply the knowledge gained through your research to create a final body of work where you can either take a generic approach or select one of the following three specialisations in relation to our BA courses: Graphic Design, Illustration or Animation.
The modules of this programme are offered and delivered 100% on campus. Students will also have additional access to course and reading materials via the University for the Creative Arts platform.
You'll explore creative practices in order to inform the detailed development of your project proposal later in the course. The unit aims to provide a structured framework to allow you to investigate the potential of methods, ideas and themes in your discipline as well as helping inform and locate your practice.
Through a series of lectures and seminars, you’ll actively engage in a range of current debates which provide cultural and intellectual context for the consideration of ideas in visual communication. The programme addresses interdisciplinary issues through the discussion of theory and the consideration of specific design-led work and texts.
In this unit, you will develop the themes and focus of your final project in the fields of illustration, graphic design, animation or visual communication. This will allow you to evaluate and test out the aims of your proposal over a sustained period of self-directed study. At this stage, the development of your project will be guided and questioned through tutorials, group critiques and presentations, which will support the progress of your work and provide rigorous critical appraisal from staff, peers and professional practitioners. While encouraging the continued exploration and questioning of your ideas, you will continue the process of developing appropriate methods and strategies for your project’s realisation as you begin to work more independently as a researcher and practitioner, refining your research questions and the research methods you are using.
You'll apply knowledge and experience gained in previous units to the realisation of your final MA project - the culmination and consolidation of your studies in the form of a resolved piece, or body of work. It should show coherence and innovation at a professional level of resolution. You'll also be required to prepare a critical paper intended to reflect upon the specific practical outcome of the MA project, its interpretation and its success as a demonstration of your approach to creative practice through research.
Upon successful completion of the course students should be able to:
Knowledge:
Applications:
Skills:
BSBI’s industry focused environment provides the ideal support to our students in their personal and professional development. Upon successful completion of this course, you’ll be able to pursue the following careers:
BSBI’s dedicated Careers Service helps visual communication students and alumni reach their career goals and realise their potential. The Service offers specialised support and aims to build long-lasting relationships with local and national employers. To find out more about the support available, visit the Careers Service website.
Location: HAMBURG
The School's admissions process is subject to the Consumer Contracts (Terms and Conditions). Information on your Right of Withdrawal and our Refund Policy can be found in the BSBI study agreement.
Minimum age: 21
Academic qualifications
Strong undergraduate degree from a recognised university or equivalent qualification in the subject or a related discipline.
If you do not meet the academic requirements, you may be assessed based on 3 years of relevant work experience (illustration, animation, graphic design or general visual communication), demonstrating your ability to study at postgraduate level.
English Requirements
*Above bachelor’s degree can be postgraduate certificate, postgraduate diploma, master’s degree, etc.
Your Portfolio Submission
You are required to submit an online portfolio via our BSBI Applicant Portal. Before submitting your artwork, please have a look through the Portfolio Cookbook
What is a portfolio?
What should my portfolio contain?
How do I submit my portfolio?
Further information on how to compile and upload your portfolio will be provided by our admissions team via our admissions portal once you have applied.
You can apply now to study with BSBI! It’s quick and easy, here’s how it works:
Learn all about what Hamburg has to offer as an international study destination by clicking here
BSBI offers you the opportunity to attend our Virtual Student Lounge to help you gain an insight into life at the school. Through a video call consultation, you’ll be able to get a virtual campus tour, learn more about our programmes, bursaries and scholarships, and get answers to any questions you might have regarding the admission procedure.
You’ll also be able to discover more about living and studying in Europe’s start-up capital, Berlin and find out more about the services on offer at BSBI.