MA Spatial and Environmental Design
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
Option for Placement Year
Option for Study Abroad
The MA Spatial and Environmental Design offers a dynamic, exploratory environment for you to cultivate advanced knowledge and expertise in spatial thinking and transdisciplinary design. Throughout the course, you will develop critical thinking, intellectual curiosity, and a willingness to embrace creative risk-taking. This Masters course emphasises both theoretical and practical applications in environmental and spatial design, encouraging you to integrate professional design skills with innovative approaches. You'll learn to create solutions that are not only creative and forward-thinking but also grounded in integrity and social impact.
Research Power - Art and Design at Northumbria is ranked 4th in the UK for research power (REF, 2021). This is a rise of 6 places compared to 2014.
Top 20 University - Art & Design at Northumbria is ranked 17th in the UK by the Complete University Guide for 2024, rising 4 places since last year.
Northumbria University is the largest provider of postgraduate taught education in the North East and the 9th largest provider in the UK. *HEIDI PLUS Student FPE 2022/23
Standard Entry
A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree in a relevant discipline. Applicants with appropriate work experience and/or a relevant professional qualification will be considered.
There must be a clear articulation of the relevance of studying this programme to current or future career aspirations in the interior/ spatial design disciplines. This refers to Spatial/ Environment and Interior design in the broadest sense so can include aspects of all the spatial disciplines, architecture, domestic and commercial Interior design. It can also include aspects of architectural technology, materiality, interiority, responsible design practice, design thinking and service design as well as more traditional design disciplines such as the design of interior design environments and spaces.
Additional Requirements
Applicants are required to submit an online portfolio with their application.
International qualifications
If you have studied a non-UK qualification, you can see how your qualifications compare to the standard entry criteria, by selecting the country that you received the qualification in, from our country pages. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/yourcountry
English Language requirements
International applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 6.5 with 5.5 in each component (or approved equivalent*).
*The university accepts a large number of UK and International Qualifications in place of IELTS. You can find details of acceptable tests and the required grades you will need in our English Language section. Visit www.northumbria.ac.uk/englishqualifications
Full UK Fee: £9,700
Full International Fee: £19,350
Scholarships and Discounts
ADDITIONAL COSTS
During your 1/2 years of study you will incur additional costs such as consumable art & design materials, tools, books, printing, technology, study visits, promotional materials, final collection materials and promotional exhibitions. Different modules will incur different costs depending on depending on the module structure and location. There are optional, subsidised (Module directed) day study trips that may incur small personal costs e.g. meals, entry to museums etc. The programme includes option modules that cen be studied/ swapped for one of the other options modules in the London/ Newcastle campuses. This should not incurr any additional tutition fee cost but there will need to be provision for an additional accommodation and living expenses as these option modules are undertaken. This provision is encouraged to be undertaken physcially at the other campus location as this will enrich the learning experience and provide other opportunities for critical analysis of architecture and interior sites. In final year you will need to undertake a presentation portfolio (£60+) that will lead to a final exhibition. This will incur other costs associated with this including travel, accommodation, etc. Participation in competitions in final year may also incur small entry fees (e.g. £30). While there are Macs to work on in university, students prefer to have their own Macbook (approx. £1000). It is recommended that you purchase a portable hard drive(s) to back up your digital work (approx. £50) as well as a personal SD card for digital cameras (approx. £10). Final year students also have their own group website that costs participating students between £10-£20 each.
Module information is indicative and is reviewed annually therefore may be subject to change. Applicants will be informed if there are any changes.
DE7003 -
Project / Thesis (Core,60 Credits)
In this module you will learn to advance your Research Through Design module and take a directional approach to your personal design brief.
You will develop your reflective practice and reach insights and analytical conclusions in your chosen field of study as outlined in your Personal and Professional Development Journal (PDJ).
You will synthesise the learning from semesters 1 and 2 to create a Major Design Project and Thesis. These will evidence an analysis of advanced academic research, debates, and exploratory practice in the production of theories that demonstrate real world discipline specific value within an industry context.
You will be expected to take an increasingly autonomous approach to your studies at this stage in developing, embedding and clarifying personally developed research themes theories and experiences that will be realised through either;
Option 1: a focussed major design project (Component A) and written report (Component B) that will embed reflection as part of the design process
or
Option 2: a design thesis detailing your engagement with your PDJ and reflection on your learning.
Your thesis will evidence your advanced design practice and written communication of theories and concepts appropriate at Masters level and relevant to both your chosen pathway (as described below) and more specifically your PDJ.
On completion you will have the skills and abilities to make a positive impact in the design industry, and the knowledge and experience to be able to make purposeful contribution to the world.
DE7029 -
Adaptive Environmental Design (Core,40 Credits)
The DE7029 Adaptive Environmental Design module ¬¬gives you the opportunity to explore holistic definitions of environmental design. The module locates the spatial interior as the core of environmental design activity. It places the human at the centre of the relationship between space and place and encourages you to extend the spatial context from the interior through the architecture and out into an external situation. By taking a broad and holistic approach to the adaption of habitation and human environments, the module questions the nature of the human environment and asks you to consider how spaces of the future will need to be considered and adapted for future habitation. The module coheres to a strong sustainability aspect and explores the nature of adaptability and mobility within the spatial environment.
The module encourages the application of individual personal strategies and approaches to the environment and spatial design in its broadest contexts. You will build on your previous intellectual curiosity and creative experience and develop a purposeful and masterly design project(s) with clear direction from environmental philosophy and psychology. You will produce a portfolio of work that includes analysis of spatial case studies that investigate how adaptive spaces can be used to affect the spatial experience, proximity, sensorial condition, environmental wellness and habitation of space and place. You will explore and evaluate progressive strategic and environmental experiences and applications that articulate an adaptive and sustainable design process relevant to your concept. Your portfolio will include documents that define a research question, develop an outline spatial manifesto, feasibility abstract and a design brief which will establish the parameters/ agendas of your environmental design proposal. The module includes impute from designers from a range of traditional creative disciplines (Interior, Product, Graphic, Fashion design) but also includes architects, landscape designers, environmental creatives, theatre and performance designers and interaction designers.
You will learn from staff with research and commercial experience from the different Spatial and Environment Design industries, Architecture, Design Communication, Fashion, Design for Industry, Digital and Interaction Design, Service Design, Design Management and Design Thinking. This will introduce you to a multidisciplinary approach to emerging strategies and approaches that help you explore new ways of thinking and alternative practices that allow the involvement of a broad spectrum of professional and creative practices.
DE7030 -
Spatial Futures (Core,40 Credits)
DE7030 Spatial Futures module (40 Credits) provides the creative platform for you to develop a subject specialist (Environmental Design) resolution from which you proposed in the DE7029 Adaptive Environmental Design module (40 credits in a previous teaching block). The module questions and addresses the development of spatial and environmental design through active experimentation of spatial assembly through a future narrative of space. This new spatial context will reconstruct the physical and digital boundaries between humans to the built environment. This will be through physical and multimedia applications of space. The use of digital technology will open and blend the environmental conditions synchronizing multimodal applications. The module will introduce and apply digital environments within the physical spatial environment investigating the impact and influence of augmented, virtual and mixed reality impact environmental psychology, human factors, science, cognitive ergonomics and ecological psychology on the narrative(s) of spatial practice, culture and design. This will be explored through a synthesis of 3-dimensional concepts and applies new experimental digital applications, materials and processes propelling innovative solutions for future environmental (internal and external) spatial design solutions. You will be encouraged to explore the boundaries of the existing spatial environment and consider future planet-orientated environments for living, working and leisure that actively condition a sustainable and carbon-capture/ carbon-neutral design process.
The module encourages the integration of other disciplines, practices and processes that would include interior, product, architecture, landscape, graphic, fashion and performance design. The module further positions and advances your ideas for your DE7003 Project/Thesis (60 credits) in the final teaching block. This will integrate the traditional design process of research, design development, technical, and summative concept proposals and future-facing representations and visualizations of spatial and environmental concepts through Creative Technologies including 2D, 3D, digital, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR) and Mixed-Reality (MR) communication. You will communicate and present concepts, ideas or conclusions using a variety of methods to specialist and non-specialist audiences using appropriate media. You will learn from a range of academic and research staff and design professionals that include spatial, environmental and interior design industries, architecture, design communication, fashion, design for industry, digital and interaction design, service design, design management and design thinking. This multidisciplinary approach to teaching will help you to explore new ways of thinking and enhance the current practices in design.
DE7031 -
Research Through Design (Core,20 Credits)
In this module, you will be equipped with a range of skills essential to developing specific spatial, environmental and interior design research processes and methodologies tailored around your specialist field of enquiry. You will learn concepts and principles of research through two knowledge portfolios; Research methods/ principles and contemporary responsible practice supported and informed by academic staff research specialisms. Complimenting these two portfolios are a range of research-orientated topics which include research identification, research methodology, identifying and retrieving appropriate data and sources and understanding how to evaluate and employ a range of research sources within the spatial, environmental and interior disciplines. You will develop a practical knowledge of advanced design research methods and develop advanced critical approaches through the processes and practices of contemporary design. This module runs in tandem with Responsible Design Practice (DE7032/LD7217) (20 Credits) which will underpin critical contextual knowledge and understanding that you will need to apply to the discipline-specific modules that will run in the following teaching blocks.
Through this module, you will learn about two interrelated fields of design knowledge described above, which you will interpret relative to your own practice and in line with your Personal Development Journal (PDJ). You will apply this knowledge in co-creative studio practice and will reflect on your experience to summarise the utility and limitations of the methods employed. You will appreciate the transferability of both research methods and responsible design practice and will be able to apply your knowledge in different contexts and domains.
DE7032 -
Responsible Design Practice (Core,20 Credits)
During Responsible Design Practice (DE7032/LD7217) (20 Credits) you will have the opportunity to explore and develop an integrated understanding of the critical responsibilities within spatial, environmental and interior design typologies and practices (designed, emergent, agile). By using critical and responsible design approaches, a synthesis of alternative processes and positions of sustainability, carbon neutral and circular design (including the recycling, reuse, sharing and second-hand economies) are established to seek out innovations that reduce the environmental and social impact and enhance the professional practices of the sector.
Through the application of innovative design strategies, you will begin to develop a series of innovative spatial concepts that address the contemporary societal challenges currently facing the design and build environment sectors. These will include: materiality (sourcing and application), design for circularity, behavioural design, spatial-use cultures and the implementation of product life-extension strategies for the built environment (re-use, repair, recondition, closed-loop systems etc.).
You will work collaboratively utilising approaches such as co-creation and participatory design in the development of multi-stakeholder cooperation and a human-centric approach necessary in the principles of responsible design (sustainability, biophilic, ecological). Considering design as a key tool for change, this module aims to embed new knowledge and create informed, progressive change-makers, prepared to disrupt and lead change to human behaviours and examine the assembly and reconstruction of space.
YB7000 -
Academic Language Skills for Design & Fashion (Core – for International and EU students only,0 Credits)
Academic skills when studying away from your home country can differ due to cultural and language differences in teaching and assessment practices. This module is designed to support your transition in the use and practice of technical language and subject specific skills around assessments and teaching provision in your chosen subject. The overall aim of this module is to develop your abilities to read and study effectively for academic purposes; to develop your skills in analysing and using source material in seminars and academic writing and to develop your use and application of language and communications skills to a higher level.
The topics you will cover on the module include:
• Understanding assignment briefs and exam questions.
• Developing academic writing skills, including citation, paraphrasing, and summarising.
• Practising ‘critical reading’ and ‘critical writing’
• Planning and structuring academic assignments (e.g. essays, reports and presentations).
• Avoiding academic misconduct and gaining credit by using academic sources and referencing effectively.
• Listening skills for lectures.
• Speaking in seminar presentations.
• Presenting your ideas
• Giving discipline-related academic presentations, experiencing peer observation, and receiving formative feedback.
• Effective reading techniques.
• Developing self-reflection skills.
• Discussing ethical issues in research, and analysing results.
• Describing bias and limitations of research.
The School of Design, Arts and Creative Industries is a leading centre for supporting and energising creative practice and academic study. Our inter-disciplinary research and experiential education is committed to the betterment of people, place, cultures, and societies. Our programmes are defined by the way we collaborate with communities, industry, and external partners to inform curriculum, your learning and contribute to wider society.
The Spatial and Environmental Design Masters course offers an innovative approach to postgraduate study, fostering creative thinking and professional development through the integration of emerging technologies to support your unique career goals.
We believe that the cohort's expertise and backgrounds bring valuable insights, skills, and fresh perspectives. This collaborative exchange enriches our learning community and contributes to shaping a future that cares for individuals, society, and the planet, aligned with the principles of Industry 5.0.
Upon graduation, you will be prepared for careers in spatial design, environmental consultancy, urban planning, sustainable design, or further doctoral research, with opportunities in sectors such as public space design and sustainability innovation.
Our Masters students frequently praise the creative freedom offered within the design faculty, where they are consistently encouraged to explore and pursue their ideas, no matter how imaginative or unconventional. Your portfolio will serve as the ideal showcase for these projects, highlighting the exciting, innovative, and impactful work you've developed throughout the year.
You will learn from a diverse group of internationally renowned practitioners, researchers, and educators, and by sharing their knowledge, they will guide you in shaping your own path throughout the course.
You will work in a vibrant studio environment that brings together students, researchers, and external partners in a collaborative space designed for tackling major challenges and co-creating innovative solutions.
At Northumbria, we collaborate with a diverse range of partners, including local community groups, regional businesses, national and multinational companies, government agencies, and charities, all of whom recognise the strength of our design, technology, and business expertise.
As part of this course, you will join a thriving community of experts, practitioners, and external collaborators. Your learning will be enhanced using industry standard technologies.
Located on our City Campus, the studio is ideally situated near tutor offices, the library, and digital commons. It is equipped with a blend of desktop PCs and Apple Macs, whiteboards for project mapping, and breakout rooms for tutorials and virtual meetings.
All information is accurate at the time of sharing.
Full time Courses are primarily delivered via on-campus face to face learning but could include elements of online learning. Most courses run as planned and as promoted on our website and via our marketing materials, but if there are any substantial changes (as determined by the Competition and Markets Authority) to a course or there is the potential that course may be withdrawn, we will notify all affected applicants as soon as possible with advice and guidance regarding their options. It is also important to be aware that optional modules listed on course pages may be subject to change depending on uptake numbers each year.
Contact time is subject to increase or decrease in line with possible restrictions imposed by the government or the University in the interest of maintaining the health and safety and wellbeing of students, staff, and visitors if this is deemed necessary in future.
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