MA Illustration

Illustration is a broad visual narrative practice that has many applications in publishing and the wider creative industry. On our MA Illustration degree you will focus on illustration for social change, an innovative and growing area that addresses the complex social and environmental problems faced by society today.

Illustration skills such as visual storytelling, visual mediation, observation, creative thinking and of course image making are much sought-after, and more and more illustrators take part in change-making processes in organisations, institutes, and government.

Our Masters in Illustration is unique in its focus on building your illustration practice and exploring and developing your role in addressing issues including integration and diversity, behavioural change, community cohesion, and environmental challenges.

Whatever your background, you will develop your visual practice in important areas for illustrators, such as image creation; visual sequencing; concept development; and textuality. You’ll also extend your knowledge of the complexities of socio-environmental problems; institutional and government structures; creative project development and management; design methods; and collaboration processes.

As a graduate, you will have the confidence to start out in a career as an illustrator and play an active creative role in social and environmental change-making processes.

Our MA Illustration course will prepare you for a career as a freelance illustrator and creative consultant.

In recent years, roles in illustration - either on a freelance basis or as creative team members - have been increasing. This is due to the understanding of the important role of visual storytelling and the need for distinct visual identity and connection.

Depending on your own interests, your career might take you into self-publishing and artistic production; book and magazine illustration; in-house media and creative teams in publishing, advertising, games and animation and communication agencies; as well as freelance or in-house creative consultancy and institutional and organisational change-making teams.

As an MA Illustration student you’ll also gain skills that will be useful in many other fields, such as teaching and creative management. You might even find a way to combine it with your current career, as did ARU graduate Dr Katy Shorttle, whose artwork on health issues was featured in The Guardian.

Or you might decide to move on to a research degree, like our PhD Art and Design, PhD Graphic Design and Typography, or PhD Fine Art. Take advantage of our Alumni Scholarship and save £400 on your fees, and take a look at some of our current PhD project opportunities.