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User Experience Design MA (Online)

Apply key principles of user-centered design to create original work.

Key details
Location
Online
Course duration
2 years
Attendance
Part-time

Course overview

Develop user-centred design skills and build an employment-ready portfolio through this collaborative  and practical online MA course. You’ll learn, apply and showcase the iterative design processes essential for a successful career in user experience (UX) design. 

Exploring human-computer interaction and user-centred design in diverse domains, you will learn to evaluate user needs and improve experiences. You’ll develop the ability to reflect on working methods and collaborate effectively and critically, as you consider cognitive psychology and the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) to better understand how people engage with digital products. 

You’ll practice interaction design and learn to pitch and present your concepts, developing a robust portfolio in preparation for industry or further academic pursuits.

This User Experience Design master's course is delivered by Falmouth's Games Academy, which has been rated no.1 for game design in England by The Princeton Review, 2023.

Why study this course at Falmouth?

• Learn how to produce original designs based on your own intellectual property, building a unique and industry-ready portfolio of work

• Benefit from cutting-edge mentorship by an experienced team including tutors working in a wide variety of professional UX roles, graduating equipped to apply your skills and knowledge across an exciting range of sectors

• Collaborate on practical projects with a diverse worldwide cohort, enriching your perspectives and knowledge of international design practices

• Expand your learning and your professional networks at our optional in-person events

Register your interest

Apply now

Fees & funding

Get a prospectus

Start dates: January / May / September

(Three intakes per year) 

Course details

MA User Experience Design Online: Josh's Story

On this UX Design masters, you will learn to create engaging interfaces and interactions, appropriately evaluating usability and professionally applying key principles of experience design. You'll gain the ability to critically reflect upon and evaluate working methods and find the most effective ways to collaborate on projects. You'll also learn how to pitch your ideas; communicating concepts and presenting artefacts visually with clarity and enthusiasm. You will graduate with the academic independence and expertise to give you a head start in this competitive and growing sector.

Modules

The modules have been specifically designed to be studied in a non-linear order, with the order in which you’ll study the modules depending on when you begin the course.

MA  

You will need to complete four 30-credit modules and one 60-credit Major Project (180 credits in total). All modules on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award. 

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details for the MA.

PGDip  

You will need to complete four 30-credit modules (120 credits in total), and will not complete a Major Project. 

From module information to course aims and assessment criteria, discover the full course details for the PGDip.

MA User Experience Design Online: Viktoriia's Story

Module details

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.

Number one for game design in England from the Princeton Review 2024

 

Our students and graduates

A portrait of User Experience Design student Camilla Wong
Camilla Wong

"The most valuable aspect of the course was the opportunity to interact and collaborate with professors, tutors and fellow students from across the world."

 

Camilla Wong, graduate 

MA UX Design graduate Jack Jenkins sitting in his home office
MA UX Design graduate Jack Jenkins

"Whenever I had a question, or needed to have a chat with someone, I always received a quick response, but I was also given the independence to do everything at my own pace."

 

Jack Jenkins, graduate

Two people standing in a dark room with blue projections
UX Design - blue room

Learning and support

How online study works

You'll learn through a blend of lectures, webinars, guest talks, tasks and discussion forums, which you'll access via our dedicated virtual learning environment. This is also where you'll find all key documentation, get course announcements and access extensive learning resources.

How will I be supported?

You'll be supported academically by Online Tutors, who will also deliver weekly webinars and facilitate the online forums. If you need assistance with anything that isn't directly related to course material, a dedicated Student Advisor team will be on hand to help. You'll also have access to Falmouth University's excellent Employability Service.

You'll master key principles of experience design, spending around 25 hours a week working on your craft. We incorporate optional face-to-face events for all our online students. There will be up to two per year and will typically run over weekends, to fit around your other commitments.

What are my study hours?

Based on the total learning time for the Postgraduate online courses, an average study week can be up to 25 hours. As our online courses are intended to be flexible, the time required to study will vary based on the level of study, the module week, and individual learning pace. 

Find out more about learning online

Meet the team

The course is part of Falmouth’s Games Academy, one of the largest dedicated game development studio spaces of any UK university. You'll learn from a multidisciplinary team from Falmouth Games Academy with expertise across disciplines, bringing together user experience design, programming, art, animation, audio, design and writing.

Some members of staff only teach on specific modules, and your course might not feature every staff member who teaches on the course.

Careers

Our Games Academy graduates have gone on to work as: 

  • Creative design practitioners at companies such as MediaTonic, Firesprite, Creative Assembly, Project Gamechanger and Rare 

  • Creative AI specialists at companies including Ultrahaptics, Solutionpath and Bewsign 

  • Developers and data analysts at companies such as Facebook 

  • Consultants in UX/UI and gamification 

  • Doctoral researchers in artificial intelligence and/or data science, sponsored by the likes of Google 

User Experience Design graduate Paul Phillips at his job at Westminster City Council
Paul Phillips 2

Meet graduate Paul Phillips


We chatted to recent graduate Paul Phillips about his burgeoning career in user experience design.

Read more

How to apply

You can apply to begin your studies in May 2025 by selecting the relevant course route below:

Apply for MA

Apply for PGDip
 

An honours degree or Level 6 equivalent qualification is desirable. However, candidates without a degree or formal qualification are still encouraged to apply. If you'd like to discuss our entry requirements, speak to an advisor.

For more information regarding equivalent international qualifications and Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) either request information with our easy online form, or read about it on our apply page.

What we're looking for

This UX Design master's degree is for anyone who is excited by the opportunities presented by technology and who wants to carry out practice-based research to create thoughtful and engaging user experiences. 

We are looking for people who are interested in working with other designers, developers, and creatives within a distributed studio environment, experimenting with cutting-edge technologies, design and software. 

You may be early in your career following completion of related undergraduate study or further along in your career but interested in re-training and learning new relevant technical skills or starting a business.

Fees, costs & funding

Tuition fees

Tuition fees for September 2026 will be confirmed in summer 2025.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible. 

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs

Typical course costs

As part of studying User Experience Design MA you will require:

Laptop/computer

You’ll require a desktop/laptop at an expense of around £1,300. This machine should have a minimum operating system of Windows XP SP3 or Mac OSX 10.6, 1GB of RAM, and a 2GHz processor. It will also need to be capable of running our virtual learning environment. 

Optional face-to-face events 

You will be expected to cover your own travel, accommodation and subsistence costs to attend these events.

Ask a student

What better way to find out about life at Falmouth University than by asking our current students?

From course details and academic support, to the social scene and settling in, our students are ready and available to answer any questions you might have. Simply set up your account, send them a question and they'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Speak to an advisor

Do you have questions about the course or studying online with Falmouth? Fill in our simple online form and we'll get in touch to support your application journey.

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