Key information
Gain an understanding of the factors that influence and inform digital innovation and apply digital thinking and problem-solving to complex challenges.
- Level
- Postgraduate Taught
- Delivery type
- Full Time, Part Time
- Degree qualification
- Postgraduate MA
- Mode of delivery
- On-Campus
- Duration
- 1 year
- Location
- Scottish Borders
- Start date
- September, January
Our MA Digital Design and Innovation will provide those with a creative background with the opportunity to gain core and relevant skills to transition into one of the many digital design industries. Through the master’s programme, you’ll examine the disruption caused by the world's fourth industrial revolution. With emerging technological breakthroughs in the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, the Internet of Things, autonomous vehicles and drones, smart materials and many more, the role of design and innovation in digital media and technology is critical in generating solutions and advancing society.
You’ll gain an understanding of commercial, social, practical, and technical factors that influence and inform digital innovation to apply digital thinking and problem solving to a variety of complex challenges and scenarios. You’ll learn hard skills that are in high demand across the digital sector, including coding, digital imagery design, moving image and motion graphic design, digital brand strategy, user interface design, and user experience design skills.
The programme offers specialised courses in creative programming, digital design, design thinking and innovation, design technologies, digital enterprise lab, and user experience. You’ll develop the ability to conduct and apply design research using contemporary, cutting-edge methods and practice, follow a rigorous design process, and create novel solutions to current problems.
Upon completion of the programme, you’ll be able to apply digital design and innovation to real-world working scenarios, communicate ideas critically and effectively to a wide range of individuals and organisations, through professional visual, written, and verbal communication.
Your student experience
Your learning will be informed by our Fashion and Textiles faculty and staff, whose work covers many key areas including:
- Smart Nanotextiles – Nanofibres and Nanoyarns
- Fashion Technology
- Fashion Sustainability
- Design Innovation
- Printed Textile Design
- Medical Compression Design
- Textile and Apparel Supply Chain Management
- Brand Management and Marketing
- Garment Making and Pattern Cutting
Go Global
With Go Global, Heriot-Watt's global student programme, you can carry your studies to new places and experience new cultures, expanding your horizons on the way. You'll discover what it means to be a true global citizen and emerge prepared for wherever your career journey will take you.
Inter-Campus Transfer
Course content
September Intake
Mandatory September
- Creative Programming
- Digital Design - Innovation Lab
- Design Thinking and Innovation
Mandatory January
- Design Technologies
- Digital Enterprise Lab
- User Experience Design
Mandatory May
- Final project and report
January Intake
Mandatory January
- Design Technologies
- Digital Enterprise Lab
- User Experience Design
Mandatory September
- Creative Programming
- Digital Design - Innovation Lab
- Design Thinking and Innovation
Mandatory Second January
- Final project and report
Fees and funding
| Status | Full Time | Part Time |
|---|---|---|
| UK | £10,528 | £5,264 |
| International | £19,816 | £9,908 |
- Status: Your residency status is usually defined as the country where you have been ordinarily resident for the three years before the start of your course.
- International: 'International' includes applicants from European Union countries who do not hold Pre-Settled or Settled status in UK. (This does not include students from the Republic of Ireland - see above).
Scholarships and bursaries
Postgraduate scholarships and bursaries
We aim to encourage well-qualified, ambitious students to study with us and we offer a wide variety of scholarships and bursaries to achieve this. Over £6 million worth of opportunities are available in fee and stipend scholarships, and more than 400 students benefit from this support.
Entry requirements
We have standard entry requirements for all of our courses that you will have to meet.
A minimum of a 2:2 honours degree or non-UK equivalent with evidence of understanding subjects such as design, creative digital skills, or computing and programming skills.
In addition, work or project experience in a related company role will be taken into consideration, please include your CV as part of your application.
We welcome applications from international students and accept qualifications from around the world. Please refer to the entry requirements for your country for more details.
Why Heriot-Watt
We're the top university in Scotland for graduate outcomes which means that more of our graduates are employed or in postgraduate education than any other institution in the country and we ranked 5th in the UK.
We're also rated number one in the UK for CEO or MD roles, meaning more of our graduates go on to become CEOs or MDs than any other university in the whole of the UK. On top of that, we have beautiful campuses, across the globe, so you'll get a truly international education. Our Edinburgh Campus is home to Oriam, Scotland's National Sports Performance Centre combined with plenty of wellbeing resources, prioritising fitness and mental health for all students. Our Global Research Institutes look at solving real world issues such as climate change and saving our oceans as well as working on the next medical technological breakthrough and the future of AI and robots.
Student life
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