Design Informatics MA (eca)

Please be aware that the structure of this programme may change.

You will work both individually and in collaborative teams of designers and computer scientists.

Distinct to Design Informatics MA, our students work in parallel to our MSc students who bring experience from a largely computing science background. Together, our students create a novel, compelling and supportive environment to blend and explore applications for data thinking in design, reflective of an industry setting and real-world team experience.

Within this collaborative framework, everyone will learn to write code, make physical objects and consider theoretical concepts during the programme.

Several courses, including the dissertation, will involve presenting an artefact, product, service, or interactive experience you have created to the public.

What you will study

• Histories and Futures of Technologies (20 credits)
• Data Science for Design (20 credits)
• Case Studies in Design Informatics (20 credits)
• Design with Data (20 credits)
• 40 credits of optional courses

MA students then complete their self-directed dissertation (60 credits).

Teaching

Design Informatics is taught in a studio environment with a focus on practice-based and experiential learning. Supported by lecture series, workshops and seminars, students will develop their own individual and group projects with one-to-one support from tutors.

The teachers and tutors that you will work with on the Design Informatics MA are a team of interdisciplinary design researchers and creative practitioners who will engage you in various forms of making, experimenting, reading, critiquing, evaluating and presenting novel technological and data-driven ideas and concepts.

Technical training is part of the core courses and forms the basis for developing expertise and knowledge in how to work with data, AI and physical computing to make new ideas a reality and engage various audiences with data.

Students across the Design Informatics MA and MSc cohorts will work together in a Design Informatics studio culture, and will form interdisciplinary teams to learn from each others’ design or computing science expertise.

Assessment

Students are assessed through a combination of group work and individual activity.

Group work in the context of Design Informatics helps to support students working in multidisciplinary teams, and is an important part of our culture and professional practice. Learning with each other, making use of each-others’ skills in areas of design or data-science, adds to the student learning experience.

Independent work is required in some courses, and particularly for your final major project which is self-directed based on your interest and career intentions.

Work is assessed through completion of a range of activities including workbooks, presentations, video documentation, portfolios, critical essays and reflective reports, as well as peer assessment of group projects.

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Each course in Design Informatics has a range of course-specific learning outcomes which follow key areas such as research, theory, practice, evaluation and communication. These differ from course to course and might cover outcomes like the following:

• Investigate and apply critical theories through a practical interactive digital media project.
• Demonstrate the initiation and evaluation of original creative concepts in response to research findings through critical assessment.
• Use digital media to design and develop, critical, conceptual and experimental approaches to problem solving.
• Select appropriate and innovative approaches for communicating the key findings, development of products, systems or services developed during your taught postgraduate studies.

Our students often progress to further study or research study with many of our students progressing to PhD locally or internationally.

Many students take on roles in large organisations where their approach to innovation and working knowledge of design and data-science are sought after in industry.

A growing proportion of students are interested in starting businesses, or further commercialising products, teams or ideas developed as part of Design Informatics study.

Students are regularly invited to join in wider Institute of Design Informatics research and innovation events to help prepare them for roles after graduation.

This programme will enable you to engage across a wide range of fields that exploit the intersection between:

• data science
• design
• information technology
• experience and immersive design
• programmable matter.

The programme will open a host of opportunities in working with:

• companies
• charities
• the public sector.

For those who wish to stay in academia, the course provides a solid foundation for a PhD in related areas.

We actively encourage entrepreneurship.

Field trips

We run an annual field trip which will vary each year. The last few years have offered a trip to London to inspire students ahead of the final major project. This includes museum, gallery, university research lab visits, events and guided walks and is a hugely popular activity.

Alternative field trips are available locally for those not able to travel. In previous years this has included visits to local beaches, sculpture parks, and museums with staff members.

Campus facilities

The Design Informatics Studio is based in the Institute of Design Informatics, which houses the In-Space Gallery offering a regular programme of exhibitions, talks and events. The Design Informatics students form part of a rich and varied community and are active participants in the culture of the department.

Students have access to an on-site workshop including electronic facilities, laser cutting, 3D printing and other physical and digital making tools. In addition, students have access to wider ECA campus facilities with full metal, wood and model building workshops, large scale machineries and extensive digital fabrication facilities.

The Design Informatics Studio hosts workshops, seminars and practical tutorials as part of our courses.

In addition, students can use the Studio to continue to develop their own practice outside class time and work together on their projects in a shared studio environment.

Lauriston campus redevelopment

ECA are excited to be undertaking a capital redevelopment of ECA’s Lauriston campus over the next 3 years, from April 2024 to April 2027.

The project aims to maximise the use of existing space, improve accessibility, and create a vibrant campus that fosters collaboration and innovation.

The project involves refurbishing and repurposing various spaces across the Lauriston campus, including technical facilities, student and teaching spaces, and the relocation of the Reid School of Music from Alison House to the Lauriston campus. New social spaces, seminar rooms, and studios are being created to accommodate our growing community.

You can find more about the project at the below link:

Building work starts at ECA’s Lauriston campus | Edinburgh College of Art

These entry requirements are for the 2025/26 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2026/27 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2025.

Normally a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in any subject relevant to themes within design informatics.

If you do not meet the academic entry requirements, we may still consider your application on the basis of relevant professional experience.

Students from China

This degree is Band C.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country

English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency which will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component. We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
• C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
• Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 73 with at least 59 in each component. We do not accept PTE Academic Online.
• Oxford ELLT: 8 overall with at least 6 in each component.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS, TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE, in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.

Find out more about our language requirements:

• English language requirements

Additional costs

No additional costs

Tuition fees

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

• borrowing money

  • taking out a loan
  • family support
• personal savings
• income from work
• employer sponsorship
• scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Featured funding

• Edinburgh College of Art scholarships

UK government postgraduate loans

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments. The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your residency status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

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• Search for funding