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Illustration MA

Develop and evolve your unique visual language to challenge conventions and expand the practice of contemporary illustration.

Our MA in Illustration welcomes a diverse range of design practitioners who want to expand their practice as critically engaged communicators and visual thinkers able to adapt to a rapidly changing professional landscape.

Supported by a team of professional illustrators and academics, you will be encouraged to explore the development of your visual language and your position within this dynamic and expansive discipline. By challenging your perspectives and exploring illustrative practices from a global viewpoint, you will engage in high-profile live assignments and independently driven research projects, shaping and defining your unique authorial voice. You’ll enhance your visual thinking, research and storytelling abilities, applying these skills to resolve complex issues systematically and creatively. Supported by our team of experts, you’ll be encouraged to take creative risks and push your work in new and exciting directions.

The course will challenge you to critique the discipline, questioning norms and considering how illustration practice can be reimagined to support a more inclusive future. You will consider the role of the illustrator within the current landscape of artificial intelligence and machine learning. At the core of the course is the consideration of the social and ethical implications of your work, ensuring you are well-equipped to navigate and influence the evolving world of illustration.

Why study with us

  • Advanced technical skills

    Develop expertise in a wide range of media and methods, creating sophisticated analogue and digital illustrations that reflect your unique voice and style.

  • Interdisciplinary approach

    Benefit from collaboration with other postgraduate courses within media and visual communication, fostering a multidisciplinary environment that enhances your learning experience.

  • Professional-level resources

    Utilise contemporary technology and industry-standard tools, including design studios, media labs, 2D & 3D workshops, licensed specialist software, and a media resource centre. These resources support you in transforming ideas into tangible outcomes and crafting practical solutions to project briefs.

  • Ethical and inclusive research

    Adopt an ethical approach to your work, focusing on social and ethical implications, accessibility, diversity, equality, and sustainability within illustration practice.

  • Professional portfolio development

    By the end of the course, create a professional body of work that reflects your interests and prepares you for industry, enhancing your ability to visually communicate research and ideas.

  • Innovative problem-solving

    Engage with complex visual and conceptual problems through project-based learning, promoting original and innovative approaches to illustration and professional practice.

Course Details

This programme is a one-year course including 30 weeks of direct teaching time and a 15-week final project. You will need to complete five units and one 60-credit major project (180 credits in total). All units on the course are compulsory and must be passed in order to complete the award. If you study part-time your modules will be split across two years. Full course details, including aims and assessment criteria, will be provided in the course specification upon validation.

Core practice and context in Illustration (60 credits)

This unit launches your master’s study experience at Norwich, immersing you in contemporary illustration practices and theories. The focus will be on developing skills that inform and expand your creative practice through purposeful visual storytelling and communication. Research-led projects will immerse you in contemporary and core mark‐making skills building your confidence in conceptual and practical problem-solving. You will experiment with mixed media processes and materials, exploring the boundaries of illustration alongside related fields. The unit includes observational drawing, character development, and emerging technologies such as AR/VR/AI. Iterative experimentation and critical reflection will strengthen your working methods and refine your practice within broader conceptual and ethical frameworks.

Advanced technical skills in Illustration (20 credits)

This unit focuses on the advanced technical skills essential for idea generation, problem-solving, and practical development in illustration. You’ll experiment across a range of media and processes, enhancing your practice for effective communication. Both individual projects and group collaborations will be explored, with regular presentations and discussions supporting critical reflection and analysis. Through project work, you’ll investigate innovative technical processes, expanding communication and creating advanced creative solutions. Developing content using contemporary and emerging media platforms and technologies, you’ll engage in practice-based research to push the boundaries of different media environments. The unit includes observational drawing, colour theory, Adobe Suite, animation, mixed media, and emerging technologies like AR/VR/AI. Through continuous technical experimentation and critical reflection, you will enhance your knowledge in the emergent skills required to imagine and realise effective illustration for a range of audiences.

Dialogue, debate, and domain knowledge in Illustration (10 credits)

This unit encourages exploration of leading practices and emerging research in illustration through reflective analysis and interactive sessions. You’ll develop a critical understanding of your discipline within socio-economic, political, ethical, and cultural contexts, exploring themes like design history, identity, visual language, design psychology, semiotics, and media theory. You will be supported in developing a variety of research approaches, utilising discursive interaction to inform your inquiry methods and push your creative boundaries to inspire new perspectives on illustration.

Professional technical skills in Illustration (20 credits)

This unit focuses on professional-level technical skills essential for idea generation, problem-solving, and practical development in illustration. You will experiment with various media to support personal and professional growth, building from the ‘advanced technical skills’ unit. Through individual and group projects, you’ll refine technical processes and explore innovative solutions to enhance your creative capabilities. The unit includes observational drawing, colour theory, composition, Adobe Suite, animation, motion graphics, type and lettering, mixed media, and emerging technologies like AR/VR/AI. Individual and group projects will refine your technical skills within illustration and enhance your problem-solving abilities, allowing you to fully develop and apply advanced creative thinking in practical contexts.

Advanced critical context in Illustration (10 credits)

This unit enhances your knowledge of leading practices and emerging research in illustration. By developing effective research and reflective strategies, you’ll improve your comprehension of methodologies and gain insights into creative communication within socio-economic, political, ethical, and cultural contexts. Building on the ‘dialogue, debate, and domain knowledge’ unit, you’ll explore themes like design history, identity and representation, visual language, design psychology, Gestalt psychology, semiotics, consumption, globalisation, and media theory. You’ll refine your research approach by formulating relevant questions and examining interdisciplinary boundaries. Through rigorous analysis and research-led projects, you will enhance your ability to integrate conceptual understanding with practical problem-solving, positioning yourself as a critically engaged and reflective practitioner.

Major project (60 credits)

This unit forms the culmination of your master’s study, in which you will design, develop, and execute an individual or collaborative major project. Through careful planning and organisation of activities, time, and resources, you will create a research question, design a viable project to test your hypotheses, and work towards innovative outcomes with feedback from tutors and industry professionals. Throughout this unit, you will continue to deepen your understanding of the historical, theoretical, cultural, technical, and economic contexts surrounding your discipline. Indicative fields of study may include editorial, documentary, animation and moving image, visual communication, and new forms for illustrative practice. Identifying relevant industries, audiences, and stakeholders, you’ll explore challenges related to social and environmental sustainability your project aims to impact. Research-led practice will enhance your ability to synthesise experiments into complex creative outcomes that reflect your chosen pathway and express an original, personal and professional identity.

Learning and teaching

The course is delivered through a variety of engaging learning and teaching methods.

  • Lectures

  • Seminars

  • Tutorials

  • Technical labs

  • Independent and group work

Assessment

Our assessment methods will vary based on the unit you choose and provide a comprehensive measure of your learning and progress. These methods may include:

  • Critically reflective essay
  • Course work
  • Presentations
  • Learning journal
  • Reflective evaluation
  • Body of creative work
  • Reflective research report
  • Team project evaluation
  • Major project
  • Supporting documentation
A mockup of iPad and mobile phone apps for BBC Bitesize learning on a dark green background. The apps show various video clips and augmented reality design of characters, with popups of information for learning

Typical career paths

Our illustration community has a long history and reputation at Norwich. This course will equip you with strong creative and problem-solving skills, preparing you for a broad range of roles in illustration – either freelance or as a creative team member. Upon completing this course, you’ll possess the practical skills needed to thrive in the commercial world and the communication abilities to effectively showcase your work. You’ll be able to establish yourself as a creative professional, giving you a distinct advantage in the competitive fields of illustration or art. When you graduate, you may be qualified for a broad range of careers.

  • Animator, storyboard artist and digital illustrator
  • Graphic/editorial designer
  • Art director
  • Comic book or graphic novelist
  • Freelancer
  • Creative consultancy
  • Creative developer
  • Art teacher/lecturer

The UK’s creative sector is thriving, contributing £111.7 billion annually to the economy and offering over 2 million jobs.

Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport (DCMS)

Entry Requirements

Entrants should normally have achieved a BA (Hons) / BSc Degree of 2:1 or above (or its equivalent), in advertising, art or design (such as graphics, photography, film studies), psychology, marketing, business, english, sociology, or philosophy.

Those with industry experience or relevant skills from non-traditional backgrounds are encouraged to apply, including individuals currently employed. If you’re unsure about your eligibility, please contact us for guidance before applying.

English language requirements (International/EU)

If English is not your first language, IELTS 6.5 (or equivalent) is required, with a minimum of 5.5 in reading, writing, listening, and speaking. we also accept other English language qualifications.

International Qualifications

We accept a wide range of qualifications from all over the world.

For information on entry requirements from your country, see our international pages.

alt="BA Illustration work by Helen Butterworth showing a colourful design depicting a row of houses and characters

Fees and funding

Home

Tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year:

Full time: £10,600

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you’re classed as a UK
(home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

The rules for inflation on fees in subsequent years depend on the type of fee status and level

For Home and overseas postgraduate degree students starting in 2025, fees will remain the same for each year of your course.

Funding your study

Depending on your circumstances, you may qualify for a bursary, scholarship or loan to help fund your study and enhance your learning experience. Find out more about scholarships and funding.

Additional costs

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition. Accommodation, cost of materials, and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees

International

Tuition fees for the 2025/26 academic year will be:

Full time: £24,000

The level of fee that you will be asked to pay depends on whether you’re classed as a UK
(home) or international student. Check your fee status.

Fees for subsequent years

The rules for inflation on fees in subsequent years depend on the type of fee status and level

For home and overseas postgraduate degree students starting in 2025, fees will remain the same for each year of your course.

Funding your study

We offer a range of scholarships and bursaries for international students. To find out more and see if you’re eligible, please visit the scholarships for international students page.

Additional costs

Your tuition fee covers the full cost of tuition. Accommodation, cost of materials, and living costs, such as travel and food, are not included in your tuition fees

Illustration MA Course Costs (opens in a new window)

How to apply

Home

Applications to our postgraduate courses should be made directly to Norwich University of the Arts using a Postgraduate Application Form.

Applications should be returned to admissions@norwichuni.ac.uk

Please see our Terms and Conditions and Admissions Policies for further details.

International

Postgraduate applicants can only apply directly by completing the below online application form or emailing the downloadable form to ioadmissions@norwichuni.ac.uk

Online Postgraduate Application Form (opens in a new window)
International Postgraduate Application Form (opens in a new window)

International students requiring a visa should apply as soon as possible in the year they wish to start. Email our International Team for more information. Please see our Terms and Conditions and Admissions Policies for further details

A photograph of a seminar room at Norwich University of the Arts, where an academic is giving a welcome presentation to visitors at an Open Day.

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