A Masters by Research provides a strong foundation for undertaking a PhD or working in a research career. It is also a great way to further develop your passion for design innovation and research by undertaking intensive research in an area of interest to you. You can complete our Masters by Research in one year (full-time) or two years (part-time). You'll undertake independent research under the guidance of your supervisors who will have a working knowledge of the area you wish to specialise in. You'll be examined exclusively by a thesis and there are no taught modules on this course. Your research will involve conducting your own analysis and conclusions based on your personal study of primary and secondary source materials and you'll produce a 30,000 word dissertation which will be submitted at the end of the course. We are able to support research projects in the following areas of design and technology: Archiving and Design History, Art Practice as Research, Colour and Imaging, Experience Design, Textile and Fashion Design, Textiles Technology and Visual Communication. These broad categories are reflective of the interdisciplinary nature of the School and we can usually support research in the area you are interested in.<br><br>The Visual Communication research group examines the application, impact and process of graphic design and visual communication. Staff within this group specialise in researching how typography, imagery, layout and colour can communicate ideas and information efficiently and memorably. Information Design, and in particular infographic design is a key area of expertise within this group that focuses on how data can be effectively visualised. Several staff work in the area of health information design to improve the way we communicate health issues to patients and the public. We collaborate with organisations such as Public Health England, the NHS, Drinkaware and Luto to ensure our research has wide impact. Brand communication design is another research strength we examine the impact of branding on consumer experiences and devise new categorisation systems for brand identity design to inform future practice. Working as part of the Experience Design research group, many members of the Visual Communication team utilise graphic design methods to aid co-design processes. By designing visual materials to help everyday users express their feelings and communicate ideas we can capture design thinking from a range of audiences.