Advertising and Design MA

Course overview

Let your creativity flow as you master the art and business of persuasion.

Effective advertising and design can achieve so much. It can evoke strong emotions, drive people to change, and importantly, be the difference between consumers choosing you over your rivals.

This programme prepares you for an enriching and rewarding career in advertising and communication design. You’ll spread your learning across three core pillars: design, research and business.

In the design pillar, you’ll explore the role of communications campaigns in the design process, gaining a solid comprehension of design principles across specialised areas such as graphic, typographic and digital design.

The business aspect focuses on essential knowledge in consumer behaviour and media planning, enabling you to develop effective communication strategies based on market insights and brand positioning.

Finally, the research pillar empowers you with valued analytical skills. Explore different research methods as you seamlessly integrate them into the design process, informing and evaluating their production with quantitative and qualitative data.

Upon graduation, you’ll have valued industry skills, such as being able to evaluate market trends, analyse brand positioning, and formulate objectives and strategies to address communication challenges. You’ll also have the artistry to generate creative concepts, design effective solutions, and critically reflect on design outcomes.

Guaranteed industry experience

During your time at Leeds, you’ll have the chance to work with clients and gain consultancy experience as part of a 2-week online Global Industry Programme.

As well as giving you the opportunity to build key industry connections, you’ll also develop invaluable professional and practical skills that are highly valued by employers.

Why study at Leeds

• Three pillars of learning: Your learning blends design, business and research, all crucial skills that nearly all organisations need to thrive.
• Authentic and practical learning experiences: Engage your learning with team working exercises, creative sprints and industry facing scenarios. 
• Expert teaching: Learn from expert tutors with years of industry experience. Gain insights from our visiting lecturer programme, featuring industry and academic experts, including alumni. 
• Get industry experience: Get the chance to collaborate with clients and gain consultancy experience as part of our 2-week online Global Industry Programme.
• Learn in expert facilities: Test your skills with our spaces and professional-grade tools, like our 2D art studio, photography studio, digital print workshop, printmaking workshop, and 3D workshop. Take a virtual tour of our facilities. 
• Get the tools to succeed: Access free dedicated software such as Adobe Creative Cloud.

Course details and modules

The MA Advertising and Design programme is structured around its three pillars: Design, Research, and Business.

The Design pillar comprises a two-semester long module on Design and Advertising, and its importance is twofold: on the one hand, it structures the development of advertising campaigns within the framework and stages of a design process, from discovery and initial research to delivery of final execution. On the other hand, the Design pillar presents principles and practices within a wide range of specialist areas, from graphic to digital design.

As a student from a research-intensive institution, you will also develop Research skills that can be valuable for problem-solving in both academia and industry settings. In semesters 1 and 2, you will be introduced to an overview of the research process, as well as to diverse primary and secondary research methods. During the summer term, you will exercise those skills, applying them in a seamless fashion to the design process, making use of quantitative and qualitative data to inform and evaluate your final project or dissertation.

The Business pillar consists of modules and content delivered by the Leeds University Business School (LUBS), comprising consumer behaviour, marketing, and media planning. Those should provide you with planning and strategic skills from a business-oriented perspective that should inform design decisions and creative endeavours. Business modules will be delivered in semesters 1 and 2.

When put together, those pillars enable you to evaluate emerging market trends, supported by analytical frameworks of reference; analyse brands’ positioning and communication strategies; formulate objectives and strategies to solve communication problems; develop creative concepts and generate ideas that address identified challenges and opportunities, taking in consideration a range of communication channels, constraints, and creative approaches; design and develop effective design solutions, plan and conduct research using diverse methods to inform and reflect on design outcomes.

The Programme Leader for this course is Dr Qais Ahmad.

Course structure

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Advertising and Design MA in the course catalogue

Year 1 compulsory modules

Learning and teaching

Creative problem solving and design thinking methods are central our teaching in the School of Design.  Your learning will be enhanced by a range of contemporary teaching methods which encourage active learning and are underpinned by inclusive and authentic learning activities, including team working, creative sprints and industry facing scenarios. 

We follow a campus based blended learning approach; you’ll have a range of resources in the virtual learning environment which are accessible at all times, including videos and pre-work to help you prepare. You’ll attend lectures which are carefully designed to invite engagement and participation, seminars enable you to delve deeper into key topics, workshops to learn and practise design making, crit sessions and tutorials to discuss work in progress.  

Your module tutors have dedicated office hours, which means there’s always the opportunity to ask questions.  

Collaboration with staff and your peers is the foundation of our teaching and learning, giving students input into their learning journey. Two of your core modules will be studied with students from other design disciplines, here you will benefit from our community of learners, to contribute their diverse perspectives, and to encounter those of others, with global industry practices in mind.  

A typical week may include in-person and online study, workshop and studio session, regular personal tutor sessions. These activities provide a rich resource to support further investigation in your private study time.  Private study is important at university and a potentially significant change from the way you have been taught previously. This is space where you can reflect and critique materials from taught session, including further reading, writing, designing and making. You will be guided through this process by your tutors to help you develop your knowledge and research skills. The ability to work independently is key skill to your development as creative professional and thinker. 

You’ll also have the ongoing support of your Academic Personal Tutor. 

On the MA Advertising and Design programme you’ll be taught by expert academics, many of which have also industry practise. There is an active visiting lecturer programme, formed on industry and academic experts, including alumni. 

Specialist facilities

The School of Design offers excellent facilities and technical support for sharpening your creative skills. Have the freedom to work independently in our range of dedicated and inspiring spaces. You’ll also have access to practical workshop studios and specialist facilities, including our:

• sculpture programme studio
• 2D programme studio
• fashion design studio
• knit and weave studio
• photography studio
• digital print workshop
• laser cutting and 3D print workshop
• printmaking workshop
• XLab for Immersive Technologies
• 3D workshop

You can consult our expert technicians who are equipped with the skills that can help bring your work to life.

The School also provides valuable support to enhance your student experience and prepare you for the workplace:

• free dedicated software
• technical induction programmes
• free access to LinkedIn Learning
• free cameras and video recorder on loan
• supporting a Degree Show
• external promotion
• visiting speakers from industry or other institutions around the world

Programme team

On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

You will be assessed through a variety of approaches, from oral/visual presentations to portfolios, reflective reports and exams. Those will be tailored to evaluate academic, professional, and digital literacies within contexts that are relevant to the programme and students’ aspirations, also taking in consideration how those literacies inform each other. Some of your assessments will be based upon collaboration with your peers. This collaboration could be in the development of artefacts, proposals and/or various forms of visual and textual communication in response to problem-based issues. 

Throughout the year, it is to be expected that you will find that assessments are progressively more challenging. To support you as you navigate assessment, we provide formative as well as summative assessment. Formative assessment gives staff an opportunity to give you feedback on personal progress, in good time before a summative deadline. Given the range of assessment types in any one level of study, formative assessment and feedback enables you to reflect upon your personal progress and establish which forms of assessment allow you to play to your strengths.  

The nature of assessment will change as you progress through your programme:

• Semester 1:  Assessments will focus on your understanding and acquisition of new knowledge, academic, digital and professional skills.  
• Semester 2:  Assessments will focus more on establishing how well you understand, analyse and apply this new knowledge and these new skills in relation to real-world, local and global settings.    
• Semester 3: Study will become more self-directed major project often being negotiated and agreed with tutors.  

Main assessment components for design modules will be modelled after authentic professional practices from advertising and design agencies, including the application of briefs from industry and student competitions. Moreover, considering the multi-disciplinary area of advertising and design, assessments’ criteria will be flexible to reflect an inclusive approach that takes in consideration your individual set of skills and career choices. Reflective reports will evaluate your grasp of theoretical frameworks and critical thinking in applying those frameworks to their design processes.

Students interested in an academic-focused experience will have the opportunity to work on a dissertation, whilst industry-focused students will be able to work on a final project of their choice. Both will be supported by a research-led approach to design.

Dialogic teaching methods emphasise in-class discussion and support staff / student debate. This approach to teaching and learning enables staff to hear all student voices. In turn, for some modules, this in-class dynamic may facilitate and inform the co-production of assessment tasks. Co-production of assessment tasks means that staff and students work together to devise fair and inclusive assessment; both formative and summative. This allows staff to consider the requirements of a module alongside opportunities to allow students to harness their strengths.   

While remaining considerate of module and programme learning outcomes, where relevant and beneficial, we strive to adopt a flexible approach to assessment design. This flexibility allows us to respond to student voice, maintain an agility that allows us to react to global, social and cultural change and respond swiftly to opportunities to devise projects with our industrial partners. We aim for all assessment to be relevant, meaningful and engaging. 

Applying

Entry requirements

You’ll need a bachelor degree with a 2:1 (hons) or equivalent qualification, preferably in an Advertising or Design related degree (including art, literature, social sciences or business) specialising in one of the following subjects indicated under ‘Advertising and Design related subjects’.

We will also consider applicants with relevant experience, an interest in advertising and design related areas, or coming from an area of expertise to which advertising and design are complementary, such as the ones listed under ‘Other areas’.

We welcome applicants from a diverse range of subject disciplines so please do not hesitate to apply if your subject is not listed.

All applicants will be required to respond to the questions in the supporting statement section of the online application form to explain why you wish to study this particular course and your career plans. Relevant professional experience may also be considered. We may request additional documentation to inform our decision.

You may also be required to submit a portfolio of recent practical work. If we require this from you, we will request this after you have submitted your application.

Advertising and Design related subjects

• Advertising
• Animation
• Anthropology
• Architecture
• Art
• Art Direction
• Branding
• Business
• Colour Design
• Communication Design
• Computer Science
• Creative Writing
• Design
• Design Management
• Engineering
• Film Studies
• Fine Art
• Game Design
• Graphic Design
• Human-Computer Interaction
• Illustration
• Industrial Design
• Information Design
• Interactive Media Design
• Interior Design
• Languages
• Literature
• Management
• Marketing
• Media
• Neuroscience
• Philosophy
• Photography
• Political Sciences
• Product Design
• Psychology
• Service Design
• Social Media
• Social Sciences
• Sociology
• Typography
• User Experience Design
• User Interface Design
• Web Design

Other Areas

• Healthcare
• Innovation Management
• Law
• Teaching/Pedagogy

International

Our admissions team are experienced in considering a wide range of international qualifications. If you wish to discuss whether your qualifications will meet the necessary entry criteria, contact the School’s admissions team.

You can also check the accepted qualifications for your country or region.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in any component . For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Business (6 weeks) and Language for Business (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional and our 10 week online pre-sessional. 

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

Please see our How to Apply page for information about application deadlines

The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page will take you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you intend to apply for funding, we advise you to submit an application for your chosen course as early as possible and at least one month before any scholarship deadline.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Documents and information you'll need

• A copy of your degree certificate and transcripts, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying (please submit an official English translation where the original is not in English)
• Your approved English Language test* (if applicable)
• A personal statement in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form
• A full up-to-date CV
• Any previous UK CAS, visa and BRP documents if you’re an international applicant who has previously studied in the UK on a Tier 4/ Student Visa.

* Applicants who have not yet completed an approved English language test may apply for a Masters course prior to taking a test.

Personal Statement Requirements

Please summarise your reasons for applying to this particular programme of study. Your response can include details of your previous study/work experience relevant to the programme and career ambitions. Your response can provide us with important information on your suitability for the course, so please complete carefully.

Please explain why you have chosen to apply for this Masters course at the University of Leeds by answering the following questions in separate numbered paragraphs:

• What areas of this course particularly interest you and why? Have you studied these before? Please explain your reasons for applying to this particular Masters course
• Why do you want to study this course at Leeds? Please comment on aspects such as available resources at the University and in the city, research specialisms within the school or academics you would like to work with.
• What potential themes have you considered for dissertation research?
• How will studying for this course help you to achieve your longer term goals?
• Why do you see this course as a particularly valuable subject to study?
• What skills and experience do you have that have prepared you for this course? You may like to give details of any final year work/projects you have previously undertaken, relevant work experience etc.

Relevant work experience might include: advertising, marketing, architecture, crafts, design (product, graphic, fashion), film, TV, radio, photography, public relations, IT - software, computer services, publishing, museums, galleries, libraries, music, performing and visual arts.

Watch a video giving advice on your application

Next Steps

You may also need to submit an electronic link or pdf to your digital portfolio. If we require this from you, we will request this after you have submitted your application. Your portfolio should demonstrate research, idea development and presentation of final concepts for each project. This can include a variety of materials which you feel best demonstrates your creative ability. If any group work is included, the candidate must clearly state this and indicate what their individual role in the project was.

Where further information to support the assessment of your application is needed, we may ask for a recent sample of written work.

We do not generally request references, unless further information is required to support the assessment of your application.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2026

This course is taught by

School of Design
Leeds University Business School

Contact us

Postgraduate Administrator

Email: PGT-Admissions-Design@leeds.ac.uk

Fees

UK: £16,000 (Total)

International: £32,750 (Total)

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Additional cost information

Additional cost information
There are additional costs of study that students need to cover. We estimate that these additional costs could be as described below, but this amount may vary depending on how you decide to respond to university briefs and the range of materials and techniques you decide to adopt.

Equipment and material costs
Students also need to cover costs of copying and supplying their own basic materials (eg pens, pencils, notebooks). The programme doesn’t require students to provide other materials to complete the programme successfully.

Computers and digital equipment
To ensure you can make the most of your studies at Leeds, you’ll need to make sure your laptop meets the system requirements for your course.

This courses require the development of work using industry standard specialist software. As/if required by your course, the School will provide this to you when you arrive. We also use a blended learning model where you’ll need to access course materials and video conference using a computer or mobile device (eg laptop, tablet, smartphone). Costs for a laptop will vary depending on the exact specification. You should expect to pay between £1,500–£2,500.

If you’re buying a new laptop for your studies, then we recommend that you wait until you’re registered as a student so that you take advantage of discounts given to university students. Delaying purchasing also allows you to find out from your course leader what you need. Depending on your circumstances you may be able to benefit from a Student Loan or Bursary, or the University Financial Assistance Fund.

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

Scholarships are also available to help fund your Masters. Find out more and check your eligibility below: 

• Scholarships for International students 
• Scholarships and funding for UK students
• Your subject area may also offer scholarships

Career opportunities

Flexibility, resilience and transferable skills are hugely desirable skills for creative industry professionals. In the School of Design, you’ll take on expert knowledge from tutors with strong links to research and industry. You’ll also hone relevant skills, such as business development, research, creative problem-solving, and communication, for a variety of careers.

You’ll be a confident strategist, planner, account executive or creative advertiser or designer who also understands the relationship between advertising, brand development and consumers. You’ll have the skills essential for any organisation, such as oral and written communication, presentation, research, analysis and commercial awareness.

This programme will prepare you for a range of opportunities working in the creative industries, traditional advertising and design agencies, digital and social media. Alternatively, you may want to explore different elements of advertising and design at PhD level.

Where this degree could take you

Students from this programme have successfully gained employment at both traditional and non-traditional advertising agencies all over the world, and in a wide variety of roles, including brand management, marketing and more. Many also continue with their professional practice. Our graduates have gone to work for companies like:

• VCCP
• McCann London
• LNER
• BBDO & Proximity Espana
• ASDA
• The Union
• Deloitte Digital
• United Communications Group Taiwan
• Wunderman Thompson Portugal

This particular course has design as well as business, so I basically get the best of both the worlds. Design is ultimately very subjective, and I think the business school brings an objective perspective to it, which helps in my career decisions.

Simran Kurani, MA Advertising and Design

Careers support

At Leeds, we help you to prepare for your future from day one.

Our Careers Service has the global expertise and sector-spanning industry partnerships that, combined, go way beyond simply helping you get a job. They provide you with the resources you need to upskill and achieve the future you aspire towards – even in the face of lightning-paced change.

• Dedicated Employability Team – meet with our qualified careers consultants and specialist employability and placements officers, on hand to help you choose the right path and develop the skills to get there. They can support with CV and cover letter writing, LinkedIn profile building, mock interviews and navigating AI: get confident with tailored advice and techniques.
• Employability and networking events – get involved in a full range of events, including careers fairs and specialist industry talks with employers who are actively recruiting. You’ll also benefit from mentoring and a supportive careers community, helping you make connections, build your network, and shape your journey as a future professional.
• Skills training – we embed transferable skills training in all our programmes to support your transition to the workplace. Gain expertise employers value, such as communication, problem-solving and research and data analysis.
• MyCareer system —– access a dedicated portal where you can book careers appointments, view helpful resources and browse vacancies and events. Access digital tools, including LinkedIn support, video‑interview preparation, plus global job market and visa guidance. We also offer pre‑arrival support to help you prepare for career planning in the UK and make the most of your time with us.
• Exclusive opportunities – bring your enterprise to market with our award-winning business advice service, Spark. Apply for vacancies only available to our students. And hone your skills further with Leeds University Union, home to volunteering opportunities and over 300 clubs and societies.

Work placements and industry experience

As a Masters student at Leeds, you’ll have the unique opportunity to gain real-world industry experience with our Global Industry Programme.

You’ll develop key professional skills and gain invaluable insight into working in your chosen field, helping to solve a real business problem from a live company brief.

This experience will enhance your CV, helping you to stand out in the competitive graduate jobs market and improving your chances of securing the career you want.

Benefits of the Global Industry Programme:

• Fully online and designed to fit around your studies.
• Opportunities to make professional networks in areas such as digital marketing, business growth, sustainability and funding strategy.
• Gain valuable insight and build consultancy experience with a UK or international organisation, working on a time limited brief.
• Work as part of a team across disciplines to tackle real business needs.
• Advance your experience and hands-on skills by putting the course teachings into practice.
• Improve your employability prospects.
• Make new friends, build confidence and consider your future plans.