Masters Design

The role of designers has changed dramatically in recent years, expanding their opportunities and responsibilities for action and relationships, which now go far beyond the usual media. The Master's in Design focuses on building desirable futures, exploring publishing practices in an expanded way. Around the idea of Publishing Futures, the verb ¿publish¿ is used as a strategy to make public issues and problems that are pressing in the contemporary world. The study program is developed around classes or conferences, performances and installations in galleries and museums, new and old types of printing and reproduction, cinema/video, social networks or virtual reality and AI technologies, without forgetting the ancestry of paper publishing. This is a Master's degree that explores the challenges of design practice from different perspectives of research, creativity and imagination, as ways of understanding a world in permanent change, offering students countless practical experiences through forums as pertinent as: Geographies and Food, Climates and Culture, Communities and Publishing, Archives and Futures. This innovative program is the second phase of the pedagogical strategy initiated in the Communication Design BA, as a teaching-learning-sharing platform that critically analyzes design as a discipline undergoing profound transitions, exploring different collaborative pedagogical models, and approaching design beyond its disciplinary margins.

Candidates are eligible to apply for the master's degree program if they fall into one of the following categories: a) Holders of a bachelor's degree or equivalent; b) Holders of a foreign academic degree obtained following a first-cycle of studies organized according to the principles of the Bologna Process by a participating country; c) Holders of a recognized foreign higher academic degree that satisfies the objectives of a bachelor's degree, as determined by the competent statutory body; d) Individuals with an educational, scientific, or professional background recognized by the competent statutory body of the CUP as demonstrating the capacity to undertake this study cycle. Selection criteria: 25% previous qualification (Bachelor Certificate Grade) + 75% Interview and CV/portfolio assessment. For candidates without a degree or qualification grade, the interview will be weighted at 100%.

This program is open to applications from designers, artists and agents from the cultural and communication sector, at various stages of their practice and career, as well as candidates from the sciences, humanities, politics, economics, sociology and other fields that intersect - or can benefit from - the interdisciplinarity and collaborative dynamics of contemporary design practice.

Gemma Copeland Justin Roborg-Söndergaard Inês Neto dos Santos Paul Bailey

This Master's establishes links to the job market through opportunities such as lectures and debates with guests from inside and outside the university, feedback from institutional and creative industry partners, mentoring and tutoring programs, project development and an internship program. It imparts skills that are highly transferable and could lead to careers in the broad sectors of content publishing and the creative industries focusing on a wide and heterogeneous audience, as well as developing tools to collaborate with other disciplinary areas. It offers the opportunity to take part in real projects with established partners in publishing such as publishers, design studios, museums, galleries and associations.

This Master's prepares students for future studies by introducing and consolidating a research culture. This implies the acquisition of research methodologies, as well as an articulation of the institutions and infrastructures that support these activities (i.e. publishing houses, museums, archives, cultural associations, creative industry). Thus, student-researchers will have preparation for future studies in the form of postgraduate courses, fellowships, residencies and doctorates.

The Master's in Design takes place at Delli, a central space for working, collaborating, learning and sharing knowledge. It provides students with different means of production that can be used during and beyond classes. Modern technologies stand out, such as 2D/3D printing, laser cutting, plotters, Risography, digital photocopiers, digital drawing on Cintiqs and 3D Workstations, Motion Capture and VR, which cohabit with the most established printing techniques: letterpress, screen printing, mimeographs, needle printers or fax machines. This is where most of the practical and theoretical courses are taught. This is also where extracurricular activities are promoted, organized and programmed by the students (seminars, reading sessions, cinema, performance, etc.). At the same time, the Master's in Design benefits from being integrated into a university campus rich in a multiplicity of areas of knowledge, activities and facilities.

The academic staff of the Master in Design is made up of a group of researchers working in areas that inform the program, such as: design history, design criticism, design and ecology, community practices and pedagogy. With an international dimension and a vast network of contacts and partnerships, the work developed in this program seeks to transfer knowledge and methods to students, working as peers.