Curating Contemporary Design MA (in partnership with The Design Museum)
Subject and course type
- Creative Professions
- Design
- Postgraduate
Evolve your eye for curation with Kingston School of Art's Curating Contemporary Design MA. On this course you’ll explore contemporary issues shaping today’s world, drawing on design and curatorial history. Through collaborations across disciplines, you’ll develop creative interventions and sharpen your critical writing.
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Cultivate your creativity at Kingston School of Art
Prepare for a career in gallery design and curation.
This degree is a collaboration between Kingston School of Art and The Design Museum. Since its inception, this MA degree has grown into one of the world's foremost programmes for design curators.
Taught by top curators and designers, the course blends critical thinking with creative practice to address today’s fast-changing world. You’ll curate live projects and build your professional profile through The Design Museum and partnerships with institutions like the British Council, Gallery Fumi and the Royal Academy of Arts.
The course develops skills in curating exhibitions, public programmes, and alternative formats. You’ll reflect critically on curatorial practice, collaborate across disciplines, and articulate your ideas on contemporary design.
Life on the course
Why choose this course
You will develop creative and practical skills for curating design exhibitions, public programmes and alternative curatorial formats. You will learn to reflect critically on curatorial practice. Importantly, through discussion of geopolitical, social, and economic concerns, you’ll learn to speak and write about contemporary design and curatorial practice. We encourage students to work in a trans-disciplinary fashion, to develop responses to the complexity of the world today.
This course is delivered by Kingston School of Art's academics, visiting lecturers, guest speakers and through industry connections, allowing you:
- The chance to engage with the most recent discourse in the field;
- A possibility to share your work with eminent members of your profession;
- Access to 'Live' projects, site visits and placements in prestigious institutions;
- To explore project work and workshops with visiting lecturers and industry specialists.
Your course will focus on project work, with briefs set by leading curators, designers and critics. Your research will address real world issues and ask for critical responses. In doing so, you’ll develop skills in research, analysis and experimentation.
Optional study visits throughout the year bring you in contact with design and curatorial studio practice. You will also visit museums, galleries and alternative curatorial spaces and formats in London. There is also the option for students to take an international study trip. Previous students have visited New York, Berlin, Lisbon and Amsterdam.
The Design Museum
The Curating Contemporary Design MA is run jointly with The Design Museum. Students have access to inspiring curators and experienced museum staff, as well as The Design Museum's collections, library, archives and a changing programme of exhibitions and events.
The Art School Experience
As part of Kingston School of Art, students on this course benefit from joining a creative community where we encourage collaborative working and critical practice.
Our workshops and studios are open to all disciplines, enabling students and staff to work together, share ideas and explore multi-disciplinary making.
Course content
Through a rigorous framework and practical experience students will engage with contemporary discourse that responds to the complexities and urgencies of today's world. Acknowledging design and curatorial history, you will engage with those contemporary concerns through transdisciplinary collaborations in theory and practice, and will develop stimulating creative interventions and critical writing.
Throughout the year, students will work on a major live project with external partners, which will allow you to gain first hand curatorial experience. The final presentation will be shared with the general public at The Design Museum. Students are currently working on a collaboration with Parsons The New School, New York and HEAD Geneva, which started with a symposium on Design and Film at Dorich House Museum.
The course is structured into five modules. Typically students must complete 180 credits and will gain 30 credits with each of the four core modules plus 60 credits in the Major Project.
Modules
You will be equipped with the creative, theoretical and practical skills necessary to curate design exhibitions and other curatorial formats including devising briefs, conducting primary and secondary research, selecting exhibits and curating public programmes.
A carefully composed curating visits programme runs alongside the taught modules and includes visits to exhibitions, studios and alternative sites of curatorial and design practice and critique.
The dissertation and/or creative project provides an opportunity to realise independently a body of work which demonstrates an original and creative approach in the field of design curation. With the ambition to develop professional practice and theory, the dissertation has the potential to be developed for research at higher degree level.
Core modules
30 credits
This module provides an introduction to the concepts and practices of curating contemporary design. Through a close partnership with the Design Museum, you will directly engage with the curatorial process and develop an understanding of the curatorial knowledge and core skills necessary to produce creative exhibitions, collection displays, learning and public programmes. Leading practitioners at the Design Museum and guest lecturers introduce the key elements of exhibition curating, including concept development and narrative structure, selecting exhibits, working with exhibition and graphic designers, understanding audiences, the role of interpretation, writing exhibition text and how the areas of communications, development, finance, learning, retail and publishing support exhibitions.
These elements are further developed in group curating projects, with live project briefs set by Design Museum curators exploring a key aspect of 21st century creative and professional practice. The projects encourage communication, collaboration, peer interaction and critical reflection in combination with the development of research, analytical and critical skills. The module also includes a programme of curating visits which runs alongside the main teaching programme. The programme includes visits to exhibitions and other sites of design and curatorial practice in London. It provides the opportunity to hear curators reflect on their practice in the context of their own spaces. The programme encourages critical reflection on the visits and the writing of exhibition reviews.
30.00 credits
This module provides an exploration of key theoretical concepts of curatorial practice. Questions around the object, collection, museum and exhibition will be discussed, supported by historical and current critical writing. You will develop an understanding of the close relationship between theory, history and practice, and engage with methodology as foundation of any critical writing, exhibition making or public debate.
The module radically expands the conventional definitions of the contemporary field of design practice. Using the close connection to design, art, and architecture practice courses at the Kingston School of Art, you will be exposed to a productive and stimulating environment of practice as well as critical thinking and research. Collaborative teaching between museum and university professionals allows you to interrogate with new work and develop a joined up approach to place it through research, writing and debate into historical discourse.
This module also considers the major project and explores its scope, direction and intended aims, through applied research skills and testing of methodological approaches. The project may be a set brief by a project partner, or provide a location and scope for a proposed curatorial intervention, or invite proposals in response to public concerns which might be social, political, ecological or other.
30.00 credits
This module identifies and works with emerging curatorial formats and practices in order to develop your understanding of different curatorial formats. The field of contemporary design is a rapidly shifting landscape. Technologies are constantly changing and advances in social media networks, interpretation tools and public programming are having a profound impact on the way that exhibitions are conceived and presented. An expanded field of practice and new digital tools call for a range of creative solutions and specialist skills from curators. Curators need to equip themselves with the skills that address traditional forms of curating and writing alongside online platforms, broadcasting and more experimental media and display formats curated for diverse audiences, such as public programmes and residencies. A series of lectures, seminars and workshops from leading practitioners in the field will present case studies of innovative practice.
These elements are further developed in group curating projects, with live project briefs set by Design Museum curators and leading practitioners in the field which introduce and test new curatorial formats. The projects encourage communication, collaboration, peer interaction and critical reflection in combination with the development of research, analytical and critical skills. Student learning is supported by a programme of curating visits, including exhibitions and other sites of design and curatorial practice in London. It provides the opportunity to hear curators reflect on their practice in the context of their own spaces. The programme encourages critical reflection on the visits and the writing of exhibition reviews.
30.00 credits
Display is an inherently political practice. Design and art are constantly evolving disciplines which shifting framework and overlapping boundaries necessitate persistent negotiation and (re)definition. To emphasise that this is not a new phenomenon, this module introduces exhibition examples of the last 100 years to show how such modifications have been communicated and challenged through creative and innovative curatorial approaches. Most importantly, this exhibition history demonstrates that defining the field has always been closely connected to political, social and economic aspects such as the consideration of national identities, movements, technology, culture and consumption. Investigating in historic and current adaptations of curatorial practice will directly influence how you formulate your own concept for your major project. Experimentation with formats and creative approaches are encouraged making full use of Kingston School of Art's workshops and curatorial sides. Guest lectures and tutorials will stimulate, motivate and support your independent or group work, and ensure the application of theoretical and methodological thinking.
60 credits
The Major Project is the capstone module of the Masters programme. Focusing on critical research, analysis, and presentation, the capstone project enables students to synthesise and apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired throughout the course. The module provides students with an extensive programme of training and resources which are designed to aid them in the development, planning, research, and writing of their projects. It brings together students from several MA programmes in the School of Critical Studies and Creative Industries and embeds a range of interdisciplinary and practice-led approaches to their respective fields of study. It provides students with the opportunity to craft their own approach to their field through critical-theoretical and/or creative, practice-based research. The Major Project can accommodate research projects developed through a range of academic and professional contexts depending on the motivation and interests of the student. It can be presented either as a written dissertation or as a creative project, such as a portfolio comprising a chosen medium or media, accompanied by a critical commentary. The intensity of the workload increases across the three teaching blocks, allowing increasing focus in line with the level of your expertise.
Optional placement year
Many postgraduate courses at Kingston University allow students to do a 12-month work placement as part of their course. The responsibility for finding the work placement is with the student; we cannot guarantee the work placement, just the opportunity to undertake it. As the work placement is an assessed part of the course, it is covered by a student's Student Route visa.
Find out more about the postgraduate work placement scheme.
Optional module
120 credits
The Professional Placement module is a core module for those students following a masters programme that incorporates professional placement learning, following completion of 120 credits. It provides you with the opportunity to apply your knowledge and skills to an appropriate working environment, and to develop and enhance key employability skills and subject-specific professional skills in your chosen subject. You may wish to use the placement experience as a platform for your subsequent major project module, and would be expected to use it to help inform your decisions about future careers.
Career opportunities
Our graduates have developed careers in museums, galleries, creative agencies and cultural organisations around the world. These include:
- The Design Museum - London
- M+ - Hong Kong
- Korean Institute of Design Promotion - Seoul
- ARoS Aarhus Art Museum & Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences - Sydney
- RMIT University - Melbourne
- National Gallery of Zimbabwe
- Shanghai Art Museum
- Victoria and Albert Museum - London
Teaching and assessment
You'll be assessed through curatorial project briefs, critical reviews, seminar presentations, essays, and a dissertation.
When not attending timetabled sessions, you will be expected to continue learning independently through self-study. This typically involves reading and analysing articles, regulations, policy documents and key texts, documenting individual projects, preparing coursework assignments and completing your PEDRs, etc.
Your independent learning is supported by a range of excellent facilities including online resources, the library and CANVAS, the University's online virtual learning platform.
At Kingston University, we know that postgraduate students have particular needs and therefore we have a range of support available to help you during your time here.
Year 1: 11% of your time is spent in timetabled learning and teaching activity.
- Scheduled learning and teaching: 205 hours
- Guided independent study (self-managed time): 1,595 hours
Contact hours may vary depending on your modules.
Assessment typically comprises practical exams (individual or group presentations) and coursework (e.g. critical review, essays, reports, portfolios, dissertation).
The approximate percentage for how you will be assessed on this course is as follows:
- 72% Coursework
- 28% Practical
We aim to provide feedback on assessments within 20 working days.
This course normally enrols about 15–20 students. However this can vary by module and academic year because of part-time students.
Fees and funding
| Fee category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | |
| Full Time | £13,500 |
| Part Time | £7,425 |
| International | |
| Full Time | £22,800 |
| Part Time | £12,540 |
| Fee category | Fee |
|---|---|
| Home (UK students) | |
| Full Time | £12,900 |
| Part Time | £7,095 |
| International | |
| Full Time | £21,900 |
| Part Time | £12,045 |
Funding support for postgraduate students
If you are a UK student living in England and under 60, you can apply for a loan to study for a postgraduate degree on the government's website.
Scholarships and bursaries
For students interested in studying Curating Contemporary Design MA at Kingston, there are several opportunities to seek funding support:
The Sino-British Fellowship Trust has generously supported senior graduate students with a one-year fellowship to study Curating Contemporary Design since 2006. In addition, the Trust has kindly agreed to respond to the growing interest of Chinese practitioners with visiting scholarships for one term.
Details:
- For Chinese mature students: The Trust will allocate £15,000 per annum for a bursary towards living costs to enable a student from an academic institution in China to study the one-year MA Curating Contemporary Design course.
Applications need to be received by May before the academic year of study. - For Chinese practitioners: The Trust will allocate £5,000 per annum to be used for a one term visiting scholarship towards living costs to enable a curator or museum practitioner from an institution in China to study for a postgraduate certificate in Curating Contemporary Design.
Applications can be received all year.
Please contact Jana Scholze for further details on both the bursary and the scholarship.
The Inspire the Future Scholarship offers a 40% reduction in fees for taught masters or postgraduate diploma courses with September start dates. 20 scholarships are available for progressing Kingston University graduates.
For more information on how to apply for this scholarship, visit the Inspire the Future Scholarship page.
International postgraduate students could receive up to £5,000 towards tuition in their first year of study.
For more information on how to apply for these scholarships, visit the International Scholarship page.
If you are a Kingston University 2024/25 undergraduate progressing to a 2025/26 postgraduate degree (taught or research), you could get a 15% reduction in tuition fees.
For more information on how to apply for this scholarship, visit the Postgraduate Progression Scholarship page.
Kingston University offers a 10% discount on full and part-time postgraduate degree course tuition fees to our alumni.
For more information on how to apply for this discount, visit our alumni discount page.
Additional course costs
Some courses may require additional costs beyond tuition fees. When planning your studies, you’ll want to consider tuition fees, living costs, and any extra costs that might relate to your area of study.
Your tuition fees include costs for teaching, assessment and university facilities. So your access to libraries, shared IT resources and various student support services are all covered. Accommodation and general living expenses are not covered by these fees.
Where applicable, additional expenses for your course may include:
Our libraries have an extensive collection of books and journals, as well as open-access computers and laptops available to rent. However, you may want to buy your own computer or personal copies of key textbooks. Textbooks may range from £50 to £250 per year. And a personal computer can range from £100 to £3,000 depending on your course requirements.
While most coursework is submitted online, some modules may require printed copies. You may want to allocate up to £100 per year for hard-copies of your coursework. It’s worth noting that 3D printing is never compulsory. So if you choose to use our 3D printers, you’ll need to pay for the material. This ranges from 3p per gram to 40p per gram.
Kingston University will pay for all compulsory field trips. Fees for optional trips can range from £30 to £350 per trip.
Your tuition fees don’t cover travel costs. To save on travel costs, you can use our free intersite bus service when studying at Kingston. This route links the campuses and halls of residence with local train stations - Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, and Norbiton.
How to apply
Before you apply
Please read the entry criteria carefully to make sure you meet all requirements before applying.
How to apply online
Use the course selector drop down at the top of this page to choose your preferred course, start date and mode, then click 'Apply now'. You will be taken to our Online Student Information System (OSIS) where you will complete your application.
If you’re starting a new application, you’ll need to select ‘new user’ and set up a username and password. This will allow you to save and return to your application.
Application deadlines
We encourage you to apply as soon as possible. Applications will close when the course is full.
Information required to confirm your place
If English is not your first language, we will require proof of your proficiency to allow us to confirm your place on the course. This will generally be either an IELTS or TOEFL test certificate, which can be forwarded to us after you have submitted your application. If you do not hold a formal English language qualification, please indicate how you have acquired your proficiency in written and spoken English.
After you have applied
For courses that select on application alone, applicants should normally receive an initial decision or a request for more information within four to six weeks of receipt of their application. Our admissions team will notify you of the decision by email.
Learn more about the postgraduate application process in detail.
Course changes and regulations
The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Course changes explained.
Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.
Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.
What our students and graduates say
Kingston University gives you the opportunity to interact with many talented creatives from around the world. I met so many new friends and colleagues at Kingston School of Art and in other faculties across the University.
I am very grateful for the Sino-British Scholarship, which has given me an amazing opportunity to acquire new ideas, improve my professional practice, enhance my curating skills and develop the career I have always wanted. I found the Curating Contemporary Design MA a wonderful experience. I enjoyed working in a team, learning more about art and culture administration, and developing future cooperation opportunities between the UK and China.
