User Experience Design MSc



The MSC User Experience Design programme examines how people interact with technology in the 21st Century.

Overview

User Experience is now a dominant specialism in nearly every industry. Here at Edinburgh Napier, we are a top 10 Modern UK University for Computer Science (The Times/Sunday Times), with specialist labs and facilities that provide an up-to-date learning environment. 

The MSc User Experience Design will enable you to truly understand people’s relationship with technology.  You will learn not only an empirical approach but also the empathic skills to truly understanding people and the digital technology they use.  You will learn how to produce low fidelity and fully working prototypes to design for this new discipline.

This course will empower you with the skills to understand human-centred design.  By examining and creating innovative solutions to real world issues you will develop the professional skills demanded in today’s workplace.  Understanding how people want to interact with brands, products and services will furnish you with the skills to bring your expertise to the work place.

Typical entry points to this course are in January and September. Please enquire for more information. 

Mode of Study:

Part-time (available as Full-time)

Duration:

2 years

Start date:

SepJan

Course details

This part-time course will take up to 2 years to complete and will be structured to support you throughout your journey. You’ll learn by a variety of teaching methods including lectures, guest lectures, tutorials and independent study.

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    How you’ll be taught

    You will be taught through lectures, hands-on tutorials, and blended experiences. When working on your dissertation and final deliverable you will receive one to one supervision from a specialist member of our team. We also aim to timetable the programme to facilitate part time study.

    Here’s the structure of what you’ll study across both years: 

    Year 1  
    Trimester 1 – 2 modules  
    Trimester 2 – 1 module  
    Trimester 3 – no modules  

    Year 2  
    Tri 1 - 1 module 
    Tri 2 - 2 modules 
    Tri 3 – dissertation 

    Modules on offer* as part of this course 

    Advanced Information Interactions  
    Creative Technologies  
    Design Dialogues  
    Divergent Interaction  
    Research Through Design  
    User Experience and Service Design 
    Masters Dissertation 

    * These are indicative only and reflect the course structure in the current academic year. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.  
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    Assessments

    The course is assessed through project work, written reports, or essays. Assessments afford the opportunity for you to drive your personal progression.
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    Facilities

     Our School of Computing has some of the most impressive computing lab facilities of any UK university. We offer not one, but two specialist digital media labs.

    Students who cover User Experience have access to the Sensorium, a high spec UX Lab, including Eye tracking and Facial Expression analysis software.

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for User Experience?

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at a 2:2 or above, or equivalent. We look for applicants to have a background in any discipline in order to be eligible for the programme.

We may also consider lesser qualifications if you have sufficient professional work experience within the industry.

The University does not sponsor students to study on part-time programmes in the UK under the Student Visa route. International Applicants must therefore have other valid immigration leave to study on this programme.

Can I get admission into User Experience based on my working experience in this sector?

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Usually, unrelated work experience is not considered sufficient for entry without meeting the minimum academic entry requirements. Please contact us with your specific circumstances by submitting an enquiry form above and we will be happy to discuss your options.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the Postgraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test and our minimum English language requirements will apply.

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2023/24 2024/25
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland-Taught modules *£1,050 *£1,105
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland-60credit Dissertation module £620 £650
Overseas and EU-Taught modules £2,780 £3,050
Overseas and EU-Dissertation module £1,860 £2,095
Fees for modules are calculated according to the number of credits (multiples of 20). The rate shown in the table is for 20 credits*. The total fee you will pay is dependant upon the exit award you wish to achieve.
Please note tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other Tuition Fee matters please see Frequently Asked Questions about Fees Click this link for Information of Bursaries and Scholarships
The University offers a 20% discount on Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online programmes. The discount can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount. For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.
Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Please note:

The discount for Edinburgh Napier alumni can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount.

For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount.

Please read our full T&C here

Careers

Design studio
User experience design courses equip students with the skills required for a successful career in the following fields:

  • User Experience (UX) Designer
  • User Experience (UX) Developer
  • Creative Technologist
  • Front-end Designer
  • Usability Designer
  • Game Designer/Developer
  • Mobile/Wearable App Designer/Developer
  • Web Designer/Developer
  • UX Researcher/Design Researcher
Student with VR Set