Master of Arts - Biodesign
- 2 years
- Duration
- 22,175 GBP/year
- Price
- September
- Start
- June
- Deadline
- Master
- Degree
- Campus
- Format
- London / United Kingdom
- Location
Program description
The MA Biodesign programme at Central Saint Martins is a cross-disciplinary course that integrates principles from biological living systems into design to foster a regenerative and symbiotic future. It encourages students to consider how to design for coexistence with non-human systems, climate adaptation, material scarcity, and natural and cultural resilience.
The curriculum equips students with ecological literacy, bio-ethics, systems thinking, and hands-on skills in lab experimentation, biofabrication, and synthetic biology. These principles are applied to design across various scales—from new materials and products to urban ecology and architectural propositions. A core aim is to implement strategies that catalyze environmental, racial, and social justice through ecologically driven and socially conscious design practices.
Program structure
- Unit 1: Introducing Biological Systems
This foundational unit introduces the core principles of biodesign, exploring the interconnectedness of living and non-living systems through lectures, lab protocols, and team-based design briefs. It culminates in a biodesign portfolio and presentation, emphasizing collaborative learning and practical application of bio-informed design strategies.
- Unit 2: The Collaborative Unit
This unit fosters cross-course collaboration to address global challenges through collective, cross-disciplinary research and practice. It equips you to build temporary communities of practice, applying relational and networked approaches to create positive impact and shared well-being for both human and non-human contexts.
- Unit 3: Exploring Biodesign Practices
Unit 3 explores the diverse spectrum of practices within the Biodesign field, advancing your design research through interdisciplinary methods. Through expert sessions on resilient design strategies, you will learn to integrate biological and ecological principles to create sustainable solutions for environmental and societal challenges, engaging in both proactive group and individual work.
- Unit 4: Biodesign Project Realisation
Unit 4 is dedicated to the creative production and communication of your final MA Biodesign project, culminating in its materialisation and presentation to a large audience. The project, which can be individual or group-based, must demonstrate a positive impact on natural environments and planetary health, realised in formats ranging from objects to systems and interfaces.
Price
Tuition fee:
- 22,175 GBP per year*
*Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students on courses lasting more than one year. For this course, you can pay tuition fees in instalments.
You may need to cover additional costs which are not included in your tuition fees, such as materials and equipment specific to your course.
Typical approximate costs for this course include:
- Field trips: 50 GBP
- Materials (year 1): 300 GBP
- Materials (year 2): 500 GBP
- Laptop or desktop computer
Requirements for applicants
The standard entry requirements for this course are as follows:
- An honours degree in a relevant design subject area, for example, product design, architecture, textiles, fashion, science communication, building sciences, environmental science, ecology, 3D, media studies, graphic communication, gaming, data visualization, robotics
- Or an equivalent EU/international qualification
And ideally with at least one year of professional experience.
Exceptionally applicants who do not meet these course entry requirements may still be considered.
The course team will consider each application that demonstrates additional strengths and alternative evidence. This might, for example, be demonstrated by:
- Related academic or work experience
- The quality of the personal statement
- A strong academic or other professional reference
- Or a combination of these factors.
Each application will be considered on its own merit but we cannot guarantee an offer in each case.
English language requirements
- IELTS level 6.5 or above, with at least 5.5 in reading, writing, listening and speaking
About the university
The University of the Arts London (UAL) produces and encourages the creativity essential for a better future. Its colleges have been at the forefront of innovative education since 1842, creating work with a lasting impact on people and the planet, driven by curiosity, imagination, and purpose.
London is fundamental to UAL's identity, providing a vital context where the university connects and exchanges ideas with individuals from all walks of life. Globally, its creative network influences education, culture, business, and society.
Through innovative research and creative instruction, UAL's faculty and staff bring fresh perspectives to education. The university enables students to build the careers they desire by working with them at every level - from pre-degree to postgraduate, and from short courses to online learning.
UAL's colleges
Ranked second in the world for art and design, UAL comprises six distinct colleges:
- Camberwell College of Arts
- Central Saint Martins
- Chelsea College of Arts
- London College of Communication
- London College of Fashion
- Wimbledon College of Arts
Together, they form a community of creatives, innovators, trailblazers, and storytellers, united in their mission to reimagine the future.
Courses in the visual arts, animation, screen, communication, fashion, media, and performance are available at the undergraduate and graduate levels.
