The MSc ‘Design for Sustainability and Circular Economy’ provides the knowledge, skills and creativity to design solutions that can contribute towards a sustainable society, and aims to produce highly qualified and sought-after designers able to tackle some of our most pressing sustainability challenges. You will learn how to use design to foster environmental, social and economic sustainability, and support the transition towards a circular economy. The unique feature of this programme is that it will enable you to apply design for sustainability at different levels:
- At a product level, you will learn how to design the life cycle of products in order to reduce their environmental impact and foster circularity of resources;
- At a product-service system level, you will learn how to develop articulated solutions that integrate product, service, business model and supply chain design;
- At a social and behavioural level, you will learn about social innovation and how design can be used to shape social practices and behaviours towards sustainability;
- At a socio-technical system level, you will learn to adopt a long-term systemic perspective and understand how design can play a role in supporting the systemic changes that sustainability requires.
You will learn how to use a range of different sustainability methods and tools in the design process, and how to put theory into practice in a range of projects, some of which are in collaboration with industries and other organisations.
You will have the opportunity to customise your learning journey by selecting two elective modules from other master's design programmes. You will have access to modern facilities that include a dedicated master’s design studio and extensive prototyping workshops.
Our programme includes an optional internship (6-12 weeks) or placement (6-12 months), allowing you to be embedded in businesses and design consultancies and work on sustainability-related topics. This is an opportunity to apply what you learned in the programme in a real-world setting, improving your practical design skills and fostering your future career prospects.
This programme is linked to the internationally renowned Brunel Design for Sustainability research group, creating strong synergies between teaching and research, and allowing cutting-edge research output to be used to inform the programme teaching content, projects and dissertations.
Made in Brunel is a unique, student-led initiative that showcases our design talent at its finest. Each year design students run a series of industry and community events leading up to the Made in Brunel exhibition. The annual showcase is a highlight of the London design calendar and promotes the incredible work our students produce for the creative community, and is a great way for our students to network with design professionals and potential employers.
You will also have the opportunity to engage with the Design Factory London, an innovative and dynamic hub for multidisciplinary collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving, where you can work on real-world projects with industry organisations.
If you are interested in turning an idea into a business after your postgraduate studies, we are in partnership with the Central Research Laboratory (CRL), a design incubator for start-ups. You’ll have access to meeting rooms and workspace as well as prototyping facilities. A team of in-house professionals will guide and support you at each stage and a number of our previous entrepreneurial students have successfully commercialised their products.
