Entry requirementsEntry Requirements A good honours degree or equivalent professional qualification. Applicants will be interviewed
Academic titleWeb Design and Content Planning, MA
Course descriptionThe programme takes graduates from many disciplines and provides them with the 'hands-on' skills necessary to plan and design the content of an effective website in relation to the needs of a business, profession, government office or other organisation. Applicants should have an interest in design and a working familiarity with the software employed in a modern office environment.
On graduating from the programme, students will have the skills to design, publish and manage a corporate intranet or a public website. The objective is to provide a balanced education in the three aspects of website architecture: technical, functional and aesthetic.
The technical aspects of the programme provide an understanding of the use of the wide range of tools that are available for the design and management of a website. The functional aspects of the programme focus on the creation of web pages that are usable, accessible, and employ good information architecture. Students require an understanding of how people use the web and how they like to navigate and search for information.
The aesthetic aspects of web design are considered with regard to both graphic/artistic and business objectives, such as corporate identity and branding. The architectural principle that 'form should follow function' is relevant, not as a rule, but because aesthetic considerations must be judged with regard to technical and functional considerations.
The coursework is project-based so that members of specific professional groups (e.g. lawyers, teachers, architects and civil servants) can focus on the concerns of their own profession. The design of excellent websites represents a notable intellectual challenge.
This programme may not be suitable for those who need to develop skills in web programming, server-side scripting or database design and management. However, those applicants wishing to develop programming and web development skills might like to consider one of the MSc programmes offered by the School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences.
Core courses
* Web Page Design
* Website Planning
* Content Strategy
* Web Thesis Project
Options
* Website Design and Testing
* Web Art
* Law and Education
* Training