University Master in Interdisciplinary Design and Communication Studies

From your knowledge and experience, think with your hands, design with purpose, and research with the awareness that every action can transform the world we share. This program trains you in theoretical, practical, or applied research in design and scientific communication and prepares you for a professional or academic career.

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Presentation

In today’s global context, with its constant demand for change, where complexity and uncertainty define our present, design and communication become forces capable of imagining new realities and defining new futures.

Elisava’s Master in Interdisciplinary Design and Communication Studies invites you to explore the power of critical thinking, creativity, and research as tools to transform the way we perceive and inhabit the world.

Through an interdisciplinary and experimental approach, the master combines creative practice with applied research, promoting dialogue between design, communication, social sciences, architecture, arts, and technology. The students, the central link in the program, become explorers of the present and the future, capable of transforming complexity into opportunities to imagine new products, spaces, forms of coexistence, expression, communication, and action.

In the master, design and communication are understood as living languages, capable of connecting ideas, products, languages, contexts, and people, and of generating an impact on the great contemporary challenges: sustainability, social justice, technology, and cultural and political transformations. All this is achieved by defining creative proposals for unresolved problems in an interconnected society, characterized by globalization, diversity, and constant evolution.

As an official diploma, the master enables you to pursue doctoral studies at Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC) or at other international universities. You will also be able to access our doctoral programme where you will define your academic and scientific career in an area of knowledge.

University Master in Applied Research in Design

The university master is an advanced, specialized, and multidisciplinary program aimed at introducing students to research activities in design, whether “for,” “about,” “from,” or applied to the field itself. It is the highest level of academic and scientific training offered at Elisava, Barcelona School of Design and Engineering (UVic-UCC).

The program is structured around 60 ECTS credits, equivalent to 25 hours of work per credit, and generally takes place in the afternoons, Monday through Friday, from late September to mid-June. The master’s degree is at level 7 of the EQF (EHEA) and corresponds to level MECES 3 of the Spanish Qualifications Framework for Higher Education (RD 889/2022).

The degree is official and is issued by the Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC), verified by AQU Catalunya and accredited by the Register of Universities, Centers, and Degrees (RUCT) and the Spanish Ministry of Education. Likewise, as it is a university master’s degree, it allows access to a doctoral programme in a related area.

Do you want to know the rest of Elisava’s master and postgraduate programmes? Find the design master you are looking for.

 

Study design in Barcelona

Our Master’s Degree is an official second-cycle degree in Social Sciences, where design takes intentionally on a primary role with scientific. An advanced training is oriented towards both academic and professional specialization.

The primary objective of the master’s degree is to promote the application of research in all areas of society. There are three possible environments where you can place your research:

+ Academic/scientist, directs the student towards the doctorate and academic career as a teacher.

+ Scientific/social, it will be the result of an eminently social vision, the primary essence of design and the designer, whose primary objective is to improve the world around us…

+ Scientific/industrial, innovation in the business and industrial field.

If you are interested in Applied Research in Design and Communication, but still do not know where to study, you should know that Elisava is among the most nationally and internationally recognized design schools. We are supported by our years of experience and the quality of our educational system, supported by the Agency for the Quality of the University System of Catalonia (AQU).
This programme is verified by the accrediting institution AQU Catalunya.
Access

The program is aimed at individuals with bachelor’s degrees in design, communication, marketing, multimedia, digital creation, product development, architecture, urban planning, and fine arts.

Graduates in humanities, anthropology, journalism, sociology, and cultural studies may also be admitted, subject to evaluation by the admissions committee, as may graduates in other fields provided they have at least three years of professional experience in the field of communication and/or design in any of its specialties.

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Elisava University Master in Applied Research in Design
Elisava Grad Showcase 2025
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Grad Show Elisava Madrid
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Objectives

  • Explore research processes “for design”, “about design”, “through design”, and “applied in design”. ·
  • Document a critical reflection on how to approach a design research project from various points of view. ·
  • Know the various research methods that exist in design.
  • Analyze the historiography of design and its methodology.
  • Propose applied research projects in design and communication through their different phases.
  • Generate social design proposals and their value as an agent of change. ·
  • Define the scientific narrative that is generated from design and communication. ·
  • Apply the philosophy and ethics linked to design and communication. ·
  • Carry out professional internships in research institutes and renowned companies in the sector.
Highlights
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Elisava Màster Universitari en Investigació Aplicada en Disseny
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Elisava Research and UVic-UCC Doctoral programme

The University Master in Interdisciplinary Design and Communication Studies is an official programme that gives you access to the Doctoral Programmes of the Universitat de Vic – Universitat Central de Catalunya (UVic-UCC) or other international and national universities.

The study plan responds to the research challenges posed by Elisava Research and is linked to the UVic-UCC doctoral program in Design and Communication, based on applied research practices. During the master, students can integrate into the research community, participate in doctoral sessions, and receive specific support that broadens their vision of research and the completion of a doctoral thesis.

The program combines postgraduate training with a solid scientific scope, in collaboration with qualified doctors with six years of research experience, promoting excellence in “research through design.” Design and engineering are understood not only as fields of knowledge, but also as tools for transdisciplinary research in dialogue with other branches of knowledge.

University Master in Applied Research in Design programme
1 Narrative in design and communication

How the disciplines of design and communication interrelate.

1.1 Artifacts and visual language
Research and creation are creatively integrated in the development of the subject. Through the analysis of visual and material culture, and through the development of visual artifacts that function as catalysts, you will begin a research path based on creative exploration and critical analysis of contexts and new social scenarios.

1.2 Design and communication strategy
The subject will provide the needed analysis tools and methods to the strategic definition of a communication plan, from both a professional and a scientific perspective. Through the analysis of problems, necessities and opportunities of a context, you will learn to evaluate a market situation and thus determine the relevance of a communicative action.

1.3 Media and environments of design and communication
Develop an analytical vision of the media and the environment as a source of knowledge, both in the field of communication and in the study of design as an integrating element in the construction of contemporary thought. Through the analysis of the object as the medium that formalizes the functional and the symbolic, configuring the intra- and extra-environment of the subject’s identity.

 2 Theory and practice of design research

Different types of research, orbiting between research about design and through design.

2.1 Interdisciplinary critical perspectives based on practice
It promotes an interdisciplinary perspective of the critical and speculative design, experimenting with the design on the future of cities and human habitats, and exploring how to expand design practice beyond communication and the product. Design is approached from sociological, political, creative, and social innovation perspectives, integrating different viewpoints to expand the possibilities of the discipline.

2.2 Social design. Care and the common good
Design is social, it mediates our way of thinking and interacting with the world. In this subject you will learn how to be aware of this social layer and its implications, recognising the friction between capability and knowledge. This tension is especially visible in practices in the realm of “social design,” where, unlike many other design practices, there is an explicit emphasis on creating for the common good.

2.3 Academic-scientific methodology for design research
Combine theoretical and practical criteria to develop diverse methodological perspectives that will enable you to build a research profile. You will work with methods and techniques to explore information, generate new data, develop proposals or prototypes, and evaluate results, drawing conclusions that will enable you to structure effective scientific communication for dissemination. At the same time, key theoretical aspects of the nature of design research, its purposes, and the different existing approaches will be addressed.

 3 Electives (select two)

Guide your career towards an ethical-political approach linked to the industry and the market, towards research and dissemination of ideas or towards practical contact with professional reality.

3.1 Philosophy and ethics of design and communication
Exploration of the ethical-political challenges that interdisciplinary design faces within the framework of contemporary material culture. It seeks to stimulate critical reflection and provide students with the needed skills to defend it and structure a solid narrative within the framework of their research.

3.2 Projection of the professional and research career
Define your research profile and the qualities of your scientific contribution, developing your potential to explore and consolidate your personal and professional interests. Set goals and future paths in both the professional and academic fields, determining the most appropriate strategy for your projection into the professional sector or a doctoral program.

3.3 Professional practices
The internships will be developed in a company or an Elisava’s research group, following the general regulations that regulate external academic internships for university master’s students, currently by Royal Decree 592/2014, of July 11. As well as that, the UVic-UCC regulations, contained in the academic regulations of the university’s master’s studies, will also apply.

 4 Final Master’s Project

The Final Master’s Project is the last academic project, in which you will carry out research in design and communication on a topic of personal interest, with the possibility of linking it to an external collaborating entity, whether public, private, cultural, social, or an NGO. You will apply the knowledge acquired throughout the master and thoroughly argue your research activity, with an academic or professional focus.

The project will be supervised by two specialized tutors and presented to a panel of experts from the master’s scientific committee. The Master’s Thesis is developed in three formats: a structured theoretical report, prototypes as material evidence of the results, and a scientific poster as a means of dissemination.
If you want to know more about the University MA in Applied Research in Design download the brochure here:
Download brochure Calendar 2025-26 Study plans Degree quality and indicators Academic regulations
Do you want to know more about the Masters’ School?

Each academic year, students with very diverse professional and cultural profiles of more than 80 nationalities from all over the world attend their master’s or postgraduate training at Elisava. We want to promote connections and networks among students beyond the context of each master’s degree to promote the exchange of knowledge through very diverse projects: we organize interdisciplinary workshops and conferences; transdisciplinary projects with students from several master’s degrees; collaborations with companies, institutions and NGOs…

Interdisciplinary workshops Collaborations with companies, institutions and NGOs Elisava Masters’ Talks and lectures Elisava Alumni
Máster Universitario en Diseño y Comunicación Posters for Agitation. Workshop with Raúl Goñi
Máster Universitario en Diseño y Comunicación
Máster Universitario en Diseño y Comunicación
Máster Universitario en Diseño y Comunicación
Máster Universitario en Diseño y Comunicación
Máster Universitario en Diseño y Comunicación

Masters’ Scholarships

Do you want to study the University Master in Applied Research in Design at Elisava? In this section you will be able to check all the information on the annual call for scholarships, which recognize, reward and disseminate the talent and excellence of future master’s students.

Elisava Masters’ Scholarships
Career opportunities

This programme prepares professionals capable of researching, designing, and communicating in complex, hybrid and changing contexts. Its career opportunities are grouped in three major areas: Research, Design, and Communication, which reflect the interdisciplinary nature of the educative profile.

1. Research and Analysis

(Research Area)

Career paths focused on knowledge generation, methodology development, and critical project evaluation in both academic and professional contexts.

  • Research in design and communication and related disciplines at universities, research centers, observatories, and think tanks.
  • Access to doctoral programs and research career development in design, communication, social sciences, or digital humanities.
  • Applied research and methodological consulting: research planning, field studies, qualitative analysis, and evaluation of processes and results.
  • Design research in companies, institutions, and public or private organizations.
  • Impact assessment of design projects, services, social innovation, and public policies.
2. Strategic design, Innovation, and Impact

(Design Area)

Profile focused on defining complex problems, creating strategies, and social, organizational, and cultural transformation through design.

  • Strategic design, service design, and experience design in the areas of products, systems, and organizations
  • Organizational innovation and change from design-led innovation and innovation culture approaches.
  • Future design, speculative design, and critical thinking applied to emerging scenarios.
  • Social design, projects for the common good, and design applied to public policy.
  • Research-based creative practice: experimental design, interaction, hybrid practices, and art-research.
  • Entrepreneurship, creative direction, and leadership.
3. Communication and Storytelling

(Communication Area)

Career paths aimed at translating knowledge, data, and complex projects into understandable and meaningful narratives for diverse audiences.

  • Communication strategy and scientific communication in academic, cultural, institutional, and business contexts.
  • Storytelling, content creation, and visual narrative in hybrid designer/writer profiles.
  • Information visualization, data storytelling, and data-based communication.
  • Curation, cultural mediation, and dissemination in museums, cultural institutions, public spaces, and exhibition projects.
  • Management and communication of cultural, social, and innovation projects.