When preparing for the future workplace in a rapidly changing world, there is a lot to consider. While the creative, cultural and design industries are some of the fastest growing areas of employment (employing more than 80,000 people in Ireland), human creativity and human-centred design are skills that are valued in every area of the economy and are core skills underpinning all learning at the National College of Art and Design (NCAD).
NCAD has recently renewed its postgraduate provision and now has a broader suite of future facing, flexible programmes that can help you move your career forward whether you are a recent graduate or mid-career looking to enhance or add new skills. NCAD Master’s degrees are career-focused and incorporate many projects with industry. They cover areas you may not traditionally associate with an art college.
Based on Thomas St in Dublin 8, NCAD is ranked Ireland’s number one art and design college and ranked 53rd globally by QS World University Rankings by subject (2025). The success and work of NCAD graduates can be met in galleries and exhibitions, on the catwalk and the high street, in creative industries and design practice as well as in the settings of secondary school teaching, healthcare and essential services.
In the area of design, NCAD is launching a new MA in graphic design which will focus on an expanded definition of the role of design in communication and will be open to those from a wide area of design disciplines. Other design offerings include the MA in service design, which teaches a strategic approach to enhancing the quality of services. You are likely to meet civil servants, health workers, and people from all business sectors on this programme. For those working in fashion and textiles, NCAD now has an MA in circular by design that takes a sustainability lens to these industries.
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Are you a problem-solver or love tech? Come along to NCAD’s information webinars on the MA in interaction design and the MSc in medical device design. These programmes take a human-centred approach to improving the world. Interaction design speaks to how humans interact with the world, especially technology and is the fastest growing area of employment in design. Medical device design is a big industry in Ireland and to get it right it’s crucial to start with a curious mind and a love of helping others – they teach the rest.
In fine art, NCAD is this year introducing a new MA in painting, as well as two new programmes in the developing area of socially engaged art – MA in art and ecology and MA in art and health. These will run along the existing MA in art and social action. Socially engaged art is a new area of expanded practice that brings artists and communities together to collaborate, interact and explore socially relevant issues.
Visual culture graduates continue on to roles in the arts world such as curating, art departments, galleries, journalism, vintage wear, auctioneering, and policy making. You can take a part-time BA in visual culture but if you already have a Bachelor’s you might consider MA or MFA in art in the contemporary world or an MA in design history and material culture.
To find out more about all Master’s programmes at NCAD, register on Eventbrite for a free 45-minute webinar during NCAD Postgrad Futures Week. Online webinars take place from 3pm-7pm on February 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th, 2026. Click here to register.
