MFA Communication
London, United Kingdom
Master of Fine Arts
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
19 Jan 2026
EARLIEST START DATE
07 Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 38,650 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* overseas and EU - full-time
Key Summary
Join us online or in-person to find out about our postgraduate programmes in October-November. Events are hosted for Graduate Diploma, Master's and MPhil/PhD programmes..
Creating new worlds through storytelling and conversation
The MFA Communication programme interrogates the fundamental ways in which communication shapes our lives, and uses this knowledge to develop new ways of experiencing, interacting and communicating with the world. The programme makes space for conversation, inter-cultural exchange, new ideas and diverse voices. You will explore social, political, environmental and philosophical implications of communication practices and how these may be manifested within the your chosen field of practice.
When you enter the programme you may have an existing practice in creative disciplines such as Visual Communication, Illustration, Animation, Film and Television, Digital Direction, Extended Reality, User Interface Design, Information Experience Design, or Sound Design. You will be encouraged to take a critical approach to your discipline, as the programme invites you to locate your existing practice in interdisciplinary contexts, and to innovate in ways that challenge disciplinary boundaries.
The programme also provides opportunities to extend professional networks and to locate your professional work in the context of your study, through the option of industry-embedded and Research Project units, where you carry out projects embedded in industry, supported by tutors at RCA.
Teaching will include burst teaching and hybrid delivery, within the School of Communication and across the RCA's Battersea and Kensington campuses where students are encouraged to choose electives from other Schools. Students are encouraged to consider themselves part of an multi-disciplinary network of students spread across the RCA's Schools and the programme will stress the importance of opportunities to network and collaborate with peers on different programmes.
Meet the RCA
We host a range of online and on-campus open days as well as recruitment events in cities around the world. These events can include 1-to-1 meetings and portfolio advice, informal chats, presentations and sessions with staff, students and alumni.
Check the RCA event webpage for details of upcoming events.
Please refer to the programme webpage for the most accurate and up-to-date information about the programme, its structure, modules and any updates or changes.
Students from over 70 countries come to the RCA. We welcome applications from talented, creative individuals from all over the world. Many are from backgrounds you might expect such as art, design, architecture, communications, media and humanities. Others come from disciplines as broad as engineering, social sciences, technology, toolmaking, medicine, business, law, physics, life coaching, economics, teaching, music, etc. The list is endless. What RCA students share is the potential, commitment and ambition to make change in the world through art and design.
The MFA Communication at the RCA addresses the complexities, pluralities and challenges of contemporary communication through a practice-led, interdisciplinary approach that explores communication as a radical and experimental creative practice. You will engage in critical and creative experimentation within a studio-based culture of making, collaborating with a global cohort drawn from diverse creative, cultural and philosophical backgrounds. By combining theory and practice with a strong ethos of professional collaboration with external partners such as Save the Children, Friends of the Earth and Foster + Partners, the programme enables you to transform and redefine your professional communication practice, culminating in an independent research project that pushes the boundaries of what communication can be.
Programme structure
Term 1
In Term 1, you take Communication and Interdisciplinarity, which introduces you to different methods and approaches to working in a multidisciplinary communication community. You also take Cultures and Contexts, where you reflect on how your existing skills and discipline can apply in new contexts, and explore the professional and cultural opportunities of your work. In addition, you choose two electives from across the RCA Schools.
Term 2
In Term 2, you take Methods & Methodologies, in which you test and develop emerging practices and articulate them into clear methods. You also take Consolidating Your Practice, where you plan and prepare your final research project through pre-production, forming a practical and tested proposal.
Term 3
In Term 3, you take your Independent Research Project. In this unit, you design and realise a body of work (individual or collaborative), supported by a tutor, and consider how you will present or disseminate your work professionally (e.g., event, publication).
The Royal College of Art is the world’s leading postgraduate art and design university, providing students with unrivalled opportunities to develop their practice, build their networks, enhance their career and to deliver art and design projects that transform the world.
For 11 consecutive years, the RCA has been ranked as the world’s number 1 art & design university in the QS World University subject rankings (2015-2025) - attracting artists, designers and communicators from across the globe.
The RCA Career Progression Bursary
Eligible Programmes: MFA Arts & Humanities, MFA Communication, MDes Design Futures, MRes or MEd Creative Education
Eligible fee status: Home fee status - mid-career and no links to RCA. Preference to be shown to:
- Over 50s
- People returning after a career break
- Career changes
- Parents returning to work after parental leave
- Applicants with a disability
Value:
What types of jobs to graduates go on to?
The RCA has consistently produced world leaders in the fields of creative endeavour – acting as a launchpad for the careers of major international figures.
Our alumni shape the world – whether founding their own studios and brands, pushing the boundaries of possibility through their start-ups or taking on impressive roles with global companies across a wide range of disciplines.
What if they want to start their own business?
Our creative students have ambitions of being their own boss and making their own decisions, so launch their own enterprises or studios either soon after graduating or any some time employed in industry. Many did not intend to start their studies considering themselves entrepreneurs but discovered an idea during their studies with their fellow students that they believe would make a successful business. InnovationRCA – the College’s centre for student and graduate enterprise and entrepreneurship – supports students and recent graduates to transform compelling ideas into successful businesses, providing incubation, intellectual property and commercialisation support.