Term 1: Fall Term (September-December) courses

• DSI511 – Introduction to Social Innovation (7.5 ECTS)
• DSI512 – Collaborative Design (8 ECTS)
• DSI513 – Social Inclusion and Design (7.5 ECTS)
• DSI514 – Research by Design (8 ECTS)

DSI511 – Introduction to Social Innovation (7.5 ECTS)

This course aims to introduce students to Social Innovation and the dynamic processes underlying transformative social change. The course is designed to provide a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted concept of Social Innovation, exploring its roots, principles, methodologies, and diverse applications across various sectors. Students will gain knowledge of strategies of change that include the innovative activities of social and political entrepreneurs, activists, organizations, and social movements.

DSI512 – Collaborative Design (8 ECTS) 

This course aims at exposing students to methods of collaborative design in the fields of design, architecture, urban design and urban planning fields, through the combination of both active and reflective learning about collaborative practices and methods. The course is designed to provide students with the theoretical framework, the experience, tools, and methods needed to improve design processes in a collaborative, transdisciplinary manner.

DSI513 – Social Inclusion and Design (7.5 ECTS)

The purpose of this course is to introduce basic concepts related to social inclusion and provide practical application of this knowledge so that students develop the ability to create products and solutions that take social inclusion into account. Topics covered include: basic concepts of social inclusion and inclusive design, the value of inclusive design, user capabilities and product interaction, main phases of inclusive concept design, inclusive design practices and tools, auditing inclusive/exclusive design examples and documentation of social inclusion in design. Reference will be made to Sustainable Development Goals that relate with social inclusion -SDG 4, 8, 9, 11 and 16- and the implications of social exclusion, as well as how issues of social inclusion, and specifically issues of gender, affect communities and the society. The main task is the project work, which is carried out in small groups and will be connected to ongoing needs and challenges linked with SDGs.

DSI514 – Research by Design (8 ECTS)

The course offers an overview of design research methods. Through specific examples, it allows students to think of creative ways to conduct and (re)present their own research, encouraging them to invent their own personal approach. The course attempts to combine theory with practice and to show how architectural design thinking — as a combination of written and design language — can become a research method leading to the production of new or the expansion of existing knowledge. The widely understood architectural creative practice is perceived as a way of questioning and critique, rather than as a response to given problems.

Term 2: Spring Term (January-June) modules

• DSI521 – Ethnography for Designing Social Innovation (7.5 ECTS)
• DSI522 – Sustainable Design Futures (8 ECTS)
• DSI523 – Social Entrepreneurship (8 ECTS)
• DSI524 – Experimental Design Practices (7.5 ECTS) 

DSI521 – Ethnography for Designing Social Innovation (7.5 ECTS)

If you have ever thought ‘this is too theoretical for me’ or ‘this theory doesn’t have a practical application’ while taking a course, during these 16 weeks you will be offered a learning opportunity to think creatively and critically on how various theories and methods have been applied by others and how you can adopt and adapt these to suit your practical needs through ethnographic reflection and observation. Moreover, you will get into the habit of being reflective of your own practices to improve your confidence and ability to shift between a reflective mode and rational problem solving. This course will help you apply ethnographic methodologies and theories of design in a broader set of problems in business and society by looking into concepts such as creativity, critical thinking, lateral thinking, divergent thinking, user-centred design, design thinking, framing and others. You will engage individually and in groups in a variety of activities that include writing, creating, peer-reviewing and applying methods in the field.

DSI522 – Sustainable Design Futures (8 ECTS)

Students will learn how to approach the formulation of strategic plans for interventions at the neighbourhood scale following themes introduced during lectures and seminars.

Subjects in this course will vary according to emerging students’ needs or requests and the faculty’s educational and research interests.

DSI523 – Social Entrepreneurship (8 ECTS)

The course provides the theoretical and practical framework for the study and analysis of social entrepreneurship and innovation. Topics covered include business plans, business modelling, funding sources, intellectual property protection, innovation process and management. Entrepreneurship refers to the process of identification, assessment and development of opportunities, regardless of the resources that we have available to us.

DSI524 – Experimental Design (7.5 ECTS)

This module concerns critical and experimental design practices that are largely research-driven, speculative, and non-solutionist. It zeroes in on a broad array of topics ranging from design as material exploration, post-optimal electronic instruments, design fiction, post-digital objecthood, ludic design, science fiction, “data-things”, design as political critique, and others. These are scrutinised with respect to physical objects, software, electronic appliances, speculative fabulation, crafts, contemporary techno-scientific culture, and social activities. Students will review the history and theory behind a broad array of experimental design practices, will analyse and discuss a number of case studies, and, much more importantly, will actively design and selectively produce themselves (individually and in small workgroups) a number of physical, digital, fictional, or hybrid artefacts.

Summer Term: Offered every summer

• DSI531 – Summer School Cyprus [elective] (4 ECTS)

DSI531 – Summer School Cyprus [elective] (4 ECTS)

Optional Summer School in Cyprus paired with MGA Diploma Project.

Term 3: Offered every term

• DSI532 – Diploma Project [summer school prerequisite] (24 ECTS)
• DSI533 – Master’s Thesis (28 ECTS)

DSI532 – Diploma Project [summer school prerequisite] (24 ECTS)

This course is a final milestone for the MA Design for Social Innovation. It’s an elective course as students can choose the alternative final milestone route is the Master’s Thesis. This course has as a prerequisite attendance and completion of a Summer School in Cyprus during the summer prior taking this course. The difference being that the Master’s Thesis is a more theoretical approach to research in relation to Design for Social Innovation while the Summer School and Diploma Project takes a more practical approach. Both routes meet and align to the overall programme requirements albeit having a different emphasis on the balance between research and practice.

DSI533 – Master’s Thesis (28 ECTS)

This course is a final milestone for the MA Design for Social Innovation. It’s an elective course as students can choose the alternative final milestone route that consists of the Summer School and Diploma Project. The difference being that the Master’s Thesis is a more theoretical approach to research in relation to Design for Social Innovation while the Summer School and Diploma Project takes a more practical approach. Both routes meet and align to the overall programme requirements albeit having a different emphasis on the balance between research and practice.

The MA Design for Social Innovation programme is designed for students with a Bachelor level of education, who have a strong interest in developing high-level competences rooted in social science and design theory and practice to build, improve and evolve skills and capacities necessary for social innovation action. The departments involved share an ethos of interdisciplinarity in design and innovation and strive to build links between academia and practice bringing to the forefront impactful and evidence-based theoretical and methodological knowledge.
The course suits well both recent graduates and professionals.

Applicants must have a University degree of a relevant background (such as Design, Architecture, Social Sciences, Management or other), awarded by an accredited institution in the country where it operates, or a degree evaluated as equivalent to a University degree by the Cyprus Council for the Recognition of Higher Education Qualifications (KY.S.A.T.S). Individuals who will be awarded a University degree or Graduation certificate fulfilling the necessary criteria by the end of the week that precedes registration week, are also eligible to submit an application.

Applications should include the following:

• Application through the Online Application System of the University of Cyprus
• Two signed letters of recommendation. 
• Copies of university degrees or a statement of expected graduation in the month preceding enrolment in the postgraduate programme.
• Transcripts as appropriate.
• Curriculum vitae
• A short statement (maximum two pages) of the student’s research goals and interests.

Criteria for assessment of applicants

• Academic background in the appropriate discipline and grades in other related degrees.
• Letters of recommendation.
• Personal interview.
• Required Levels of English language proficiency for studies in postgraduate programs

In accordance with the Cyprus Agency of Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Higher Education (CYQAA), candidate students should provide a certificate of their knowledge of English.

Candidate students are required to have certification for “Very Good Knowledge” of English at level B2-C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). At this level, the users can understand a wide range of demanding, long and complex texts, and recognize implied meanings. The users can express themselves fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. They can use the language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes. They can produce clear, well-structured, detailed texts on complex topics, demonstrating controlled use of organizational patterns, connecting elements, and coherence mechanisms.

Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) corresponds to the following specific reference frameworks for international examinations, according to the official pages of the organizations offering these examinations. Indicatively, a score of 5.5 – 6.5 corresponds to knowledge of level B2 (Lower), while score 8.5-9 is level C2 (Proficiency).

Some scores only remain valid for two years. If candidates apply using a certificate gained over two years ago, they may need to retake the test.