Concept Art & IP Development at UCA

Every great film or game begins as a spark of imagination that grows into worlds, characters and stories that audiences fall in love with. Concept artists are the architects of these universes. Our MA in Concept Art & Intellectual Property (IP) Development will give you the tools, knowledge, and industry experience to transform these artistic visions into lasting cultural touchstones. 

This postgraduate degree places a focus on developing creative outputs through project work and creative sessions. This practical work is supported by theoretical sessions that will explore the historical and cultural aspects of concept art and intellectual property. 

On the course, you will learn to master cutting-edge industry workflows, skills, and contextual knowledge that facilitate the visual communication of ideas, narratives, and concepts for creating your own original intellectual properties. Your portfolio will be shaped by the diverse experiences created by the interaction between you, your lecturing team, and your peers, fostering a unique collaborative learning environment and enriching your overall experience.

You’ll be taught by academics and industry professionals, giving you the chance to learn real-world skills from those who are using them in their daily professional lives. 

The degree is taught at UCA’s Farnham School for Creative & Cultural Industries, which places it within the hub of games and high-tech companies in the South East of England and we have strong connections with the industry and you’ll be encouraged throughout your degree to engage with industry projects via work placements and industry briefs. 

We also run a Games & Creative Technologies Incubator where as a UCA graduate you can access support to develop your IP and take your products to market. 

By the time you graduate, you’ll be leaving UCA with more than just a portfolio. You’ll leave with creative IPs, advanced concept art skills, and the confidence to promote your ideas. Whether you choose to collaborate on major industry projects or launch your own original worlds, you’ll step into the creative industries as a professional ready to make an impact. 

Please note: this course is subject to validation. 

Key information

Campus
UCA Farnham
Start date(s)
September 2026
Duration
1 year full-time
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Entry requirements
Tuition fees

Upcoming webinars

We offer a range of webinars throughout the year that Concept Art & IP Development students may be interested in.


This includes subject talks, masterclasses, application proccess advice and student life guides. Check out our upcoming webinars and book your place today.

What you'll study

What you'll study

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

Explorations in Concept Art and IP Development
This module introduces you to the foundational principles of concept design and IP development through the lens of visual storytelling, design theory, and world-building. Acknowledging the diversity of experience at entry, the module provides both a rigorous skill alignment phase and a discursive framework for approaching concept design as an interdisciplinary and narrative-led design practice.

Research and Professional Contexts 1
In this module you will learn research methods and key theoretical discourses to provide a critically informed and reflective toolset for critically analysing concept art and intellectual properties. You will learn about a range of methods for analysing images and texts on the level of their content and form drawing upon established research practices within the academy. These methods of analysis will be put to work to analyse the meaning of concept art and intellectual properties, including those being developed in your practice modules.    

In addition, to this focus on texts, images, and concepts, topics will focus on audiences, identities, and fan cultures. Centrally, these questions of audiences and fan cultures will be framed via concepts of equality, diversity, and inclusion

Advanced Concept Art for IP Generation
This module focuses on the creation, refinement, and professional presentation of original intellectual properties, underpinned by advanced visual and narrative strategies. Building upon the foundational knowledge from the Explorations in Concept Art and IP Development module, you will further expand your concept design practice through the structured development of large-scale, multi-layered IP projects. 

You will be guided to produce projects that demonstrate strong narrative coherence, clear visual language, and commercially informed world-building approaches. The module will introduce and contextualise professional expectations, workflows, and IP lifecycle knowledge, including branding, market positioning, and audience targeting strategies. 

Research and Professional Contexts 2
In this unit you will learn a range of key theories, concepts, and debates through a structure based upon the interrogation and critical analysis of key imaginary worlds and intellectual properties. From Frank Herbert’s Dune and its engagement with questions of ecology and power, to Tolkien’s Middle Earth’s connections with language, race, and theology, imaginary worlds provide a lens through which to imagine the possibilities of fictional spaces and cultures, but also our own past and present. Using these key examples and conceptual lenses, you will pitch an original and theoretically informed IP tailored to an industry audience. 

Final Major Project
This project represents the culmination of the MA Concept Art and IP Development programme. You are required to conceive, develop, and present a fully resolved intellectual property (IP) portfolio or prototype, demonstrating both creative excellence and industry-readiness.

MA course

  • Independent study: 80%
  • Scheduled teaching: 20%
  • Online delivery of scheduled teaching: 0%
  • Placement: 0%

Please note, these details are for 2026 entry and could be subject to change for other years of entry.

Course specifications

Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.

Fees & funding

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees - Sept 2026

  • MA course: £10,800

Tuition fees - Sept 2026

  • MA course: £10,800

We offer a fee reduction to the equivalent of UK student fee for duration of the course. This is available to all applicants who are a national of an EU country and a resident in the EU or UK. The scholarship will be automatically awarded if you meet all the eligibility criteria. You do not need to complete an application form, see fee discount information.

Tuition fees - Sept 2026

  • MA course: £18,540

The fees listed here are correct for the stated academic year only, for details of previous years please see the full fee schedules.

UCA scholarships and fee discounts

At UCA we have a number of scholarships and fee discounts available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Current UCA students and alumni may be eligible for a tuition fee discount.

Financial support

There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our financial support information.

Additional course costs

In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. 

Career opportunities

The course team work closely with the careers team to help you set out on your specialised career pathway. With in-depth knowledge of the creative sector, they support you to make the most of industry contacts and continue to offer support after you graduate through online resources and one-to-one sessions. 

Many students choose to freelance once they complete their degree. The careers team offer enterprise-related activities for these students to help prepare for self-employment and to develop business ideas. 

You may want to undertake further study or research to specialise even further.

Entry & portfolio requirements

For this course we may need to see your portfolio for review. You can either submit a digital portfolio or request an in-person portfolio review with the course team.

Please check our Concept Art & IP Development MA portfolio requirements.

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