Every university story starts with curiosity. Along the way, students find their voice and leave confident to take on the world. MA Visual Communication student Fariba Najafi Barzegar is doing just that.
After completing her bachelor’s degree in photography in Iran, Barzegar began looking for the next step in her creative journey. During her search, she fell in love with the University of Salford’s Peel Park campus.
“I just knew this was where I wanted to study my master’s,” she says. “It had the kind of environment I was looking for — creative but also connected to the real world.”
Leaving home for the first time was daunting. But those fears quickly gave way to excitement as she found her place at the Salford School of Arts, Media and Creative Technology, one of the best universities in the UK to study Animation, Fashion and Interior Design.
The best start for futures in fashion, art, and technology
Whether you want to follow your passion, advance your career or enter the world of academia, Salford’s creative postgraduate programmes offer the best start. You’ll learn from teaching staff who are not only academics but also active industry professionals, bringing real-world expertise and valuable connections straight into the classroom. From creative and digital skills to critical thinking and problem-solving, they’ll help you develop the tools today’s industries demand. Just as importantly, you’ll put those skills into practice through collaborations with leading organisations, hands-on projects, placements, and industry visits — experiences that build both your confidence and your professional portfolio.
In the MA Visual Communication, you’ll “work across disciplines, collaborating with peers from contemporary fine art, creative technology, socially engaged art, and socially engaged photography,” says lecturer Elizabeth Wewiora. Joint sessions with MA Creative Technology students develop another layer of skills, from UX design to AI and the ethics of its use.
If you dream of opening your own clothing production business, the MA Fashion Business and Marketing is for you. Here, you’ll build your entrepreneurial skills from development to the launch of an actual independent business venture, with a supportive, award-winning department backing you every step of the way. “Because my language skills weren’t great, I often felt insecure,” says Chunxuan Jiang from China. “But [lecturer] Deborah Smailes was always friendly, patient, and rigorous in her teaching, which gave me courage and confidence.”
Staff often share their insights from working with the likes of Patagonia, Tommy Hilfiger, Nike, Reebok, and Harvey Nichols with students. Smailes herself has collaborated with Nike, Oxfam, the Amsterdam Arts and Craft Centre, and Dutch streetwear brand Daily Paper.
Meanwhile, the MA Fashion Design is an intensive, specialist programme built for those who want to master creative technical skills and innovative design thinking in a state of the art, professional studio setting based in Salford, Manchester. Graduate Debbie Folashade already had a stable clothing business in Nigeria but the programme gave her “a formal education in fashion and experience what the industry is like outside of Nigeria.”
“Dedicated, enthusiastic, and supportive teachers often shared resources outside office hours,” she says. “Without their help, I wouldn’t have completed my course or grown so much as a designer.”
And if your interests lie elsewhere, Salford offers a range of other postgraduate options: MA Animation, MA Creative Technology, MA Contemporary Fine Art, and MA Socially Engaged Photography.
Whichever programme you choose, you’ll have access to the 55 million pounds New Adelphi building. With open-plan teaching spaces, photography studios, prototyping workshops, Mac suites, and a MakerSpace with 3D printers, CNC machines, and laser cutters, this is an enviably equipped environment that mirrors the professional world. MA Fashion students, for example, can use Adobe Illustrator, Clo: 3D, and AI to build a portfolio, while expert technicians run print, textiles, wood, and metal workshops.
At Salford, support goes far beyond the classroom. International students benefit from dedicated careers advisors who understand the challenges of building a global career. The campus itself is vibrant and welcoming, with many spaces to eat, relax, and socialise, as well as a faith centre offering both religious support and opportunities to meet others in the community.
Financial support is also available through automatic scholarships — worth 3,000 pounds for students graduating with a first-class degree, or 2,500 pounds for those with at least a second-class lower degree (2:2). Tuition fees can be managed easily too, with the option to pay in seven monthly instalments.
Salford’s annual Degree Show celebrates the incredible artistic achievements of their graduating students. Source: University of Salford
Where theory meets practice
The stories of Barzegar, Jiang, and Folashade are just a few of many examples of how Salford empowers creatives to thrive. At the heart of this success is experiential learning, a powerful way to inspire students to turn bold ideas into tangible impact.
MA Visual Communication combines placements with live projects, where collaborations with Hotbed Pres, Islington Mill, Salford Museum and Art Gallery, Textbook Studios & Salford Art Collection, HOME and UniTom open opportunities for exhibitions, mentoring, and volunteering. Barzegar has designed visuals for the rugby club Salford Red Devils’ media day at Media City. Patrick He secured a six-month internship at Immersify Education and Samuel rebranded six art galleries.
In MA Fashion Business and Marketing, you’ll test strategies in “Entrepreneurial Business Simulation,” pitch campaigns to fashion industry experts in “Marketing Pitch and Industry Launch,” and “present your research in a sustainability-focused symposium,” according to Smailes. The partnership with ACS Clothing includes visits to their Glasgow headquarters. “We looked at how old garments can be re-processed to be recycled, rented, refurbished, or reused,” says AdeJumoke Ojo.
The MA in Fashion Design is your chance to show your designs to the world. For Debbie, that moment took place during London Fashion Week: “It was my first time putting on a fashion show, and I realised there’s so much more to it than just the designs. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.” Beyond the runway, Salford’s ties with Max Mara, H&M, Harvey Nichols, and B-Bax bring student collections to stores. Its British Fashion Council (BFC) membership adds even more opportunities — just ask Elizabeth Knight, winner of the BFC/Pandora competition.
Alongside hands-on projects, you could be listening to a guest lecture from BBC, Elle, or Adidas one day, or networking in Manchester, the UK’s Creative Capital, the next. Home to some of the world’s greatest creative companies, such as Social Chain, LadBible, the BBC, ITV, BooHoo, and Missguided, it’s a great place to start your career, and you’ll have the skills to back you up.
“Salford’s given me both academic knowledge and practical skills that I know I’ll carry into my career. I’ve learned how to manage projects, work with different people, and adapt when things don’t go as planned — everything I need to prepare for the future,” says Barzegar.
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