Msc in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership

The Innovation, Creativity and Leadership master's has been designed to unlock career possibilities. Our alumni go on to become innovation leaders and consultants in large and small organisations, and in private, public and voluntary sectors, as well as developing their own businesses providing products and services across a range of different industries.

Maybe you’ll take your new skills back to your current employer. Or maybe you’ll be moving on to new opportunities.

Maybe you’ll become an entrepreneur, setting up your own business from an idea developed through the course.

Recent graduates have gone on to work in such varied roles as brand campaign managers, UX designers, product developers, product managers, strategists and policy specialists.

For example, after graduating in 2018, MSc Innovation, Creativity and Leadership alumna Callie Seymour started working as Community Manager for Artgym. Alumnus Pascal Rota started working as a Consultant for Capgemini Invent. Diana Squires (2021) started work as a programme manager at Pilotlight, and Natasha Cox (2022) developed her own award-winning business, using the power of performing arts to change lives.’

Our alumni have gone on to work in a variety of roles including:

• Communications and Change Specialist
• Product Marketing Manager
• Assistant Director Culture & Inclusion
• Executive Creative Director
• Head of Internal and Cultural Communications
• Head of People, Culture and Capabilities
• Business Transformation Manager
• Learning Design Producer
• Product Strategy Principal
• Country Business Manager

Recent alumni have been employed by companies including:

• Amazon
• Bank Muscat
• BBC
• Deloitte
• Excerpt
• Great Place To Work
• Interactive Workshops
• Kubrick Group
• L’Oréal
• Makeba
• Pilotlight
• Thames Water

Dedicated to your success

From the moment you accept your offer, you'll have access to our dedicated Postgraduate Careers Service, tailored to support your career journey. Our Career Accelerator module, launched over the summer, provides early access to valuable resources, employer insights, and career planning tools to prepare you for the job market.

Our expert Postgraduate Careers Team, made up of experienced recruiters and career coaches offers personalised one-to-one guidance, covering everything from networking and CV building to job offer management and mock interviews. Whether you’re pursuing a new career path, seeking an entry-level role, or launching your own business, you'll receive support to develop the skills and knowledge needed to succeed.

You'll also benefit from exclusive events such as Careers Fairs, panel discussions, and networking opportunities with industry professionals and alumni, helping you explore career options and make valuable connections.

Workshops led by our Careers Team and industry experts cover essential professional skills, including presentation techniques, personal branding, and assessment centre success, ensuring you stand out in the job market.

Additionally, Bayes Careers Online (BCO) offers career planning tools, guidance leaflets, access to job postings directly from employers and key career events, helping you stay on track with your career goals.

In this course, you will:

• Develop your creative thinking
• Learn when and how to use different approaches to innovation
• Learn when and how to use cutting-edge digital technologies, including generative AI, to help with creative problem-solving
• Gain practical skills to facilitate creative thinking and enhance innovation in your teams and organisations
• Develop your capacity for reflection in ways that will support your personal development journey and sharpen your leadership skills
• Learn how to work effectively in teams to solve problems, produce creative outcomes and design solutions
• Learn how to foster a creative climate within your organisation
• Learn how to deliver change.

Course objectives

In a complex and chaotic world, the aim of our master’s in innovation, creativity and leadership is to inspire and enable you to drive the future and change things for the better. You will become part of a global community of creative thinkers and practitioners who work together to lead positive change.

The course takes a practical, reflective and values-based approach that brings theories to life, and offers you a wide variety of experiences to help you to strengthen your capabilities.

You’ll develop your own skills as a creative leader, and you’ll also discover how to unleash creativity within others, including team members, colleagues, clients and stakeholders.

You will learn from a multi-disciplinary team of academics and practitioners, developing knowledge and skills in leadership, creativity and innovation that enable you to bring about valuable change in a broad range of situations.

This interdisciplinary programme draws on theory and practice in:

• business
• the arts
• psychology
• law
• design
• digital technologies.

Programme content is subject to change. We regularly review our module offering and amend it to keep up-to-date and relevant.

You can take the Master's Innovation, Creativity and Leadership (MICL) as either:

• A one-year full-time course
• A two-year part-time course

Full-time students

In Term 1, you will take four compulsory modules, followed by another four compulsory modules in Term 2. In Term 3, your attendance will depend on your chosen path:

• A dissertation
• A small project and three elective modules

Part-time students

You will join the full-time students for the modules. Our programme offers a mixture of module designs to accommodate those who are working while pursuing the MICL.

Each year, you will take:

• Two compulsory modules in Term 1
• Two compulsory modules in Term 2

In Term 3, your attendance will depend on your chosen path

• A dissertation (Year 2)
• Three elective modules (Year 1) and a small project (Year 2)

Induction weeks

The course starts with two compulsory induction weeks. During induction, we will introduce you to some core concepts and skills that will underpin your later work across the programme, and give you a flavour of the way you will work with us throughout, as well as providing some fun and surprises along the way.

You will have introductory sessions on:

• Reflection for learning and professional development
• Preparing to be at your best
• Uncovering your values and goals for the course.

You will also be able to join a range of Careers events, and have the opportunity to get acquainted with your fellow students, Course Director and Faculty in an informal environment.

Term 1

• Creative Writing
• Creative Problem Solving and Leadership
• Leading Creative Design
• Intellectual Property Law and Management.

Term 2

• The Psychology of Creativity and Innovation
• Technologies, Creativity and Innovation
• Delivering Innovation
• Creativity and the Creative Industries.

Term 3

You may choose from these two options in your final term.

• Research Methods and Individual Project
• Research Methods and Small Project.

Electives offered in 2024

• Ethics, Society and the Finance Sector
• Corporate Entrepreneurship
• FinTech - Financial Services in the Digital Age
• Negotiation Skills for Multidiscipline Managers
• New Market Creation
• Project Leadership
• Storytelling for Business.

Please note that electives are subject to change and availability.