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Build a rewarding career in UX design

User Experience (UX) design focuses on how people interact with and experience products and services. These experiences could be on a screen, like a website or an app. Or they could be in a physical space, like wayfinding in a museum. They can also be a complex mixture of both online and offline elements.

UX designers carry out a range of tasks. They:

  • understand and frame problems through a variety of research methods
  • interpret their findings and prioritise options
  • work collaboratively with others to build on their ideas
  • develop concepts to solve the problems
  • refine those concepts through testing before and after the experience is launched for public use.

UX designers are skilled researchers, critical and creative thinkers, interaction designers, and effective communicators who create a variety of design outputs.

Career options

Our MUXD graduates are currently working in New Zealand and internationally as digital product designers, web designers, UX researchers, UX writers, and service designers.

Hear about our programme

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Move into UX design and build on your skills

The Master of User Experience Design (MUXD) is for designers, recent graduates, and those wanting to move into UX design.

The MUXD is a 12- to 18-month, 180-point Master's degree. You don’t need to have an undergraduate Design degree to apply.

If you have a background in design the MUXD will help you:

  • build on your existing skillset across all parts of design process
  • deepen your practice with critical approaches
  • open doors to more advanced roles.
You can also enrol in the MUXD if you want to shift into a new career in UX design. Our students have come from a range of areas, including anthropology, architecture, computer science, health, government policy, journalism, marketing, psychology, social sciences, software engineering, and teaching.

Two pathways

The MUXD has two pathways—a capstone project pathway and an independent research pathway.

Capstone project pathway

In the capstone project pathway, you’ll apply the knowledge and skills you’ve developed throughout the programme to a supervised project with an external organisation, or a personal project you define. As well as practising and developing your design skills, the capstone helps you build your project and process management abilities, as well as the collaborative skills necessary when working as a UX designer.

Research portfolio pathway

The research portfolio pathway is ideal for people who already have a background in UX design or a related field. You’ll have the chance to delve deeper into specific areas that align with your interests, professional goals and experience, and you’ll have greater flexibility in tailoring your studies to your individual aspirations.

Supervised by academics with UX design expertise, the research portfolio pathway also gives you the chance to build skills in conducting independent research and presenting your findings effectively.

You can begin the MUXD without declaring your pathway. Contact the MUXD Programme Director for more information.

Find out more

Sign up now to find out more about what the Master of UX Design can offer.

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Teaching approach

Because design is a ‘learning by doing’ discipline, you’ll get the most out of the MUXD programme by learning and exploring together in a class or studio environment.

MUXD classes consist of a combination of presentations from lecturers and guests, discussion, hands-on workshops, and studio time working on projects. All teaching materials are made available online.

Duration and workload

The programme begins each year in the first trimester. Capstone pathway students typically complete the MUXD in one year of full-time study spread over three trimesters: March to June, July to October, and November to February in the following year.

Students who choose the research portfolio pathway submit their final research in either March or June in the following year.

Studying full time, you can expect a workload of 25–35 hours a week in each trimester.

Remote study

The MUXD is an in-person programme, but can be studied remotely with permission. Remote students, like those based in Wellington, are expected to attend classes at the scheduled times.

If you’d like to study the MUXD remotely, you’ll need to contact the MUXD Programme Director to learn more.

Student work

Graphic showing various iterative processes involved in UX design

Diagram of the UX process conceptualised by MUXD student Julie Wen

Tinder: a UX case study. Redesigning the Tinder app to improve the user experience. By MUXD student Joyce Kim

The CITANZ professional networking app created by Amanda Conlon and her groupmates

MUXD student Duong Tran developed an app to help children understand money

App created by MUXD student Mira Patel helps users choose recipes based on dietary needs and available ingredients

What is affecting your sleep quality? infographic by MUXD student Joyce Kim

MUXD student Julie Wen proposed a smartphone app that allows parents to track their children's development

MUXD student Pramod Mani's concept for a smartphone app allows users to plant trees remotely using a drone

portrait photo

We need to help each other understand the past, so we can start to design the future.

Renee Waiwiri, Ngāti Tūwharetoa

Master of User Experience Design graduate, UX designer at IDIA

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Scholarships

If your MUXD study involves the 90-point research portfolio thesis option, you’ll be eligible for the MUXD Research Scholarship. You can look for other scholarships based on your level of study, subject area, and background.

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