16 Nov 2026
NCAD
5
8 weeks
€600
This programme enables learners to explore the capacity of design as a critical and collaborative agent of social, cultural and economic change.
It asks the learner to consider the potential impact of design on a range of contemporary commercial, social and cultural issues.
Equal emphasis is placed on critical thinking. Learners explore speculative, fictional, discursive, and impact-led design methodologies, equipping them with the skills required to provoke meaningful change.
Demand for transformation-oriented design skills is growing at national level, driven by climate action agendas, social inclusion priorities, public service reform, and the professionalisation of social enterprise in Ireland. The programme attracts participants from a range of disciplines and sectors, reflecting the cross-sectoral nature of transformation design demand.
The programme targets designers, artists, creative practitioners, social entrepreneurs, and professionals across the public, community, and cultural sectors who are engaged in or seeking to move into roles where creative practice drives systemic change. It is transversal by design, welcoming participants from visual art, product and graphic design, social enterprise, public administration, and education.
The programme’s emphasis on iterative, geographically sensitive, and sector-relevant transformation reflects direct input from enterprise partners who identified systems-level design competencies as a strategic priority.
The Professional Certificate in Design for Transformation prepares participants for the growing labour market demand for designers and creative practitioners who can act as agents of meaningful social, cultural, and economic change.
The programme develops skills in speculative, critical, and impact-led design methodologies; collaborative creative project development; systems thinking; and the ability to address contemporary commercial, social, and cultural challenges through transformative design practice.
Participants also develop the ability to ‘story’ transformation to communicate change narratives in ways that resonate with sector, geography, and stakeholders. These competencies are directly applicable in social enterprise, NGO, public sector innovation, design consultancy, and any setting where design is used as a tool for systemic change.
The programme is explicitly transversal, spanning design, social enterprise, cultural production, and civic engagement, and supports learners in evolving their practice to meet the iterative and changing demands of a transforming world.
There is a fee of €600 for this programme.
Apply via NCAD
Please note if you already have a myncad account you must use that for your application. To reset your password please email itsupport@ncad.ie
CFA coordinator – Joanna Crawley crawleyj@staff.ncad.ie
Admissions Contact
postgraduate@ncad.ie
01 636 4200
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Thank you for your interest in the postgraduate courses at the National College of Art and Design.
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