Overview
Who is it for?
You want to develop the skills to turn your ideas into action.
Whether you work for a big company or for yourself. Whether you're an engineer, artist, IT specialist or a designer. Whether you’re already working in middle or senior management, it really doesn't matter.
What really matters is that you’re interested in the possibilities that enabling a creative climate can create for you or your company. And that you're interested in learning how to manage innovation.
Objectives
On this unique and highly interdisciplinary master’s in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership you’ll explore and integrate perspectives on creative leadership and innovation from business and the arts, law, psychology, design and digital technology.
You’ll study under a cross-functional team of educators and professionals.
They bring techniques and theories to life, offering you a wide range of practical creativity and innovation experiences to help you grow as a leader and thinker.
You’ll acquire practical skills in a wide range of creativity and innovation processes and techniques.
You will also gain knowledge and skills you can use to harness the creativity of your colleagues, stakeholders and clients within and outside your organisation.
The outcomes? An ability to deliver breakthrough solutions in your professional and personal life. The ability to successfully manage innovation projects and programmes. And a place on the career fast-track in a world where innovation has never been more highly prized.
Alongside your study you’ll also be able to participate in a range of different creativity and innovation projects running within the Centre for Creativity in Professional Practice.
Cass Innovate
For the last few years at Cass Innovate our Master's in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership postgraduate programme students have had the chance to learn from entrepreneurs and innovators at every stage of their journeys – from fledgling start-ups to global giants.
Structure
The master's in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership degree offers a rare opportunity to study Innovation, Creativity and Leadership from a fully rounded, interdisciplinary perspective, learning from leaders in each of the disciplines.
Leadership is crucial in promoting innovative working. Innovation leaders need to be flexible, knowledgeable and be able to inspire people to follow them into the unknown. In this course you will:
- Develop your understanding of the roles and advantages of different creative problem solving strategies, techniques and tools in a range of different contexts
- Learn when to use different innovation tools, and in which situations
- Gain practical skills to facilitate creativity and enhance innovation
- Learn how to tackle complex and wicked problems
- Learn how to work effectively within teams to solve problems, produce creative outcomes and design solutions in business and other contexts
- Learn how to overcome barriers to creativity and innovation so you can deliver change
- Understand what elements foster a creative culture and what distinguishes creative organisations.
Term 1
Creative Writing
- 15 credits
- 30 hours, over ten weeks in lectures
- 120 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study
You will learn to develop and communicate ideas through writing and discover how storytelling supports leadership.
You will also develop your own writing skills through critiquing others' writing and responding to critiques of your own work and learn how to use tools to develop a play or screenplay.
This module is delivered by the Centre for Creative Writing, Translation and Publishing in the School of Arts & Social Sciences.Creative Problem Solving and Leadership
- 15 credits
- 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
- 120 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study
Learn formal problem-solving processes and cultivate intuitive decision-making and communication skills.
Enhance your understanding of your own skills and the business and professional worlds and gain experience of practical approaches to professional understanding, innovation and problem-solving.
This module is owned by Professor Clive Holtham and delivered by Andy Wilkins.The Law, Creativity and Innovation
- 15 credits
- 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
- 120 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study
You will gain an overview of all legal concerns around design and innovation and learn to develop persuasive arguments to support a case.
You will also learn about copyright, ownership, intellectual property, territorial agreements and contract law.
This module is delivered by the City Law School, one of London's major law schools.Technologies, Creativity and Innovation
- 15 credits
- 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
- 120 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study
This module uses research and practice from the underlying discipline of human-computer interaction design (HCI) to provide you with advanced knowledge about creative approaches to the design of digital technologies in ways that can lead to digital innovation, and about ways of using digital technologies for yourself and your teams, in creative problem-solving and design, that help, rather than hinder, your creative processes.
The module leader is Dr Sara Jones.
Term 2
Leading Creative Design
- 15 credits
- 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
- 120 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study
In this module you will learn about innovation and design by studying the theories, models and practices from design science, product design, interaction design and software engineering.
You will also learn how to apply creativity techniques such as challenging constraint and run creativity workshop, comparing the outcomes from other design approaches such as user centred design.
The module leader is Professor Neil MaidenDelivering Innovation
- 15 credits
- 30 hours, over ten weeks in lectures
- 120 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study
Learn how innovation is transformed into valuable products and services in business and discover how to deliver the results of creative work in business and professional processes.
You will use case studies of commercial and public organisations to understand creative and innovative commercial practices and look at how the cultural sector operates in a complex and rapidly changing environment and its relationship to the wider economy.
This module is owned by Professor Clive Holtham and delivered by Andy Wilkins.The Psychology of Creativity and Innovation
- 15 credits
- 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
- 120 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study
You will explore ways to develop creative talent in individuals, teams and at an organisational level and develop skills in building work environments that support innovation.
You will also understand how creativity and innovation can drive economic performance, employee involvement and organisational change.
This module is delivered by organisational psychologists from the School of Arts & Social Sciences. The module leader is Dr Maire Kerrin with additional delivery from Professor James Hampton.Creativity and the Creative Industries
- 15 credits
- 30 hours, over ten weeks, in lectures
- 120 hours, over ten weeks, self directed study
You will explore creativity and innovation in different performance arts including music, dance and acting.
You will compare creativity and innovation in performing arts with creativity and innovation in the other disciplines you have studied and learn how to transfer different types of knowledge across disciplines to improve creativity and innovation.
The module is delivered by the School of Arts & Social Sciences. The module leader is Mary Ann Kernan.
Term 3
Research Methods and Individual Project
The aim of the individual project is to apply the insights you’ve gained throughout the Innovation, Creativity and Leadership master's programme to your working environment.
You will deliver your final project as a dissertation. A member of academic staff with expertise in the particular area you wish to research will be allocated to supervise the project.
This is an excellent opportunity for your employer to gain immediate benefit from your studies
Research Methods and Small Project
You will undertake a substantive individual pieces of work under the guidance of an academic supervisor. The aim is to provide you with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills that you have acquired in the taught part of the master's degree in relevant creative, innovation delivery and leadership contexts.
The aim of the individual project is to apply the insights you've gained throughout the master's programme in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership to your working environment. You will deliver your final project as a dissertation. A member of academic staff with expertise in the particular area the student wishes to research will be allocated to supervise the project.
This is an excellent opportunity for students' employers to gain immediate benefit from their employee's studies.
Examples of recent projects include:
- Business Mavericks
- Innovation in Professional Services. A Comparative Study
- Creativity in a Box: learning to facilitate group creativity using online learning materials and the facilitator's toolkit
- The Sensei Within: A Study of Leadership Qualities in Japanese Martial Arts
Electives offered in 2018
- Business & Society
- Driving Supply Chain Innovation through Technology
- Global Strategy
- Innovation in Organisations
- New Market Creation
- Practice of Management
- Staying Ahead in Horticulture: Eco-minded entrepreneurship
- Storytelling for Business
- Strategy Consulting Skills
International elective
Start-ups: International Field Trip (taught Buenos Aires, Argentina)
See the MSc in Innovation, Creativity and Leadership programme specification.
Assessment methods
Assessment
The master's consists of eight core modules, each worth 15 credits, plus either:
- A dissertation project worth 60 credits
Or
- Three electives worth 10 credits each and a small project worth 30 credits
We review all our masters courses regularly to keep them up-to-date on issues of both theory and practice. Therefore, there may be some change to the detailed content of the modules and occasionally to module titles.
Term dates
Term dates 2019/20
In-Person ID Checks (all students must attend): Commences 16 September 2019
Compulsory Induction: 16 - 27 September 2019
Term I
30 September 2019 - 13 December 2019
Term I exams
6 January 2020 - 17 January 2020
Term II
20 January 2020 - 3 April 2020
Term II exams
20 April 2020 - 1 May 2020
Term III
4 May 2020 - 3 July 2020
Term III exams
6 July 2020 - 17 July 2020
Resit period
Students who are required to resit an examination or invigilated test will do so in the period:
10 - 28 August 2020
Submission deadline for Business Research Project or Applied Research Project
1 September 2020
Official Course End Date
30 September 2020
Timetables
Course timetables are normally available from July and can be accessed from our timetabling pages. These pages also provide timetables for the current academic year, though this information should be viewed as indicative and details may vary from year to year.
Please note that all academic timetables are subject to change.
Teaching staff
Course Director
Academic expert working at Cass Business School.
Module Leaders include:
- Dr Phil O'Shea
- Dr Andy Wilkins
- Professor Neil Maiden
- Dr Maire Kerrin
- Prof Ruth Soetendorp
Application
How to apply
Documents required for decision-making
- Undergraduate degree transcript (if applicable)
- CV (Evidence of minimum of three years employment, at an appropriate level)
- Personal statement - this should be around 500 words in length and answer the following:
- Why have you selected this course? What are your motivating factors?
- What are your areas of interest within the course?
- What contributions do you feel you can make to the course?
- How do you see the course affecting your career plans?
Documents which may follow at a later date
- IELTS result
- Confirmation of professional qualification examinations/exemptions/passes, if applicable
- Two professional references
- For a successful application to receive an unconditional status all documents must be verified, so an original or certified copy of the degree transcript must be sent by post to Master's Programme Office, 106 Bunhill Row, London, EC1Y 8TZ, UK
Individual Appointments
If you would like to visit us to discuss your application please do arrange an individual appointment.
Ask a student
Chat to one of our current master's students now about applying for a MSc at Cass.
Terms and conditions
Students applying to study at Cass Business School are subject to City, University of London's terms and conditions.
Entry requirements
A UK upper second class degree or above, or the equivalent from an overseas institution. Applicants who do not hold a degree may be considered on the basis of work experience alone.
Work Experience
Applicants should also have a minimum of three years' work experience in a relevant professional domain.
English language requirements
IELTS
The required IELTS level is an average of 7.0 with a minimum of 6.5 in writing.
Fees
Fees in each subsequent year of study (where applicable) will be subject to an annual increase of 2%. We will confirm any change to the annual tuition fee to you in writing prior to you commencing each subsequent year of study (where applicable).
Application fee: Nil
Deposit: £2,000 (usually paid within 1 month of receiving offer and non-refundable unless conditions of offer are not met)
First installment: Half fees less deposit (payable during on-line registration which should be completed at least 5 days before the in-person ID–checks)
Second installment: Half fees (paid in January following start of course)
Career pathways
The Innovation, Creativity and Leadership master’s course equips students for creative leadership roles in a broad range of contexts.
Those completing the course 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. The MICL has been designed to unlock career possibilities.
Innovation is key to companies competing in today's economic climate - which is perhaps why 79% of UK managers see innovation as very important.
Do you have the skills needed to lead innovation in your organisation? Read about our MICL alumna Mila.
Where they are working now
Where they are working now:
- UK - 60%
- EU/EEA - 20%
- Asia - 20%
Industry post-master's
The remaining industries are made up of Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals/ Biotechnology (20%) and Incubator (20%).
Course information and statistics
