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Light and Lighting MSc

This graduate programme brings together the technical and creative sides of lighting design to enable you to shape sustainable lit environments.

Images: Students in Lighting Fundamentals workshop about illuminance and luminance, Richard Stonehouse Photography.

The Light and Lighting MSc is all about the human experience of the built environment, inside and out, and brings together the technical and creative sides of lighting design.

Since 1987, the course has continually produced some of the world’s leading lighting engineers and designers. It has greatly contributed to solving some of society’s most practical problems, from how best to light indoor spaces to how to light streets safely and efficiently.

The programme covers topics ranging from lighting design to the scientific research and engineering behind lighting, providing a uniquely comprehensive package of knowledge and skills to students.

Find out more about this degree, what you will learn and how it could benefit your career, along with entry requirements and details on submitting an application on the UCL Graduate Prospectus.

Jump to: Student experiences | Student lighting designs | Dissertation research | Industry connections 

Student experiences

Photo of Ben
I think the thing that I would highlight is the range of learning that you engage in over the year. We did everything from hand sketching to programming to physical model making, academic research, factory visits, daylight simulation and practitioner workshops. It’s a very broad programme which covers a lot of bases, but always in a rigorous and comprehensive way.

 

Ben Ransley, Light and Lighting graduate 2019
Read about Ben's experience and his published research paper 

 

Photo of Simone
The MSc Lighting and Lighting course complemented my skills and experience as an architect and has provided me with a holistic knowledge on lighting, both technical and artistic, encompassing daylight and electric light.

Simone Bonavia, Light and Lighting MSc graduate, 2015-16. Lighting designer at Steensen Varming 

Read more student experiences


Student lighting designs

Images: Examples of Light and Lighting MSc Student's work (in order) Lighting concept for bar area of Cork City Sleeper Hotel - Xavier Quiviger '18, Students at Ready Steady Light'15, Facade lighting concept for Cork City Sleeper Hotel '18, Students light up UCL's Portico '15 

Dissertation research

Watch this presentation to learn about Beatrice Yuen dissertation research 'To what extent are there light sensation differences between neurotypical and neurodivergent populations using LED in an office environment'.

YouTube Widget Placeholderhttps://youtu.be/2Nrmc4fztOU


Industry links

Video of the Bartlett artificial sky illuminating - The lighting simulator at The Bartlett (pictured above) is one of the most sophisticated in the UK: a 5.2m diameter, hemispherical sky dome, fitted with 810 energy-efficient individually-controlled light sources and a computer-controlled artificial sun, that exactly simulates natural lighting conditions for the analysis of architectural models.
 

Students benefit from presentations and input from design practitioners, manufacturers and researchers within the lighting industry to provide added depth. The course content is also reviewed for relevance by senior practitioners in the lighting industry.

The Light and Lighting MSc is a member of the International Commission on Illumination (CIE)

The Light and Lighting MSc is also an official partner of the Professional Lighting Design Convention.

Our Faculty and Institute are built on enterprise and have strong links to industry and policy through a range of partnerships and projects. The make-up of our programme advisory board demonstrates the depth of this collaboration with expert practitioners and thinkers in the field.

  • Richard Caple, Thorlux Lighting
  • Carolina Florian, Buro Happold Engineering
  • Florence Lam, Arup
  • Stuart Mucklejohn, The Worshipful Company of Lightmongers
  • Alkestie Skarlatou, Light in Space Ltd.
  • Simm Steel, Steensen Varming
  • Mark Sutton Vane, Sutton-Vane Associates
  • Ruth Kelly Waskett, Hoare Lea
  • Colin Ball, BDP