Catalyse your creative leadership with UCL’s new master’s degree

UCL’s School of Management has announced the launch of a new MSc in Creativity, Innovation and Leadership (CIL), marking the university’s 200th anniversary by pairing UCL’s reputation of research excellence with practical applications relevant for a rapidly changing world. It used to be that those on the creative side didn’t have to concern themselves with the commercial side, and vice versa. But that gap has become increasingly unsustainable. Organisations are calling out for leaders who can operate at the intersection of creativity and corporate strategy.

A cohort of 60 students will leave this one-year full-time programme charged with creative confidence, carrying a toolkit of research-backed insights, approaches and methodologies they can apply to solving problems creatively and driving innovation throughout the rest of their careers.

The 12-month programme guides students to bridge the gap between the creative and the commercial at the level of the individual, teams, organisations and industries. Learning is broken down into eight core modules: creative problem solving, design thinking, innovation practices, leading high-performance teams, creative industries, organising for creativity, leadership and communications, and managing diversity. Students will develop as leaders through experiential learning tackling real-world challenges and working one-to-one with a certified leadership coach. This applied approach empowers students to blend theory with practice to drive meaningful change.

What makes this programme truly unique is the depth of industry input. Senior figures from creative industries, across leading companies such as Adobe, Ogilvy, IDEO, and YouTube, are involved in shaping curriculum, advising on industry trends and in the mentorship of students. Daniela Fulford, creative director at Ogilvy, offers a key point – the programme pushes students to “figure out what their gut instinct is, where their empathy lies and how they can connect with people and pitch ideas that ultimately speak to some sort of human truth”.

Input from advisory board members ensures the MSc CIL programme is moving in lockstep with a world shaped by fast-moving technological innovations pushing forward new demands. What the future of working needs are people who can do what algorithms cannot; bring human storytelling to the heart of strategy. “The role of storytelling is central to everything you see across the creative industries – from leadership narrative crafting to brand storytelling and embedding creative thinking into the programmes you run,” shares Rachel Murphy, head of enterprise events EMEA at Adobe. Storytelling is woven throughout the curriculum. Students will have a chance to work with a storyteller-in-residence to expand their creative comfort zones. Whether it be working with myths and fairy tales, honing pitching skills, curating a personal brand, or engaging in high-stakes negotiation, storytelling is the thread that connects the programme’s pillars of learning.

Dr Jennifer Lynch, associate professor (education) of creativity and innovation, heads this new programme, bringing a passion for intersecting academia and real-world leadership. Her background covers a PhD in the psychology of creativity, years of management consulting at McKinsey & Company and a decade spent designing leadership development programmes as a certified executive coach.

The programme is open to applications for the September 2026 intake, and is based in London’s modern business hub of Canary Wharf. For prospective students who need a visa, applications are open until 5pm BST on 26 June 2026; for those who don’t require a visa, applications are open until 28 August.

Students can apply for a range of scholarships towards the MSc CIL tuition fee of £35,400. These include The Director’s Academic Excellence Scholarship and the Pousaz Family Scholarship. In addition, 6 full scholarships are available for East London applicants through UCL’s East London Scholarship. This covers full tuition, plus a £17,096 living stipend. The scholarship deadline is 5pm BST on 25 June 2026.