Careers in lighting design and beyond
Are you looking for a job in lighting, whether in architectural lighting design, engineering, manufacture or the arts? A master’s in light and lighting could take you there.
Light and Lighting fundamentally affects how we experience the world. As we go through our day-to-day lives, we experience the impacts of day light and artificial lighting which evidence shows can have a profound effect on our health and wellbeing.
From office lighting that improves our productivity and wellbeing in buildings and innovating for more sustainable lighting, through to appropriate streetlighting to improve our safety. Highly trained experts with a specialist understanding of lighting design, technologies and research are needed to ensure our built environments support our lived experiences. To gain the necessary skills and knowledge a master’s degree in light and lighting is an excellent way to pivot into a career in this area, regardless of whether your previous academic background was in architecture, interior design, industrial design, engineering, science or arts and theatre subjects.
Light has the power to transform. Beyond mere aesthetics and engineering for illumination, good lighting design creates meaningful experiences, shapes communities, and leaves a positive impact on our world. To drive a paradigm shift towards a regenerative future, informed choices in lighting design and engineering are crucial. This relies on research-backed insights, evidence-based practices, and data-enabled approaches.” – Florence Lam, Arup Fellow, Visiting Professor in Lighting Design and Engineering
What sectors are seeking qualified professionals with light and lighting skills?
Your future career will be informed by your specialist interests. Light and lighting practioners, manufacturers and researchers can find employment across:
- Lighting design practices
- Architecture and engineering firms
- Luminaire manufacturers
- Academia
- Arts and performance
If you choose to take a master’s degree in Light and Lighting, you will be able to choose optional modules to help you gain additional specialist skills for your chosen industry. These could include inclusive design, machine learning, or circular economy.
Where do UCL’s Light and Lighting MSc graduate work?
100% of our graduates were in work or further study within 15 months of graduating from Light and Lighting MSc. They are now working across lighting design practices, international engineering firms, architecture practices and luminaire manufacturers. Several have chosen to continue their studies, using their master’s degree as a foundation for the PhD to continue explore innovative lighting research.
Employers include Isometrix Lighting Design, Lux Populi, Archtube, Arup, Buro Happold, Hoare Lea, Mott MacDonald, Caribbean LED Solutions, Stantec Architecture, JFA Architects and more. Some graduate have even launched their own lighting design firms.
Light and Lighting MSc has enabled me to further my career and take it to new levels. Having already spent nearly 10 years working in the Lighting Industry prior to the course, I became aware of my shortfalls of specialised knowledge, vocabulary and skilled techniques. The experience has been hugely beneficial to capitalise on areas of knowledge that I already had some understanding in. It is a well-resourced programme, with high calibre teachers who are renowned professionals from the industry. This in turn attracts many students from a range of different professional backgrounds, countries and cultures.”
– Lucy Record, Light and Lighting MSc Graduate, Director and Lighting Designer at Record Lighting and independent Lighting Design Consultancy specialising in exhibitions, museums and cultural heritage
UCL’s team of experienced careers professionals are dedicated to helping you find the right path to ensure success in your future career. UCL Careers provide support to help you find graduate jobs or further study positions and advise you on the opportunities you have during your time at UCL. From your first day at UCL and up to three years after you graduate, you can access bespoke one-to-one appointments, career events and activities programme featuring employers and alumni, confidence-boosting insights, online resources, and opportunities to increase your employability.
TL;DR
A master’s degree in Light and Lighting can open up jobs in lighting design practices, architecture and engineering firms, luminaire manufacturers, academia or arts and performance. The skills you learn can be applied across a wide variety of jobs, your career path will depend on what you choose to specialise in and could evolve as your interests do.
Are you interested in studying Light and Lighting MSc at UCL?
Discover more about the course, the skills you'll learn and how they could kickstart your future career as a lighting professional in the built environment.