Got a uni question? Find your answer now on The Student Room.

Communication Design

Glasgow School of Art

UCAS Code: W213 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Glasgow School of Art

UCAS Code: W213 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)

Entry requirements

A level

A,B,B

A Levels ABB

HNC (BTEC)

M

Level 4 Diploma with Merit or above

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

30

International Baccalaureate Diploma award with a minimum of 30 points (18 points at Higher Level);

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)

H2,H2,H2,H2

Completion of Irish Leaving Certificate with Four Highers at H2 or above

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF)

DDM

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Foundation Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

D,D,M

Scottish HNC

Pass

SQA Higher National Certificate

Scottish HND

Pass

SQA Higher National Diploma

Scottish Higher

A,B,B,B

SQA Highers with grades ABBB and above

UCAS Tariff

114-128

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

groups

Present a portfolio

image

About this course

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2025

Subjects

Design

Visual communication

History of design

The BA (Hons) Communication Design programme provides a dynamic, inclusive, and supportive learning environment that fully equips graduates as 21st-century designers, whether in professional studio practice or further academic study.

The curriculum consists of an exciting range of project-based practical and theoretical courses, which vary in length within and across the two academic semesters each year. During stages 1 and 2, particular emphasis is placed upon building a dynamic and inclusive community of learners, along with providing a solid, broad-based platform in research, experimentation and critical thinking ahead of choosing a specialist pathway for Stages 3 and 4. Stage 2 also contains two Bridging Projects that allow students to experience briefs and teaching from within the pathways, which include Photography (including Lens-based practice), Graphic Design and Illustration. In addition to the Bridging Projects, assessment feedback and the regular input of visiting speakers and lecturers from a broad range of Industry practices helps students to build an informed and nuanced understanding of the professional landscape they may enter following graduation.

The programme supports students in developing knowledge and understanding to undertake sophisticated research and visual problem-solving. Students acquire appropriate skills to contribute to the broader international contexts and territories of communication design and the ability to respond sensitively to complex ethical, societal, and environmental challenges.

The programme promotes a culture that recognises collaboration, interdisciplinary peer learning, and independence as essential elements in the effective practice of Communication Design. The research, scholarly activity, and professional practice of staff directly inform the contemporary relevance of the programme.

Within the programme, Studio courses provide a series of incremental project-based experiences with opportunities to reflect upon learning as it develops towards building a critical practice. Design History and Theory courses explore critical and contextual perspectives, and courses shared with other programmes, including Co-Lab and Design Domain, foster expanded perspectives by connecting broader domains of learning and knowledge. Opportunities for student international exchanges, collaborative learning, industry projects, and careers and enterprise experiences help support how students develop graduate skills and attributes.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£24,350
per year
International
£24,350
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£1,820
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni

Course location:

Garnethill Campus

Department:

School of Design

Read full university profile

What students say

We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

61%
Design
61%
Visual communication
64%
History of design

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

Teaching and learning

83%
Staff make the subject interesting
79%
Staff are good at explaining things
74%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
69%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

58%
Library resources
77%
IT resources
63%
Course specific equipment and facilities
40%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

77%
UK students
23%
International students
25%
Male students
75%
Female students
73%
2:1 or above
2%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A*
B
A

History of art, architecture and design

Teaching and learning

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
79%
Staff are good at explaining things
73%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
69%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

64%
Library resources
79%
IT resources
65%
Course specific equipment and facilities
39%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

75%
UK students
25%
International students
23%
Male students
77%
Female students
71%
2:1 or above
3%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A*
A
B

After graduation

The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Design studies

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
94%
med
Employed or in further education
60%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

51%
Design occupations
17%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
6%
Other elementary services occupations

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Design studies

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£15k

£15k

£18k

£18k

£23k

£23k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.

Explore these similar courses...

Higher entry requirements
place
Heriot-Watt University | Edinburgh
Communication Design
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2025
UCAS Points: 104-152
Same University
place
Glasgow School of Art | Glasgow
Interior Design
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2025
UCAS Points: 114-128

This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here