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Graphic Design (with preparatory semester)

Entry requirements


A level

C,C

A minimum grade of CC in two A levels (or a minimum of 64 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification, eg BTEC National, OCR Diploma or Advanced Diploma).

GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language GCSE at grade C/4 or above (or equivalent).

UCAS Tariff

64

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Graphic design

**Why study this course?**

Our Graphic Design (with preparatory semester) BA (Hons) begins with a semester to teach you fundamental approaches and skills for graphic design. You’ll discover typography, printmaking, drawing, photography, digital design, as well as being introduced to graphic design within industry and cultural contexts.

The preparatory semester will ensure you have all the relevant skills, knowledge and confidence needed to complete the rest of your degree.

You will complete our Graphic Design (with preparatory semester) degree in three years, starting in September. Following the preparatory semester you’ll join students starting on the standard course in January. This means that Year 1 will consist of three semesters and you’ll be required to study at the University during some of the summer between Year 1 and 2. During the subsequent two years of your studies you’ll follow the same schedule and study the same content as students on the Graphic Design BA (Hons) course.

While you may make a considerable saving in time and fees by choosing this route over a four-year degree with a foundation year, do be aware that you’ll have to budget for the additional semester in your first year.

**More about this year**

You’ll discover your own design philosophy as you play with different methods of creation on this course. You’ll be encouraged to explore, question and innovate the relationship of graphic design to the rest of the world, as well as develop a unique voice and vision in your visual communication practice.

Experimentation is strongly encouraged. Collaboration with both your peers and industry partners will provide you with opportunities to learn about and apply professional practices. You’ll have the chance to work with graphic design studios and consultancies, allowing you to experience working as a graphic designer in the real world.

You’ll have regular opportunities to connect with and learn from practitioners and industry partners through our programme of guest lectures, workshops, events and live brief projects.

You’ll graduate with the confidence, vision, skills and professional portfolio to play a key part in the visual communications industry in a range of roles.

On graduation you'll receive the same award and title as students on the standard Graphic Design BA (Hons) course.

Modules

Example Year 1 modules include:

Critical and Contextual Studies 1 (Visual Communication)
Design Principles
Graphic Authorship
Visual Research and Communication

Year 2 modules include:

Critical and Contextual Studies 2 (Visual Communication)
Exploring Design Practice
Narrative
Work Ready 1

Year 3 modules include:

Critical and Contextual Studies 3: Dissertation (Visual Communication)
Final Project Realisation: Graphic Design
Project Design and Development
Work Ready 2

Assessment methods

You'll be assessed through project work, essays, individual practice and a final portfolio project, including a dissertation. There are no examinations.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£19,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£19,250
per year
International
£19,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£19,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Aldgate

Department:

School of Art, Architecture and 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.

81%
Graphic 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

82%
Staff make the subject interesting
86%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
81%
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

71%
Library resources
83%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
66%
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?

88%
UK students
12%
International students
35%
Male students
65%
Female students
70%
2:1 or above
18%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
C
C

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.

£18,000
med
Average annual salary
93%
med
Employed or in further education
55%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

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.

£13k

£13k

£19k

£19k

£22k

£22k

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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?

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