Foundation Degree in Arts - FdA
Here's what you will need to get a place on the Graphics & Digital Design FT course at Nottingham Trent University.
Select a qualification to see required grades
56 - 64 UCAS Tariff points from three A-levels
Most popular A-levels studied
See who's studying at Nottingham Trent University. These students are taking Graphics & Digital Design FT or another course from the same subject area.
| Subject | Grade |
|---|---|
| Graphics | B |
| Fine Art | A |
| Psychology | C |
| Mathematics | C |
| Media Studies | B |
UCAS code: W210
Here's what Nottingham Trent University says about its Graphics & Digital Design FT course.
This foundation degree in Graphics and Digital Design is geared towards creating ambitious graduates for the graphic design industry. Studying in a creative technologies institute, you'll gain valuable skills and experience that reflect current and future industry practice, building a professional portfolio tailored to your aspirations. After successful completion, you'll have the option to go straight into a career or top-up to a full honours degree.
Our aim is to develop and create ambitious graduates for the graphic design industry.
Working on a modern campus in our multi-million pound digital media hub, you’ll have the opportunity to gain advanced knowledge and skills in industry-standard design software packages including Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects and InDesign, accessing s range of modern studio spaces.
Through live project briefs, we’ll push you to develop your research, critical discussion and presentation skills in seeking to solve a challenging design problem, whilst you’ll get an insight into how work is commissioned with the graphic design industry. We’ll develop your project management skills through collaborative projects, and you’ll be encouraged to take an experimental and creative approach to your work.
By the end of the two-year Foundation Degree, successful graduates will leave with a wide range of valuable skills, experience and knowledge, alongside a professional portfolio tailored to their career aspirations.
Key features
Gain hands-on industry experience while you study, with industry opportunities built into the course to ensure you graduate with the practical skills needed to make it in the industry. Use industry-standard equipment: Learn how to use specialist tech and equipment including Cinema 4D and Wacom drawing tablets. Work on live briefs: set by industry giants to boost your CV and industry connections. Previous students have worked on briefs from big names including John Lewis and The National Trust. Study in the heart of Nottingham: One of Europe’s top 25 student cities, and home to over 75,000 learners.
Employability
After completing your foundation degree, you’ll have the chance to top up to BA (Hons) Graphic Design or go straight into industry.
Employability is a key focus of this course, with modules including initiatives such as live projects and the opportunity to exhibit your work, to help enhance your future career.
This course will prepare you to work in creative industries in specialist technical roles, in areas such as feature films, television, and advertising.
You can also move straight into your career, in areas which might include:
Graphic designer
Animator
Illustrator
Website designer
Artworker.
Facilities
On this course you’ll study across various facilities located on our City Campus.
You’ll have access to:
Industry Spec Workstation PCs
Bookable Green Screen studio space
Motion capture studio
Adobe Creative Cloud
Autodesk suite.
Source: Nottingham Trent University
Qualification
Foundation Degree in Arts - FdA
Department
School of Art and Design
Location
City Campus | Nottingham
Duration
2 Years
Study mode
Full-time
Subjects
• Graphic design
Start date
September 2026
Application deadline
14 January 2026
| Location | Fees |
|---|---|
| England | £9,790 per year |
| Scotland | £9,790 per year |
| Wales | £9,790 per year |
| Northern Ireland | £9,790 per year |
| EU | £18,700 per year |
| International | £18,700 per year |
Level Four (120 Credits)
• Graphic Design Development 1 (40 Credits) • Design Techniques and Technology 1 (40 Credits) • Theory and Context 1 (20 Credits) • Exploring Industry (20 Credits)
Level Five (120 Credits)
• Graphic Design Development 2 (40 Credits) • Design Techniques and Technology 2 (40 Credits) • Theory and Context 2 (20 Credits) • Industry Practice (20 Credits)
Assessment is 100% through coursework. You will receive feedback throughout each module and will be awarded a grade.
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The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.
Here you can see ratings from Nottingham Trent University students who took the Graphics & Digital Design FT course - or another course in the same subject area.
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
90%
med
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
92%
med
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
95%
high
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
89%
med
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
82%
med
Learning opportunities
87%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
87%
med
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
86%
med
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
88%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
93%
med
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
83%
med
Assessment and feedback
88%
med
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
92%
med
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
86%
med
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
88%
med
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
93%
med
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
84%
med
Academic support
90%
med
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
88%
med
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
92%
med
Organisation and management
84%
high
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
86%
high
How well organised is your course?
83%
high
Learning resources
89%
high
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
88%
high
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
93%
med
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
88%
med
Student voice
83%
med
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
76%
med
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
89%
high
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
86%
med
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
85%
high
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
93%
high
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
82%
med
See who's studying at Nottingham Trent University. These students are taking Graphics & Digital Design FT or another course from the same subject area.
We have no information about graduates who took Graphics & Digital Design FT at Nottingham Trent University.
Earnings from Nottingham Trent University graduates who took Graphics & Digital Design FT - or another course in the same subject area.
Earnings
£21.9k
First year after graduation
£25.6k
Third year after graduation
£29.2k
Fifth year after graduation
Shown here are the median earnings of graduates at one, three and five years after they completed a course related to Graphics & Digital Design FT.
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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Source: Nottingham Trent University
