Graphic Design with Foundation Year
Sheffield Hallam University
UCAS Code: A008 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Sheffield Hallam University
UCAS Code: A008 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
Access to HE Diploma from a QAA recognised Access to HE course. Normally we require 15 credits at level 2 and 45 at level 3. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.
GCSE/National 4/National 5
English Language or Literature at grade C or 4 We may also accept you, if you have limited qualifications but can show evidence of ability and a genuine commitment to studying Art and Design. We treat the foundation year as part of the Art and Design degree programme. Offers made to students will be for four years of study (or five years of study including a placement). This is made up of the foundation year plus one of our Art and Design degrees. If English is not your first language, you will need an IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in all skills or equivalent. If your English language skill is currently below IELTS 6.0 we recommend you consider either the International Foundation Programme: Art, Design and Media or Sheffield Hallam University Pre-sessional English course which will enable you to achieve an equivalent English score.
UCAS Tariff
This must include at least 32 points from at least one A level or equivalent BTEC National qualifications (to include a relevant subject, such as Art, Design and Technology, Textiles or Graphics). For example: CDD at A Level with a grade C in a relevant subject. MMP in BTEC Extended Diploma in a relevant subject. Pass overall from a T level qualification with C from core A combination of qualifications which must include an A level grade C or BTEC grade M in a relevant subject and may include AS levels, EPQ and general studies Access to HE Diploma from a QAA recognised Access to HE course. Normally we require 15 credits at level 2 and 45 at level 3. At least 15 level 3 credits must be at merit grade or above from a QAA-recognised Access to HE course, or an equivalent Access to HE certificate.
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**Please check the Sheffield Hallam University website for the latest information.**
**Course summary**
- Develop the knowledge, skills and attributes of graphic design practices that reflect your values, interests and career aspirations.
- Apply your skills in creative projects with professional and academic tutors and a rich industry network.
- Experiment with traditional and future-facing analogue and digital technologies in our purpose-designed studios.
- Showcase your work to the public and industry professionals via presentations, competitions and exhibitions.
If you don't meet the entry requirements for our BA (Hons) course, or you’d like extra preparation before starting degree-level study, we recommend you join the foundation year – which has been designed to encourage exploration and experimentation.
Prepare yourself for a career in the expanding field of graphic design through projects which respond to social, technological, economic and political challenges. By the end of the course, you’ll have the professional skills and knowledge to start your career in graphic design and create design solutions for the future.
This course also allows you to specialise in and receive a different named award – Graphic Design: User Experience (UX) – through focused project work in your final year.
**How you learn**
All our courses are designed around a set of key principles based on engaging you with the world, collaborating with others, challenging you to think in new ways, and providing you with a supportive environment in which you can thrive.
Based in our bespoke studios, workshops, and digital spaces, you’ll become part of a dynamic and collaborative learning community. Together, you’ll undertake creative adventures, explore possibilities, and challenge conventions.
Through our teaching, we help you unlock your potential to contribute as a creative thinker and doer and apply your knowledge to design practice, culture, society, and life systems.
You learn through
- Studio practice
- Workshops
- Technical demonstrations
- Group and individual tutorials
- Critiquing activities
- Lectures
- Guest talks
- Live projects
**Key themes**
You’ll be encouraged to develop your personal identity and unique style through a portfolio of practical work and active involvement in the industry, design identity and community. This work will demonstrate your unique strengths and interests to future employers when you graduate.
You’ll explore design practices such as:
- Typography and type design
- Brand and visual identity
- Publication design
- Digital product design
- User experience (UX)
- Design for visual arts
- Exhibition and installation design
- Motion and narrative storytelling
We encourage and support experimentation, adopting a risk-based approach where anything is possible. Across the three years of your course, you’ll explore these approaches through the hand, head and heart:
- Hand – emphasising risk through play and exploration, practical and experiential acquisition of knowledge and skills.
- Head – emphasising user research, analysis and responsible contextual application and production, while reinforcing year 1 attributes, skills and knowledge.
- Heart – emphasising the development and realisation of practitioner identity through a portfolio of practice and engagement with industry, design identity and community, while reinforcing year 1 and 2 attributes, skills and knowledge.
**Course support**
We’re a dedicated, qualified, and highly experienced teaching team, with world-leading research and recognised professional creative reputations, who take the time to get to know you.
**Applied learning**
Your course has been designed to embrace real-world challenges and provide you with the practical skills and knowledge to be successful.
Modules
Module and assessment information for future years is displayed as currently validated and may be liable to change. When selecting electives, your choices will be subject to the core requirements of the course. As a result, selections may be limited to a choice between one of two or more specified electives in some instances.
You will be able to complete a placement year as part of this course. See the modules table below for further information.
**Year 1**
**Compulsory modules **
Foundation Projects — Developing Creative Practice
Foundation Skills & Methods
**Year 2 **
**Compulsory modules **
Graphic Design Journeys — Pathways & Disciplines
Graphic Design Unbound — Principles & Skills
**Year 3 **
**Compulsory modules **
Future Now: Collaboration In Action
Graphic Design Impact — Context & Responsibility
Graphic Design Life — Making & Visibility
**Year 4 **
**Optional modules **
Placement Year
**Final year **
**Compulsory modules **
Graphic Design Being - Portfolio & Practice
Graphic Design Community — Collaboration & Participation
Assessment methods
Coursework
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Scholarships, discounts and bursaries may be available to students who study this course.
The Uni
Sheffield Hallam University
College of Social Sciences and Arts
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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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.
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.
£16k
£19k
£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.
Explore these similar courses...
Higher entry requirements
Nearby UniversitySame University
Lower entry requirementsThis 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
