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Graphic Design (with integrated foundation year)

Entry requirements


A level

A

Access to HE Diploma

P:45

60 credits, 45 must be graded at Level 3

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

PPP

Scottish Higher

D,D,D,D

T Level

Pass (D or E)

UCAS Tariff

48

Potential to succeed can be measured in a number of ways including academic qualifications and skills obtained outside academic study such as work experience. You can find out more about the tariff and qualification options from the UCAS tariff table. Please check selection criteria for any additional entry requirements.

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Graphic design

Have alternative qualifications or don't quite meet our entry criteria? No problem.

If you’re looking for a graphic design foundation course that will develop your skills and confidence in a supportive, dynamic environment, look no further.

Your introductory year will give you the technical expertise and knowledge to progress to our highly respected undergraduate degree in graphic design.

**Course Overview**

To break into the competitive but rewarding graphic design industry, you’ll need an exciting portfolio, excellent subject knowledge, the skills to use the latest professional equipment and technology – and your own unique flair in creatively solving communication problems.

So, if you’re looking for a graphic design foundation course that enables you to learn graphic design from industry experts and develop the skills and confidence needed to kick-start your graphic design career, look no further. Your introductory year will give you the technical expertise and knowledge to progress to our highly respected BA (Hons) Graphic Design course.

Following your foundation year, our hands-on course is designed to take you to your creative limits and graduate with the confidence, experience and skills that are so sought after by employers in this highly selective but exciting industry.

**On this course you will...**
- Develop an appreciation of the key theories and contexts that influence graphic design today.

- Develop a portfolio of graphic design work that demonstrates your understanding, visual skills and critical judgement.

- Work on industry-led briefs enabling you to develop autonomy, creativity and professionalism.

- Develop a range of industry-standard skills: idea generation, design development, typography, layout, 3D graphics, motion graphics, digital artwork, presentation skills, etc.

- Undertake group projects which simulate the workflow of a professional studio.

**What you will learn**

You will work closely with illustrators exploring the fundamental principles of visual communication and many of the core principles and considerations are shared between the two disciplines,

As well as visual communication skills, you will also develop the personal management, interpersonal and team working skills that will help you to deal with the challenges of the exciting, fast-changing industry that you’re a part of during and after life as a student. From Semester 2 onwards your learning will become ever more specialised and industry-focused. This enables you to develop specialist skills and understanding in such diverse areas as typography, editorial and book design, branding and identity, packaging, motion graphics, exhibition design, etc.

**Year One**
- Making Images

- Making Objects

- Visual Enquiry

- Environment

- Portfolio and Progression

**Year Two**
- Introducing Visual Communication

- Cultural Contexts

- Multi-Dimensional Graphic Design

- Collaborative Practice

**Year Three**
- The Designer's Toolkit

- Type & Typography

- Graphic Design Projects

- The Critical Designer

**Year Four**
- Advanced Design Projects

- Independent Research Paper

- Graphic Design Showcase

Modules

Foundation year - Compulsory modules:

Visual Literacy,
Technical Processes,
Applied Visual Practice,
Design Cultures.
Year one - Compulsory Modules:

Design Fundamentals,
Design in Context 1,
Communicating Ideas,
Thinking through Image-Making.
Year two - Compulsory modules:

Principles of Graphic Design,
Principles of Multimedia,
Exploration of Graphic Design,
Design in Context 2.
Year three - Compulsory modules:

Graphic Design Application,
Professional Context,
Graphic Design Practice,
Professional Practice.

Tuition fees

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

England
£9,250
per year
EU
£9,250
per year
International
£13,575
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Carlisle - Brampton Road

Department:

Institute of the Arts

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%
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

71%
Staff make the subject interesting
75%
Staff are good at explaining things
64%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
68%
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
75%
Course specific equipment and facilities
46%
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?

100%
UK students
0%
International students
48%
Male students
52%
Female students
51%
2:1 or above
8%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
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.

£16,088
low
Average annual salary
90%
low
Employed or in further education
52%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

30%
Design occupations
20%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
10%
Other elementary services occupations

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

£16k

£16k

£19k

£19k

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...

Nearby University
Heriot-Watt University | Edinburgh
Communication Design
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 104-152
Higher entry requirements
University of Cumbria | Carlisle
Graphic Design
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96-112

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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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