Entry requirements
A level
You need to demonstrate post-16 study in art and design (a Foundation course, BTEC or NVQ Level 3 in Design is usually required) or be an A-level student with a strong art and design portfolio.
Access to HE Diploma
Pass with 45 Level 3 credits including 30 Distinctions and a number of merits/passes in subject specific modules. You need to demonstrate post-16 study in art and design (a Foundation course, BTEC or NVQ Level 3 in Design is usually required) with a strong art and design portfolio.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
With three Higher Level subjects at 655. You need to demonstrate post-16 study in art and design (a Foundation course, BTEC or NVQ Level 3 in Design is usually required) or be an IB level student with a strong art and design portfolio.
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
You need to demonstrate post-16 study in art and design (a Foundation course, BTEC or NVQ Level 3 in Design is usually required) or be an Higher level student with a strong art and design portfolio.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
You need to demonstrate post-16 study in art and design (a Foundation course, BTEC or NVQ Level 3 in Design is usually required).
Scottish Advanced Higher
You need to demonstrate post-16 study in art and design (a Foundation course, BTEC or NVQ Level 3 in Design is usually required) or be a Highers level student with a strong art and design portfolio.
Scottish Higher
You need to demonstrate post-16 study in art and design (a Foundation course, BTEC or NVQ Level 3 in Design is usually required) or be Highers level student with a strong art and design portfolio.
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About this course
Design isn’t just a way of making and doing; it’s a way of understanding and engaging with the world.
**Why study BA Design at Goldsmiths?**
- The BA Design degree enables you to think imaginatively about the possibilities of design. Not just what design is; but what it might be. You’ll discover how design affects the environment as a whole, as you investigate its role within society and culture. You’ll learn to see design as a complex combination of systems and actions, and not just as a set of distinct practical skills.
- We give you access to studio space and industry-standard workshops, with the latest in laser cutting and 3D modelling technology.
- You’ll work on live briefs set by real life companies. These projects allow you to develop your ideas and present to design professionals, gaining valuable experience and insight.
- In your second year, you’ll have the chance to do a placement. Past placement hosts have included Selfridges and Alexander McQueen.
- Our graduates have gone on to work for top London design consultancies and major international brands including Dyson, LEGO, Google and Burberry. Many have also gone on to set up their own design studios.
- Students and graduates have also been successful in national and international competitions, winning awards including the New Designer of the Year Award, RSA Design Directions Award, the Design Museum’s ‘Design Mart’ and NESTA’s Creative Pioneer Programme.
Please note the BA Design only accepts applications for first year entry.
Modules
For us design is not just a way to make and do things; it is a way to understand and engage with the world. With this philosophy in mind we have developed a highly successful and innovative programme, where you learn to see design as a complex combination of systems and actions, and not just as a set of distinct practical skills. The BA Design degree enables you to think imaginatively about the possibilities of design, and ultimately to define your own creative practice. You will discover how design affects the environment as a whole, as you investigate its role within society and culture. The BA Design is not only concerned with understanding what design is; our curriculum provides you with a way to explore what design might be. The degree is structured around five different modules: Studio Practice, Contextual Studies, Technical Studies, Technical Studies and Professional Practice. These modules support and complement one another within each year of study, and as you progress through the years they are designed to build a coherent set of experiences.
Assessment methods
This programme is taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, tutorials and workshops. You’ll also be expected to undertake a significant amount of independent study. This includes carrying out required and additional reading, preparing topics for discussion, and producing essays or project work.
Tuition fees
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The Uni
Goldsmiths, University of London
Design
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Explore LondonWhat 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 do graduate employment figures really tell you?Want to work in a growing, creative sector where we are a world leader? Welcome to design! The UK has a proud reputation as a centre of design excellence, and last year just over 14,000 design degrees were awarded. At the moment, the jobs market looks a little better for fashion and textile designers, and not as good for multimedia or interactive designers — but that may change by the time you graduate. In general, design graduates are more likely than most to start their career in London, although that also varies by subject — last year fashion designers often found jobs in the North West, graphic designers in the South West, illustrators in the South West, East Anglia and Midlands, textile designers in the Midlands and the North West, and visual designers in Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Midlands. Design is also a good degree for people who want to work for a small business - more than half of graduates start at a small employer.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Design
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
£20k
£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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Graduate field commentary:
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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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