Entry requirements
UCAS Tariff
The preferred entry route for this course is for applicants to be taking a Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, or the recognised equivalent. Applicants will need a minimum of 112 tariff points from recognised level 3 qualifications. Plus GCSE (A*–C or comparable numeric scores under the newly reformed GCSE gradings): five subjects including English and Maths (Key Skills Level 2 may be used in lieu of GCSE English and Maths). Offers will be made on the basis of your UCAS application, portfolio of work and interview for selected applicants. You will be notified by email giving you advice about how to upload your online portfolio, once we have received your application.
You may also need to…
Attend an interview
Present a portfolio
About this course
**We are very proud to be the top university in UK for design and crafts (Guardian University Guide league tables 2020)**
**Reasons to choose Kingston**
– More than 95 per cent of students from this course are in employment or further study six months after graduating (DHLE 2016/17).
– This course received more than 92 per cent overall student satisfaction (National Student Survey 2018).
– Kingston is ranked No 1 in the UK for design and crafts (Guardian University league tables 2020) which covers graphic design, interior design, illustration, animation and product and furniture design.
**About this course**
This course offers you a firm foundation for developing your personal design practice. It is industry focused, concentrating on the roles and uses of design in the real world. Collaboration, teamwork and cross-disciplinary projects reflect professional practice. There are regular visits to studios, events and conferences; both in the UK and abroad. You may specialise in an area that reflects your personal interests and career aspirations. Examples include branding, social design, editorial design, film and moving image, photography, advertising and promotion, typography and interactive design. You’ll learn about the contexts in which graphic designers work. You’ll gain useful career management skills and will have the opportunity to study abroad or undertake a work placement.
Modules
Examples of modules: Please note that is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.
Year 1:
- Concept and Challenge
- Visual Vocabularies
- Communication and Context
- Image & Text - Communication Design History for Graphic Design
Year 2:
- Process and Purpose
- Design Interactions and Innovations
- Design Directions
- Critical Issues in Graphic Design: Research and Practice
Year 3:
- Design Studies OR Photography in Context
- Show & Presentation
- Professional Portfolio
- Dissertation: Research & Reflection
Assessment methods
Assessment typically comprises exams (eg test or exam), practical (eg presentations, performance) and coursework (eg essays, reports, self-assessment, portfolios, dissertation).
Tuition fees
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Kingston University
Department of Graphic 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.
Graphic 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.
£15k
£20k
£24k
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).
We calculate a mean rating of all responses to indicate whether this is high, medium or low compared to the same subject area at other universities.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA).
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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