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Graphic Design

Entry requirements


A level

C,C,C

96 UCAS Tariff points

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

MMM

96 UCAS Tariff points

UCAS Tariff

96

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About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Graphic design

From the logo on a packet of chewing gum to the branding on a jumbo jet, our world is dominated by graphic design. This course will give you a grounding in the significance of design on our globalised world, with a particular focus on its social, cultural and environmental impact. You’ll study the designer as a creator of meaning in visual form, and through a range of different personal and group-led projects, you’ll engage with aspects of graphic design practice.

Combining practical design skills with creative problem-solving and reflective insight, this course offers a thorough examination of contemporary and evolving forms of visual communication across a wide range of platforms, from digital to print, moving image to illustration. Our degree course explores all contexts where graphic design is found such as digital content; interface design; web and social media; editorial design; print and publishing; moving image; visual identity; typography; and graphic illustration.

Working in creative teams, you learn about materials and methods in a cluster which includes Illustration, Animation, and Advertising and Branding Design. You also study studio practice; collaborative enterprise; context and meaning; and professional practice. This winning combination allows you to develop practical design skills as well as the ability to work collaboratively and show entrepreneurship.

We foster a reflective, outward-looking approach to design challenges; for example, by exploring the ways digital media has created new possibilities for producing, distributing and publishing graphic design work. We also believe a sense of responsibility is essential for a contemporary designer so ethics, sustainability and inclusion are fundamental themes running through the course’s context and debate.

**Why choose this course?**
- Study in small, lively and committed groups, in spacious, well-equipped studios

- Gain a solid knowledge of the cultural, critical and creative contexts of contemporary practice including how social media has transformed the role of the graphic designer

- Work on live briefs, submit for national competitions and participate in collaborative projects with leading design practitioners

- Learn the team skills required for exhibition curation and group collaborations

- Understand the standards you’ll need to reach to enter the world of professional employment

Modules

Areas of study include:
- Communication Design: Exploring Materials and Methods
- Context and Ideas
- Introducing Studio Practice
- Thinking Through Making
- Collaborative Enterprise
- Communication Design: Developing Materials and Methods
- Context and Meaning
- Developing Professional Practice
- Creative Futures
- Critical and Creative Contexts
- Final Major Project: Graphic Design

Every effort is made to ensure this information is accurate at the point of publication on the UCAS website. For the most up-to-date information, please refer to our website.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Luton Campus

Department:

School of Art and Design

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.

74%
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

89%
Staff make the subject interesting
84%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
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

47%
Library resources
83%
IT resources
74%
Course specific equipment and facilities
47%
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?

74%
UK students
26%
International students
28%
Male students
72%
Female students
76%
2:1 or above
28%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
C
D

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.

£15,600
low
Average annual salary
80%
low
Employed or in further education
57%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

26%
Design occupations
14%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals
14%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

£12k

£12k

£17k

£17k

£20k

£20k

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
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
Graphic Design with Typography
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96-120
Nearby University
University of Hertfordshire | Hatfield
Graphic Design
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112-120

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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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