Program Overview

Overview of the Graphic Design BA(Hons) Course

The Graphic Design BA(Hons) course at the University of Huddersfield is designed to help students develop the skills needed to thrive in a global creative industry. The course focuses on industry-standard professional design packages and various components of graphic design, including typography, layout, packaging, branding, advertising, and user experience design.

Course Details

• The course is available for full-time study over three years or four years with a placement year.
• The start date for the course is 22 September 2025.
• The course is only open to cohorts of students with company sponsorship.

Entry Requirements

• To find out if you are eligible to start this course in September 2025, please see the Clearing pages.
• If you are interested in studying this course in September 2026, please view the course information for that year.

Course Structure

Year 1

• Core modules:
  • Design Process and Production 1: Introduces key principles of contemporary professional practice and fundamental techniques of production.
  • Design Studio 1: Introduces creative thinking processes and tools to undertake good quality research and identify and fulfill the needs of the client.
  • Design Theory Fundamentals: Introduces a range of relevant theories for and about design, including discourses and debates relating to the history, influences, production, and critical reception of design.

Year 2

• Core modules:
  • Intermediate Studio Practice: Requires students to produce works of increasing sophistication, having successfully completed the foundation studio.
  • Process and Production: Extends knowledge of Graphic Design, exploring more advanced processes and production techniques.
  • Design Identities: Presents approaches that encourage personal development and reflection while developing an appreciation and understanding of strategies and methodologies related to employability and work placement.

Year 3 - Optional Placement Year

• The placement year is an opportunity to gain hands-on experience and build on the skills developed in the first two years of study.
• Students spend up to 48 weeks (minimum 36 weeks) in a graduate-level role, sharpening professional skills, exploring career options, and boosting future job prospects.

Final Year

• Core modules:
  • Advanced Studio Practice: Students create a major final year portfolio that helps turn ideas into reality in a personal and technically sound way.
  • Contextual Design Research: Students learn how to create and show original ideas that are diverse and dynamic in scope, fueling creative endeavors in the final year of the course.
  • Theory as Practice 3: A module specifically designed to unfold throughout the final year, reflecting theoretical, technical, and professional issues appropriate to the student's practice.

Teaching and Assessment

• On average, 20.6% of study time is spent in lectures, seminars, tutorials, and workshops.
• Assessment includes portfolio exhibitions and presentations of studio production, research, and development work, as well as written assignments.

Placements

• The course offers an optional one-year work placement after the second year, in the UK or abroad.
• Previous students have taken up placement opportunities with companies including Media21, Nestlé PTC Singen, and Creative Spark.

Fees and Finance

• The maximum fees for UK-based students on undergraduate courses in 2025/26 will be £9,535 per year for full-time students.
• Additional costs include materials, which may include sketchbooks, pens, specialist papers, sculpting materials, and specialist tools, with approximate costs of £100 in the first year, £200 in the second year, and £200 to £500 in the final year.

Career Support

• The University provides professional help, support, and guidance, including industry-supported workshops, careers fairs, and one-to-one guidance sessions.
• Recent graduates have gone on to work at companies such as Adam & Eve, Google, and Studio Tilt.

Accreditations and Professional Links

• The University has excellent industry links, supporting students in applying for and finding placements.
• The course aims to help students develop the skills needed to work in design agencies and design consultancies, both in the UK and abroad.