Graphic Design BA (Hons)

This course is in clearing

Overview

Course options

Select year

Degree

UCAS code: W216 112 UCAS points
  • BA (Hons) Graphic Design, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 3 years
    • Pound 9250 per year
  • BA (Hons) Graphic Design, home applicant, part time

    • Home Applicant
    • Part time
    • pro-rata full time fee

Degree with foundation year

UCAS code: W219 64 UCAS points
  • BA (Hons) Graphic Design, home applicant, full time

    • Home Applicant
    • Full time, 4/5 years
    • Pound 9250 per year

Creating Culture & Artistic Practice with renowned artist, Keef Winter | Makers & Mavericks

What makes this course different

1st in London

Our Design Studies courses ranked 1st in London for “Learning Opportunities” (National Student Survey 2023, Results published 10 August 2023)

See full NSS survey results

Competitive edge

Our graphic design students have competed at an international level at the D&AD Impact awards.

International exposure

Interact with postgraduates from overseas universities. Previously we have worked on a live project with Iowa State University students and on a social-design project based in Detroit.

Course modules

NOTE: Modules are subject to change. For those studying part time courses the modules may vary.

Download course specification

Your future career

We help develop graphic design graduates who are creative, innovative and are going places. Spending three years tracking multiple projects, solving the logistics of production and negotiating with teams of creatives will prepare you for work within and beyond the subject area.

Industry links

We provide a forum and facilities where staff and graphic design industry experts fuse with students' knowledge, experience and ambition. Such placements, exchange trips and 'live' projects with professional designers are all geared to provide you with the experience that will prepare you for a career in graphic design.

Graduate employers

Our graphic design graduates have gone to work for employers such as SPOT Project, the University of East London, HFW (Holman Fenwick Willan LLP), Dawson Group, Fiver and the creative agency, YVMV Studios.

Job roles

You may question yourself and have lots of graphic design-related questions. What does a graphic designer do? How to start a graphic design career?

Our alumni may work in-house for a large company, in a specialist design studio, run their own business or be self-employed across a variety of industries. Some go on to postgraduate studies, while others quickly start to make their names in leading graphic design and advertising agencies, typographic design studios, corporate graphics companies and moving image production houses.

Explore the different career options you can pursue with this degree and see the median salaries of the sector on our Career Coach portal.

Further study

You could go on to further study and do an MA in Fine Art, Filmmaking, Creative Enterprise or Media and Communication Industries which will help you learn how to work as a graphic design freelancer or entrepreneur. We also offer an MPhil or PhD in the School of Arts and Creative Industries.

Keith Winter
UEL is a special kind of student and staff community where we have a vision for young people from all walks of life, to be all that they can be, confident in their discipline and ready to tackle the professional world."
Keith Winter

Senior lecturer, Interior Design

How we support your career ambitions

We offer dedicated careers support, and further opportunities to thrive, such as volunteering and industry networking. These skills are cornerstones to your university degree in graphic design. Our graphic design courses are created in collaboration with employers and industry to ensure they accurately reflect the real-life practices of your future career and provide you with the essential skills needed. You can focus on building interpersonal skills through group work and benefit from our investment in the latest cutting-edge technologies and facilities.
Studying a graphic design course prepares you for success in a dynamic range of creative fields. All of the skills that are learnt on this course will help you to become a graphic designer and understand what graphic designers do day to day.

Career Zone

This digital platform provides you with careers and employability resources, including: 

  • Jobs board for internships, placements, graduate opportunities, flexible part-time work 
  • Mentoring programmes for insight with industry experts 
  • 1-2-1 career coaching services
  • Careers workshops and employer events 
  • Learning pathways to gain new skills and industry insight

Mental Wealth programme

Our Professional Fitness and Mental Wealth programme issues you with a Careers Passport to track the skills you've mastered on your graphic design course. Some of these are externally validated by corporations like Amazon and Microsoft.

Our Mental Wealth programme

We are careers first

Our teaching methods and geographical location put us right up top:

  • Work-based projects
  • Networking and visits to leading organisations
  • Support in starting a new business
  • London on our doorstep

How you'll learn

Your learning will involve a blend of activities, from research through practice to reflection. The graphic design course is divided into modules, with each module made up of a set of projects or briefs. These briefs can be compiled over time to produce a growing record of experience and budding expertise.

The graphic design course begins at pace by introducing a wide range of key ideas and their practical applications. You'll learn what graphic designers do in their day-to-day lives whilst gaining a deeper understanding of the course as a whole. This gives way to longer, more in-depth and self-determined projects that cover many processes and conceptual stages. Along the way, you will develop your work via regular feedback sessions, seminars, tutorials and critiques, or 'crits'.

UEL has extensive maker facilities that help you develop to become a graphic designer. Within Architecture and Visual Arts (AVA) there are dedicated spaces for production. These include a fully equipped Risograph printing studio, analogue and digital darkrooms, an immersive green screen studio and a variety of traditional printing. There are also wood, ceramic and metal workshops to further develop your design practice. Digital Fabrication facilities include 3D printing, laser cutting and CAD milling.

As a student, you can loan equipment including photographic kits, projectors and VR headsets.

Further ways you will learn include:

Subject area-wide electives: workshops (such as printmaking, textiles, bookbinding, coding, etc.) ensure students take full advantage of our extensive facilities and highly skilled staff team;

Remote learning: off-campus access to a Virtual Learning Environment; Industry expertise: specialist lectures and visits to/from industry figures, as well as participation in live briefs and competitions;

Culture in London: regular engagement with many of the 250 art institutions and archives that offer ever-changing inspiration for set briefs and self-directed study;

Portfolio development: we help you build strong portfolios and professional outlooks that match your ambitions and personalities and prepare you for the industry.

Guided independent study

We are investing in key areas beyond your studies including our career services, library and well-being, to be available both face-to-face, on campus and online with many of these available 24/7. We have new, modern library facilities on both campuses offering inspirational environments for study and research. Libraries contain resources in print and digital formats, a range of study spaces and a dedicated librarian who can assist with your learning.

Academic support

Students are supported with any academic or subject-related queries by an Academic Adviser, module leaders, and former and current UEL students. If you need a bit of extra help with certain skills such as academic writing, English, maths or statistics, our Academic Tutors offer workshops, drop-in sessions and one-to-one appointments to help our students achieve their potential. You can receive advice and guidance on all aspects of the IT systems provided by the University from our IT Service Desks located on all three campuses. 

Our Student Support hubs in Docklands and Stratford feature centralised helpdesks to cater for your every need. UEL provides support and advice for disabled students and those with specific learning difficulties (SPDs).

Dedicated personal tutor

When you arrive, we'll introduce you to your personal tutor. This is the member of the academic course team who will provide academic guidance, be a support throughout your time at UEL and who will show you how to make the best use of all the help and resources that we offer.

Workload

Each year you will spend around 300 hours of timetabled learning and teaching activities. These may be lectures, workshops, seminars and individual and group tutorials. Contact hours may vary depending on each module. 

approximate percentages for this course are: 

  • Year 1: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours.
  • Year 2: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours. 
  • Year 3: scheduled teaching - 300 hours; guided independent study - 900 hours.

Your timetable

You will receive your personalised timetable at the beginning of the academic year depending on your course.

Class sizes

The size of classes can vary depending on the nature of the course, module and activity. This can range from large groups in a lecture theatre setting, to smaller groups taking part in seminars and collaborative work.

How you'll be assessed

Each module in the graphic design degree has a duration of 12 weeks (one term) and always concludes with an assessment point. We provide feedback throughout these 12-week periods with a specific 'Tracking Week' dedicated to this process midway through each term. 

For practical modules, your submission will consist of a Learning Journal (the presentation of your development and experience) and a portfolio (the presentation of your practical output). For theoretical modules, you may be asked to produce a piece of academic writing of a given length and a live presentation. 

Feedback is provided within 15 working days in line with UEL's assessment and feedback policy.

Campus and facilities

Docklands Campus, London, E16 2RD

Who teaches this course

This course is delivered by School of Architecture, Computing and Engineering

The teaching team includes qualified academics, practitioners and industry experts as guest speakers. Full details of the academics will be provided in the student handbook and module guides.

DiscoverUni

The banner below displays some key factual data about this course (including different course combinations or delivery modes of this course where relevant).

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Statistics for BA (Hons) Graphic Design Degree, Full Time

Statistics for BA (Hons) Graphic Design Degree, Full Time

What our students and staff say

Students looking at graphics software
UEL's graphic design course embodies the philosophies of past pioneers in the context of today's graphic design and its advancement. Here it seems we are at the epicentre of creating ideas that will move, influence and shape the world."

Temidayo Kolawole

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Performing Arts Students
Graphic Design at UEL offers everyone a chance to operate in an economy which is moving further and further into the realms of the creative industries."

Joe Pleass

BA (Hons) Graphic Design