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BA (Hons) - Graphic Design (with integrated foundation year)

Ignite your creativity and make an impact within the field of graphic design with our BA (Hons) Graphic Design with Integrated Foundation Year degree. From the moment your design is brought to life, there's no greater joy than seeing it out there in the real world. The art of combining typography, illustration, and photography to tell a captivating story is a craft that leaves a lasting impression.

Your journey begins with an introductory foundation year, designed to develop your skills, confidence, and core knowledge in a supportive and creative environment. This year helps you build strong artistic and academic foundations, ensuring you’re fully prepared to progress smoothly into the undergraduate degree.

Our career-focused course is highly practical, giving you plenty of hands-on experience. You’ll learn graphic design, magazine design, illustration, UI/UX, and typography from experts in each of these specialisms, and use industry-standard software, equipment, and facilities.

You’ll gain the necessary creative and technical expertise, experience, and confidence to launch your career whilst building the problem-solving, team working, and time management skills needed to be a successful graphic designer. You will further develop impactful visual communication skills as you refine the art of engaging and captivating audiences through your designs across both print and digital media.

Prepare yourself to be challenged and push boundaries with live briefs from our established network of industry professionals. You'll join a vibrant creative community and be supported by expert tutors to discover, develop, and translate your artistic voice in design.

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If you are interested in this course, you can apply for a University of Cumbria International College 4-year degree programme.Apply here

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Graphic Design (with integrated foundation year) cover image

Course Overview

To break into the competitive but rewarding graphic design industry, you’ll need an exciting portfolio, excellent subject knowledge, the skills to use the latest professional equipment and technology – and your own unique flair in creatively solving communication problems.

So, if you’re looking for a graphic design foundation course that enables you to learn graphic design from industry experts and develop the skills and confidence needed to kick-start your graphic design career, look no further. Your introductory year will give you the technical expertise and knowledge to progress to our highly respected BA (Hons) Graphic Design course.

Following your foundation year, our hands-on course is designed to take you to your creative limits and graduate with the confidence, experience and skills that are so sought after by employers in this highly selective but exciting industry.

On this course you will...

Develop an appreciation of the key theories and contexts that influence graphic design today.
Develop a portfolio of graphic design work that demonstrates your understanding, visual skills and critical judgement.
Work on industry-led briefs enabling you to develop autonomy, creativity and professionalism.
Develop a range of industry-standard skills: idea generation, design development, typography, layout, 3D graphics, motion graphics, digital artwork, presentation skills, etc.
Undertake group projects which simulate the workflow of a professional studio.

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Key Details

Recruiting toUK / RoI / Settled in UK
Course LocationCarlisle - Brampton Road
Institute Institute of Education, Arts and Society
UCAS CodeW215
Mode of DeliveryFace to face
Course DurationFull-time: 4 Years
Study Options Graphic Design
Course Start PointSeptember
AwardBA (Hons)
More informationProgramme Specification
Prospectus
Open DaysCarlisle - Brampton Road
All

Minimum entry requirements

UCAS Tariff points

UK Tuition fees

£9,535

Entry in academic year 2025/26

£9,790

Entry in academic year 2026/27

International Tuition fees

£14,900

Entry in academic year 2025/26

£16,000

Entry in academic year 2026/27

Tuition Fees Policy

Course Structure

What you will learn

You will work closely with illustrators exploring the fundamental principles of visual communication and many of the core principles and considerations are shared between the two disciplines,

As well as visual communication skills, you will also develop the personal management, interpersonal and team working skills that will help you to deal with the challenges of the exciting, fast-changing industry that you’re a part of during and after life as a student. From Semester 2 onwards your learning will become ever more specialised and industry-focused. This enables you to develop specialist skills and understanding in such diverse areas as typography, editorial and book design, branding and identity, packaging, motion graphics, exhibition design, etc.

Year one

In your foundation year, you will develop the core skills needed to progress onto our BA (Hons) Graphic Design course. During this time, you will work with students from across art, design and media disciplines, exploring your place in the wider creative community.

Introducing Creative Research Practice
Begin to build the knowledge, skills and ways of working to become a creative practitioner.
Seeing, Thinking, Making Meaning
Learn more about the history and theory of the creative arts and work with others to discuss why context is so important.
Ideas, Images and Objects
Begin to apply your skills and develop your own individual creative projects.
Innovation Lab
Work with others to test out ideas through making and breaking to explore innovative ways of working.
Creative Industries Toolkit
Learn more about the industries you will work in and acquire the professional skills and attributes you will need to succeed.
Creative Playbook
Have the opportunity to negotiate your own brief with support from your tutors and apply all the knowledge and skills you have gathered throughout the year.

Year two

In this year, you’ll gain fundamental knowledge and practical experience of visual communication, the building blocks of visual language and professional attitudes and practices.

Introducing Visual Communication
Develop effective working practices and habits.
Cultural Contexts
An introduction to the cultural, historical, and social contexts in which creative work from a range of disciplines.
Multi-Dimensional Graphic Design
Explore multiple forms and formats, from traditional print to the latest digital platforms, simple symbols to complex information and ideas, ephemeral to iconic.
Collaborative Practice
Work with other students to explore and practice the skills involved in creative collaboration.

Year three

This year is focused on applying the knowledge and skills you’ve gained to a series of design challenges. Testing and refining your design and personal management skills in a number of scenarios will give you confidence in your ability to tackle unfamiliar challenges. As your confidence grows through experience you’ll begin to develop your own, personal stands of interest or specialism.

The Designer's Toolkit
Explore the structural elements that are essential when creating any piece of graphic design - alignment, hierarchy, contrast, repetition, proximity, balance, colour, and space.
Type & Typography
Explore letterforms and how they can be manipulated and arranged to inform, entice, and communicate lies.
Graphic Design Projects
Develop conceptual skills and an individual approach to graphic design problem-solving, providing the springboard to your final year of study.
The Critical Designer
Explore key contextual debates which impact production and the reading of graphic design texts. Consider design as a form of social practice.

Year four

Flexibility is most evident in this final year where all of the skills, knowledge and confidence you have developed so far is brought together to produce a portfolio of design work that showcases your talents. With your career aspirations or personal research interests in mind, you’ll have a high degree of freedom in choosing what type of work you want to develop.

Advanced Design Projects
An opportunity to work within a design brief and explore a particular area of interest.
Independent Research Paper
Develop specialised and focused knowledge and understanding of a subject of your own choice.
Graphic Design Showcase
An opportunity to show-off the skills, knowledge, and professionalism developed throughout the course to potential employers and the wider world.

Teaching & Assessment

How you will learn

A key feature of this IFY programme is the opportunity, at Level 3, to work closely with a range of specialist creative staff, as well as alongside students studying fine-art, illustration and photography. By learning as an integrated member of this creative community you will experience, first-hand, the methods and techniques used by other visual practitioners. This will foster an appreciation of how your work fits into the wider world of the visual arts and provide you with greater confidence, knowledge and skills as you progress to Level 4 of the programme.

Planned collaborative and interdisciplinary learning tapers off towards the end of Level 4 as more specialist skills, knowledge and understanding become the focus of learning and your identity as a graphic designer is nurtured. Collaboration is still encouraged, it is a fact of professional creative life, but the learning is centred on you and the operational contexts graphic designers work within.

Most of your studies will be centred around practical projects that have been designed to not only help you practice and improve visual skills, but also develop your study skills, methods of research, critical and analytical abilities, and your ability to manage your time and plan your work We use a variety of approaches to learning, teaching and assessment to make sure you develop appropriate concepts, knowledge and skills. These include study skills, research methods, critical and analytical abilities, and your ability to manage your time and plan your work.

You’ll be continuously involved in the assessment of your own work and that of your peers; developing the critical, interpersonal and team-working skills that are vital to gaining confidence and independence as a creative practitioner. A wide range of learning, teaching and assessment methods are used in order to develop work related skills.

How you will be assessed

The range of learning teaching and assessment methods used enables different aspects of your learning to be developed and tested. As well as testing what you know and can do at the end of a module (Summative Assessment) you’ll get regular advice and guidance while your work is in progress (Formative Feedback) through one-to-one, peer-to-peer and group tutorials where you will have the opportunity to discuss and develop strategies to develop your work. This enables you to develop and refine the work as it is being produced with the structured guidance required to achieve the best possible results.

Overview

48 UCAS Tariff Points. You can find out more about the tariff and qualification options from the UCAS tariff table.

Qualifications

Entry Requirements

A-levels: A

T-levels: P (D or E) All subjects are accepted however we recommend the T Level Digital Production, Design and Development for entry to this course.

Access to HE: 45 Credits at Pass.

CACHE Technical Level 3 and Level 3 Extended Diploma: D

OCR Cambridge Technical & Edexcel/Pearson BTEC Level 3 (National) Extended Diploma: PPP

Scottish Highers: 48 UCAS Tariff Points.

Irish LC Highers: 48 UCAS Tariff Points.

Other experience: Pearson Level 3 National Diploma MP.

Fair Admissions

When you apply, our Admissions specialists will review your whole application. We are looking for your potential to succeed so will assess your qualifications, any relevant work experience, your personal statement, and references.

When we review your portfolio, we are assessing your ability to benefit from the course you have applied for. Any offers are based on your whole application and the review of your portfolio of work

Where you have received a conditional offer subject to achieving particular grades/UCAS tariff scores, and do not quite meet these scores, please try not to worry, where vacancies exist our Admissions specialists will review your whole application again and take account of any mitigating circumstances and reassess your suitability for the course.

Selection Criteria

As part of the application and selection process, we are looking for your commitment to Graphic Design. In your personal statement, you should demonstrate your motivation for choosing this course and reflect upon any experience you have gained.

All places are offered subject to successful interview and portfolio. Please prepare your portfolio carefully to show evidence of your creativity, drawing, idea development, design and technical skills. We also like to see expressive and experimental work. There is no one, ideal portfolio and we are used to looking at the work of students from many different courses and colleges. Although we want to see your work, we are more interested in meeting you and giving you the opportunity at interview to express your passion and commitment for graphic design.

The Integrated Foundation Year programme supports your return to education and are specifically designed for students who have the ability to study for a degree but may not have all the necessary qualifications, skills or experiences to join the degree in Year 1.

Contextual Admissions

Going to higher education can transform a person’s life. We use contextual admissions to make sure that we are accessible to everyone who has the potential to succeed. Qualifications and grades are important, but they are considered alongside other information that helps universities to identify potential and widen access to university level study. For some individuals, the disadvantages they have experienced in their life mean that they have not been able to demonstrate their full academic potential. Where a person lives and their personal circumstances can all affect their educational attainment.

We take this context into account and look for an applicant’s potential when making admission decisions. The University of Cumbria will make offers to applicants that live in postal code regions with the lowest participation in Higher Education (Polar 4 quintile 1 – you can check your postcode here) and care leavers, offers will be made at the bottom of any UCAS Tariff range. Attendance at our Masterclasses and Summer Schools will also allow applicants to receive an offer lower within the tariff range. (T&Cs apply)

Contact ugadmissions@cumbria.ac.uk for more information.

Returning to Education

If you are over 21 and returning to study after being in relevant employment for a minimum of 3 years and do not meet the published entry requirements for Year 1 of our degree courses, please do not assume you are not qualified to join us. Our experienced Admissions and Academic staff will review your prior qualifications and professional experience to support your application.

Language requirements

Please follow the link to check language requirements for this programme here.

Fees & Funding

Tuition Fees

UK Tuition fees

£9,535
Entry in academic year 2025/26

£9,790
Entry in academic year 2026/27

International Tuition fees

£14,900
Entry in academic year 2025/26

£16,000
Entry in academic year 2026/27

The figures above don't include accommodation and living costs.

Tuition fees are set annually and are subject to review each year. The University may therefore raise tuition fees in the second or subsequent years of a course, in line with inflation and/or the maximum permitted by law or Government policy. Students will be notified of any changes as soon as possible.

Funding

Fees for integrated foundation year are as stated.

For information about funding, please visit our undergraduate funding page.

More Information

We have a wide range of scholarships, bursaries, grants and funds available to support you throughout your studies with us. This includes the Cumbria Bursary - a non-repayable bursary designed to support first year students with a household income of less than £25,000..

Student Finance

Additional Costs

There will be some additional costs. For example all students will need to purchase stationery and may wish to purchase some text books. Extra costs may also be applicable to cover field trips, membership fees etc. although such features are usually options within the course.

Books are reviewed annually and are therefore subject to change, course welcome information will provide you with an indicative list for the year.

Books and Journals

Most core text books are available via the University's library, however students may wish to buy copies of any texts used to support your learning on your course. This could cost between £50 - £100 per year.

Stationery

Students should budget for stationery and consumables for your own personal use. This should include notebooks, pens and pencils for taking notes in class and/or in the field. Students should also budget for the purchase of USB pen drives, as well as occasional printing and photocopying costs incurred in the preparation or submission of coursework. Whilst you will choose how much you need, expect to pay around £30 - £40 per year for these items.

Stay Focused. Go Far.

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Location
Carlisle - Brampton Road Campus
Located just outside the city, right on top of Hadrian's Wall, the Brampton Road campus is full of history, buzzing with excitement, creativity, and a sense of endless possibility. The home of creators, entertainers, rule breakers, and change-markers.
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BA (Hons) - Graphic Design (with integrated foundation year)