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Graphic Design (with Professional Practice Year)

Study level:
Undergraduate

Course summary

Exploring traditional practice while future-proofing your skills is what our BA (Hons) Graphic Design degree course at UCA Farnham is all about.

We’ll get you ready for the careers and opportunities of tomorrow, while giving you the space to embark on a personal creative journey.

The design industry is changing faster than ever, not least because of the emergence of AI, so it’s important you get the time and support to work out where you want to be.

We’ll coach you to mix old and new technologies and to experiment with confidence, give you a comprehensive foundation of graphic and UX design skills, and provide opportunities to fully explore your craft on exciting live briefs with partner organisations of all sizes.

With a fantastic student-to-staff ratio, you’ll feel supported and guided throughout by our expert team, and our newly refurbished studios will provide all the necessary facilities for you to fulfil your potential.

Check out the @gdfarnham.uca Instagram to see some of our day-to-day activities and student work-in-progress.

Related courses

  • BA (Hons) Advertising (with Professional Practice Year)

  • BA (Hons) Illustration (with Professional Practice Year)

  • BA (Hons) Visual Communication (with Professional Practice Year)

Modules

In Year 1, you'll learn the technical and conceptual skills that will give you a solid foundation from which to explore the areas of specialist activity that exist under the broad definition of 'graphics'. With tutor guidance and tuition, you'll also investigate the design process itself, ensuring that creative outcomes are reached through a combination of experimentation and formula. The aim is to produce outcomes that have real purpose and that clearly communicate messages and meaning. In Year 2, the focus is on finding your own specialist way of working. This will include (but won't be limited to) information design, publishing and narrative, branding, typography and print media, and digital technologies. Research into the overlap and relationships between these specialist areas will be encouraged, to seek out ways of working that reflect the needs of industry whilst simultaneously exploring the outer reaches of graphic communication. In Year 3 you'll work on live international projects and competitions. You’ll also undertake self-initiated critical and practical enquiry via a dissertation and extensive final major project.

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How to apply

Apply by
29 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
W216
Institution code:
C93
Campus name:
Farnham
Campus Code:
F

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1
  • Year 2

Entry requirements for advanced entry (i.e. into Year 2 and beyond)

This course considers applicants for direct entry into year two. To enter directly into year two, you’ll need to have studied 120 credits in a similar subject area or have work experience equivalent to one year of study. Contact us to discuss your options: admissions@uca.ac.uk or 01252 416110

Open days

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - 32 - 168 points

We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios as well as their grades and we therefore may make offers which are lower than our standard entry criteria of 112 tariff points. This may be to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results - in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important. We regularly admit students with a tariff much higher than our standard 112 requirement, and applicants who show potential but aren’t quite at the stage to be able to succeed on the course are offered a 4 year degree with an integrated foundation year which has a standard entry requirement of 32 tariff points.

A level

112 UCAS tariff points from A-Level qualifications. As this course requires a portfolio review, you are not required to have a Art and Design-related subject.

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

112 UCAS tariff points from BTEC Extended Diploma qualification. As this course requires a portfolio review, you are not required to have a Art and Design-related subject.

Access to HE Diploma

112 UCAS tariff points from an accredited Access to Higher Education Diploma. As this course requires a portfolio review, you are not required to have a Art and Design-related subject.

Scottish Higher

112 UCAS tariff points from Scottish Higher qualifications. As this course requires a portfolio review, you are not required to have a Art and Design-related subject.

Pearson BTEC Extended Diploma (QCF) - DMM

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 27 points

27 total points in the International Baccalaureate Diploma with at least 15 IB points at Higher level. As this course requires a portfolio review, you are not required to have a Art and Design-related subject.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

In addition to 112 UCAS tariff points, you also required to achieve a minimum of 4 GCSES, grade 4/C or above, including English Language.

T Level - Pass (C and above)

Minimum Pass at C or above. As this course requires a portfolio review, you are not required to have a Art and Design-related subject.

For further information on how to apply to UCA: https://www.uca.ac.uk/study-at-uca/applying-to-uca/

Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio
We’ll need to see your portfolio for review. We’ll invite you to attend an Applicant Day so you can have your portfolio review in person, meet the course team and learn more about your course. Further information will be provided once you have applied.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6Listening 5.5, Reading 5.5, Speaking 5.5, Writing 5.5
We require evidence of your English language ability to meet the requirements for your course. If you're a Home student and studied in the UK, we require GCSE English at a minimum grade C/4 (or Functional Skills English/Key Skills Communication Level 2). If you’re an EU student and studied a European qualification, we may accept the English Language score from your main qualification - please review your country from the list on our website to see whether we will accept it: https://www.uca.ac.uk/international-study/equivalent-qualifications/ If your qualification is not on this list, we accept the following English language qualifications: IELTS (overall score 6.0), TOEFL ibt (overall score 88), PEARSON PTE Academic (overall 55), Cambridge Proficiency Exam (overall score 169), Cambridge Advanced Exam (overall score 169). If you need a Tier 4 student visa to study in the UK, you will need to take an IELTS test, and achieve an overall score of 6.0 and a minimum score of 5.5 for each element (Listening, Reading, Speaking, Writing).

For more information on English Language Requirements, please visit our website: https://www.uca.ac.uk/International-study/language-requirements-support/

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

UCA is a place for creativity, ingenuity, and personality. We always consider the strength of an applicant's portfolio / audition as well as their grades and may make offers lower than our standard entry criteria to applicants with strong portfolios. We also make lower offers to students with mitigating circumstances or who have faced difficulties.

You shouldn’t be deterred from applying if your predicted grades are lower than the range we’ve accepted in the past.

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades students were previously accepted with - learn more. It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Data from:
This course and 26 other design studies courses
Date range:
2022-2024

Grades held by accepted students

BBC Most common
  1. A*AA
  2. Highest grades
  3. CDD
  4. Lowest grades

Offer rate for UK school & college leavers

99% Students aged 17/18 who applied to this course were offered a place.

How do you compare?

See how students with your grades have been accepted onto this course in the past.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

73 Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)

81 Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
England£9250Year 1
Northern Ireland£9250Year 1
Scotland£9250Year 1
Wales£9250Year 1
Channel Islands£9250Year 1
Republic of Ireland£9250Year 1
EU£17500Year 1
International£17500Year 1

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

All fees are currently correct, but may change as a result of changes in government policy on tuition fees, entitlement to fee reductions and tax or benefit rules. You should check for the latest information before you enrol. Fees are correct for the stated academic year only.

For further information on fees, please go to https://www.uca.ac.uk/study-at-uca/fees-finance/undergraduate/

Sponsorship information

At UCA we have a number of scholarships and fee discounts available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Further details can be found via our Scholarships page: https://www.uca.ac.uk/study-at-uca/scholarships/

and our Financial Support page: https://www.uca.ac.uk/study-at-uca/fees-finance/financial-support/

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