Graphic Design, FdA

AT A GLANCE

This Foundation Degree has an established record of success, and provides the technical skills and professional knowhow needed to create imaginative design solutions alongside real insights about the design industry.

This work-based Foundation Degree will set you up for employment in design roles and related creative positions, and also equip you with the advanced academic skills needed for further study on an Honours Top-up.

The FdA in Graphic Design at UCW offers insight into day-to-day life in the design industry through its commercial studio ethos. You’ll liaise with clients, work independently and collaboratively on ‘live’ briefs, and generate design work from concept to completion.

The programme is delivered by design professionals who continue to practise and expert visiting practitioners, ensuring its taught elements continue to be up-to-date. You’ll benefit from their strong links with prestigious companies, such as Aardman Animations and Dyson, and involvement in the regional design sector for organisations including the South West Design Forum.

The degree is taught at UCW’s recently-refurbished Loxton Campus – the home of most of our creative arts programmes. Students on this course are encouraged to work across courses – with their Games and Animation Production counterparts at our Knightstone Campus, for example – and can also take advantage of the dedicated higher education library, extended opening hours and bright and spacious study spaces at our brand new University Centre in the iconic Winter Gardens building in the centre of Weston.

All students have their own work space within the studio, which is theirs to use all week during term, and access to an Apple Macbook loaded with industry-standard software.

Alongside practical skills in desktop publishing, digital illustration and image manipulation, you’ll explore emerging design technologies and the ethical and social issues surrounding contemporary design practice. You’ll also develop skills in marketing and project management through the development of a professional self-promotional portfolio and by showcasing your creative skills in a self-directed exhibition.

Students on our Graphic Design degree pathway are invited to attend optional residential visits and trips to design studios and exhibitions at an additional expense. In recent years students on this course have visited New York, for example.

Foundation Degrees are Level 5 qualifications equivalent to the first two years of a full Honours Degree. They are designed with employer input and combine academic study with work-based learning, so students on this course gain the knowledge and experiences that businesses are looking for from the candidates they hire. UCW’s commitment to great graduate outcomes is also underpinned by our students having access to a Careers Coaching service for the whole time they are enrolled with us.

Please click on the next tab to find out more about what you’ll learn on this programme and how it is taught and assessed. The dropdowns below deal with our partnership with Bath Spa University and what is included in the cost of tuition.

Please contact the course leader Victoria Norcross or UCW’s HEART team if you have any questions.

We can arrange bespoke visits so you can meet the team and have a look around our studios and campuses.

It would also be great to see you at our next Open Day.

Our partnership with Bath Spa University

Course costs

2020 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,250 per year.
2020 entry part-time tuition fees: £5,500 per year.

2021 entry full-time tuition fees: £8,500 per year.
2021 entry part-time tuition fees: £5,700 in year 1, £5,650 in years 2 and 3.

This covers all of the teaching and assessment elements that are required for you to complete the course.

It also includes:

The use of UCW equipment and specialist software.
Attendance at guest lectures at UCW.
Annual £10 printing and photocopying allowance for full-time students and £5 for part-time students.
The use of UCW computer equipment at any of our campuses and access to Microsoft Office 365 while you are enrolled with UCW.
The loans of books from our libraries.
Access to all of the UCW student support and careers services.

It does not include:

Optional design studio/exhibition visits at an approximate cost of £35 each.
Optional residential visits at an approximate cost of £50 (UK) and £75 (overseas) per night.
Fees for submitting your work to design competitions.
Extra printing and photocopying above the £10 limit.
The cost of books or any specialist artistic materials that you may wish to purchase.
Transport between our campuses, and to/from your partner university and any work placements. We encourage students to take advantage of termly bus passes to reduce transport costs.
Accommodation and other living costs.

UCW publishes its Tuition Fees Policy on the Wider Information Set page of this website.

You may also be eligible for additional financial support, depending on your circumstances.

All of the modules on this course are compulsory and worth 40 credits each. Successful completion of all of the modules in the first year is worth 120 credits at Level 4 and equivalent to a Certificate of Higher Education. Successful completion of the second year is also worth 120 credits and will lead to the award of the Level 5 Foundation Degree.

Year 1:

Design in context (visual meaning and analysis) – 40 credits
Design studio (creative industries) – 40 credits
Practical design skills (professional and practical skills) – 40 credits

Year 2:

Design in context 2 (visual meaning and analysis 2) – 40 credits
Design studio (creative showcase) – 40 credits
Professional and practical skills (work-based skills development) – 40 credits

Teaching and assessment

This course is taught via a combination of lectures, seminars, studio workshops, presentations, skills practice and project work. UCW’s Higher Education Library Plus (HE.LP) team also deliver a series of sessions on degree-level research and academic writing to all first-year students. When not in scheduled lecturers and seminars, students are expected to continue learning through independent self-study. This involves reading relevant literature, working on individual and group projects, and undertaking research in preparation for coursework.

In both years, this course has an average of 12 hours of scheduled teaching per week.

At UCW we understand that some students benefit from more contact time with lecturers than is the norm at a traditional university, so we do all we can to make sure academic staff are available for their students when they are needed.

Assessment is via a combination of practical exams and coursework. The assessment breakdown is 5% practical exams and 95% coursework. There are no written exams on this Foundation Degree.

Please click on the Course Handbook button to find out more, and how the above translates to the part-time, 3 year degree.

Course length
Full-time: 2 years (3 days a week)
Part-time: 3 years (2 days a week)
Start date
7th September 2020
Course codes
Institution: B20
Course: W210
Campus: C
Tuition fees
Full-time: £8,250 per year
Part-time: £5,500 per year

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Course handbook

UCW Terms and Conditions

Bath Spa University Terms and Conditions

“UCW has helped me transform myself enabling me to achieve a First Class Honours Degree! The patience and support that I received from my tutors really helped me get the best out of myself…”