Course summary

Develop your skills by entering the creative industries on an Integrated Foundation Year degree. If you’re interested in taking on a new subject that you’ve not had the opportunity to study in depth before, or have been out of education for a while, then our Integrated Foundation Year courses might be for you. These four-year courses include an introductory year to help you build the core skills needed for specialist degree-level study. This is a chance for you to let your imagination run wild and explore your creativity, expand your professional skills and develop enhanced subject knowledge in the domain you want to study. We’ll help nurture your expertise in problem solving, risk-taking, designing and making as you develop your abilities through five core modules. After your foundation year, you’ll have a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, a developed practical and technical skill set and the confidence to excel in your chosen degree subject when you join other students for the rest of your course. Redefine the world around you as an adaptable, articulate, visual communicator. Graphic Design is one of the most versatile visual disciplines, embracing words and pictures, form and structure, time and space. It’s also one of the most powerful; touching everything from the clothes we wear, the political ideas we believe in, and the way we shape the future of our planet. Good design thrives by looking for new ways to tell both familiar and emerging stories; it’s in clever ideas and beautifully executed outcomes, hand-drawn scribbles, and digital masterpieces. Design is also undergoing massive change – much like the world within which our work exists and the way we are evolving as a university degree. Now, more than ever, we are looking for purpose-driven thinkers who can respond to human-centred communication problems, and create genuine, positive outcomes with lasting impact. You will: Develop technical, design thinking and production skills in your chosen specialism. Learn teamwork, leadership and project management skills through a variety of learning environments. Develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills through the development of unique and innovative projects. Complete your chosen degree over a four-year period. Be part of a thriving and immersive studio community that embraces innovation, champions risk-taking, and encourages creative collaboration. Consider the mechanisms through which design can highlight or disrupt problems in society, directly challenging the nature of the discipline and defining your own set of beliefs. Explore and question the process of design, visual language, storytelling, and craft – utilising both traditional and cutting-edge tools and technologies to support your ideas. Learn in one of the most unique locations in the world, at an independent art-specialist institution, where we nurture a deep connection with people, place, and planet. Work on human-centred projects developed by staff, leading industry practitioners, international competition schemes, and through your own enquiry – shaping the outcomes into a career-launching portfolio. Participate in key industry events, our optional study trips, and attend guest lectures from industry leaders, ex-students, and our award-winning staff. Explore Design as a tool for positive change, responding to environmental, ethical, and moral challenges, building together for your future.