Skip navigation
Graphic Design at Nottingham Trent University - UCAS

Course options

2026 - 2027
Apply

Nottingham Trent University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

Master branding, typography, publishing, motion graphics, and more – all while tackling real-world design projects. Hone your professional and technical skills and develop a visual design language that's uniquely you. You'll go beyond theory, experiment with emerging technologies, and refine your technical skills to equip yourself to thrive in the ever-evolving graphic design landscape. By the end of your degree, you'll graduate with a professional portfolio that showcases your unique design voice. Our graduates are making waves in the industry across fields such as art direction, branding and identity, editorial design, interactive design, illustration, and more. Key features

  • Gain hands-on industry experience: You’ll have the opportunity to complete a work experience placement of up to a year in length. Dependent on the duration of your placement, you could gain an additional Diploma or Certificate in Professional Practice.
  • Showcase work at major events: You may be selected to exhibit at major design showcases like D&AD New Blood and New Designers in London. These events attract top creative agencies - giving you a platform to connect with future employers.
  • Take part in global opportunities: Apply for a European or international exchange to one of our partner institutions, such as RMIT in Australia. You will also have the chance to attend optional study visits to a European destination.
  • Work on real briefs for big brands: Respond to real-world briefs set by agencies such as Brand Opus, JKR, Elmwood and Vault49. You’ll also develop professional skills through placements, competitions, guest lectures and industry collaborations.
Employability Many graduates secure jobs at well-known design consultancies. Some choose to use their skills in other fields, such as teaching and management, while others go on to set up their own business or work on a freelance basis. Graduates from this course go into a range of roles. Recent examples include:
  • designer, UNiDAYS
  • junior designer, McCann Birmingham
  • junior designer, Pentland Brands
  • product development, Bakerdays
  • freelance artist, Advocate AA
  • junior designer; Landor
  • junior motion designer; DixonBaxi.

Modules

[Year One]

  • The Fundamentals of Graphic Design (100 credit points)
  • Design in Context 1 (20 credit points)
[Year Two]
  • Exploring the Graphic Design Industry (60 credit points)
  • Design in Context 2 (20 credit points)
  • Co Lab: Research, Exploration and Risk-taking (20 credit points)
  • Optional module. You will also choose one optional 20-credit module from:
Publishing: Experimental Formats Typography: Use and Expression Telling Stories Motion Graphics Ethical Design Digital Marketing and Communication Exploring Creative Coding Drawing & Exploring with Natural Materials [Year Three] Optional Placement Year (Sandwich)* We have an option for all of our students to undertake a placement year (Sandwich) and allow you to decide whether this is right for you once you have completed years 1 and 2 of your course. This time spent working in industry provides our students with crucial work experience, which is highly prized and much sought after by employers upon graduation. If you are successful in securing a placement you will have the chance to gain an additional Certificate or Diploma in Professional Practice, dependent on duration.
  • If you choose to take the sandwich route option, you will still need to apply for this course with the full-time UCAS code.
[Final year]
  • Developing a Personal Portfolio (100 credit points)
- Design in Context 3: Dissertation (20 credit points)

Assessment method

Year 1 coursework (100%). Year 2 coursework (100%). Year 3 coursework (100%). People excel in different ways, and we want everybody to have the best possible chance of success. On this course you will be assessed on a range of individual and group presentations, and your final year project. Your work in Year Two accounts for 20% of your final degree mark, and your work in your final year accounts for the other 80%.

How to apply

14Jan

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:
W211
Institution code:
N91
Campus name:
City Campus
Campus code:
1

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other, and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here, but may have faced barriers that can make it more difficult to access university. We also consider equivalent qualifications and combinations. Please contact Nottingham Trent University Admissions team for further information.

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
0%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
0%
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

England £9790 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9790 Year 1
Scotland £9790 Year 1
Wales £9790 Year 1
EU £18700 Year 1
International £18700 Year 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

The tuition fees above are subject to parliamentary procedure. They haven't been confirmed yet, but we expect them to be finalised by May 2026. The level of tuition fees for the second and subsequent years of your undergraduate course may increase in line with inflation and as specified by the UK government.
Graphic Design at Nottingham Trent University - UCAS