Skip navigation
Graphic Design (with Professional Practice Year) at University for the Creative Arts - UCAS

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.


How to apply

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: [email protected] or 01252 416110

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

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

Please click the following link to find out more about qualification requirements for this course

https://uca.ac.uk/study/accepted-qualifications/

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/


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

England £9535 Year 1
Northern Ireland £9535 Year 1
Scotland £9535 Year 1
Wales £9535 Year 1
Channel Islands £9535 Year 1
Republic of Ireland £9535 Year 1
EU £17500 Year 1
International £17500 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

NOTE: Fees for the Professional Practice Year (which is taken between the second and third year of the course) are set at no more than 20% of standard course fees. As a guide, for the 2025/26 academic year, Professional Practice Year fees will be £1,900. If you are classified as a Home student and qualify for the government-regulated undergraduate tuition fee, you will be charged a single tuition fee for each academic year. Our policy is to charge the maximum regulated fee. To reflect increased costs of delivery and maintain a high-quality student experience, we will therefore increase fees in line with any uplift determined by the UK Government by law or government policy in the second and subsequent years of your course. Such increases are usually linked to inflation and determined using RPIX (the Retail Price Index excluding mortgage interest payments). For all other students, your tuition fees may increase in the second and subsequent years of your course. Any increase in fees will be in line with inflation as measured by the RPIX but in any event by not more than 5%. We will notify you of any fee increase by no later than July before the start of the next academic year. 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/

Graphic Design (with Professional Practice Year) at University for the Creative Arts - UCAS