Design Studies

What this subject is

We list 443 Design Studies courses at 101 UK universities across 57 cities. They run at undergraduate and hnd and foundation level.

Teaching in Design Studies is assessed on the work you produce rather than on examinations, which changes how the year is paced.

Send us your transcript and English result and we will come back with a shortlist of departments, the entry conditions on each, and what any offer is likely to be conditional on.

What you will study

• Studio practice
• Visual language and composition
• Industry standard digital tools
• Contextual and critical studies
• Critique and presentation
• Materials and making
• Professional practice
• A final portfolio and show

What departments ask for

The lowest English requirement across the departments we hold on this subject is IELTS 5.5. Component scores count as well as the overall: a department asking for 5.5 overall normally sets a minimum in each of the four papers, and writing is the one applicants most often miss.

Postgraduate entry is judged on your bachelor degree and its classification. Most departments ask for the equivalent of a UK 2:1, which is broadly a 3.00 out of 4.00 or 70 out of 100 on a Turkish transcript. A 2:2 is accepted at a number of departments, more readily where you have relevant work behind you.

Undergraduate entry is judged on your school leaving certificate and grades. Where a qualification is not a direct match for A levels, departments either ask for a foundation year first or accept it at a higher grade.

Alongside the transcript you will need a personal statement, one or two references and a passport copy. Statements that name a specific module, a piece of work or a problem you want to study read very differently from statements that would fit any course.

Where it leads

• Designer
• Art director
• Studio practitioner
• Creative lead
• Freelance practice
• Curator

Questions we get asked