Buckinghamshire New University
Graphic Design BA (Hons)
Buckinghamshire New University

Key Course Facts

Student Reviews

Below you can see course specific reviews of 35 graduates of Graphic Design BA (Hons) and other courses in Design Studies at Buckinghamshire New University for each of the survey questions in comparison to the average for all UK degree courses in Design Studies.

The NSS is commissioned by the Office for Students

Salary

Salary of Graduates in Design Studies

Important: Salary data below is not course specific, but contains data of all students of Design Studies at the university. Due to data collection methodology, salary data is mainly based on data related to undergraduate students.

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £23000 £23000 £26500
25-75 percentile range £19000 - £24000 £17000 - £27500 £19500 - £33000


Salary of all UK Graduates of Design Studies

  15 months after graduation 3 years after graduation 5 years after graduation
Median salary £22025 £20113 £23568
25-75 percentile range £19981 - £25071 £15144 - £24676 £17604 - £29974

Course Description

If you want to break into the world of graphic design and visual communication, this course emerges you within industry-ways before you even graduate. Experiment across a variety of media and find your style, whilst bringing stories, brands and products to life to audience all over the world.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

With a history of delivering industry-standard graphic design education for more than 30 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to start your creative career. As a well-established course, we have built up an excellent network of Alumni. Many are now in senior positions in the design world, both nationally and internationally, whom we can call upon.

Led by our enthusiastic and dedicated team of design practitioners and experienced academics, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge and network of professional they bring to the course. And with London only a short journey away, you can take the opportunity to visit some of the world’s best exhibitions, galleries, and museums for inspiration.

Degrees at BNU are designed to offer a broader and more flexible education by giving you the opportunity to try a range of subjects before specialising. Even if you know exactly what you want to do, with most of our courses you can choose to study additional subjects to enhance your education.

What facilities can I use?

You’ll be encouraged to explore both traditional and current mediums to craft your design solutions, you can do this through our;

silkscreen equipment

plotter cutters

letterpress equipment

photography studios

litho equipment

laser cutting

3D printing technology

Adobe Creative Cloud

The Graphic Design course itself is situated in an open plan studio alongside the Creative Advertising course, meaning you get to experience how a working advertising and design agency would run in the real-world.

What will I study?

Studying on the course will help prepare you for this continually expanding field. Not only will we support you as an individual in the development of your visual and creative problem-solving skills, but we also equipped you with the knowledge and confidence to enter and negotiate your career in this challenging, but exciting field.

Over the course of the degree, you'll be given lots of opportunities to explore the diverse world of graphic design and its practice, including vital skills in creative problem solving, research methods, team working, project management, presentation skills, design strategy, art direction and independent learning.

Through practical hands-on, project-based learning you'll explore the fundamental core aspects of the subject like typography, narrative structure, hierarchy, layout and composition, information design, image creation and conceptual thinking skills.

You’ll develop your historical perspectives, research, and writing skills and gain the academic grounding on which to develop critical understanding and practical application. As well as this you'll explore the many workshop facilities and equipment our design department has to offer, from laser cutting and letterpress printing, to photography and the Adobe Creative Suite. Our experienced technical instructors will be there in your workshop sessions to support you with your activities and help bring your ideas to life.

We always encourage our students to take risks in their work and learn to challenge established languages and processes through questioning and individual experimentation. All our modules on this course reflect this ethos, they are in place to help you form and consolidate presentation, critical and strategic thinking, and complex problem-solving skills, whilst at the same time developing and refining practical design abilities.

Jobs & Career Perspectives

15 months after graduation, graduates of this course were asked about what they do and, if they are working, about their current job and their perspectives.

Current jobs

Required skill level of job after 15 months

Jobs of graduates of this course (15 months after graduation)

Example below based on all graduates of Graphic Design BA (Hons) at Buckinghamshire New University

25% Caring personal services
15% Administrative occupations
10% Welfare Professionals
10% Welfare and housing associate professionals
5% Health associate professionals
5% Teaching and Childcare Support Occupation
5% Skilled trades occupations
5% Elementary occupations
5% Welfare Professionals
5% Caring personal services

At the centre of this course is studio-based activity. You’ll spend a significant amount of time in the Graphic Design studio working on both individual study and group tuition. On the course you are pushed to explore your own style, which you’ll build into your own distinctive portfolio that demonstrates your unique strengths and interests for prospective work opportunities after graduation. During your time with us you'll study modules that are centred around your own career aspirations and, through guest lectures from industry specialists, seminars and live industry projects, We also aim to provide masterclasses and industry brief opportunities for you to apply your knowledge, skills and understanding into real-world contexts, whilst gaining feedback from current industry-leaders. Individual and small group tutorials led by industry professionals, are not only to support you throughout the degree but more importantly to prepare you the professional world afterwards with an outstanding portfolio and a network of employers. **You’ll also be assessed though; 1:**1 or small group tutorials, Portfolio and presentations, written assessments, sketchbooks, group critiques and self-directed study. At the end of your studies, you’ll have the chance to take part in the graduate Art and Design Showcase exhibition at the University. In addition, students are offered the opportunity to put forward work for the D&AD New Blood exhibition in central London where a selected group of students are also invited to attend.

Entry Requirements / Admissions

UCAS Tariff of Accepted Students for Design Studies

Requirements for international students / English requirements

IELTS academic test score (similar tests may be accepted as well)

    • 6.5
    • All other courses
    • 6.5
    • Graduate Degrees
    • 6.0
    • Undergraduate Degrees

For information about applying to Buckinghamshire New University as an International applicant, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/international

Buckinghamshire New University offers a range of bursaries and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.bucks.ac.uk/study/fees-and-funding/financial-support-bursaries-and-scholarships
Get advice on which foundation courses are best for you to still study Graphic Design, BA (Hons), if you do not meet the minimum requirements in terms of UCAS score, A levels, or English language requirements.

Costs

Tuition Fees Graphic Design BA (Hons)

England UK £9250 year 1
Northern Ireland £9250 year 1
Scotland £9250 year 1
Wales £9250 year 1
Channel Islands £9250 year 1
Ireland £9250 year 1
EU £15000 year 1
International £15000 year 1

Additional fee information

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.

You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

Average student cost of living in the UK

Rent £518
Water, gas electricity, internet (at home) £50
Supermarket shopping £81
Clothing £35
Eating out £33
Alcohol £27
Takeaways / food deliveries £30
Going out / entertainment (excl.alcohol, food) £24
Holidays and weekend trips £78
Transport within city £17
Self-care / sports £20
Stationary / books £13
Mobile phone / internet £13
Cable TV / streaming £7
Insurance £51
Other £95
  
Average student cost of living £1092

London costs approx 34% more than average, mainly due to rent being 67% higher than average of other cities. For students staying in student halls, costs of water, gas, electricity, wifi are generally included in the rental. Students in smaller cities where accommodation is in walking/biking distance transport costs tend to be significantly smaller.

How to apply

Application deadline:

January 1, 2025

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.

Possible Entry Points:

  • year 1 (Default entry point)

University Rankings

Positions of Buckinghamshire New University in top UK and global rankings.

See all 7 university rankings of Buckinghamshire New University

About Buckinghamshire New University

Buckinghamshire New University, also known as Bucks, was founded in 1893, in the town of High Wycombe, South East England. This university has chosen to divide its academic offerings into seven separate schools, which is reflected in that learning resources such as libraries are located in their relevant areas to reduce crowding and also increase the ease of looking for the materials the student needs. Bucks has been the recipient of numerous awards, among which we can find the Silver Award from TEF.

List of 191 Bachelor and Master Courses from Buckinghamshire New University - Course Catalogue

Student composition of Buckinghamshire New University

undergraduates:
16465
postgraduates:
860
Total:
17325
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Where is this programme taught

Buckinghamshire New University
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