Studio Practice (Graphic Design) (top-up) BA (Hons) | University for the Creative Arts

Studio Practice (Graphic Design) (top-up) at UCA

Our Studio Practice top-up course in Graphic Design at UCA Farnham will give you the chance to gain all the skills you need to progress to postgraduate study and boost your existing qualifications.

Ideal for international students and also suitable to UK students looking to build upon existing qualifications, this course is aligned with Year 3 of BA (Hons) Graphic Design, so you can progress to a Master's degree in a streamlined way.

You'll get right into the action from the start, undertaking research and practical projects, working on collaborative activities and building your skills, knowledge and confidence.

Course entry options

Select from the options below to find out more about the different study options available for this course:

Michael Tilley talking about his graphic design degree

Design graduate Michael Tilley discusses his journey to running a creative business

Course details

Course
details

The content of the course may be subject to change. Curriculum content is provided as a guide.

Year one (equivalent in level to year 3 of BA course)

In your final year, you’ll begin to develop your practice and you’ll produce your final major project, bringing together your career aspirations and practical work.

Professional Practice
You'll explore in greater depth the working world of the professional designer and creative practitioner; its primary aim is to help you prepare for graduation and to give you the opportunity to research the world of current graphic design practice in a range of related industries and areas and its associated career paths.

Contextual Research and Critical Reflection
This unit is for you to conceive, develop and construct an individually meaningful portfolio of contextual research that informs, augments and reflects upon practice towards the provision of structured narratives that critically engage with a range of contextual and theoretical frameworks. This will serve to support the positioning of your individual practice in relation to the present, historical, theoretical or critical concerns of your subject area.

Final Major Project
This will give you the opportunity to demonstrate the fluency of your design and communication skills, and to examine a subject or theme in depth through a self-determined and challenging assignment. Your final major project will benefit from your increased understanding of theoretical issues – how these inform and contextualise your practical work, your research skills and your creative/strategic design abilities.

Course specifications

Please note, syllabus content indicated is provided as a guide. The content of the course may be subject to change in line with our Student Terms and Conditions for example, as required by external professional bodies or to improve the quality of the course.

Fees & funding

Fees & financial support

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

BA (top-up) course: £9,250

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

BA (top-up) course: £9,250 (see fee discount information)

Tuition fees - 2024/25 entry

BA (top-up) course: £16,950

Please note: The fees listed on this webpage are correct for the stated academic year only, for details of previous years please see the full fee schedules.

UCA scholarships and fee discounts

At UCA we have a number of scholarships and fee discounts available to assist you with the cost of your studies.

Financial support

There are lots of ways you can access additional financial support to help you fund your studies - both from UCA and from external sources. Discover what support you might qualify for please see our financial support information.

Additional course costs

In addition to the tuition fees there may be other costs for your course. The things that you are likely to need to budget for to get the most out of a creative arts education will include books, printing costs, occasional or optional study trips and/or project materials.

These costs will vary according to the nature of your project work and the individual choices that you make. Please see the Additional Course Costs section of your Course Information for details of the costs you may incur.

Diego Castillo, BA (Hons) Studio Practice (Graphic Design), UCA Farnham

Yichen Zhang, BA (Hons) Studio Practice (Graphic Design), UCA Farnham

Stewart Burgess, BA (Hons) Studio Practice (Graphic Design), UCA Farnham

Ansh Soni, BA (Hons) Studio Practice (Graphic Design), UCA Farnham

Zixin Zhang, BA (Hons) Studio Practice (Graphic Design), UCA Farnham

Xudong Wu, BA (Hons) Studio Practice (Graphic Design), UCA Farnham

Holly Manning, BA (Hons) Graphic Design, UCA Farnham

Jade Barnett, BA (Hons) Graphic Design, UCA Farnham

Facilities

This course has dedicated graphics studios that offer spaces for group tutorials and personal working. There are on-campus digital media suites with Macs and PCs running latest programmes for film editing, as well as general design work. There are open-access printmaking studios with screen printing and letterpress facilities, 3D printers and bookbinding equipment. There is also a modern library that stocks a wealth of books, journals, special collections and online resources.

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Graphics studios, UCA Farnham

Print studios, UCA Farnham

Digital Media suite, UCA Farnham

Library, UCA Farnham

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Entry & portfolio requirements

Entry & portfolio
requirements

UK

BA (Hons) course (top-up)

The standard entry requirements* for this course are:

240 credits from a relevant degree (120 credits at level 4 and 120 credits at level 5), with a minimum of 55% overall
Foundation Degree in a relevant subject
Higher National Diploma in a relevant subject

And/or Accreditation of Prior Experiential Learning (APEL)

In recognition that you may already have a relevant professional qualification, or appropriate working experience in the relevant industries, APEL may be accepted for entry on to the course. This will be based on the partnership articulations and will be assessed on a case by case basis.

Other relevant and equivalent UK and international qualifications are considered on an individual basis, and we encourage students from diverse educational backgrounds to apply.

Portfolio requirements

For this courses, 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. View more portfolio advice

*We occasionally make offers which are lower than the standard entry criteria, to students who have faced difficulties that have affected their performance and who were expected to achieve higher results. We consider the strength of our applicants’ portfolios, as well as their grades - in these cases, a strong portfolio is especially important.

International and EU

BA (Hons) course (top-up)

The entry requirements for these courses will depend on the country your qualifications are from, please check the equivalent qualifications for your country:

Non-UK equivalent qualifications

Any additional entry requirements listed in the UK requirements section, e.g., subject requirements, work experience or professional qualifications, also apply to international applicants applying with equivalent qualifications.

Portfolio requirements

You will be required to submit a portfolio for review. Further information on specific portfolio requirements and how to submit your portfolio will be sent to you after we have reviewed your application. View more portfolio advice

English language requirements

To study at UCA, you'll need to have a certain level of English language skill. And so, to make sure you meet the requirements of your course, we ask for evidence of your English language ability, please check the level of English language required: