Our degree courses with Foundation year offer the opportunity to prepare you for advanced study before you progress onto a full honours degree at the University of Westminster. Whether you do not feel ready for degree-level study, don’t have the right qualifications, want to change your subject specialism or return to study after an absence from education, we aim to encourage a broad range of students to undertake our Foundation year in order to progress onto their full honours degree with us.

Our Foundation year in Art and Design is designed to provide you with an introduction to our range of subject areas, and to prepare you for the discipline of your choice. It will give you the opportunity to explore new ideas, opening up new perspectives on the key debates within the field. It begins in the first semester with the development of fundamental Art and Design skills, as well as practical exploration across all of the disciplines in our Art and Design Foundation programme. In the second semester you are encouraged to specialise in your own discipline and are supported at this stage by tutors from your host course. You will also benefit from workshops in our high-end facilities, and from working with leading academics who will encourage you to become a confident and creative thinker. Your practical development is accompanied by modules in both semesters on foundational academic skills – skills that will be essential as you progress to your chosen full degree.

On successful completion of the Foundation year, you'll be able to move on to study for the Graphic Communication Design BA Honours degree over a further three years study.

Our Graphic Communication Design BA aims to encourage your creativity, individuality and personal growth through the study of graphic communication design.

Our emphasis is on the application of skills to develop ideas and present information in ways that are engaging, meaningful, useful and worthwhile.

You'll be encouraged to develop your awareness and understanding of the social contexts and environmental responsibilities of design, so that you can identify communication strategies that will enrich people's lives by enabling them to be better informed about the world in which they live.

You'll learn to engage audiences through imaginative and creative design solutions that may challenge, persuade, shock, provoke, excite and entertain, but always aim to inform. You'll also develop the transferable and cognitive skills necessary for lifelong personal and professional development.

Graphic design is a multi-disciplinary activity that requires a wide range of intellectual, creative and technical skills. Our course places emphasis on the design, presentation and communication of ideas and information suited to the genuine needs of the end-user.

Based at our Harrow Campus – home to our arts, media and digital courses – you’ll work alongside students from film, photography, music, fashion and journalism, in a unique creative hothouse.

Our students' project work reflects their broad range of interests and understanding of design, and of the media through which they communicate. It also reflects the diversity of contemporary audiences.

Placements/ Year abroad

Between Years 2 and 3 you'll have the option to spend a full academic year abroad at a partner institution and/or approved form of employment in a country where French is the official language.

Career

This course will prepare you for job areas such as:

• Creative direction
• Design for interaction
• Editorial design
• Graphic design
• Information design