BA Design (Placement Year)
Entry requirements
A level: BBB IB: 30 overall with 15 points from the best 3 HL subjects
About this course
BA Hons in Design (Placement Year), a fashion design degree centred on creative problem-solving and studio practice. Core topics include Critical & Analytical Thinking, Design & Creative Practice, Global & Comparative Perspective, Laboratory Techniques, Research Methods, and Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning. This four-year course includes a dedicated work-based placement year in the industry, alongside practical client projects and a major independent final-year project. The first year introduces foundational creative approaches through core modules such as The Reflective Design Process, Design Contexts, Visual Communication, Design Through Making, and Design Sprints, with optional study areas including Raw Materials of Performance. Year two deepens practical engagement via Interaction and Experience Design, Insight-led Design, Design Visualisation, Design for Sustainability, and Speculative Design. The third year consists of the Work Based Learning Year placement. The final year focuses on professional readiness through Design Consultancy, Design Independent Project, and Design Leadership, supported by optional modules such as Confronting the Climate Crisis.
Modules
- The Reflective Design Process
- Design Contexts
- Visual Communication
- Design Through Making
- Design Sprints
- Raw Materials of Performance
- Understanding Media and Culture
- The Arts and Identity (Discovery module)
- Interaction and Experience Design
- Insight-led Design
- Design Visualisation
- Design for Sustainability
- Speculative Design
- Employability, Purpose and Social Impact (Discovery module)
- Global Challenges and Collaborative Solutions (Discovery module)
- Taking an Idea and Making it Happen (Discovery module)
- Visual Cultures
- Work Based Learning Year
- Design Consultancy
- Design Independent Project
- Design Leadership
- Confronting the Climate Crisis (Discovery module)
- People Power and Collective Action (Discovery module)
- Queer Futures (Discovery module)
- Audiences, Fans and Participatory Cultures