The Student Room Group

What uni's have the best graphic design courses :-??

Hey...I'm planning on taking a graphic design course starting in 2009 so now I'm browsing for universities.:cyber: The only problem is that i can't judge the quality of the course just by looking on the prospectus:dontknow: so maybe you could help me out please because I really don't want to end up at some nasty graphic design wannabe course:no: Oh...and preferably not in London...I would have to sell my soul for rent money :biggrin:
Thanx!
Take a look at the BA (Hons) Graphic Design, Illustration, Digital Media at Bradford College University Centre.

It's internationally respected School of Art & Media scored 88% in the recent National Student Survey.

Your degree would be awarded by Leeds Met so your education and degree will have respect within the industry.
Reply 2
I was in the same position last year looking at universities for Graphic Design but wanting to avoid London. I cannot emphasise strongly enough the importance of going to open days and visiting institutions to get a real feel for the atmosphere of the places, as well as getting to see facilities, speak to students and staff and ask any questions you might have.

I’m just going to quote myself from another thread talking about various places for Graphic Design-

Egan1

There isn't really any creative league table (that I found?) to look at during your search to get an idea of which universities are considered 'the best' for Art and Design. The closest thing to an Oxbridge-esque reputation for Arts universities is probably held by some of the London colleges (Central St. Martins, London College of Fashion, Goldsmiths etc.) and possibly Brighton. In terms of Graphic Design, I heard Kingston frequently described as being one of, if not the best, for the course.

I listened to tutors and fellow students, and names like Norwich, Bath Spa, Falmouth and Bournmouth were mentioned a lot. When I visited open days and interviews, I always asked tutors who they rated as competition in terms of universities- interestingly the big-name London ones were quite often scorned, and again I heard things like Kingston, Brighton, Glasgow.

When I visited a big (£££) branding company up in London this summer I found that they annually took students for summer placements from five different universities across the UK, including Cardiff, Dublin and Dundee, and had two students there on year-long placements from NTU.

I realise it seems like I have just rambled on mentioning tonnes of different universities- but that's sort of my point. There are so many different ones to choose from, and opinion is apparently so varied, that really the best thing is to start looking at websites/portfolios and open days as soon as you can (and not necessarily worry about which place is 'best' for the subject- because it is apparently not clean cut!).

I cannot emphasize enough how important it is to get first-hand views of as many universities as you can. While I am actually really happy with where I am going (NTU), it was pretty much a fluke that I picked it at all. -When I was making my UCAS choices I had only actually visited a few universities, and had all-but decided that I was aiming for Kingston (my Route B), with Brighton as a possible second choice, and then Bath, Middlesex and Nottingham added on the end pretty much at random (obviously having looked at websites etc., but looking back now the casual way I used those places up makes me cringe!). Needless to say, when I actually visited Nottingham it threw me (in a good way), and after much debate, I ended up chosing it over Kingston.


To say a bit more in terms of Nottingham- after my visit I looked it up and found out that it actually has a really good reputation for its Art and Design school- which has something like a 96/98% employment rate for its graduates (one of the highest in the country). They have 11 full-time staff employed full time (which was unusual- all the other universities I went to mostly had tutors who would only be in a couple of days in a week- which has the advantage that it means a lot of them are still practising and therefore arguably more in-tune with the industry, but means you as a student are likely to have less support and be less of a priority), and a series of guest lecturers coming in to talk and work with classes. They have a new building done in 2006, which is right in the city centre and next to the union (with a number of accommodation blocks right next door too).

-Hopefully it will live up to my hopes/expectations. I will be able to judge as an attendee as of October :smile:
You're reffering to Notthingham trent right? cause from what I've seen Nottingham uni doesnt have graphic design courses...aaaanyway...I've basically decided my 5 options : Leeds College of art and design, UWE Bristol, Nottingham Trent, Birmingham Institute of Art and Design and Lincoln....I'm almost done with my application form so now...I'll just wait and see :biggrin:
Reply 4
Yep, sorry, Nottingham Trent (NTU). Hope you're application goes well!
Reply 5
When I applied (I live in London, so preferably wanted to move away) I chose Brighton (heard some very good things about the course, never got around to seeing it for myself though), DMU (as a fallback, wasn't very impressed), Ravensbourne (it's moving right next to the o2 arena in a few years, the new building designs look superb, but I thought the same along the lines of not wanting to sell my soul to keep up with rent), Norwich (supposedly one of the best in the country, I really liked it) and Falmouth.

I can't stress how important open days are, I didn't bother going to the Brighton one, and I'll never know whether I made a lucky escape or am missing out on something great, and places like Falmouth and Norwich sold themselves to me incredibly well - both areas were nice, and the courses inspiring. Where are you thinking of applying?
Yeah...I actually ended up firming BCU visual communication for some reason :biggrin: I'll see in a few months if I made a crappy choice or not ...meh... :smile:
Reply 7
UWIC is the best in wales, but i don't know how good that makes it on a national scale
Reply 8
Putting aside London, I would recommend looking into Kingston, Buckinghamshire New University (especially for advertising), Falmouth, Loughborough, UCLAN, Glasgow School of Art, Edinburgh School of Art, Norwich School of Art and Design, Bath Spa, Northumbria and Middlesex.

My suggestion(s) stem from industry hearsay (I work in advertising, an industry that is integral to graphic design) and the recent Design & Art Direction (D&AD) Student Awards, the Oscar equivalent for graphic design students, where the aforementioned institutions (putting aside London ones) were acknowledged.
Thanks this has been quite helpful to me too as I'm applying for a BA Graphic Design course somewhere in the UK as well but I have no idea which unis have a good reputation for Graphic Design. I might sound like a complete bum but I want to go to not only a uni with a great course but I want good nightlife and a big uni too!

Would anyone be able to suggest anything? I'm actually going to be completing my secong year Foundation Degree in Graphic Design at University of Cumbria. Its a little quiet for me now and I want to do two years elsewhere, any ideas much appreciated cheers.
Reply 10
I went to Cumbria for an open day but I wasn't impressed, I'm going to Salford uni to study Graphic design HND, I was very impressed by Salford and with it offering the full 3 year degree a 2 year HND and a one year foundation aswell as the incredible nightlife nextdoor to Manchester I'm looking forward.
Reply 11
Gibb~
I went to Cumbria for an open day but I wasn't impressed, I'm going to Salford uni to study Graphic design HND, I was very impressed by Salford and with it offering the full 3 year degree a 2 year HND and a one year foundation aswell as the incredible nightlife nextdoor to Manchester I'm looking forward.


I've also heard many good things about Salford for Graphic Design, including Manchester Met (namely that Peter Saville and Malcolm Garrett went there), although to a lesser extent.
Hi everyone...

Really need some advice on which graphic design course I should choose... I have made this thread on it and would be soooo grateful if anyone could reply.

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1964643

Cheers guys...
Hey,

I'm looking at CCAD in hartlepool for graphic design or digital design & advertising course. Looks like a great place to study - its only art & design ccourses. Has anyone been to the open day? Went to the degree show and the work was great.