Graphic design degree part-time - which university?

I'm a mature student with a HND in Graphic Design and I'm pondering various courses at degree level. As I have to self-fund, I'm limited to only part-time courses. Not that many universities offer part-time study mode, definitely not the most renowned ones. I'm not aiming at prestige though, my priority is to choose the best possible course for me to actually learn a lot and produce a great portfolio/maybe network.

I've been contemplating the online OCA course, which is supposedly good, but if possible I'd really prefer a "regular" course rather than distance learning.

Here are some universities I have to choose from, which offer part-time GD courses:

UWE Bristol
Middlesex
West London
London Met

York St John's
Oxford Brookes
Sunderland
Teesside

I'm particularly interested in UWE because of its great reputation and the London universities as I would definitely prefer to work and live in a bigger city while studying for the two years or so.

I wonder if anyone could make any recommendations, especially in relation to the London schools (I already know UWE is really good)?

Reply 1

Oxford Brookes University

Official Rep

13

Original post by harridan21

I'm a mature student with a HND in Graphic Design and I'm pondering various courses at degree level. As I have to self-fund, I'm limited to only part-time courses. Not that many universities offer part-time study mode, definitely not the most renowned ones. I'm not aiming at prestige though, my priority is to choose the best possible course for me to actually learn a lot and produce a great portfolio/maybe network.

I've been contemplating the online OCA course, which is supposedly good, but if possible I'd really prefer a "regular" course rather than distance learning.

Here are some universities I have to choose from, which offer part-time GD courses:

UWE Bristol
Middlesex
West London
London Met

York St John's
Oxford Brookes
Sunderland
Teesside

I'm particularly interested in UWE because of its great reputation and the London universities as I would definitely prefer to work and live in a bigger city while studying for the two years or so.

I wonder if anyone could make any recommendations, especially in relation to the London schools (I already know UWE is really good)?

Hi @harridan21
Thank you for the interest in Oxford Brookes Graphic Design course.

From what you have written it sounds like you know what you want from the course and the following link to our website will give you all our GD course information, https://www.brookes.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/graphic-design-ba

I do not do a GD course but can help with any questions you might have about student life at Brookes or the University so please come back and ask away!

Bekki
2nd Year Student Ambassador, Oxford Brookes

Reply 2

Middlesex University

15

Original post by harridan21

I'm a mature student with a HND in Graphic Design and I'm pondering various courses at degree level. As I have to self-fund, I'm limited to only part-time courses. Not that many universities offer part-time study mode, definitely not the most renowned ones. I'm not aiming at prestige though, my priority is to choose the best possible course for me to actually learn a lot and produce a great portfolio/maybe network.

I've been contemplating the online OCA course, which is supposedly good, but if possible I'd really prefer a "regular" course rather than distance learning.

Here are some universities I have to choose from, which offer part-time GD courses:

UWE Bristol
Middlesex
West London
London Met

York St John's
Oxford Brookes
Sunderland
Teesside

I'm particularly interested in UWE because of its great reputation and the London universities as I would definitely prefer to work and live in a bigger city while studying for the two years or so.

I wonder if anyone could make any recommendations, especially in relation to the London schools (I already know UWE is really good)?

Hi @harridan21,

Thank you for your question!

My name is Aleks and I am a course ambassador at Middlesex University! Middlesex University offers amazing Graphic Design courses that will prepare you for a future career in this ever-changing environment! I am currently studying BA Advertising, PR and Branding, however, on the university's website, you can read more about our Graphic Design MA course: https://www.mdx.ac.uk/courses/postgraduate/graphic-design and our Graphic Design BA Honours course: https://www.mdx.ac.uk/courses/undergraduate/graphic-design.

Furthermore, using the same links, you can have a look at some of the work that students have produced. If you have more questions about course content, entry requirements, etc. you can contact our Admissions Enquiries Advisers here: https://www.mdx.ac.uk/get-in-touch/chat-to-us-now. They will be able to address any concerns you might have!

Lastly, if you would like to know more about the student life at Middlesex University, you can contact some of our course ambassadors: https://www.mdx.ac.uk/student-life/chat-with-students. They will be happy to talk to you about their experience at the university!

I hope this helps! If I can help you with anything else, please, do not hesitate to ask!

Kind regards,
Aleks

Reply 3

insidedesigner

7

Original post by harridan21

I'm a mature student with a HND in Graphic Design and I'm pondering various courses at degree level. As I have to self-fund, I'm limited to only part-time courses. Not that many universities offer part-time study mode, definitely not the most renowned ones. I'm not aiming at prestige though, my priority is to choose the best possible course for me to actually learn a lot and produce a great portfolio/maybe network.

I've been contemplating the online OCA course, which is supposedly good, but if possible I'd really prefer a "regular" course rather than distance learning.

Here are some universities I have to choose from, which offer part-time GD courses:

UWE Bristol
Middlesex
West London
London Met

York St John's
Oxford Brookes
Sunderland
Teesside

I'm particularly interested in UWE because of its great reputation and the London universities as I would definitely prefer to work and live in a bigger city while studying for the two years or so.

I wonder if anyone could make any recommendations, especially in relation to the London schools (I already know UWE is really good)?

UWE is definitely the best there in terms of the quality of the work students produce on the regular BA course. The rest aren't bad options at all, with London Met probably being my pick of the rest. However, be aware that the part-time versions of these courses may be very different to the full-time. Some courses may have separate staff/modules/teaching days for p/t students, whilst others may blend you with f/t students. Some might have a decent number of p/t students, some might have less than five. It's very difficult to give advice on which ones are better for you, you'd need to do quite a bit of research yourself, so pester the course leader and try to get in touch with former students (not paid ambassadors).

Also, it's more common than you think that Uni's don't really 'teach' anything in third year. Of course they do, but the traditionally it's assumed that you learn all the skills in first and second year then put them into practice in third year, so most teaching is in the form of tutorials or crits. So if you do want to be taught stuff, then make sure you pick a course that teaches what you want to know.

The biggest issue i'd say you face is location. The cost of living in Sunderland is going to be very different to that in London or Bristol. On the other hand, your employment prospects are likely to be better in a larger city. It's a complicated set of factors.

Graphic design degree part-time - which university?

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