Course content
The first year of the course is designed to provide you with solid foundations in becoming a designer/ maker, focusing on core design skills, material exploration and in-depth making skills taught in wood, ceramics, composite materials, metal, and the role of CAD as a visualisation tool. Real live projects with industry give you the opportunity to put these skills into practice and get your first taste of working with clients.
In the second year, you’ll focus on developing an identity as a designer whilst learning more about design for production and commercial design practice. You’ll work collaboratively on projects with industry that will develop your independence, focusing on driving factors like consumer behaviour and sustainability.
The third year allows you to specialise, tailoring your Major Project to your target career, putting all the skills developed into practice. You’ll consider the contextualisation of your work, including branding, costings and intellectual property. The third year culminates in an end-of-year Degree Show, as well as the opportunity to exhibit your work at a national design show such as New Designers.
Professional body accreditation
Accredited by the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD) the professional body for design with free student membership and leading to Associate Membership (Assoc. CSD).
Modules
The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module where available.
Sustainability, Society And Impact
How can creative practice respond responsibly to the challenges facing society today? This module introduces you to key social issues and explores how culture and creative work can reflect, question, and respond to them. You may investigate topics such as sustainability and climate change, inequality, representation, migration, or social justice. Working in a small group, you will create a sustainable and ethical creative project informed by research and contextual understanding. Through reflection, you will develop teamwork, communication, and critical thinking skills that support your growth as a socially aware creative practitioner.
Module code: CCIF40852
Creative Cultures: Making, Research & Reflection
This introductory contextual module enables you to explore diverse cultural identities and examine how they influence creative expression. You will choose a topic related to your discipline and undertake guided research that informs the development of a creative artefact or technical output using materials and processes of your choice. Through investigating and celebrating cultural identities, you will develop a stronger understanding of the relationship between culture and creative practice, supporting your transition into higher-level study.
Module code: CCIF40851
Material Exploration
During your first workshop-based module you will be introduced to a range of core materials and processes in wood, ceramics and composites. We will underpin your learning experience through a selection of approaches in physical practice, enabling you to use the extensive workshop facilities independently but also gaining the essentials for high levels of craftsmanship. Your skills learned in this module will form the grounding to your exciting future creative career.
Module code: PROD40111
Digital Tools For Design Practice
A designers ability to visually communicate a concept is fundamental. In this module youll be introduced to software that allows you to successfully develop, communicate and represent your ideas. You will learn to utilise visualisation tools to produce high-quality communication material. You will model and render 3D objects and learn how to export digital models for 3D printing and technical drawings. Youll follow on-screen demonstrations contribute to workshops and develop the ability to apply learning to other design projects.
Module code: PROD40112
Surround Sound And Multichannel Audio
Step into the world of immersive sound with this module on Surround Sound and Multichannel Audio Production! You'll gain hands-on experience with industry-standard tools and techniques for creating powerful, dynamic soundscapes. Explore multichannel mixing, recording, and editing , while learning to design audio experiences that captivate audiences across music, film, and gaming. Perfect for anyone looking to push the boundaries of sound and bring their creative projects to life in stunning detail.
Module code: CCIF50872
Digital Journeys: Ux & Ui Design
Designing intuitive and engaging digital experiences is central to todays creative industries. Youll explore user experience (UX), user interface (UI) and digital design through industry-informed creative briefs. Youll investigate user behaviour, journeys and emotional responses, applying principles of psychology, flow and interaction design. Through hands-on prototyping and workshops, youll develop digital concepts across a range of contexts.
Module code: CCIF50867
Visual Effects & Motion Graphics
The aim of this module is to enhance your understanding of visual effects and motion graphics and how it can be applied to a variety of different projects. This module will also help you develop an awareness of fundamental theories and practical skills necessary for incorporating these effects and graphics in your projects. Engaging with practical assignment work will enable you to explore visual effects and motion graphics as a creative tool to solve a range of production challenges.
Module code: CCIF50873
Colour & Surface: Print, Texture & Material Exploration
How can print, colour, and surface transform the way you communicate ideas? In this hands-on module, youll explore creative printmaking and surface techniques, including screen print, relief print, monoprint, colour mixing, and 3D materials processes such as surface and structural manipulation. Youll experiment with colour, texture, and form across flat and dimensional surfaces, developing confident material and visual thinking. Designed for students across art and design, this module supports your progression towards a distinctive creative practice and professional visual outcomes.
Module code: CCIF50865
Commercial Design Practice
Develop your skills as a commercially aware designer or maker. In this module, you will explore how creative ideas are shaped by client briefs, market expectations and professional considerations. You will develop design solutions that balance creativity with commercial viability, investigating production methods, materials, and professional workflows. Through studio-based project work, tutorials and critiques, you will refine your ability to communicate ideas visually, verbally and in writing. This module prepares you to engage confidently with clients and customers, supporting your development as a professional designer or maker ready for contemporary design practice.
Module code: PROD50120
Art Trail
This module will provide work-related experiences that enable students to acquire the skills and qualities that will enhance their career prospects, horizons, and personal success, preparing the student for the expectations of employers in the visual art sector. The module will facilitate close contact with a real-world context, to experience the planning and delivery of a public art project.
Module code: CCIF50864
Collaborative Creative Industries Project
How do creative teams tackle real-world problems together?In this module, youll collaborate in interdisciplinary teams to explore themed, problem-based projects that respond to contemporary social and cultural challenges. Youll develop collaborative, reflective and creative thinking skills through teamwork, co-design and professional-style project processes. By engaging with diverse perspectives and working across creative disciplines, youll gain insight into your own strengths and contributions, supporting your development as a confident, adaptable creative practitioner within your overall qualification and future career.
Module code: CCIF50863
Experimental Formats
Experimentation is crucial for creativity; it's the engine that drives innovation, helps you discover new possibilities, learn from failures, break norms, and develop a unique voice by testing ideas, exploring different methods, and refining your approach beyond initial assumptions. It transforms ideas into tangible progress, preventing stagnation and leading to fresh, groundbreaking work.Experiential formats take many forms and is so much more than traditional media. It's a multi-disciplinary approach to building an environment that evokes emotions and tells a story. In this module youll discover the meaning of Design without Boundaries - breaking free from conventional limits to foster innovation, cross-pollinate ideas, and create more holistic, personalised, and globally resonant solutions.
Module code: CCIF50868
Creative Heritage
Do you think about the ways that different arts and creative practices create our understanding of the past? What relevance do they have today and how do different audiences interpret our cultural history? What relevance does historical artefacts have today in creating our sense of place and identity? What are the issues facing creative practitioners when they represent the past? This module allows you to explore how historical stories have been represented within different creative practices and will allow you to analyse, interpret and create your own artefact to represent the past and impact on an audience.
Module code: CCIF50866
Design For Production
This module develops your understanding of designing for production within professional and commercial contexts. You will explore how creative ideas are translated into resolved outcomes for product, furniture and ceramics, responding to manufacturing processes, materials and market expectations. Through studio-Based project work, you will consider style, form, function and perceived quality while refining your research, communication and reflective skills.
Module code: PROD50119
Hybrid Production Methods
Harness leading edge technologies to expand the scope, impact, reach and potential of your creative work. Professional agility and the transferability of your skills will be the critical flexibility you will need to offer as a creative navigating a rapidly changing and evolving employment and technological landscape. This module will help you build the knowledge and skills you need to thrive in this space.
Module code: CCIF50874
Still Life Through The Lens
What stories can objects tell? Youll experiment with still-life approaches across photography and mixed media, exploring how composition, lighting, materials and symbolism work together to create visually compelling images. Through hands-on experimentation and contextual research, youll push your creative thinking and craft. These skills are valuable across visual communication, art direction, and broader creative industries workflows.
Module code: CCIF50871
Experimental Music And Sound Art
Break the rules. Explore sound. Find your voice.This module invites you to experiment beyond traditional music-making, exploring sound as art through creative technology, listening, collaboration, and bold ideas. Youll analyse influential experimental works, play with unconventional tools and techniques, and develop your own artistic practice while working with others in a supportive, creative environment. Perfect for students who want to push boundaries and discover new ways of thinking about music and sound.
Module code: CCIF50869
Final Major Project Of Product, Furniture, Ceramics
In this self-directed module, youll develop a major project that reflects your specialist skills, creative ambitions, and professional direction. Through independent research, concept development, and creative outputs, youll work through the full cycle of creative practice, from proposal to resolved outcome. Youll consider audience, context, and industry relevance while refining your work to a professional standard, preparing you for future creative practice or progression within the Creative Industries.
Module code: PROD60108
Contextual And Critical Investigation
Is there an area of cultural production that you are passionate about, and you want to find out more? This module gives you that opportunity to conduct a significant critical investigation to explore an aspect of creative practice and culture more deeply than you have before. Whether you produce a written report, an audio essay, or an interactive digital publication, the process that you follow in this module will enable you to further enhance your critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills, and ultimately help you to gain a better understanding of your specialist field.
Module code: CCIF61057
Professional Practice
In this module, you explore career pathways, enterprise opportunities, and the expectations of the creative and cultural sectors. Youll learn how to communicate your ideas professionally, develop your portfolio, and build skills in networking, planning, and self-promotion. Through investigating different professional contexts, youll identify where your strengths and personal style fit within the wider landscape of employment, freelance work, or postgraduate progression. By the end, youll feel more confident, independent, and ready to take informed next steps towards your chosen creative career.
Module code: CCIF61058
Progression routes to masters