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Ulster University · Undergraduate
BDes (Hons) Digital Design Bachelor's degree at Ulster University
BDes (Hons) Digital Design at Ulster University. Over four years, you'll develop capability across core design principles, research methodology, and applied digital practice, alongside specialist options tailored to your interests and an independent project that showcases your own…
BDes (Hons)
Award
4
Years
Full-time
Study mode
88%
in work/study (15m)
About this course
BDes (Hons) Digital Design is a Bachelor's degree (BDes (Hons)) at Ulster University, based in Belfast. It runs 4 years, studied full-time.
For Design studies graduates from this provider, 88% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 60% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £24,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
For the typical curriculum, specialisations, career paths and graduate earnings for Art & Design, see the sections below.
Course evidence score
The arithmetic mean of the official measures available for this course: NSS satisfaction, graduate activity and continuation.
8.9
/ 10
Excellent
3 of 3 official measures
Student satisfaction
What students say in the National Student Survey
Exceptional90
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Graduate outcomes
In work or further study 15 months after graduating
Excellent88
Moderate evidence Published sample: 75; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2021-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 88% (2021-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Continuation
Students who continue past their first year
Exceptional90
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 90% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
Real modules published for this course, grouped only where the source gives a year, stage or level.
Year One 4 modules
- Interaction Design FundamentalsCore
- Design HistoryCore
- Exploring IdentityCore
- Visual Imaging and InteractionCore
Year Two 4 modules
- Content DesignCore
- Professional PracticeCore
- User Experience and Service DesignCore
- Playful InteractionsCore
Year Three 2 modules
- International Academic StudiesOptional
- PlacementOptional
Year Four 3 modules
- Major ProjectCore
- Research and WritingCore
- Design PresentationCore
Source: provider course page. Modules can change; required/optional status, credits, descriptions and assessment are shown only when explicitly published.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
A Digital Design degree at Ulster University combines creative practice with digital technology. You'll usually begin with foundational visual studies, design principles and materials and processes across digital and traditional media, alongside contextual studies in art and design history. From Year 2 onwards, you'll develop sustained studio practice, work with digital and emerging media tools, and engage with live briefs from real clients. By Year 3, you'll specialise in areas such as graphic design, illustration, fine art, fashion and textiles, or UX and digital, while building your professional portfolio. The course culminates in a self-directed final major project, publicly exhibited at a degree show.
Who it's for
You're drawn to solving visual problems through digital media, whether that's interface design, animation, interactive installations or digital communication. You think visually and analytically in equal measure: you can articulate why a design works, not just make it. You thrive with structured feedback and peer critique, enjoy experimenting with tools and emerging technologies, and want to understand the thinking behind professional design decisions. If you're curious about how design influences behaviour and culture, and you're ready to build a substantive portfolio alongside your degree, this course suits you.
Careers & job market
National data for Art & Design graduates shows 87% were in work or further study within 15 months of graduating. Of working graduates, 55% were in highly skilled roles or further study. Starting salaries ranged from £22,000 to £27,000 at 15 months; after five years, the range was £20,825 to £29,400. These are national figures across the sector; individual outcomes vary depending on your specialism, location and experience.
University & format
This BDes (Hons) Digital Design degree is delivered full-time over 4 years at Ulster University in Belfast. The course is taught in English and is a nationally recognised UK degree. Ulster University is a University.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively. Overall student satisfaction: 81%.
Published threshold met NSS publication requires sufficient responses; small differences are not a rank. NSS mean of 7 published themes (Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Applicant information
The next application dates for this course, followed by facts the provider publishes.
Application timelineWhat happens next
- 2027 entryCompleted applications can be submitted
Your application needs a reference before you can send it.
- 2026 entryFinal date for 2026 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2026 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
- 2027 entryEqual-consideration deadline
18:00 UK time for most undergraduate courses.
Show 5 later dates
- 2027 entryUCAS Extra opens
Applicants who used all five choices and hold no offer may be able to add another choice.
- 2027 entryLast day applications go directly to providers
Applications received after 18:00 UK time are entered into Clearing.
- 2027 entryClearing opens
Eligible applicants can see vacancies and release themselves into Clearing.
- 2027 entryFinal date for 2027 applications
Applications must reach UCAS by 18:00 UK time.
- 2027 entryLast day to add a Clearing choice
Check that this course still has a vacancy before adding it.
Entry & how to get in
Most entrants held A-levels or equivalent80% of accepted students came in with A-levels or equivalent (entrants over recent years).
Typical UCAS tariff: 160 - 175 pointsThe most common UCAS tariff band among accepted students. This is what entrants had, not a stated requirement.
Entry requirements are set by the universityGrades, subjects and contextual offers vary. Check Ulster University's official course page for the current offer.
Who gets in
What recently admitted students actually held, official admissions data, not a stated requirement.
UCAS tariff of entrants
Grades are the A-level equivalent of each points band. Tap a band to check your own chances below.
Qualifications held on entry
| Qualification | Share |
|---|---|
| A-levels or equivalent | 80% |
| another higher-education qualification | 20% |
Entry & your chances
An honest read from the official entry data, plus your personal match.
Competitive entry
Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. Check how your predicted grades compare and whether a contextual offer applies.
Will you get in? Plot your grades
Pick your predicted A-levels and watch your UCAS points land on the real spread of students admitted to this course.
Your UCAS points0
▾
Each bar is the share of admitted students in that UCAS-points band (lower → higher). Grades show the A-level equivalent.
Add your grades to see where you land
Based on the official admitted-student tariff distribution. Many universities make contextual (reduced-grade) offers, so a result below the range doesn’t rule you out.
How to apply
Undergraduate applications go through UCAS. Here’s what matters for this course, the right deadline, the grades to aim for, and the steps in order.
Apply by13 January 2027, 18:00 UK timefor this course
Typical gradesA*A*A*A-level equivalent admitted students held
UCAS code2D13quote this on your application
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code 2D13). One application covers up to five choices.
- 2Write your personal statement
A single statement covers all your choices, so keep it broad enough for similar courses while showing genuine interest in this subject.
- 3Submit by 13 January 2027, 18:00 UK time
UCAS equal-consideration deadline for most undergraduate courses. Source: UCAS 2027 dates.
- 4Reply to your offers
When decisions are in, pick a firm (first) choice and an insurance (back-up) choice with slightly lower grades.
- 5Results day & confirmation
On results day (mid-August) your place is confirmed if you meet the offer. Just missed? Talk to the university, or find a place through Clearing.
💡 Many universities make a contextual (reduced-grade) offer, for example based on your school’s results, time in care, or where you live. Ask Ulster University whether you’re eligible before you apply; it can lower the grades you need.
Fees & funding
What this course costs and how UK student finance covers it.
Tuition per year
Internationalset by the university
Set under Northern Ireland's student-finance system; the provider's page is authoritative.
Check fees at Ulster University →If you normally live in Northern Ireland
Studying in Northern Irelandtuition loan up to £4,985
Studying elsewhere in the UKtuition loan up to £9,790
2026/27 maximum Tuition Fee Loan for eligible Northern Ireland students. Maintenance support depends on household income. Students from elsewhere use their home funding body.
Check the current amounts with Student Finance NI →Paying for it
- Tuition Fee Loan: up to £4,985 in Northern Ireland or £9,790 elsewhere in the UK for eligible NI-domiciled students in 2026/27.
- Maintenance support: a mix of grant and loan from Student Finance NI, weighted to household income.
- Repayment: only above the income threshold, and written off at the end of the plan term.
- Earn alongside: most students work part-time in term, part-time roles on the StudySmarter job board.
Northern Ireland runs its own system through Student Finance NI; check studentfinanceni.co.uk for current rates.
Funding matched to this course
All Ulster University funding →Scholarships & bursaries you could qualify for
Named awards published by the university. Compare the eligibility and application route before budgeting for one.
Amounts, exclusions and deadlines can change. An award is not guaranteed unless the university confirms it.
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Career quizApplication walkthroughSalary & CV check
Careers & earnings
What Art & Design graduates actually earn, from real outcome data, 15 months, 3 years and 5 years after graduating.
Graduate earnings: this course
| When | Median | Typical range | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 months after | £24,000 | £22,000 – £26,500 | 75 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 75; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2021-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
88%
in work or further study 15 months on
60%
in highly skilled work or study
90%
continue past their first year
79%
find their work meaningful
70%
say work fits their future plans
- 1Graduate roleFirst role after the degree · 0–2 yrs
- 2Specialist / PractitionerWorking in art & design · 2–5 yrs
- 3Senior / LeadLeading work and people · 5–10 yrs
- 4Head of / ExpertSenior leadership or deep expertise · 10+ yrs
How pay grows: this course vs Art & Design nationally
Starting (15 months) HESA GO
£24,000
£22,000 – £27,000After 3 years LEO
£17,000 – £24,000
After 5 years LEO
£20,825 – £29,400
national rangethis course’s medianaxis £16,000 – £30,500
National figures for Art & Design graduates, HESA Graduate Outcomes (15 months) and the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) dataset (3 & 5 years). These are national, not university-specific; actual pay varies by employer, region, role and experience. Different cohorts, so the bars are not one group over time.
Work out your pay
Headline figures hide a lot. Calculate realistic take-home pay for this field by role, region and experience, then check your CV before you apply.
What happened to 100 students?
Choose an outcome to translate the published percentage into a simple 100-person view. Each dot represents one percentage point, not an individual tracked student.
88 of 100
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
81% working6% working and studying1% in further study60% in highly skilled work or study
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2021-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 75; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2021-23. Each tab is a separate published measure; categories can overlap and should not be added together.
Value compared with similar courses
How this course’s 15-month median earnings compare with Art & Design courses at the same study level.
This course £24,000Peer median £24,500Middle 50% £22,125–£26,500
45th percentile
Compared with 1,698 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
UK occupations graduates enter
Published graduate destinations, joined conservatively to UK SOC 2020, ONS pay and Skills England demand.
- Web and Multimedia Design ProfessionalsSOC 2020 214 · 25% of published destinations · ASHE median £32,574
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
- Sales occupationsSOC 2020 71 · 10% of published destinations · ASHE median £15,975
Discover Uni JOBLIST/JOBTYPE; ONS ASHE 2025 provisional, all employee jobs; Skills England Occupations in Demand 2025. SOC is shown only for an exact normalised label match; demand is shown only at exact four-digit SOC. Published sample: 340; response rate: 51%. Pay describes the occupation across workers, not a guaranteed graduate salary.
Job market & outlook
How Art & Design graduates fare in the labour market, and how AI is reshaping the work.
87%
in work or further study 15 months after graduating, across Art & Design courses nationally.
Graduate Outcomes55%
of working graduates are in highly skilled work or further study.
highly skilled85%
of students continue past their first year (still enrolled or completed).
continuationHow AI is changing the work
AI doesn't replace the profession, it shifts it: routine tasks get automated, while judgement, working with people and using AI well become more valuable.
What AI takes off your plate
- Routine information gathering
- First-draft writing and summaries
- Standard analysis and admin
- Repetitive processing tasks
More human than ever
- Judgement and original thinking
- Working with and leading people
- Owning and sense-checking AI output
- Ethics and accountability
The strongest graduates pair subject depth with the ability to use AI tools critically.
Roles & employers
Where Art & Design graduates typically go, indicative destinations from graduate career data. Each role links to live openings on the StudySmarter job board.
Roles graduates go into
Where they work
- Design studios & agencies
- In-house brand teams
- Games & media companies
- Freelance & self-employed
Jobs after this course
Current roles from the StudySmarter job board that suit Art & Design graduates.
Fine Art TechnicianFirst Choice StaffPharmacy Technician – Brand New State-of-the-Art HospitalCompass AssociatesArtificial Intelligence Engineering ManagerMBN SolutionsArtificial Intelligence EngineerExperis UKDelivery Driver (Part Time 24 hours) - AndoverOcado LogisticsCompliance Business PartnerNashrock Insurance RecruitmentLive from the StudySmarter job board · as of 2026-08-01.See all matching jobs
Is this course right for you?
The essentials UK applicants ask about: finance, outcomes, entry and quality.
💷
Student finance
Fees for this course are set under Northern Ireland's own student-finance system, not the England cap; check the provider's course page for the exact figure. If you normally live in Northern Ireland, Student Finance NI can pay a Tuition Fee Loan directly to the university. For 2026/27 the maximum is £4,985 when studying in Northern Ireland and £9,790 elsewhere in the UK. Students from elsewhere use their ordinary-residence funding body, and maintenance support is a mix of grant and loan weighted to household income. You repay only above the income threshold.
📈
Where graduates go
88% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, with a median salary of £24,000. See the full breakdown in Careers & earnings above.
🎯
Your entry chances
Use the UCAS points calculator above to see how your predicted grades compare with admitted students, and whether a contextual offer could apply.
⭐
Official-data snapshot
Averaging the official measures published for it, this course scores 8.9 out of 10: NSS 90.4% · in work or study 88% · continued 90%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
Ulster University
All students32,915
International32.5%
Aged 25+35%
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
Students178,755
Aged 25+15.7%
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Local crime-data context
A neutral snapshot around the published teaching location.
Around Belfast
3,802 street-level reports returned within roughly one mile across 2026-04 to 2026-06.
Anti Social Behaviour 1237Violent Crime 1110Shoplifting 359Criminal Damage Arson 314Drugs 280
Police.uk street-level API. Approximate locations, not confined to campus. England, Wales and Northern Ireland; not Scotland.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to Ulster University from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by Ulster University; international fees are typically £12,000–£30,000/year for classroom subjects and higher for lab/clinical ones. You’re not eligible for UK Tuition Fee or Maintenance Loans, so plan for fees plus living costs upfront.
English language
Most UK undergraduate courses ask for around IELTS 6.0–6.5 (no band below 5.5–6.0), or an accepted equivalent. If you’re just short, most universities run a pre-sessional English course that counts towards the requirement.
Student visa
You’ll usually need a Student visa (Student Route). After you accept an offer the university issues a CAS; you then show funds for fees plus about £1,023–£1,334/month living costs and pay the Immigration Health Surcharge for NHS access.
Scholarships & funding
Many universities offer international/global scholarships (often £2,000–£6,000/yr), check Ulster University’s funding pages.
Living costs
Budget roughly £1,100–£1,400/month outside London and £1,400–£1,800/month in London for rent, food and travel; the figure also matters for your visa.
Working while you study
A Student visa usually allows up to 20 hours/week in term time and full-time in holidays, useful alongside study, though not something to rely on for fees.
Visa rules and fees change. Always confirm the current requirements with Ulster University and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at Ulster University
Common questions
How competitive is entry?
Entry is competitive. Accepted students typically held strong UCAS tariffs. The most common tariff band among recent entrants was 160 - 175 UCAS points. Use the calculator on this page to see where your predicted grades would put you; many universities also make lower contextual offers.
What are the entry requirements?
Set by Ulster University. Most accepted students held A-levels or equivalent. Check the university's course page for the exact offer.
What do graduates go on to do?
For Design studies graduates from this provider, 88% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 60% in highly skilled roles, typical earnings around £24,000. (HESA Graduate Outcomes / LEO, via Discover Uni.)
What will it cost me?
Fees for this course are set under Northern Ireland's own student-finance system, not the England cap; check the provider's course page for the exact figure. If you normally live in Northern Ireland, Student Finance NI can pay a Tuition Fee Loan directly to the university. For 2026/27 the maximum is £4,985 when studying in Northern Ireland and £9,790 elsewhere in the UK. Students from elsewhere use their ordinary-residence funding body, and maintenance support is a mix of grant and loan weighted to household income. You repay only above the income threshold. See Fees & funding on this page to work out your numbers.
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