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University of Dundee · Undergraduate
BDes (Hons) Jewellery and Metal Design Bachelor's degree at the University of Dundee
BDes (Hons) Jewellery and Metal Design at University of Dundee. Jewellery and Metal Design at Dundee emphasises direct making alongside critical thinking.
BDes (Hons)
Award
4
Years
Full-time
Study mode
89%
in work/study (15m)
About this course
BDes (Hons) Jewellery and Metal Design is a Bachelor's degree (BDes (Hons)) at the University of Dundee. It runs 4 years, studied full-time.
For Design studies graduates from this provider, 89% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 56% 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.
8.4
/ 10
Excellent
3 of 3 official measures
Student satisfaction
What students say in the National Student Survey
Solid66
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
Excellent89
Moderate evidence Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. Graduate Outcomes work or further study 89% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Continuation
Students who continue past their first year
Exceptional97
Published threshold met Discover Uni suppresses continuation data below its publication threshold. Cohort 2022-23. Continuation 97% (2022-23; Discover Uni snapshot 2026-06-21)
Curriculum & modules
A typical UK Art & Design degree builds from foundations to specialist options and a final project. An indicative structure:
| Stage | Module |
|---|---|
| Year 1 | Visual Studies & Design Principles Colour, composition and form across media, building your visual language. |
| Year 1 | Materials, Processes & Making Workshops from print and textiles to digital fabrication. |
| Year 1 | Contextual Studies Art and design history that informs contemporary practice. |
| Year 2 | Studio Practice Sustained project work developing a personal direction. |
| Year 2 | Digital & Emerging Media Creative software, motion, 3D or interaction, course-dependent. |
| Year 2 | Live briefs & collaboration Client projects and competitions with real deadlines. |
| Year 3 | Specialist studio pathway Deep focus in your discipline, graphics, illustration, fashion, fine art… |
| Year 3 | Professional Practice & Portfolio Positioning your work for industry or self-employment. |
| Year 3 | Final major project & degree show A self-directed body of work, publicly exhibited. |
Typical structure for this subject (indicative). Modules vary by university. Check the provider's course page for the exact curriculum.
Specialisations & pathways
Tip: click a specialisation → current jobs in that area.
Course in depth
What this course covers, who it suits and where it leads.
What you'll study
Over four years, you'll develop skills in jewellery design and metalwork through studio practice, technical processes and contextual study. Year 1 focuses on visual foundations, colour, form and composition, alongside hands-on workshops in materials and making techniques, supported by art and design history. In Year 2, you'll undertake sustained studio projects, explore digital tools and media relevant to your practice, and work on live briefs with real-world deadlines. From Year 3 onwards, you'll specialise deeply in jewellery and metal design whilst building professional skills and a portfolio. You'll usually progress towards a self-directed final project, culminating in a public degree show that demonstrates your individual creative voice and technical mastery.
Who it's for
You're drawn to jewellery, metalwork, or objects: someone who thinks through making, enjoys material experimentation, and wants to understand the thinking behind what you create. You'll thrive if you're curious about the cultural and conceptual layers in design, not just the technique. This course suits those comfortable with critique and reflection, who want to develop both craft excellence and intellectual rigour, and who see design as a means of exploring ideas. Expect studio-based learning, collaborative feedback, and the space to discover your own creative voice.
Careers & job market
Across Art & Design nationally, 87% of graduates were in work or further study 15 months after graduating. Within that cohort, 55% were in highly skilled work or further study. National graduate earnings data shows starting salaries of £22,000–£27,000 at 15 months; by five years, this typically ranges from £20,825 to £29,400. Many jewellery and metal design graduates pursue studio practice, bespoke commission, teaching, heritage conservation, or designer-maker roles, often combining multiple income streams. Outcomes depend on your specialism, location, and how you position yourself in the market.
University & format
The University of Dundee is a public university founded in 1881, based in Dundee, Scotland. This BDes (Hons) degree runs for 4 years full-time, taught entirely in English. The University of Dundee is a recognised UK degree-awarding body, so your degree is nationally recognised. The university also offers bursaries and scholarships. Check the university's funding pages for details.
Student satisfaction
How students on this course answered the National Student Survey, by theme.
Share of students responding positively. Overall student satisfaction: 62%.
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 another higher-education qualification60% of accepted students came in with another higher-education qualification (entrants over recent years).
Typical UCAS tariff: 208 - 223 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 the University of Dundee'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 |
|---|---|
| another higher-education qualification | 60% |
| a previous degree | 20% |
| A-levels or equivalent | 10% |
| a foundation course | 10% |
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 codeW720quote this on your application
- 1Register on UCAS Hub
Create your UCAS application and add this course (code W720). 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 University of Dundee 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 Scotland's student-finance system; the provider's page is authoritative.
Check fees at University of Dundee →If you normally live in Scotland
For eligible Scottish-domiciled students at an eligible Scottish provider, SAAS can pay tuition directly. Living-cost support can combine bursary and loan and depends on household income and student circumstances. Students from elsewhere use their home funding body.
Check the current amounts with SAAS →Paying for it
- SAAS tuition payment: paid directly to the university for eligible Scottish-domiciled students, applied for through SAAS.
- Living-cost support: a mix of bursary and loan from SAAS, depending on household income.
- Repayment: only above the Scottish repayment 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.
Scotland runs its own system through SAAS; check saas.gov.uk for current rates.
Funding matched to this course
All University of Dundee 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 | £19,000 – £26,000 | 35 |
| 3 years after | £20,500 | £16,000 – £26,500 | 200 |
| 5 years after | £26,500 | £20,500 – £32,500 | 200 |
Nominal earnings for graduates of this course/subject at this provider. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23.
Graduate outcomes, 15 months on: this course
89%
in work or further study 15 months on
56%
in highly skilled work or study
97%
continue past their first year
65%
find their work meaningful
40%
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
£20,500
£17,000 – £24,000After 5 years LEO
£26,500
£20,825 – £29,400national 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.
89 of 100
were in work or further study
15 months after graduation
75% working10% working and studying4% in further study56% in highly skilled work or study
Source: Discover Uni, using Graduate Outcomes and continuation data. Cohorts: 2022-23. Moderate evidence. Published sample: 35; avoid reading small differences as meaningful. Cohort 2022-23. 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 5-year median earnings compare with Art & Design courses at the same study level.
This course £26,500Peer median £24,500Middle 50% £22,125–£26,500
74th percentile
Compared with 1,698 courses with compatible official earnings data. This is a course-value comparison, not a quality ranking.
Bath Spa UniversityBA (Hons) Fashion Design Specialised£26,500Bath Spa UniversityBA (Hons) Fashion Design Specialised with Integrated Foundation Year£26,500Bath Spa UniversityBA (Hons) Fashion Design Specialised with Integrated Foundation Year and Professional Placement Year£26,500Bath Spa UniversityBA (Hons) Fashion Design Specialised with Professional Placement Year£26,500
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 · 21% of published destinations · ASHE median £32,574
- Elementary occupationsSOC 2020 9 · 13% of published destinations · ASHE median £19,087
- Design occupationsSOC 2020 342 · 13% of published destinations · ASHE median £35,957
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: 160; response rate: 56%. 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 Scotland's own student-finance system, not the England cap; check the provider's course page for the exact figure. Tuition for eligible Scottish-domiciled students is paid by SAAS directly to the university, applied for through SAAS and not Student Finance England. Living-cost support is a mix of bursary and loan, and you repay only above the Scottish threshold.
📈
Where graduates go
89% 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 8.4 out of 10: NSS 65.9% · in work or study 89% · continued 97%.
Who studies here and in this subject?
Provider- and UK subject-level context.
The University of Dundee
All students13,435
International17.8%
Aged 25+33.4%
Design, and creative and performing arts across the UK
Students178,755
Aged 25+15.7%
HESA student record 2024/25. Counts are rounded.
Is Art & Design right for you?
Tick what applies to you and see how good a fit it is.
International students
What applying to University of Dundee from outside the UK involves: fees, English, visa, funding and living costs.
Tuition fees
International tuition is set per course by University of Dundee; 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 University of Dundee’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 University of Dundee and gov.uk before you apply.
Related courses
More at University of Dundee
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 208 - 223 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 the University of Dundee. Most accepted students held another higher-education qualification. Check the university's course page for the exact offer.
What do graduates go on to do?
For Design studies graduates from this provider, 89% were in work or further study 15 months after graduating, 56% 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 Scotland's own student-finance system, not the England cap; check the provider's course page for the exact figure. Tuition for eligible Scottish-domiciled students is paid by SAAS directly to the university, applied for through SAAS and not Student Finance England. Living-cost support is a mix of bursary and loan, and you repay only above the Scottish threshold. See Fees & funding on this page to work out your numbers.
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