Graphic Design

BA (Hons) Graphic Design

UCAS CODE: W568 (Full-time) or W564 (Foundation Year)
TARIFF: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)
  • Study Mode: Full Time
  • Location: High Wycombe
  • Duration: Three or Four Years
  • Start Date: September 2025

You can also study this course:

Want to make your passion for design, branding and the art of storytelling you career? Our BA (Hons) Graphic Design course could be the right fit for you. With the support of our industry-savvy teaching team, you’ll be encouraged to push boundaries and experiment across a variety of media. 

You’ll master the fundamentals of graphic design. From typography and layout to narrative structure and conceptual thinking, you’ll graduate with a stand-out portfolio, that’ll blow employers away. 

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No. 1 in the UK for Student Satisfaction*
*Positivity ranking amongst registered students (NSS 2024)
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No. 1 Students' Union in the UK*
*Based on responses from registered students (NSS 2024)
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3rd in the UK for Student Satisfaction on our Art & Design courses*
*The Complete University Guide 2025
Why study BA (Hons) Graphic Design at BNU?

Graphic design shapes nearly every aspect of our daily lives, influencing our choices—from the food we buy at the supermarket to our fashion choices and the styles we wear. This vibrant field is always evolving, adapting to engage with audiences and respond to emerging trends across economic, political, social, and cultural landscapes. As a graduate of this degree, you’ll have the skills to respond to briefs by creating compelling designs. 

This BA (Hons) Graphic Design course is also offered as a four-year programme, including an initial Foundation Year. The Foundation Year will allow you to develop your academic study skills and build confidence in your abilities, identifying your own strengths and development needs for progression onto an undergraduate programme.

With a history of delivering industry-standard graphic design education for more than 30 years, this established course is well-known within the industry. Many of our course alumni are now making waves within the design world, both nationally and internationally, and often come back for guest visits, talks, workshops and even to set a brief or two! 

Led by our enthusiastic and dedicated team of design practitioners and experienced academics, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge, as well as the network of professionals they bring to the course. You’ll benefit from direct access to guest lectures and live project briefs, master classes, and plenty of networking chances. As well as this you’ll have the opportunity to enter a range of industry-established competitions.

Our Graphic Design course is situated in an open plan studio alongside the creative advertising and illustration courses, meaning you get to experience how a working advertising and design agency would run in the real-world.

 The course is located within the School of Art, Design and Performance, giving you access to a community of creative learners and diverse resources to help you achieve your creative outcomes. You’ll be encouraged to explore both traditional and current mediums to craft your design solutions, you can do this through our:

  • silkscreen equipment
  • plotter cutters
  • letterpress equipment
  • photography studios
  • litho equipment
  • laser cutting
  • 3D printing technology
  • iMac Suites with Adobe Creative Cloud

You also benefit from our specialist technicians and demonstrators on site, who can support you in bringing your ideas to life.

As a Graphic Design student, you are only 30 minutes from the hustle and bustle of one of the worlds’ most exciting designer community, London. With the course you’ll get the opportunity to visit design agencies, industry events and museums and galleries. 

Throughout my course I’ve had so many workshops, guest lecturers and experiences. You can also expect a great variety of projects that you can tackle through the three years, each with a purpose to teach you something different. From typography and branding, to editorial, there is a bit of everything. It’s so exciting to not know exactly what your next piece of work will look like.
Rebecca Cochran
Rebecca Cochran

What will I study?

On this graphic design course, you’ll develop your individual for individual visual and creative problem-solving skills, whilst also gaining the knowledge and confidence to enter and negotiate your career in this challenging, but exciting field.

Over the course of the graphic design degree, you'll be given lots of opportunities to explore the diverse world of graphic design and its practice, including vital skills in creative image making, research methods, team working, project management, presentation skills, design strategy, art direction and independent learning. 

Through practical hands-on, project-based learning you'll explore the fundamental core aspects of the subject like typography, narrative structure, hierarchy, layout and composition, information design, image creation and conceptual thinking skills.

You’ll also develop your historical perspectives, research, and writing skills and gain the academic grounding on which to develop critical understanding and practical application. 

During your studies you’ll be encouraged to take risks in your work and learn to challenge established languages and processes through questioning and individual experimentation. All our modules on this course reflect this ethos, they’re in place to help you form and consolidate presentation, critical and strategic thinking, and complex problem-solving skills, whilst at the same time developing and refining practical design abilities.

The art and design facilities, in particular the equipment in the Red Shed, is not something most universities have access to. There is also lots of opportunity to engage in competitions as well as collaborate with companies who have approached the University. We also have the benefit of smaller classes and therefore a stronger relationship with tutors.
Charlotte Ketteridge
Charlotte Ketteridge

How will I be taught and assessed? 

At the centre of this course is studio-based activity. You’ll spend a significant amount of time in the graphic design studio working on both individual study and group tuition. On the course you are pushed to explore your own style, which you’ll build into your own distinctive portfolio that demonstrates your unique strengths and interests for prospective work opportunities after graduation.

We also aim to provide masterclasses and industry brief opportunities for you to apply your knowledge, skills and understanding into real-world contexts, whilst gaining feedback from current industry-leaders.

Individual and small group tutorials are in place to support you throughout the degree, and our small classroom sizes ensure that you are part of an open and collaborative working environment. 

At the end of your studies, you’ll have the chance to take part in the graduate Art and Design Showcase exhibition at the University. In addition, students are offered the opportunity to put forward work for the D&AD New Blood exhibition in central London where a selected group of students are also invited to attend.

BA (Hons) Graphic Design Programme Specification

BA (Hons) Graphic Design Additional Course Costs

Art and Design Course Interview Guide

What are the course entry requirements?

A typical offer will require a UCAS tariff score of: 88 - 112 (Full-time) or 32 - 56 (Foundation Year)

UCAS points can be obtained through qualifications such as A levels, T levels, BTEC or an Access to Higher Education course in a relevant subject. Please list all your qualifications on the application form as you will be asked to provide copies when we receive your application.

A minimum of two full A-levels (or equivalent) is required. Every application is considered on an individual basis.

On review of your application, you may be invited for an interview and portfolio review.

For further details of our international English entry requirements, please visit our international pages.

Applicants who do not meet the minimum requirements for the three-year undergraduate programme, or those who do not feel fully prepared for a degree course, can apply for a four-year programme including a Foundation Year; find out more.

Those with no previous study, work experience, or who do not meet the specified entry requirements, including demonstrating the necessary knowledge and understanding, are welcome to apply for the 3-year BA (Hons) degree, however may be offered the four-year programme which includes a Foundation Year.

Modules

This provides a guide of the modules that make up your course. You can find more information about how your course is structured on our Academic Advice section.

What are the tuition fees

Home
  • Home Foundation Year, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £9,535 *
  • Home, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £9,535 per year *
International
  • Overseas/International Foundation Year, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £15,150 *
  • Overseas/International, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £15,150 per year *

Following the Government’s announcement of 4 November 2024, we will be increasing our full-time undergraduate tuition fees for UK students to £9,535 per year from the start of the 2025/26 academic year. Our part-time fees for UK undergraduate students will increase to £7,145 per annum. Please visit , on the Government’s website, for more information about the changes. 

Tuition fees for Home undergraduate students (including with foundation year) may increase in subsequent years for both new and continuing students in line with an inflationary amount determined by the Government.   

Tuition fees for both new and continuing international students may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year.   

Tuition fees for postgraduate courses and CPD may be subject to an inflationary increase based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the 12-month period to 31 January each year. This increase will apply to both new and continuing students.   

We understand, and really appreciate, the significant financial commitment our students make when they choose to study at BNU. We take our responsibilities to our students very seriously, and are ambitious for each to reach their full potential and succeed in their chosen career. Our fees help us to continue providing our students with a high-quality education, and to invest in the services and facilities which create an excellent student experience at BNU. 

The following factors will be considered by the University when we set the annual fees: measures of inflation such as the retail price indices; projected increases in University costs; and any changes in the level of funding for teaching received from the Government.

Additional course costs and financial support

Most courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees.
You could benefit from financial support through a bursary or scholarship during your time as a student. For more details visit our financial support, bursaries and scholarships section.

Questions about fees?

If you have any questions about the fees above, contact our Enquiries team by calling 0330 123 2023 or emailing advice@bnu.ac.uk.

What are my career prospects? 

Throughout your time with us we’ll support you on the route to your chosen career. We’ll help you to develop crucial skills, encouraging you to become enterprising, employable and good leaders. Our Careers and Employability Team also help you find employment after graduation.

Our BA (Hons) Graphic Design course will help prepare you for a range of career possibilities, such as:

  • Graphic Designer
  • Branding and Identity Design
  • Editorial Design
  • Illustrator
  • Web Design
  • Art Director
  • Advertising
  • Freelance Designer

You may also wish to stay on at Buckinghamshire New University and study a full-time or part-time postgraduate course, such as our MA Advertising degree.

 

 

We have had countless opportunities to meet professionals and get industry experience, such as Creative Futures Week which we all enjoyed so much. A personal highlight for me is working with Wycombe Wanderers FC in my second year, an opportunity I would never have had if I did not come to BNU. The experience we have had thanks to our knowledgeable and well-connected tutors has prepared us for the working world and we are so grateful to them.
Jack Parr-Mckivett BA (Hons) Graphic Design Graduate
A headshot of student Jack Parr-Mckivett

Course leader

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Jon Place
  • Senior Lecturer
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Dr Elisavet Kalpaxi
  • Senior Lecturer
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Chris Allen
  • Lecturer
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Dr Louisa Lee
  • Lecturer
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Al Watkins
  • Technical Demonstrator for Digital Arts
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Joseph Davies
  • Technical Tutor
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Rupert Hammerton-Fraser
  • Technical Demonstrator
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BA (Hons) Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Graphic Design with Foundation Year