BA (Hons) Graphic Design (Top-up)
- Study Mode: Full Time
- Location: High Wycombe
- Duration: One Year
- Start Date: September 2025
You can also study this course:
Completed a foundation-level degree, HND, or equivalent qualifications in a relevant Art and Design subject? Top-up your studies to gain a full bachelor’s degree in Graphic Design.
If you want to break into the world of graphic design and visual communication, this course emerges you within industry-ways before you even graduate. Experiment across a variety of media and find your style, whilst bringing stories, brands and products to life to audience all over the world.
Graphic design is in every aspect of our life, from the packaging our food comes in, to the adverts we see on the tube. This dynamic subject area, is continually evolving to keep up with audiences and new and emerging trends and topics within society, including economically, politically, socially, and culturally.
A top-up degree is the equivalent of the final year of an undergraduate degree, and offers a chance to deepen your knowledge, skills and understanding of your subject, while also getting an internationally-recognised qualification.
If you have completed a foundation-level degree, HND, or equivalent qualifications in a relevant Art and Design subject, you can choose to top-up your studies to gain a full bachelor’s degree.
The Graphic Design 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. These include:
- Mac Suites with Adobe Creative Cloud
- laser cutting and 3D printing workshops
- printmaking workshops
- photography studios
- editing and production facilities (including green screen)
- And library.
To aid your development you will learn practical skills and experience both digital and traditional processes and technologies. Photography and film making are integral to most things we do.
With a history of delivering industry-standard graphic design education for more than 30 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to start your creative career in graphic design.
As a well-established course, we have built up an excellent network of Alumni. Many are now in senior positions in the design world, both nationally and internationally, whom we can call upon.
Led by our enthusiastic and dedicated team of design practitioners and experienced academics, you’ll benefit from their industry knowledge and network of professional they bring to the course.
With London and Oxford only a short journey away, you can take the opportunity to visit some of the world’s best exhibitions, galleries, and museums for inspiration.
What will I study?
Studying on the graphic design course will help prepare you for this continually expanding field. Not only will we support you as an individual in the development of your visual and creative problem-solving skills, but we also equipped you with the knowledge and confidence to enter and negotiate your career in this challenging, but exciting field.
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 develop your historical perspectives, research, and writing skills and gain the academic grounding on which to develop critical understanding and practical application. As well as this you'll explore the many workshop facilities and equipment our design department has to offer, from laser cutting and letterpress printing, to photography and the Adobe Creative Suite. Our experienced technical instructors will be there in your workshop sessions to support you with your activities and help bring your ideas to life.
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.
To achieve the full BA (Hons) in Graphic Design you’ll need to complete the modules listed, as well as a major project and a dissertation.
The major project and dissertation will allow you to investigate a topic important to you within advertising. You will cover the whole research process, undertaking empirical investigation and analysis. You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor, who will offer support and advice.
What are the course entry requirements?
This programme is offered as a top-up qualification for students who have completed a HND, FDA, or other equivalent qualification in a relevant Art and Design subject, and wish to progress further to achieve an Honours degree.
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
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Home, Academic Year 2025 - 2026: £9,535 per year *
International
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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.
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.
Course leader
