Digital Design BSc

Our Digital Design BSc degree is a modern, hands-on course that combines digital technology and creative design. It has been developed to equip you with the theory and practical skills to create, design and develop interactive and engaging digital products, services and experiences, and 2D/3D graphical content.

You will be introduced to creative technologies and motion design. You’ll learn about UX design and development for the web, digital graphic design and video production. You'll also study digital photography, 3D design, and 3D animation. You will then progress to skills in the design and development of more complex digital artefacts for current and future mobile, web and IoT applications involving 3D design and animation, media aesthetics, motion graphics and immersive mixed reality. In your final year, you can choose from modules in digital experiences and creative technology design with additional options in advanced animation, digital graphics and motion design.

Our modern digital media production facilities include a VFX green screen studio, motion capture, sound and photographic studios, 4K digital cinema cameras, and a dedicated render farm. You'll have independent access to exclusive PC and Mac computing laboratories and benefit from the latest industry standard specialist software for graphic design and image/video editing, 3D animation, digital compositing, and rich interactive content creation. There's also the opportunity for you to use our immersive virtual environment laboratory. This includes an immersive dome (planetarium) set up for Brunel by the National Space Centre in Leicester, and is one of only a few in the UK!   

There are guest lectures covering lots of different digital media topics and the visiting lecturers provide advice on how to structure your portfolio and showreels. Speakers include creative and design directors, user experience designers, 3D graphic supervisors, as well as mobile and web developers.

Visits are arranged to TV and photography studios, and post-production houses. There’s also the opportunity to go to conferences and this is your chance to build networks with key industry experts. In addition, you have the advantage of Brunel’s close location to London for trips to exhibitions celebrating the creative industries.

Brunel’s digital design course is industry recognised by ScreenSkills, the industry-led skills body for the UK’s screen-based industries. It carries the ScreenSkills quality mark and this means you'll gain industry-relevant skills to better prepare you for a career in the screen industries. The course can be studied full-time over three years, or four years with a placement year.

We encourage the placement year option. This time in industry helps you to further prepare for the world of work and you’ll have a year’s worth of invaluable professional experience when you graduate. If you decide to go on a digital media placement year, you will have the opportunity of working in the ever-growing creative industries.

The end-of-year highlight is the BrunelDigital degree show hosted on Brunel’s one London campus. Exhibiting your creative work at this event is a great way for you to connect with leading creative technologists and showcase your talent.

From day one, you will start building a strong portfolio of your creative work ready for industry. The course is a mixture of theory and interactive practical sessions supported by live project briefs provided by our industry collaborators. In your final year, you will work on your individual major multimedia project which could involve the design of a web or mobile app.

Optional modules are indicative and available subject to numbers.

A digital design degree from Brunel will prepare you for creative roles in the rapidly expanding digital media industry.

Brunel’s location close to the large concentration of creative industries in and around London means that there are a variety of job opportunities available.

Our graduates take up posts as UX and interaction designers, web and mobile designers/developers, 3D graphic artists and designers, digital video editors, post-production engineers, game designer/developers, and digital campaign managers. Many become self-employed, either as freelance designers or by setting up their own companies.

• GCE A-level BBB, to include a creative subject. (General Studies not accepted).
• BTEC Level 3 Extended Diploma DDD in Art and Design, Computing, Creative Digital Media Production, IT, Music, Music Technology, Performing Arts or Production Arts.     
• BTEC Level 3 Diploma DD in Art and Design, Computing, Creative Digital Media Production, IT, Music, Music Technology, Performing Arts or Production Arts AND an A-Level at grade B in a creative subject.
• BTEC Level 3 Subsidiary Diploma D in any subject AND A-Levels grade BB to include one creative subject.
• International Baccalaureate Diploma 30 points to include Higher Level Grade 5 in one creative subject.
• Access to Higher Education Diploma Complete and pass an Access course in a related subject with 45 credits at Level 3 and with Merit or higher in all units.

Five GCSEs at grade C or grade 4 and above are also required, to include Maths and English Language.

Please check our Admissions pages for more information on other factors we use to assess applicants as well as our full GCSE requirements and accepted equivalencies in place of GCSEs.

All applicants are required to provide a portfolio as part of the selection process before a formal offer is made.

• IELTS: 6 (min 5.5 in all areas)
• Pearson: 51 (51 in all sub scores)
• BrunELT: 60% (min 55% in all areas)
• TOEFL: 79( min R18, L17, S20, W17)

Our digital media degrees are delivered by a multidisciplinary teaching team. This means you’ll be learning from staff with experience in the digital industry as well as staff from academia including researchers. They will encourage individuality and support you to create innovative work.

Study will combine lectures, industry-led seminars, workshop and studio sessions, presentations, case studies, field trips, and group and individual project work.

Should you need any non-academic support during your time at Brunel, the Student Support and Welfare Team are here to help.

Your progress will be assessed via coursework, individual and group practical studio assignments, demonstrations and presentations, essays, and the final year major multimedia project.

Read our guide on how to avoid plagiarism in your assessments at Brunel.