Overview

About the course

Brunel's BSc in Digital Design is an updated programme that builds on our original Multimedia Design and Technology BSc – recognised as one of the first and most successful creative digital design courses in the UK.

The course was revised and renamed in 2014 to reflect new course content, facilities, and teaching methods after dialogue with industry and employers.

This unique multidisciplinary degree focuses on the intersection of the arts and sciences. As a result of this vivid interaction, a stream of new ideas and new forms of creativity can be generated. Our courses combine ideas from digital technologies with those of creative design.

This is an intensive, intellectually and creatively challenging programme with a very strong practical component. It is focused on giving you the knowledge and practical and analytical skills to prepare you for employment in creative roles within the digital industry.

To view the Brunel digital media graduate showcase 2015 video please click here.

Aims

The Digital Design programme aims to produce graduates who can make an immediate contribution to the digital media revolution, whether as employees, freelancers or entrepreneurs.

You should be someone who appreciates the role of communication in human life; takes pride and care in how you organise and present your work, and is fascinated by technology and its creative potential.

This degree is right for you if you are creative, intelligent and ambitious, and if you want to be part of the digital information age.

The course assumes no specific educational subject background, but does require an interest in IT combined with creative design flair.

Course Content

At Levels 1 and 2, students focus on applying the materials taught in lectures to the development of their design and creative skills through the use of practical creative studios. Our studio work makes use of state-of-the-art facilities devoted to motion capture, photography, web design, 3D graphics, 2D graphics, sound and video capture/editing. Within these environments, we employ a wide variety of teaching, learning and assessment methods.

Typical Modules

Level 1

• Creativity for Digital Media Design
• Digital Photography
• Digital Graphics
• Web Design
• Business for the Creative Industries
• Programming for Digital Media 1
• Introduction to Video Production
• Digital Design Theory
• Web Design & Development
• Interaction Design & Usability
• Programming for Digital Media 2

Level 2

• Applied Media Aesthetics 1
• Marketing & Professional Development
• 3D Design
• Experimental Digital Futures
• Data Modelling
• Design for Mobile
• Applied Media Aesthetics 2
• Design Practice
• 3D Animation
• Server–Side Web Development
• Mobile Web Development

Level 3 Compulsory

• Working in the Digital Creative Industries
• Major Multimedia Project

Level 3 Options

• Rigging and Motion Capture
• Effects Animation
• Digital Experiences
• Graphics
• E-Business Systems

Read more about the structure of undergraduate degrees at Brunel and what you will learn on the course.

Employability

The course offers students many career options, and we have one of the strongest track records within the University for graduates finding employment in the same sector as their degree.

There is a relaxed and friendly relationship between students and staff, and we take a genuine interest and pride in the success of our students and graduates. This, together with acknowledged high quality teaching and resources, results in an excellent record of employment amongst our graduates.

Careers

Previous students have become information architects, motion graphics designers, user experience architects, web designers/developers and digital managers.

Companies which have employed Brunel Digital Design graduates include Warner Bros, Sky, BBC, Dare Digital, Lightmaker and IBM. Many work for highly creative, digital agencies with quite small employee numbers, while others work for departments within larger corporations. A number of students work freelance or have founded their own companies.

Work Placements

You have the opportunity to undertake high quality work placements within prestigious organisations such as Warner Bros, Canon, Lightmaker, Dolby, Samsung, and Hewlett Packard. The fact that such companies repeatedly approach us with student placement opportunities is testament to the technical skill levels and professionalism we work to instil in our students.

Increasingly, students may also select smaller companies to obtain a more flexible placement position, where they may have an even greater range of opportunities for professional development, including taking on bigger responsibilities and potential leadership roles within the company.

Ongoing support

The University maintains close contact with you during your placement year. The industrial placement year is assessed and contributes to your degree – students who successfully complete the placement year graduate with ‘Professional Practice’ as part of their degree title in recognition of their time spent in industry. You will be required to keep a record of your training and of work undertaken throughout the year and to submit coursework to demonstrate the placement learning you have undertaken.

Some of the benefits of a work placement to students include:

• experience in a relevant business area
• the chance to develop work-related skills demanded by graduate employers
• personal development including building self-confidence, self-discipline and responsibility attributes
• financial rewards, since placements are paid.

Many of our graduates obtain their first job through professional contacts made during their placement year, either with the placement company itself or with one of their clients.

Brunel has a dedicated Professional Development Centre with over 30 staff, including specialist industry consultants. Each course has a dedicated placement officer who supports students through the placement process. The service includes:

• CV writing
• one-to-one guidance
• mock interviews.

Brunel was named ‘Best University Placement Service’ at the Rate My Placement Awards 2012.

At Brunel we provide many opportunities and experiences within your degree programme and beyond – work-based learning, professional support services, volunteering, mentoring, sports, arts, clubs, societies, and much, much more – and we encourage you to make the most of them, so that you can make the most of yourself.

» More about Employability

Entry Criteria 2018/19

• 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 subject from the list.

• 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.

Entry criteria are subject to review and change each academic year.

International and EU Entry Requirements

Teaching and Assessment

Teaching

The course uses the latest technology housed in purpose-built teaching studios. It employs a wide variety of teaching, learning and assessment methods, which will develop and then call on your capacity to use hardware and software in order to realise your creative design solutions.

Staff expertise

Most of our staff have practical experience of working in the digital industry and maintain industry links which keep their teaching and research at the cutting edge. Many are internationally and nationally recognised for their work, which is widely published and exhibited. In order to match the thematic breadth of the course, our staff have attained PhDs and/or professional accreditation in a wide variety of subjects.

How many hours of study are involved?

At Level 1 you will have about 18 taught hours a week. This will fall to about 12 hours of taught lectures and seminars in Level 3, with an additional whole day of project work. Outside taught sessions, you are expected to work independently on extending your skills and creative portfolio (to enable you to make the most of your time at university, there is 24-hour access to the Library and Computing facilities during term time).

In addition to this, staff are normally happy to answer queries outside taught sessions. We operate an open door policy, so you can drop in and chat or email lecturers with your questions.

Students are expected to carry out a total of 40 hours study a week, including contact hours.

How will I be taught?

Assessment

Assessment is by a variety of methods and varies depending on your degree programme. In general, the following techniques are used:

• Traditional exam
• Written assignments
• Practical and creative design projects
• Individual and group presentations.

Equal emphasis is put on developing teamwork skills and individual contribution in assessed group projects and presentations.

In the final year, you will undertake a significant digital design project (sometimes for an external client), which you will be able to present at internal exhibitions and at external showcase events.

Level 1 does not count towards your final degree mark, but you have to pass this year in order to progress to Level 2. Level 2 is worth a third of your final degree classification. Level 3 is worth the rest.

Special Features

Extensive resources

Our digital media software is the same as professionals use in commercial operations. We have over 500 computers in our teaching studios which are a mixture of PCs and Macs, since we believe that graduates should be fluent in both computing environments. The College of Engineering, Design and Physical Sciences at Brunel has an IT budget of half a million pounds per year, and it is our policy that our software resources are less than a year old.

Strong links with industry

Our location helps us to maintain and extend our links with the industry and our graduates to find employment, but it also enables extensive interaction with the digital creative community. Our courses and research are aimed squarely at developing the expertise, knowledge and new ideas needed for the information age, and cover the full breadth of digital design, multimedia, electronic, and computer disciplines.

Ideal location

The Brunel University campus at Uxbridge in West London benefits from being located near much of the country's digital design industry. This includes:

• television, including the BBC, Sky, ITV and Channel 4
• film production studios in Pinewood and Elstree and postproduction studios in Central London
• advertising, design houses and marketing organisations
• computer and mobile game developers
• print, including a number of publishers and national press organisations
• fashion, photography, music, and performance companies.

Brunel Digital Media Society

Our students take the lead in organising activities for this Student Union society. Anyone can get involved in the running of the society or propose an event, and our graduates have used their activities to demonstrate their organisational and leadership skills to potential employers. Typical activities include:

• visits from industry speakers
• creative workshops
• field trips to studios
• exhibitions, and social events.

Accreditation

Brunel's Digital Design BSc programme is accredited by creative skillset.