Design
Develop your personal style and push the boundaries of creativity in our creative studio space that reflects the professional world of design. Travel to some of the most iconic cities in the world. Showcase your work in our final year Degree Show, and graduate with a portfolio of artistic work to impress prospective employers.
Courses we offer
Our Art and Design courses were ranked 20th in the UK (The Times Good University Guide 2022). The University of Sunderland is a member of the highly respected Design and Art Directors Association (D&AD), an influential body that rewards creative excellence. The prestigious D&AD Award is well-regarded in the world of advertising and design and recognised globally as the ultimate creative accolade. In addition to our strong industry contacts we have 'world-leading' research in Art and Design, according to the latest Research Excellence Framework. At the University of Sunderland, we'll prepare you for an exciting design career. Take a look below to find the right course for you.
Undergraduate courses
BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art
Do you want to make animation and games industries? Use digital software such as Maya, Toon Boom and After Effects as part of this degree. Learn the core principles of character-led animation. Showcase your creativity to a public audience in the final year Degree Show.
Find out more about Animation and Games Art
BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Promotion
Work on live projects set by fashion industry professionals. Focus on a wide range of options to suit your interests such as design and manufacture, photography, styling, branding and magazine design. Undertake industry-relevant modules such as Fashion Product and Promotion and Design Theory. Create a personalised fashion portfolio. Graduate work-ready and pursue a career in a range of industries including, design, brand development, fashion publishing, production, Public Relations and fashion retail.
Find out more about Fashion Design and Promotion
BA (Hons) Graphic Design
Study a wide range of modules with flexible options to suit your interests, such as Visual Communication, Motion Graphics and Branding, Position and Identity. Acquire valuable skills relevant to a career in Design, and work alongside like-minded students within a creative and supportive environment. Graduate with a portfolio of work to showcase your creativity and impress prospective employers.
Find out more about Graphic Design
BA (Hons) Illustration and Design
Are you passionate about drawing and full of creative ideas? If so, our Illustration and Design degree is for you. Benefit from generous studio space and well-equipped workshops. Flourish in a creative environment, working alongside like-minded students and showcase your work to a public audience in your final year Degree Show.
Find out more about Illustration and Design
BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art with Integrated Foundation Year
Do you want to make animation and games industries? Use digital software such as Maya, Toon Boom and After Effects as part of this degree. Learn the core principles of character-led animation. Showcase your creativity to a public audience in the final year Degree Show.
Find out more about BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Promotion with Integrated Foundation Year
Work on live projects set by fashion industry professionals. Focus on a wide range of options to suit your interests such as design and manufacture, photography, styling, branding and magazine design. Undertake industry-relevant modules such as Fashion Product and Promotion and Design Theory. Create a personalised fashion portfolio. Graduate work-ready and pursue a career in a range of industries including, design, brand development, fashion publishing, production, Public Relations and fashion retail.
Find out more about BA (Hons) Fashion Design and Promotion with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) Graphic Design with Integrated Foundation Year
This is a four-year version of our popular BA (Hons) Graphic Design course, with an integrated foundation year. Study a wide range of modules with flexible options to suit your interests, such as Visual Communication, Motion Graphics and Branding, Position and Identity. Acquire valuable skills relevant to a career in Design, and work alongside like-minded students within a creative and supportive environment. Graduate with a portfolio of work to showcase your creativity and impress prospective employers.
Find out more about BA (Hons) Graphic Design with Integrated Foundation Year
BA (Hons) Illustration and Design with Integrated Foundation Year
Are you passionate about drawing and full of creative ideas? If so, our Illustration and Design degree is for you. Benefit from generous studio space and well-equipped workshops. Flourish in a creative environment, working alongside like-minded students and showcase your work to a public audience in your final year Degree Show.
Find out more about BA (Hons) Illustration and Design with Integrated Foundation Year
Foundation Diploma in Art, Design and Media Practice
This Foundation Diploma helps you develop new ways of working by providing broad exposure to a range of pathways including Fine Art, Fashion, Visual Communication, Lens-Based Media, and Glass and Ceramics. The course is free for school-leavers aged 18 at the start of the course.
Find out more about Foundation Diploma in Art, Design and Media Practice
BA (Hons) Fashion Product and Promotion via Study Centres
Work on live projects set by fashion industry professionals. Focus on a wide range of options to suit your interests such as design and manufacture, photography, styling, branding and magazine design. Undertake industry-relevant modules such as Fashion Product and Promotion and Design Theory. Create a personalised fashion portfolio. Graduate work-ready and pursue a career in a range of industries including, design, brand development, fashion publishing, production, Public Relations and fashion retail.
Find out more about Fashion Product and Promotion via Study Centres
BA (Hons) Graphic Design (Top-Up) via Study Centres
Benefit from Sunderland’s expert teaching without leaving your home region. You’ll study a wide range of modules with flexible options to suit your interests, including Visual Communication, Motion Graphics and Branding. Acquire valuable skills relevant to a career in Design, while working toward a BA (Hons) degree.
Find out more about Graphic Design (Top-Up) via Study Centres
BA (Hons) Advertising and Design via Study Centres
Benefit from Sunderland's teaching of Advertising and Design on a course based in Malaysia and Greece. Develop your own style and engage your personal creativity. It has core practice-based modules that include developing advertising campaigns, computer skills, creative portfolios, branding and identity.
Find out more about Advertising and Design via Study Centres
BA (Hons) Animation and Games Art via Study Centres
Do you want to make animation and games industries? Use digital software such as Maya, Toon Boom and After Effects as part of this degree. Learn the core principles of character-led animation. Showcase your creativity to a public audience in the final year Degree Show.
Find out more about Animation and Games Art via Study Centres
Customised Awards Scheme
Pick and choose the modules you want to study to build a tailor-made course. Available at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, this course allows you to gain a qualification that closely matches your particular needs.
Find out more about Customised Awards SchemePostgraduate courses
MA Design
Follow a chosen design discipline, including Animation, Fashion, Games Art, Graphics and Illustration. Develop a portfolio of creative designs that will impress potential employers. Join our graduates in exciting jobs throughout the design industry and around the world.
Find out more about Design
MA Design via Study Centres
Gain a UK degree without leaving your country. Pursue your passion for a particular area of design, at an advanced level and with professional support. Push the boundaries of creativity, within a framework of academic rigour and contextual research.
Find out more about Design via Study Centres
MPhil Master of Philosophy
Take your education to the next level. Choose the areas you want to study, and which questions you want to research. Take the initiative while we support you with advice, guidance and facilities.
Find out more about MPhil Master of Philosophy
PhD Doctor of Philosophy
Refine your own agenda and do what you find interesting every day. Develop mastery of research methods that are appropriate to your chosen field. Discover things that no-one else has ever discovered.
Find out more about PhD Doctor of Philosophy
DProf Professional Doctorate
Study for a doctoral qualification based on your professional role. Reflect on contemporary issues in the workplace.
Find out more about DProf Professional Doctorate
PhD by Existing Published or Creative Work
Take the fastest route to a PhD. Convert your previous research outputs into a qualification which will increase your employability and open up new opportunities. Progress your academic career and add credibility in applications for research funding.
Find out more about PhD by Existing Published or Creative Work
Higher Doctorate
Take your academic career to the highest level. Make a very significant and sustained contribution to your subject. Gain an elite qualification that will mark you out as an outstanding contributor to your field.
Find out more about Higher Doctorate
Customised Awards Scheme
Pick and choose the modules you want to study to build a tailor-made course. Available at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, this course allows you to gain a qualification that closely matches your particular needs.
Find out more about Customised Awards SchemeInternationally-renowned guest speakers
You'll work in a creative hotspot, maximising your potential through inspiring workshops and engaging with guest speakers who are leaders in the world of art and design. Our flourishing creative spaces attract international exhibitions and conferences with acclaimed guest speakers from every corner of the design world, such as Jill Calder, Fig Taylor and Bruce McLean from the Association of Illustrators. You'll have access to your own substantial studio space, well-equipped workshops and state-of-the-art digital design suites, with fully-equipped Macs and PCs with Adobe Creative Suite Design Premium, including software such as InDesign, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, and Photoshop.
You'll also have the support of our specialist technical staff who are Adobe and Maya Certified Instructors, and have access to our specialist arts and design library which has a collection of over 120,000 books, DVDs, videos, slides and one of the largest electronic information networks in the sector to enhance your learning and derive inspiration.
Travel to iconic cities and work on real-life projects
You’ll have the opportunity to take on real-life projects and internships for a range of clients, and have the chance to work alongside professional illustrators and designers. We also work closely with nearby Seven Stories, which showcases a national collection of illustrations of some of the UK's finest authors and illustrators for children. Each year our students link up with Seven Stories to illustrate a selection of poems which then form part of an exhibition. Hone your skills, nurture your entrepreneurship and graduate with a competitive portfolio of work to showcase your talents.
