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Push the boundaries of illustration using a blend of traditional and digital techniques. Develop your own style and release your personal creativity. Perfect your craft alongside experienced academics and like-minded peers. Become industry-ready and launch your career as an illustrator or designer.
Are you passionate about drawing? Full of creative ideas? Illustration and Design will cultivate your talents. Here at Sunderland, we encourage you to push the boundaries of illustration, blending traditional techniques with computer technology, such as virtual reality and 3D design. You can also combine illustration with other areas, including animation, graphics, advertising, 3D illustration, and web design.
You’ll explore design principles, printmaking, and drawing in your first year, before pursuing a specialist study of illustration during your second and final year. You’ll perfect your craft alongside experienced academics who are all practicing professionals at the cutting edge of their field, bringing their industry insights and experience directly into their teaching.
Throughout the course you’ll build and develop a creative, industry-ready portfolio that will help launch your career as an illustrator or graphic designer, or any other role where these creative skills are needed.
Teaching sessions are made up of a combination of personal one to one meetings with design tutors and group critiques designed to encourage team working and to create a community vibe among the year groups. This is supported by lectures, seminars, workshops and independent learning. You'll have access to studio spaces outside of teaching time, which facilitates reflection on work and peer evaluation.
Feedback is given regularly during teaching sessions and at the end of the semester in order for you to develop your work to the highest standard and also to reflect on how you might have approached the project differently.
Your first year of study introduces you to a range of different media and focuses on the fundamental skills of illustration including observational drawing, printmaking, animation and digital drawing and painting. You'll then progress onto stages 2 and 3 where you'll narrow your focus and develop your own personal style of illustration through open briefs based on real-world commercial projects.
You'll have the opportunity to apply to undertake an optional placement year out in industry between your second and final year, this is sometimes known as a sandwich degree.
At the end of your final year you'll have the opportunity to exhibit your work at the end of year degree show. The show is open to the public and invited guests in order for you to showcase your portfolio and meet potential employers from the design sector.
Part-time study
Students can study part-time and must pass 80 credits per year to progress to the next stage. 360 credits must be gained over the whole three years to graduate (the same number as full-time students).
Our typical offer is:
| Qualification | Minimum grade |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma along with one of the following at the required grade: SAT I and SAT II, ACT or Advanced Placement | GPA 3.0 or above and: Sat score of 1100/1600 from SATs AP (Grades 3+ in at least 2 subjects) ACT (score of 26+) |
If you don't meet our standard entry requirements, you can take one of the foundation pathways at our partners ONCAMPUS Sunderland. Find out more information and whether your course is eligible on our ONCAMPUS page.
If your qualification is not listed above, please contact the Student Administration team at studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk for further advice.
Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you in studying with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you are eligible.
If you are studying a HND or Foundation Degree you may be able to enter the final year of our degree courses. Applicants wishing to be considered for direct entry to Level 2/3 should contact studentadmin@sunderland.ac.uk.
If English is not your first language, please see our English language requirements.
We also require you to prepare a portfolio of work for your interview.
Interview/portfolio requirements
We’ll invite you to an informal interview where we'd like to see evidence of your creative potential. Please prepare a portfolio of work you have completed so far. We're not looking for perfection as we appreciate you may still be developing work. We would like to see:
If you are an international applicant, please send a link to your online portfolio.
The annual, full-time fee is:
*Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. The fee for your first year of study for 2025/26 will be £9,535. You will pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.
Tuition fees for part-time students are £7,145 per 90 credits. Please note that part-time courses are not available to international students who require a Student visa to study in the UK.
Read more about EU fees and funding in our Help and Advice article.
Take a look at the scholarships and bursaries that may be available to you.
This information was correct at the time of publication.
Throughout the course you'll build a creative and industry ready portfolio that will help you launch a career as an illustrator or graphic designer, or take up any other roles where creative skills are important. You'll exhibit your work at our final year Degree Show, visited by industry professionals and creative employers and may have the opportunity to take your work to London.
Our graduates have gone on to work in a variety of illustration and design roles, such as freelance illustrators for Oxford University Press, The Guardian newspaper, Hallmark cards, design studios at the Open University and Virgin's design department. Other students have gone on to be employed in design companies throughout the UK and many choose to progress onto our MA Design course.
Our graduates go on to have diverse careers. One of our graduates works for a publishing house in Japan, dealing with the design and illustration of children's wildlife books. Another was offered a three-book contract at a New Designers Graduate Show and has subsequently won further contracts for illustrations.
Many graduates also operate as freelancers as part of a 'portfolio career' alongside other creative work. They create illustrations for advertising, packaging and editorial purposes. Whatever route you choose, your course will put you on a fast track to getting work published and recognised.
You'll have opportunities to apply for internships and other live projects where you can work alongside professional illustrators and designers.
In addition, our academic team organises visits to arts and design venues and companies in London and across the UK. This is to provide you with the opportunity to travel around London and visit illustration agencies, design studios and experience private viewings of famous artwork at the British Museum.
We hold specific 'employability days' to help give you that essential cutting edge. We invite former graduates and employers to come into the University to look at student portfolios and give advice.
Through our connection with the Association of Illustrators and strong links with professional illustrators, we are able to attract a range of top names to give guest lectures. The input of these internationally-known speakers helps broaden your learning and provide fresh perspectives.
The course allows you complete freedom to explore the discipline fully, cultivating originality.
When I graduated I started working straight away as a graphic designer
