BA (Hons) Illustration and Design Full-time

Push the boundaries of illustration using a blend of traditional and digital techniques. Develop your own style and express your creativity. Perfect your craft alongside experienced academics and like-minded peers. Become industry-ready and launch your career as an illustrator or designer.

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A person holding a book of illustrations created by a student

Start date/study mode:

UCAS codeW215

Duration3 years

Fee (UK)£10,050

Fee (Int)£18,500

LocationOn campus

Course summary

Are you passionate about drawing? Full of creative ideas? Illustration and Design will cultivate your talents. We encourage you to push the boundaries of illustration. You'll learn to blend traditional and modern techniques, such as virtual reality and 3D design. You can also combine illustration with other areas. These include:

Animation
Graphics
Advertising
3D illustration
Web design.

You’ll explore design principles, printmaking, and drawing in your first year. You'll then choose a specialisation within illustration during your second and final year. Your academics are all experienced, practising professionals at the cutting edge of their field. They'll bring their industry insights and experience directly into their teaching.

Throughout the course, you’ll develop a creative, industry-ready portfolio that will help launch your career. You'll be ready to become an illustrator or graphic designer, or take on any role that needs your creative skills.

What you'll study

Many of our courses include a range of modules you can choose from. Some options may only be available if you’ve already studied specific modules. If you’re not sure what you need before picking a module, your course leader can help.

Undergraduate module credits should total 120 credits per academic year. If optional modules are available, choose an amount that totals 120 credits.

How you'll learn

Teaching sessions are a combination of personal meetings with design tutors and group critiques. These group sessions encourage teamwork and to create a community vibe among the year groups. You'll also take part in lectures, seminars, workshops and independent learning. The studio spaces are accessible outside of teaching time. This will give you time for peer evaluation and to reflect on your work.

We'll give regular feedback during teaching sessions and at the end of the semester. This will help you develop your work to the highest standard and reflect on how you might have approached the project differently.

Your first year of study introduces you to a range of media. It focuses on the fundamental skills of illustration, including:

Observational drawing
Printmaking
Animation and digital drawing
Painting.

You'll then progress to stages 2 and 3 where you'll narrow your focus and develop your personal style of illustration. You'll achieve this using open briefs based on real-world commercial projects.

You can apply for 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 degree show. The show is open to the public and invited guests, so you can showcase your portfolio and meet potential employers from the design sector.

Entry requirements

Our typical offer is 96-112 UCAS Tariff points, from a combination of acceptable Level 3 qualifications which may include: A Levels, T Levels, BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas, Scottish and Irish Highers, Access to HE Diplomas, or the International Baccalaureate.

We accept a maximum of 6 points from Level 3 Key Skills qualifications.

You also need three passes at GCSE grade C or above. This must include maths and English language, or a minimum of Level 2 Key Skills in Communication and Application of Number. If you've studied for a GCSE that has a numerical grade, you'll need to achieve a grade 4 or above.

See how many points your qualifications are worth using the UCAS Tariff calculator(opens in new tab).

Our admissions policy uses a range of flexible options to support you to study with us. This may include a reduced offer of up to 16 UCAS Tariff points, (or equivalent). Find out if you're eligible for a tariff point reduction.

If English isn't your first language, please see our English language requirements.

If you're studying an HND or Foundation Degree, you may be able to enter the final year of our degree course. For more information, please contact admissions@sunderland.ac.uk.

Portfolio requirements

We'd like to see evidence of your creative potential. You'll be expected to prepare a portfolio of your creative work which shows what you have done so far and what interests you. We're not looking for perfection as we appreciate you're still developing work.

Your portfolio should be a PowerPoint presentation, ZIP file or links to websites or videos. Here are some of our top tips:

Remember it's about quality not quantity – aim for between 10-20 pieces of your work
Display a range of styles and techniques
Show us work completed in or outside of your studies
Include ideas that didn't work
Demonstrate your research, for example, design sheets or sketchbooks/scrapbooks of things that inspire you
Include photographs of 3D or large 2D work
We also like to see uncompleted or work in progress.

Learn more about portfolio requirements and how to submit yours on our Applicant interviews page.

Fees and finance support

UK£10,050

International£18,500

Undergraduate fees are set according to rules from Government in line with forecast inflation. If you're a Home fee-paying student, the fee for your first year of study for 2027/28 will be £10,050. You'll pay tuition fees for every year of study. Fees may increase every year based on the Retail Price Index.

Check your fee status(opens in new tab).

See all course tuition fees.

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Start date/study mode:

UK students

Full-time September 2027
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Full-time September 2027
Year 2 entry
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Full-time September 2027
Year 3 entry
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Disclaimer

We want to make sure you have clear and accurate information about our courses. Our website always shows the latest updates. If you’ve applied and you're offered a place, we’ll contact you in writing if anything important changes.

For more information, view our programme specifications. These include course content, learning outcomes, and the skills you'll gain.

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