Course outline

The principal aim of the programme is to enable students to linguistically and academically negotiate the transition from school to university and be prepared for the demands of an undergraduate degree programme in an appropriate Design related discipline.

The programme syllabus is designed around the acquisition of core academic skills and literacy development that underpins successful higher education outcomes: academic research, ICT, critical thinking, design thinking and the promotion of self-awareness.

These form of assessments is considered fundamental to a student’s ability to communicate ideas and evidence with clarity, relevance and logic in a planned and organised manner. Students learn through a combination of formal, interactive lectures in relevant content areas, interactive seminars, practical workshop sessions and IT-enabled self-study opportunities: practical application of theoretical knowledge allows students to develop further skills and understanding of relevant topics and concepts.

Through the course, students will be encouraged to engage appropriately with peers and tutors as members of an academic community. This will involve the development of critical self-awareness and personal literacy as students become more attuned to their identity as global citizens. This is an intensive programme with a minimum 16 hours per week and a corresponding number of ongoing assessment tasks designed to provide a scaffolded structure for students at this entry level to Higher Education.

Assessment

Summative assessment methods are varied to ensure appropriate assessment of learning outcomes. These methods include: individual and group assignments; oral presentations; and closed-book final examinations. The assessments are designed with the following strategy in mind: class tests develop the skills necessary to demonstrate a broad understanding of the course syllabus and problem-solving skills. Oral presentations provide opportunities for advancing communication skills and written assignments including case studies and reports are underpinned by a critically aware research and data gathering process (to aid research literacy). Reflective assignments encourage students to engage in critical self-awareness and on-going improvement both linguistically and academically.

Rankings

• Design at Brunel is ranked 6th in London (Complete University Guide 2021)
• The British Industrial Design Association graduate employability survey ranks Brunel second for creating the ‘most employable graduates’.
• Brunel students can showcase their final-year projects at the annual Made in Brunel graduate show with awards presented by partners in the industry

Students are strongly advised to consider purchasing a laptop or desktop computer which can be used for coursework. The computer should run Windows 10 and as a minimum have 8GB RAM and an Intel Core i5 processor or equivalent. In addition, it should have remote learning capabilities, including web camera, microphone and audio jack.

Students will be asked to purchase a range of drawing materials in their foundation year including sketchbooks, pencils and markers. In total, this may cost in the region of £200 GBP. 

This pathway leads to the following Brunel University London degrees:

Design Pathway

• Industrial Design BA MDes
• Design BSc MDes
• Product Design Engineering BSc MDes

Digital Media Pathway

• Digital Design BSc
• Visual Effects and Motion Graphics BSc

Careers and your future

To help you prepare for the world of work, we’ll encourage you to take the placement option, incorporating a year spent in industry. This means you’ll have a year’s worth of invaluable professional experience and networks when you graduate. Our students have worked on placement for both small innovation start-ups and multinational organisations.

Our design graduates are highly valued in the industry, working around the world for organisations where excellence in design is crucial to the brand, including Apple, Audi, British Airways, Dyson, Habitat International, Lego, Microsoft, Philips, Procter & Gamble, and Virgin Atlantic.