The Bachelor of Design is the equivalent of four years full-time study with the opportunity to undertake Honours study in the fourth year.

This program provides an education to students who wish to enter a range of different areas of the design profession, including graphic design, media design, film, television production and post-production, illustration, publications, interiors, theatre, exhibitions, display, festivals and furnishings, ceramics, textiles, jewellery and product design.

In Year 1, students will be involved in a comprehensive and intensive range of 2D, 3D and 4D (time based) experiences as well as the acquisition of historical, theoretical and technological skills and understandings. These include studying human individuals, society, the environment, and the application of computer skills to design.

In Years 2 and 3, students will extend their work on projects with the opportunity to integrate the following: graphics/media design, applied/object design, environments/spatial design, ceramics design, textiles design and jewellery design. Historical, theoretical and technological contexts will also be studied.

In Year 4, Design Studio Project leads into a graduation project/ exhibition and is designed to parallel professional practice while integrating theoretical design studies. Year 4 students also undertake a period of work experience via an approved professional placement.

This program recognises the College of Fine Arts' particular strengths, resources and requirements to provide an undergraduate program which places emphasis on an integrated approach rather than on narrow vocational specialisations. These strengths are its technology and its relationship with industry, its courses in visual arts, art education and art theory, and the ability to offer design from a creative and cross disciplinary base.

This program aims to provide students with a sound knowledge base for entry into a wide range of design-related professions. Students will acquire an understanding of the history and theory of design, in addition to design practice.

Design Studio Majors

Students must complete 48 units of credit in Design Studio courses composed of 2 approved disciplinary streams; ie. if they start the design studio Applied/Object stream and design studio Ceramics stream in Session 3, they should complete both sequences subsequently in Session 4,5 and 6. Students must also complete 12 units of credit in an additional stream in Year 2. The Design Studio Majors are:

- Applied/Object
- Environments/Spatial
- Graphics/Media
- Ceramics
- Jewellery
- Textiles

Please refer to the Program Schema or contact the Student Centre at the College of Fine Arts for further information on the Design Studio majors.

Year 2

Students must complete the Design Studio majors (36 units of credit) and the following core courses:

Year 3

Students must complete the Design Studio majors (24 units of credit), the following core courses and an elective (6 units of credit):

Year 4

Students must complete the following core courses, electives (12 units of credit) and General Education (12 units of credit):

Students are required as part of their studies, to complete 12 units of credit in General Education courses or their equivalent.

For further information, please refer to General Education in the Table of Contents (see left hand side of this page).

The degree of Bachelor of Design is awarded as a degree with Honours where eligible students have achieved superior grades in their design studies and completed SDES4104 Honours Project and SAED4051 Practices of Research in Art and Design Education.

The degree of Bachelor of Design is awarded as a Pass degree at the completion of four years full-time study or a degree with Honours where eligible students have completed the Honours pathway in the program.

1. A student must complete 192 units of credit, which shall include:

a) 24 units of credit in Introductory Design Studio courses;

b) 48 units of credit in Design Studio courses composed of 2 approved disciplinary streams;

c) 12 units of credit in Design Studio courses in an additional disciplinary stream;

d) 24 units of credit in approved Design computing courses;

e) 30 units of credit in courses approved for Design Contextual Studies;

f) 12 units of credit in General Education; and

g) 18 units of credit in electives.

2. No more than 60 units of credit of Level 1 courses may be undertaken, with a minimum of 24 units of credit of Level 1 courses being successfully completed prior to undertaking Upper Level courses.

3. Honours will be awarded to students with a Distinction average in at least 42 units of credit in Upper Level Core Studies in Design, who have successfully completed SAED4051 Practices of Research in Art, Design and Education and SDES4104 Honours Project. Honours is awarded in the following classes: Honours Class 1, Honours Class 2 Division 1 and Honours Class 2 Division 2. The class of Honours awarded shall be determined on the basis of results in SAED4051 and SDES4104 and in accordance with School and Faculty policies.

For information regarding fees for UNSW programs, please refer to the following website:  https://my.unsw.edu.au/student/fees/FeesMainPage.html