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³ÉÈ˶¶Òõ has an excellent reputation for producing work-ready graduates in the complementary fields of digital marketing, digital content creation, public relations, film and media production and costume design, and this new industry-focused degree is an exciting addition to our portfolio that is set to produce graduates who can thrive in the growing design industry.

The Scottish Government reported in 2019 that there were over 137,000 people in Scotland working in design occupations and the sector has seen a 9% average annual growth in total turnover over the past ten years. It is one of the fastest growing sub-sector of the creative industries and this trend is set to continue. 

This new digital and graphic design course will be of interest if you are: 

• culturally curious and embrace global design influences and audience needs;
• a creative thinker ready to pioneer emerging tech and digital tools as a means of effective visual communication;
• a detail-oriented individual with an eye for precision and aesthetics; and
• a problem-solver ready to tackle real-world challenges with innovative, sustainable and inclusive solutions. 

The course offers an exciting combination of creativity, technical expertise and real-world experience. By graduation, you will have developed the creative and technical skills necessary to adapt and excel in a continually evolving design industry. 

On this course you will:

• develop expertise in design principles, visual communication, content creation and digital media through an interdisciplinary approach;
• learn about typography, colour theory, layout and visual communication and apply this to practical projects creating attention-grabbing, creative content for a range of digital platforms; and
• explore digital innovations like web design, motion design, photography and interactive media with the aim of preparing you for a broad range of exciting career paths in the creative industries. 

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All students will enrol onto the Honours degree, but you will also be able to choose to exit with an ordinary degree after three years. Ìý
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Teaching, learning and assessmentÌý

As with our existing suite of undergraduate courses in film, communication and the creative industries, this course will comprise a mix of methods including practical workshops, lectures and seminars. We have a successful formula of blending face-to-face teaching with online delivery and use a wide range of assessment methods to help you showcase your knowledge and skills. These may include video essays, analytical reports, presentations, podcasts, online discussions, exams, reflective diaries and professional e-portfolios full of your creative work that you have developed across the four years.Ìý
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FacilitiesÌý

You will have access to industry-standard design software and equipment.Ìý
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PlacementÌý

This course will include opportunities for work-based learning. There will be opportunities to gain practical experience working on live client projects, masterclasses from industry experts and work shadowing opportunities.Ìý
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Exchange opportunities Ìý

In Year Three you have the opportunity (subject to availability) to study for one semester at a university overseas. See our exchanges and study abroad pages for more information.

Year One 

You will:

• discover the fundamentals of designing to visually communicate across different digital and print media;
• gain a strong foundation in your understanding of typography, image creation and the techniques of successful layout of design outcomes across different digital media;
• explore motion design, learning to employ specific animation techniques using key frames, transitions and timelines; and
• learn core graphic and digital design skills to enable you to effectively answer any future design brief.

You will study the following modules:

• Digital Design 101: This module your introduction into the core skills, principles, key software and fundamentals of digital graphic design. You will experiment and iterate core graphic design skills to develop a design process that will structure how you will effectively answer any future design brief.
• Intro to Motion Design: You will explore the technical and aesthetic principles behind motion design and create a 20-30 second typographic ident. You will learn about typography principles in the context of motion and gain rudimentary skills in pre-production, production and post-production.
• Creative Practice: Visual Storytelling: This module introduces students to the foundational principles of still and moving image creation essential for storytelling. Through a series of guided exercises, students will develop their technical skills in film and photography while critically reflecting on their learning experience. 
• Designing for Audiences: A digital graphic designer needs to understand how to design in a collaborative way. You will learn to design strategically as part of a team to research, ideate and create a group design outcome that answers the brief, the client’s aims and connects with the target audience’s needs, desires and experiences. 
• Media and Creative Industries: This module will introduce students to the Media and Creative industries, focusing on Economics, Regulation, Ownership and Publicity. Students will consider the historic origins of a range of sectors within the Media and Creative Industries and explore contemporary trends and features through a range of case studies.
• Creative Practice: Critical Thinking and Writing: This Creative Practice module places a foundational emphasis on critical thinking and writing for various contexts, such as news articles, press releases, and blog posts. By analysing creative productions and engaging with digital media, students will produce writings that reflect a critical perspective on key elements such as human rights, freedom of speech, democracy, social justice, environmental issues, decolonisation, and other Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) elements.  

Year Two

You will: 

• define and expand your breadth of knowledge and depth of expertise as a designer; 
• gain confidence in designing across digital and print formats for audiences and their experiences;
• learn to visually communicate with more precision for screen, motion, print and interaction; and 
• consider the ethical, sustainable and societal impacts of how and what you design as you design.

You will study the following modules: 

• Type & Image for Screen & Print: While your design tools are digital the media you will design for covers a vast range of digital and printed possibilities. You will explore the differences between screen and print colour formats (CMYK and RGB), typefaces for screen and for print, gridding layouts for digital and printed outcomes, the optimal file formats for different media, the resolution considerations for imagery to ensure quality, scalability and a seamless consistency of the visual communication aesthetic between onscreen and offscreen use.
• Digital Design for Experience: This module consolidates your grasp of digital graphic design practice and expands it into interaction design to design screen-based interactive experiences. Your technical, conceptual and practical design processes will now turn to human-centred design processes that centres a target audience within your creative design decision-making. 
• AI and Digital Communication: Students will learn about the AI tools and products that professional PR and Marketing practitioners can use to help with content ideation, writing copy, competitor analysis, SEO, streamlining, automation etc. They will also evaluate the ethical and security concerns around AI such as copyright, competitor sensitive information, disinformation and deep fakes.
• Professional Design Practice: This module expands on your core digital graphic design skills by introducing you to more professional contexts to the design process. This attention to professional development will involve both group and individual work. As part of a team you will research, ideate and create a group design outcome that answers a set semi-live brief and target audience’s needs while workshopping and experiencing different professional design roles and responsibilities. 
• Sustainable Design and Communication: This module introduces you to the ethical and sustainable impacts of design, marketing and digital media. Through a serious of lectures, workshops and activities (with invited experts) you will explore the tools and strategic thinking to develop your own sustainable design and communication manifesto. This will aid your ability to enhance how you design and/or communicate without adversely impacting our environment.
• Persuasive Communication: This module investigates the art and science of persuasive communication and considers its history and how it is used in practice across many fields such as Marketing, PR, Politics, Government communication, Health communication, cults, film and documentaries.

Year Three

You will: 

• begin developing the professional attitude that designers require for employment or entrepreneurship and more external ‘client’ engagement and live projects will become central to your development;
• be able to select elective modules to augment your core design modules, which will help you decide the type of designer you wish to become; and 
• undertake research-led project design work.

You will study the following modules: 

• Digital Graphic Design: This module introduces you to a deeper understanding of the core principles underpinning graphic design practice. The module develops your own technical, conceptual and practical processes to provide you with a solid foundation for subsequent exploration of digital graphic design. You will explore and improve your design software skills and improve how you manipulate type and imagery to visually communicate across a range of media. 
• Designing for Impact: This module expands core graphic design techniques and skills, by applying them to the design of a branded campaign to action a target audience to a desired impactful positive change in behaviour. You will enhance your understanding of target audience needs and concerns by designing an art directed branded campaign. This will include considerations for targeted content creation, environmental design, way finding, advertising and visual identities in the campaign outcomes.
• Design Client Project: This module consolidates your core digital graphic design skills within working on a live professional project brief set by a ‘client.’ This will involve collaborative group work and individual contributions to answering the brief and presenting mid-point and final pitches to a panel. As part of a team you will research, ideate and create a group design outcome that answers a set external professional brief and target audience’s needs to a professional level. 
• Designing a Research Project: This module introduces students to a range of approaches, methods and practices for researching the media, culture and society. Students will study topics most relevant to their degree programme, from the areas of creative practice, textual analysis, researching audiences and people, and discourse and content analysis.
• Business of Creativity: The Business of Creativity will be the starting place for developing your business ideas.  It aims to support students with a range of skills and tools to prepare for the world of work as creative freelance practitioners and/or entrepreneurs. During the module you will have the opportunity to identify, research, critically evaluate, design and defend a creative Business Plan.

Year Four

You will:

• begin to deliver a more professional level of design outputs and a dissertation;
• build a portfolio of design work which will position yourself for the type of design employment which feels best for you;
• deliver a major design project; and 
• be supported to ensure this design work is of a professional quality ready for employment paths, for example design studios, freelance or inhouse designer in SMEs, etc.

You will study the following modules: 

• Design Industry Project: This semester 1 module focuses your final year of digital graphic design study onto the professional expectations of designing within your chosen area of the design industry. You have agency to select the most appropriate design brief that reflects your chosen design specialism so you can demonstrate how your completed design outcome answers the design industry brief. 
• Major Digital Design Project: This module takes you to the highest level of digital graphic design study. You will focus your development and ambition to select a final major project to reflect your employability ambition. You will demonstrate how you design with audiences in mind, and how your completed design outcome will have socio-cultural impact. 
• Design Placement & Portfolio: In a design placement or design project over the summer period between year three and year four, you will be able to apply the knowledge and skills you’ve gained in a professional setting and learn new competencies from within the professional design industry. From this professional design placement/project you will be able to curate your knowledge and skills into a personal digital portfolio you will use to further your career after graduation. 
• Dissertation: You can choose to either write a traditional dissertation of 9,000 words or take a creative practice dissertation either in photography or graphic design. This form of dissertation will be a 3,000 word exegesis on a body of work that will either be a portfolio of photographic work, or a graphic design project they negotiate with their supervisor.

Graduates of this BA (Hons) Digital and Graphic Design course will be well prepared for a variety of roles in the creative sector and beyond, including:

• Master’s UX Designer
• Digital Designer
• Graphic Designer
• Social Media Designer
• Motion Designer
• Content Creator
• Sole Trader
• Freelancer

The course's strong focus on both technical skills and creative thinking ensures that students will be versatile and adaptable to the evolving demands of the industry.Ìý

As a centre for specialist design agencies, Edinburgh provides great employment opportunites on graduation. There are in-house design roles in the private and public sectors across Edinburgh, and indeed Scotland. Digital designers are working in sectors as diverse as hospitality and tourism, the arts, the NHS, energy, financial services and IT.Ìý

Jack Mullins' story:ÌýGraphic Designer at The Union

Entry requirements 

Scottish Higher: Standard - BBBC, Minimum – BCCC

A Level: BCC

Irish Leaving Certificate: H2 H3 H3 H3

International Baccalaureate: 28 points

Mature/Access: We welcome applications from mature students with other relevant qualifications and/or experience.

International: IELTS of 6.0 with no element lower than 5.5

Required subjects: A Higher in Art and Design, Graphic Communication or Media is preferred. English is required and maths preferred at Nat 5/GCSE at grade C or above. We can also accept National 5 Application of Maths or Life skills at the same grade.

Other Requirements: As part of the selection process suitably qualified applicants will be required to submit a digital lookbook which evidences examples of your creativity. This should be either a PDF document or a PowerPoint, between 6-12 pages/slides. The lookbook should show up to three creative projects of your choice, these may be school projects or personal projects, and may be photographic, drawings, paintings or other digital work. As a guideline, we are more interested in how you developed your ideas rather than the finished piece, as the lookbook’s purpose is to evidence your creativity. Anyone can learn software but to be employable as a digital designer you need to first be a creative. Once you’re studying on the course, you will gain the digital skills as you creatively solve design problems. This lookbook will help you to realise how creative you are. If you have any queries, please contact Dave Wood.

Suggested lookbook structure

Name/Contact details

Project 1 - Add title

• Concise paragraph explaining project with image of final piece (1 page)
• Evidence of your creative ideas that helped you make the final piece (eg sketches, experiments, models, mock-ups, prototypes, etc.) (1-2 pages)

Project 2 - Add title

• Concise paragraph explaining project with image of final piece (1 page)
• Evidence of your creative ideas that helped you make the final piece (eg sketches, experiments, models, mock-ups, prototypes, etc.) (1-2 pages)

Project 3 - Add title (optional)

Same format as above. Feel free to add more evidence pages up to a maximum of 12 lookbook pages/slides.

Mature/Access: We hope to welcome applications from mature students with relevant qualifications and/or experience. Visit: www.qmu.ac.uk/college-qualifications for more information for related Access courses. 

Direct Entry: Not available for 2026 

Am I a Widening Access student?: We apply the minimum entry criteria to applicants who meet one or more contextual factor. To see if this would apply to you, please refer to the application and access pages on our website.

Fee information

Fees: Please follow the link in the 'Course Overview' box for information on fees for 2026 entry.

Special note on RUK and ROI fees: Students from England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, who are subject to Rest of UK fees will be charged for the first three years of study only. The fourth year is free. 

Disability/health conditions

If you have a disability, long-term physical or mental health condition, or learning disability, it should not stand in the way of your studying at ³ÉÈ˶¶Òõ. However, if you are not sure whether your disability might be a barrier in your studies or in relation to the professional standards, please contact the Disability Service who will be able to have a conversation with you about reasonable adjustments and supports available to you. 

Application information

How to apply: More application information is available in the 'Start your Application' box at the top right of this page.

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Email Admissions

• The delivery of this course is subject to the terms and conditions will be set out in our 2026/27 Entry Terms and Conditions (Undergraduate).
• At the time of posting (Feb 2025) this new course is in development and the information laid out on this page is a guide. Full course details will not be confirmed until the course is fully validated later in 2025. Please check back here for updates.