Are you excited by design and the creative possibilities of new technology? Do you want to learn how to blend the two together? Our Digital Design degree allows you to develop your design and technical skills, helping you to bring your ideas to life whilst equipping you with skills sought after by employers.
On our Digital Design degree, you take a practical and theoretical approach to design. You will develop the technical skills you need to showcase your creativity. Using the latest technology, you can work with a broad range of design assets and immersive technologies including audio, still and moving image, 3D, and interactive interfaces, to create new experiences for audiences, setting yourself up for an exciting and fulfilling career in the creative industries.
Teaching in the School of Engineering has been rated as excellent. It is taught by a team of experts and industry professionals in the areas of 3D production, online design immersive experiences and interactive applications, and human-computer interaction. Most modules consist of a mixture of lectures, seminars, practical workshops and computer sessions. All modules are continuously assessed.
In your first year, you are given a broad grounding in digital design, including content creation, 3D design, virtual environments, and design thinking.
In the following years, you go on to explore 3D production and simulation, online design, virtual and mixed realities, and interactive environments.
You also complete a final-year project based on your own interests. This could be an interactive or immersive experience, 3D project, or web-based application. We often also have a range of briefs for projects students can undertake in association with an industrial partner.
Your year in industry takes place between your second and final years. You can apply to companies offering either design or technology-oriented placements, depending on your own interests. As well as gaining invaluable workplace experience, you also have the chance to evaluate a particular career path, and, if your placement goes well, you may be offered a job by that employer after graduation.
You can also take this course as a three-year degree without a year in industry. For details, see Digital Design.
it is possible to take this programme with a Year abroad. For details, see Digital Design a Year Abroad.
Four final-year students from the School of Engineering worked with the BBC to produce a five-minute animation documenting mental health treatment as part of Mental Health Awareness Week. It tells the story of Sophie, who suffers from Borderline Personality Disorder, and details her experiences with mental health services in the UK.
In May 2018, the animation won a BBC Ruby Award. The Ruby Awards celebrate outstanding programming from across the country and span a range of categories from news coverage and best programme to awards for individual journalists.
Find out more:
You have access to industry standard equipment, such as
There are a number of student-led societies at Kent which you may want to join. These include
We have close links with those working in the creative industries and have worked with industry practitioners including:
Please also see our general entry requirements.
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The University will not necessarily make conditional offers to all Access candidates but will continue to assess them on an individual basis.
If we make you an offer, you will need to obtain/pass the overall Access to Higher Education Diploma and may also be required to obtain a proportion of the total level 3 credits and/or credits in particular subjects at merit grade or above.
Distinction, Merit, Merit.
34 points overall or 15 points at HL
Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 50% overall average (plus 50% in LZ013 Maths and Statistics if you do not hold GCSE Maths at 4/C or equivalent).
International students should visit our International Student website for further specific information. International fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot study part-time due to visa restrictions.
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
If you need to improve your English language standard as a condition of your offer, you can attend one of our pre-sessional courses in English for Academic Purposes before starting your degree programme. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
Duration: 4 years full-time
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation.
On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.
Compulsory modules currently include:
DIGM316 - Design Thinking (15 credits)
DIGM325 - Digital Content Creation (15 credits)
DIGM340 - 3D Fundamentals (15 credits)
DIGM326 - Virtual Environment Design (15 credits)
COMP328 - Human-Computer Interaction (15 credits)
DIGM317 - Technical Rigging (15 credits)
DIGM542 - Tangible Media (15 credits)
EENG313- Introduction to Programming (15 credits)
Compulsory modules currently include:
DIGM532 - 3D Production (30 credits)
DIGM510 - Online Design (15 credits)
DIGM511 - Interactive Environments (15 credits)
DIGM509 - Virtual Reality (15 credits)
EENG577 - Entrepreneurship and Professional Development (15 credits)
DIGM576 - Second Year Project (30 credits)
You spend a year working in industry between Stages 2 and 3, gaining valuable experience and improving your employment prospects. Employers are always keen to employ graduates with knowledge of the work environment and some students receive job offers from their placement company.
We have a dedicated Employability Officer who will help you apply for placements; but please note that it is your responsibility to secure a placement, which cannot always be guaranteed. The School has excellent industrial links, providing students with many placement opportunities.
Please note that progression thresholds apply. In particular, in order to be considered for an industrial placement, students are required to achieve an overall mark at Stage 1 of at least 60%.
Compulsory modules currently include:
EENG791 - Year in Industry (Industrial Assessment) (90 credits)
EENG792 - Year in Industry (Academic Assessment) (30 credits)
Compulsory modules currently include:
DIGM611 - Final Year Project (45 credits)
DIGM610 - 3D Simulation (15 credits)
DIGM643 - Design Futures and Emerging Technology (15 credits)
DIGM609 - Mixed Realities (15 credits)
Optional modules may include:
CMAT305 - Music in the Creative Industries (15 credits)
CMAT508 - Music and Sound for Film, Television and Media (15 credits)
BUSN302 - Managers and Organisations (15 credits)
BUSN612- New Enterprise Development (15 credits)
ARTS523 - Photography: Contexts of Practice (30 credits)
DIGM645 - Video Games Development (30 credits)
ENGL731 - Interactive and Immersive Fictions (30 credits)
MSTU5001 - Social Media and Participatory Culture (30 credits)
Optional modules are indicative only and updated yearly depending on availability.
The 2021/22 annual tuition fees for this programme are:
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.
Fees for Home undergraduates are £1,385.
Students studying abroad for less than one academic year will pay full fees according to their fee status.
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Search scholarshipsKent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.
Most modules consist of a mix of lectures, seminars, practical work, computer sessions and private study. The workstations in our computer suites are equipped with current industry-standard software.
All modules contain design and project work, and are continuously assessed. The specialist project at Stage 3 is assessed by a written report, poster, a critique and, of course, the outcome of the project itself. Both Stage 2 and 3 marks count towards your degree result.
The industrial placement year is assessed by a written report, poster, and industrial assessment that together count as 10% of your overall degree result.
The year abroad is assessed on a pass or fail basis.
Our students have 24-hour access to our extensive air-conditioned computer suites and are able to take advantage of a dedicated production studio, with green-screen, VR suite and makerspace.
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
The course aims to:
You gain knowledge and understanding of:
You develop the following intellectutal skills:
You develop the following subject-specific skills:
You develop the following transferable skills:
Art and Design at Kent was ranked 7th for graduate prospects and 16th overall in The Complete University Guide 2021.
Digital Design prepares you for careers in areas such as:
Employers are always keen to employ graduates with knowledge of the work environment and some students receive job offers from their placement company.
The University also has an award-winning Careers and Employability Service which can give you advice on how to:
Studying on this degree not only equips you with an in-depth understanding of some of the most exciting technologies of the 21st century, it also helps you to develop useful workplace skills such as:
You can gain extra skills by signing up for one of our Kent Extra activities, such as learning a language or volunteering.
This course page is for the 2021/22 academic year. Please visit the current online prospectus for a list of undergraduate courses we offer.
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
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