BA (Hons) Digital Media Design - University of Winchester

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COURSE OVERVIEW

Learn how to collaborate on the design and promotion of media products — mirroring industry practice and boosting your employability
Take advantage of cutting-edge technology such as 3D printers, motion capture software and virtual reality headsets in our fully equipped Digital Design Lab
Complete professional commercial work on client-based projects to build your online portfolio throughout your degree
Gain experience in diverse sectors such as games design, animation, advertising and photography

If you can see yourself creating the next smash-hit mobile game like Pokémon Go, designing innovative advertising campaigns for leading international brands or interactive, virtual reality experiences for a tech company then this could be the degree for you. In an area that is still inventing itself, you could become a key instigator and shaper of the digital age that we now inhabit.

In fact, there has never been a more exciting time to study an area of design and creative technology, and this programme aims to help you explore, challenge and extend your limits, enabling you to achieve the most exciting outcomes possible.

Digital Media Design at Winchester focuses predominantly on the practical side of the industry, embracing the latest technologies and techniques. We want to help you become an imaginative and technically astute designer who is comfortable working as part of a team.

The three-year course is centred around our gadget-packed, industry-standard Digital Design Studio, which is Adobe certified and offers courses in Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop, Dreamweaver, Flash and other software.

Throughout the programme, students develop the ability to understand the imperatives of designing for the digital media industries in terms of the look, feel, narrative and aesthetic qualities of a digital media product.

Year 1 is based around the design and development of websites, apps and games. You complete four-week projects designing and promoting a media product and study core modules in subjects such as Design Principles, Team & Project Planning and Development Projects.

In Year 2, you focus on interactive media design and animation, embracing live projects with clients — giving you valuable work experience. You take core courses in Design and Design Practice.

In Year 3, you study business practice within the creative digital media industry, and undertake two major projects — one of which is conducted with an industry partner — to develop a dynamic online portfolio to impress future employers.

By the end of the programme you are a highly skilled technologist, capable of receiving design ideas to develop and improve through to a finished and accomplished product.

Demand for creative technologists to work on websites, apps, games and other digital platforms has never been higher. Our graduates work in highly-rewarding and varied careers, as designers with internet companies, interactive media creators, and in the game design, animation, advertising and photography industries. Others start their own design companies as creative technologists and entrepreneurs.

Careers

Graduates work as designers within industries such as internet and interactive media creators, game design, animation, advertising and photography. Students also start their own company as a creative technologist or entrepreneur with knowledge that they are able to brand, market and promote their company through web and social media.

The University of Winchester ranks in the top 10 in the UK for graduates in employment or further study according to the Graduate Outcomes Survey 2021, HESA.

Pre-approved for a Masters

If you study a Bachelor Honours degrees with us, you will be pre-approved to start a Masters degree at Winchester. To be eligible, you will need to apply by the end of March in the final year of your degree and meet the entry requirements of your chosen Masters degree.

ABOUT THIS COURSE

Suitable for applicants from:

UK, EU, World

Work placements

Students are encouraged to secure work placements at the end of their second year until the end of the first semester of their third year; the placements often lead to roles within their chosen companies after graduation.

Study abroad

Our BA (Hons) Digital Media Design course provides an opportunity for you to study abroad in the United States of America (USA).

For more information see our Study Abroad section.

Learning and teaching

Our aim is to shape 'confident learners' by enabling you to develop the skills needed to excel in your studies here and as well as onto further studies or the employment market.

You are taught primarily through a combination of lectures and seminars, allowing opportunities to discuss and develop your understanding of topics covered in lectures in smaller groups.

In addition to the formally scheduled contact time such as lectures and seminars etc.), you are encouraged to access academic support from staff within the course team and the wide range of services available to you within the University.

Independent learning

Over the duration of your course, you will be expected to develop independent and critical learning, progressively building confidence and expertise through independent and collaborative research, problem-solving and analysis with the support of staff. You take responsibility for your own learning and are encouraged to make use of the wide range of available learning resources available.

Overall workload

Your overall workload consists of class contact hours, independent learning and assessment activity.

While your actual contact hours may depend on the optional modules you select, the following information gives an indication of how much time you will need to allocate to different activities at each level of the course.

Year 1 (Level 4): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*

Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
Independent learning: 912 hours

Year 2 (Level 5): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*

Teaching, learning and assessment: 288 hours
Independent learning: 912 hours

Year 3 (Level 6): Timetabled teaching and learning activity*

Teaching, learning and assessment: 276 hours
Independent learning: 828 hours
Placement: 96 hours

*Please note these are indicative hours for the course.

The Digital Media programmes are studio-based courses providing a working environment which mirrors industry practice whilst also affording good contact with peers and tutors doing studio based one-to-one teaching. The programme team are strongly in favour of learning by doing, so all modules are underpinned by practical project work. This not only provides you with an opportunity to practice newly-acquired skills and understanding but also an 'on task' means of assessing progress and the successful completion of modules.

Key features of the student experience are:

Opportunities to learn industry software, to gain certification from the major software companies such as Adobe, Apple and Autodesk.
Planning and exhibiting work in their own degree show 'TransMedia' to invited companies and have their own portfolio website.
Students are expected to attend digital media conferences/expo's such as Apps World, Eurogamer and Streaming Media to gain knowledge and experience of future technology and make important industry connections.

Location

Taught elements of the course take place on campus in Winchester.

Teaching hours

All class based teaching takes places between 9am – 6pm, Monday to Friday during term time. Wednesday afternoons are kept free from timetabled teaching for personal study time and for sports clubs and societies to train, meet and play matches. There may be some occasional learning opportunities (for example, an evening guest lecturer or performance) that take places outside of these hours for which you will be given forewarning.

Assessment

Our validated courses may adopt a range of means of assessing your learning. An indicative, and not necessarily comprehensive, list of assessment types you might encounter includes essays, portfolios, supervised independent work, presentations, written exams, or practical performances.

We ensure all students have an equal opportunity to achieve module learning outcomes. As such, where appropriate and necessary, students with recognised disabilities may have alternative assignments set that continue to test how successfully they have met the module's learning outcomes. Further details on assessment types used on the course you are interested in can be found on the course page, by attending an Open Day or Open Evening, or contacting our teaching staff.

Percentage of the course assessed by coursework

The assessment balance between examination and coursework depends to some extent on the optional modules you choose. The approximate percentage of the course assessed by different assessment modes is as follows:

Year 1 (Level 4)*:

67% coursework
0% written exams
33% practical exams

Year 2 (Level 5)*:

83% coursework
0% written exams
17% practical exams

Year 3 (Level 6)*:

100% coursework
0% written exams
0% practical exams

*Please note these are indicative percentages and modes for the programme.

Feedback

We are committed to providing timely and appropriate feedback to you on your academic progress and achievement in order to enable you to reflect on your progress and plan your academic and skills development effectively. You are also encouraged to seek additional feedback from your course tutors.

Further information

For more information about our regulations for this course, please see our Academic Regulations, Policies and Procedures.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS

2023 Entry: 96-112 UCAS tariff points

Our offers are typically made using UCAS tariff points to allow you to include a range of level 3 qualifications and as a guide, the requirements for this course are equivalent to:

A-Levels: CCC-BBC from 3 A Levels or equivalent grade combinations (e.g. CCC is comparable to BCD in terms of tariff points)
BTEC/CTEC: MMM-DMM from BTEC or Cambridge Technical (CTEC) qualifications
International Baccalaureate: To include a minimum of 2 Higher Level certificates at grade H4
T Level: Pass (C or above on the core) in a T Level

In addition to the above, we accept tariff points achieved for many other qualifications, such as the Access to Higher Education Diploma, Scottish Highers, UAL Diploma/Extended Diploma and WJEC Applied Certificate/Diploma, to name a few. We also accept tariff points from smaller level 3 qualifications, up to a maximum of 32, from qualifications like the Extended Project (EP/EPQ), music or dance qualifications. To find out more about UCAS tariff points, including what your qualifications are worth, please visit UCAS.

In addition to level 3 study, the following GCSE’s are required:

GCSEs in Mathematics and English Language at grade 4 or C, or higher. Functional Skills at level 2 is accepted as an alternative, however Key Skills qualifications are not. If you hold another qualification, please get in touch and we will advise further.

If English is not your first language, a formal English language test will most likely be required and you will need to achieve the following:

IELTS Academic at 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in all four components (for year 1 entry)
We also accept other English language qualifications, such as IELTS Indicator, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge C1 Advanced and TOEFL iBT.

If you will be over the age of 21 years of age at the beginning of your undergraduate study, you will be considered as a mature student. This means our offer may be different and any work or life experiences you have will be considered together with any qualifications you hold. UCAS have further information about studying as a mature student on the UCAS website which may be of interest.

Course Enquiries and Applications

Telephone: +44 (0) 1962 827234
Send us a message

International Students

If you are living outside of the UK or Europe, you can find out more about how to join this course by emailing our International Recruitment Team at International@winchester.ac.uk or calling +44 (0)1962 827023

Visit us

Explore our campus and find out more about studying at Winchester by coming to one of our Open Days.

Year 1 (Level 4)

Modules Credits

Design Principles	20
In this module you are introduced to the key creative elements and understandings associated with the development of design. Each possible component will be considered as a design and technical medium in its own right and looked at alongside the other possible contributing components. You will be introduced to the principles of researching your ideas and developing them through dialogue with other members of a creative team. This is a key component of the module and you will develop an understanding of the process of sifting and editing your creative ideas. An emphasis is placed on the practice of writing and sketching (scamps and wireframes) both as a means of presenting design proposals as well as developing content for multimedia platforms such as websites.
Development Principles	20
In this module you are introduced to the key technologies and understandings associated with the programming using basic HTML, CSS and XHTML. You will engage with self-learning materials which will show you how to use these important pieces of software. You will undertake a number of exercises that allow you to develop and demonstrate your competence with the software and be able to apply this to the creation of your own website. An emphasis is placed on the practice of digitising assets and developing content for multimedia platforms such as websites.
Team & Project Planning	20
The key focus of this module deals with the principles of group processes both as learners and practitioners. You will be exploring the key theories related to the successful management and leadership of groups and apply this to your own practice through a range of workshops and team building exercises. You will develop an understanding of your group as a key resource for learning and development. In addition you will engage with the principles of managing and planning a project from inception into research and development towards a final product.
Design Projects	20
Within this module you will be able to explore three specific loci of digital design and technology within the areas of interactive media, game design and design for portable media. You will also continue to develop your own personal web site that links to the main cohort site. Your individual web site will show examples of your work and will be the first stage of the development for your digital portfolio.
Development Projects	20
Within this module you will extend your understanding of the core technologies that are used in specific areas of the digital media industry. These will focus on interactive technologies, programming for games and specialist technologies for portable media. In addition you will explore the nature of network structures and platforms and the way in which they communicate and hold information.
Team & Project Mapping	20
Within this module you will explore the management of the project life cycle from inception through development to a final outcome. There will be a focus on interpreting a client’s brief and understanding the role of marketing within the development of that brief. In addition you will develop your reflective process through the giving and receiving of feedback from tutors and peers throughout the progress of the module.

Year 2 (Level 5)

Modules Credits

Design Focus	40
In this module you will undertake two design projects that will introduce you to the aesthetic, user focussed and pragmatic principles of your chosen specialist area of study. The projects will be contrasting and aimed at different target audiences so that you develop a good sense of the end user and the technical needs of the end product. Both projects will be drawn from ‘real world’ briefs and may be led by a professional account handler, client or project manager.
Project Research – Case Study	20
You will use this research module to work alongside your individual RSA Design Focus project to assess and evaluate your design in greater detail. The areas researched should cover the technologies, tools, creative and/or technical approach used in fulfilling the RSA brief, the target audience and the design process used. You will be expected to evaluate and engage in primary and secondary research to formulate your case study report and support your ability to develop, test, iterate and refine your RSA concept.
Design Practice	40
In this module you will undertake two design projects that will introduce you to the aesthetic, user focussed and pragmatic principles of your chosen specialist area of study. The projects will be contrasting and aimed at different target audiences so that you develop a critical sense of the end user and the technical needs of the end product. Both projects will be drawn from ‘real world’ briefs and may be led by a professional account handler, client or project manager. One of the projects is client focused and worked on in teams; the second is an individual project and allows you to promote your work via the creation of a live social media campaign.
Project Focus	20
Within this module you will explore all stages of the production process in putting an exhibition of student work together (End of Year Show). You will critically research the role of specialist skillsets within the production team, advanced production techniques, the generation of templates to speed up the design and production process and find techniques and strategies for testing and managing the quality of putting a display of digital products in a format for public viewing. This module will also introduce you to the range and structure of organisations and institutions that govern and set standards within the digital media industry. In addition you will develop an awareness of budgeting and analysing cost/time equations in relation to the development of project quotations. You will also undertake critical research to explore a range approaches to marketing and brand value relevant to the promotion of student work.

Year 3 (Level 6)

Modules Credits

Negotiated Design Project	30
The undertaking of this major negotiated task will compliment and contrast with your learning on Negotiated Task 1. It may take place with an industrial partner whom you have identified and approached to host your learning task or it may be a ‘paper project’ which allows you to explore a project of your own choosing to a prototype level.
Enterprise Focus	10
This module looks further into the concepts, techniques and theories behind business practice both in a broad sense and within the digital media industry. The module will look at aspects of entrepreneurship in relation to the analysis of markets, client needs and risk management. As part of the module you will be required to develop a model business plan for a business or major project that will prepare you for work both within a corporate structure and as a freelance worker.
Negotiated Design Placement	30
The module will normally take place with an industrial partner whom you have identified and approached to host your learning task. You will have negotiated this task with both tutors and your industrial partner as part of the Enterprise Principles module of Level 5.
Major Research Project	40
In this module you will develop a fully researched, critical self-appraisal of your own practice in relation to your target area of the digital media industry. In common with your critical development throughout the programme you will be asked to look at key examples of industry practice that you have identified through primary and secondary research and to evaluate your preparedness to enter the industry as well as identifying new opportunities and trends.
Professional Portfolio Practice	10
A professional portfolio is a great way to showcase your best work, and highlight your involvement in challenging projects. It provides a great talking point during an interview, and gives more insight into your work than a curriculum vitae alone could. This module will introduce you to the different types of software used for creating professional portfolios, both online and printed. It will also encourage you to be critical in the selection and explanation of work chosen for the professional portfolio. How you present your portfolio and use within an interview will be explored through workshops and scenarios, and will help in presenting your work at the End of Year Exhibition.

Please note the modules listed are correct at the time of publishing, for full-time students entering the programme in Year 1. Optional modules are listed where applicable. Please note the University cannot guarantee the availability of all modules listed and modules may be subject to change. For further information please refer to the terms and conditions at www.winchester.ac.uk/termsandconditions.
The University will notify applicants of any changes made to the core modules listed above.

Progression from one level of the programme to the next is subject to meeting the University’s academic regulations.

2023 Course Tuition Fees

	UK / Channel Islands / Isle of Man / Republic of Ireland	International
Year 1	£9,250	£14,700
Year 2	£9,250	£14,700
Year 3	£9,250	£14,700
Total	£27,750	£44,100
Optional Sandwich Year*	£1,385	£1,440
Total with Sandwich Year	£29,135	£45,540

If you are a UK student starting your degree in September 2023, the first year will cost you £9,250**. Based on this fee level, the indicative fees for a three-year degree would be £27,750 for UK students.

Remember, you don't have to pay any of this upfront if you are able to get a tuition fee loan from the UK Government to cover the full cost of your fees each year. If finance is a worry for you, we are here to help. Take a look at the range of support we have on offer. This is a great investment you are making in your future, so make sure you know what is on offer to support you.

UK Part-Time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £77.08 and a 15 credit module is £1,156. Part-time students can take up to a maximum 90 credits per year, so the maximum fee in a given year will be the government permitted maximum fee of £6,935.

International part-time fees are calculated on a pro rata basis of the full-time fee for a 120 credit course. The fee for a single credit is £122.50 and a 15 credit module is £1,837.

* Please note that not all courses offer an optional sandwich year. To find out whether this course offers a sandwich year, please contact the programme leader for further information.

**The University of Winchester will charge the maximum approved tuition fee per year.

ADDITIONAL COSTS

As one of our students all of your teaching and assessments are included in your tuition fees, including, lectures/guest lectures and tutorials, seminars, laboratory sessions and specialist teaching facilities. You will also have access to a wide range of student support and IT services.

There might be additional costs you may encounter whilst studying. The following highlights the mandatory and optional costs for this course:

Mandatory

Printing and Binding
The University is pleased to offer our students a printing allowance of £5 each academic year. This will print around 125 A4 (black and white) pages. If students wish to print more, printer credit can be topped up by the student. The University and Student Union are champions of sustainability and we ask all our students to consider the environmental impact before printing.

Optional

Coach trips
Students have the option to attend occasional coach trips to Exhibitions in London, usually 1 per year, possibly 2. (max total of 6 for the degree). It is sometimes possible to get use of the University minibus, however students will may need to pay a deposit for this. Indicative cost is £5 per trip.

Adobe ACA Certification
Students have the option to take a full online exam in Adobe certification during their degree. They can take up to 5 different exams over the duration of their course. Indicative cost is £30 per exam.

Printed portfolio
Students have the option to purchase an Extended Professional Portfolio in the second semester of their final year. Indicative cost is £30-40.

SCHOLARSHIPS, BURSARIES AND AWARDS

We have a variety of scholarship and bursaries available to support you financially with the cost of your course. To see if you’re eligible, please see our Scholarships and Awards.

Key course details

UCAS code: W280
Duration: 3 years full-time
Typical offer: 96-112 points
Location: On campus, Winchester

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