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BA (Hons) Digital Media Design

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Key information

Typical offer:
Entry requirements
Fees:
Full details
UCAS code: W212
Institute code: H36
Study abroad option
Work placement option
Find out more

Entry requirements
UCAS points A Level BTEC
112-120 BBC-BBB - Including formal or informal qualifications in Art or Design DMM-DDM

Additional requirements

Access course: Diploma with 45 level 3 credits at merit.
IB requirement: 112-120 points from a minimum of two HL subjects at H4 or above to include Visual Arts at SL or HL (with the remaining points to come from a combination of HL, SL and Core).
Portfolio: Presentation of an acceptable portfolio of artwork.
IELTS: All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band.
If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level.
For more details on the University of Hertfordshire's entry requirements, please visit our Undergraduate Entry Requirements page.
Find out more about International Entry Requirements.
The University of Hertfordshire is committed to welcoming students with a wide range of qualifications and levels of experience. The entry requirements listed on the course pages provide a guide to the minimum level of qualifications needed to study each course. However, we have a flexible approach to admissions and each application will be considered on an individual basis.
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UCAS points	A Level	BTEC
112-120	BBC-BBB - Including formal or informal qualifications in Art or Design	DMM-DDM

Why choose this course?

Future looking - in a contemporary environment exploring VR and AR
Discover the imaging environment with industry standard Cameras
Your creativity at the forefront of the digital revolution and beyond

Digital Media Design is an award targeted towards students interested in experimenting with new interactive technologies (for example, augmented and virtual reality), creating web-based content (web-design, smartphone applications etc.), becoming experts in designing user experiences (interface layout, interface navigation, visual communication, branding), creating environment responsive public installations (projection mapping, multi-screen presentations) and creating augmented and virtual reality applications.

Exploring a combination of various digital mediums, platforms and skills, this degree has an emphasis on employability and strong industry links to keep the course up-to-date and relevant, build connections, and shape students into tomorrow's professionals.

What's the course about?

This course explores the digital domain, including multimedia platforms, mobile devices, and augmented and virtual realities, and establishes a rich, hybrid area of study for the 21st century. By using practice-based approaches and theory-led methodologies, the programme aims to provide you with the necessary knowledge and skills to become part of the digital revolution.

In this rapidly expanding field, you'll learn how digital media are produced and have the opportunity to explore areas such as web-based content, mobile apps, interactive advertising, responsive objects and environments, networked information and social-media systems, interactive video, live performance technology and digital art installations.

Your main campus is College Lane 

This is where the creative arts, science and health-related subjects are based. This means you’ll share the campus with future nurses, scientists, artists and more. You can use the common rooms to relax with friends, work out in the 24-hour gym or have a drink in our on-campus pub or cafes. We also have restaurants for you to eat in or grab something on the go. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.   

What will I study?

First year

During the first year, students concentrate on building their core skillset, which includes graphic design, web design, video and sound editing, image manipulation, and basic photography skills. At the same time, aided by research literature and ideation sessions, they are introduced to concepts such as visual communication, ubiquitous design and user experience.

Second year

In the second year, students delve deeper into web-based content, and learn how to create mobile applications, interactive digital comics, video game prototypes and physical interfaces. The year culminates with a multi-disciplinary exhibition, where the Digital Media Design students lead a collaborative project, which includes students from other disciplines across the School of Creative Arts such as Music, Photography and Architecture or an external institution.

Third year

In the final year, students propose, manage and realise a substantial media project, alongside the production of a report in a subject of their choosing. Students examine and produce work for the multiple types of digital media platforms now available. Their studies will also prepare them for employment through professional development planning, sector analysis, portfolio development, networking and careers advice.

Level 4

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Media in Mind: Histories, Theories, Contexts (C&CS)	30 Credits	Compulsory
Media in Mind extends knowledge and understanding of the role of interactive media as fundamental aspects of today's society and contemporary culture. It approaches this through an exploration of the human subject, a mapping of media histories, traditions and processes and an examination of the forces that drive technological development. The module enables them to consider, or even challenge these factors to eventually produce work that responds to the current socio-political and economic reality. Focusing on theories drawn from communication and cultural studies, the module enables students to perceive Art and Design as complex social systems, rather than as plain artefacts, and to develop informed and systematic approaches to analytical thinking, together with an ability to communicate critical responses clearly and accurately in a variety of forms. The module is structured around a core series of lectures and seminars with assessment based on the demonstration of skills in enquiry, information handling, analysis and argument.
Visual Communication and Core Media Production	45 Credits	Compulsory
This is an introduction to the imaginative responses and creative inventiveness in making images, sounds, video and interactive media, which are at the heart of this course. Through project work students develop skills in communicating ideas, facts and feelings. They begin to reflect on and evaluate their output. A series of lectures, demonstrations and structured workshops give the students initial knowledge, good working practices and skills which enable the effective realisation of project work. Students will be directed in management of independent study and group work. Students develop their understanding of traditions of practice and the contemporary context through discussion and analysis of examples from diverse fields. They are introduced to methodologies in research, project management and reflection/evaluation. Coursework submissions emphasise the creative, inventive and innovative use of digital media for defined audiences and modes of distributions.
Interaction and Hybrid Media Construction	45 Credits	Compulsory
This module encourages the further development of the imaginative responses and creative inventiveness in combining images, sounds, text, video and interactive media to produce rich and compelling user experiences which are at the heart of this course. Through project work, students develop skills in using digital media artefacts to communicate ideas, facts and feelings and further develop skills in reflection and evaluation. A series of lectures, demonstrations and structured workshops give the students deeper knowledge, best working practices and skills which enable the effective realisation of project work. Students will be directed in management of independent study and group work. Students develop their understanding of traditions of practice and the contemporary context through discussion and analysis of examples from diverse fields. They solidify their methodologies in research, project management and reflection/evaluation. Coursework submissions emphasise the creative, inventive and innovative use of digital media for defined audiences and modes of distributions.

Level 5

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Independent Project	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module allows students to propose and develop a project of their own choosing. This module is delivered in two phases. In the first part you will develop a project proposal and in the second phase, you will carry out the project and produce a high quality outcome. In the planning phase, students are required to propose a project and investigate aspects of planning, content and contexts. In the production phase, the student produces their artefact(s) and other materials, managing the project and document their production and creative processes. This might involve the production of a range of assets, their assembly into an artefact and the testing of this artifact with users or audiences in an iterative process of refinement.
Storytelling and Gaming	15 Credits	Compulsory
Through practical creative work and discussion, this module engages students with contemporary ideas about the inter-relationship between narrative and play in games and interactive media. By promoting debate and critical thinking the module seeks to improve student's practice via the development of critical reflection and analytic thinking. Students are required to produce media artefacts that creatively incorporate elements of gameplay and interactive narrative. They will write written commentaries to support these creations and contribute to spoken discussions that demonstrate their grasp and understanding of key ideas, theories and approaches. Through these methods they will demonstrate their ability to deploy these ways of thinking in response to a diverse range of examples of interactive digital media (including such things as interactive fiction, hypermedia, hypercomics and videogames).
Connections and Perspectives I : Exploring Creative Media and Digital Cultures	15 Credits	Compulsory
Building on the learning from the Media in Mind module at Level 4, Connections and Perspectives I further develops knowledge and critical understanding of the contemporary uses of interactive and related media forms, as well as the contexts in which they operate. Support materials and activities introduce new critical, theoretical and contextual ideas, while supporting students in their own exploration of how societies and cultures are mediated through technology. The module becomes a catalyst for their studio practice to embrace narratives that spark discussions in the broader media contexts.
Connections and Perspectives II : Exploring Creative Media and Digital Cultures	15 Credits	Compulsory
The module is crucial as an introduction to the kind of 'open' critical enquiry that will characterise the Level 6 C&CS module. Students identify their own areas of critical interest in relation to both the long traditions and contemporary contexts of the discipline area and they acquire deep understanding of the global circumstances, setting the framework for both their essay and their studio practice. Support materials and activities introduce new critical, theoretical and contextual ideas, while supporting students in their own exploration of a technologically mediated society. Students define a topic of study, formulate a research question or title, and carry out a carefully documented enquiry leading to the submission of an 'essay'-style outcome in an appropriate form.
User Experience Design	15 Credits	Compulsory
This module looks at users' experience with digital media artefacts. Students will learn about commercial approaches to planning, designing and implementing products for mobile devices and browser-based delivery with a particular focus on current approaches to User Experience (UX) design. In turn, the design, production and critical evaluation of digital media artefacts requires a range of theoretical perspectives together with appropriate research, planning, testing and design techniques. These skills are key to working in digital media design at a professional level.
Teamwork Practices	30 Credits	Compulsory
Few people involved in the creation of digital media artefacts work on their own, more usually mixed-discipline groups are involved in the development of ideas and in the realisation of the artefacts. The effective working of such groups requires team working abilities and skills and an understanding of such things as leadership and membership roles, interpersonal dynamics and shared objectives. This module requires that students develop the skills and practices needed to contribute effectively to shared enterprises either through teamwork or through working with clients. Teamwork projects enable students to develop those skills and furthermore reflect upon them.

Level 6

Module	Credits	Compulsory/optional
Sandwich Year (Creative Arts)	0 Credits	Compulsory
The optional 'Sandwich' placement year may be undertaken between the levels 5 and 6. Students undertake the placement within a commercial, public or not for profit setting that is able to provide an appropriate learning experience related to the creative and cultural industries. A placement could take a variety of forms, including: * working in an external organisation; * working with a University company or professional team within the University; * self-employment within defined context and externally refereed. The placement duration would typically be sustained for at least 36 weeks (from a maximum of two separate placements, neither of which should normally be less than 12 weeks in duration), though may be sustained for a full year. While the School actively supports the placement process, ultimately it is the placement provider that will agree to manage and select students, normally through an interview process. During the placement a member of the academic staff will be assigned to the student as a tutor and will monitor the student's progress during the placement period.
Degree Project	60 Credits	Compulsory
This module is delivered in two phases; in the first part, your will develop an idea for your degree project and then develop the concept into a fully documented project proposal, in the second phase, you will carry out the project you have devised to produce your degree project. In the planning phase, students are required to propose a project and investigate aspects of its planning, content, branding and contexts. The proposal process is aligned with industrial and professional practices where a project seeks funding from external agencies, or through internal commissioning processes, or is proposed in response to a call for participation. In the production phase, the student produces their artefact(s) and other materials, managing the project and documenting their production and creative processes. This will typically involve the production of a range of assets, their assembly into an artifact and the testing of this artifact with users or audiences in an iterative process of refinement. Finally, students evaluate their project and produce promotion materials to communicate their project to a general audience.
Dissertation (C&CS)	30 Credits	Compulsory
This module enables students to build on the work carried out at Level 4 and (in particular) Level 5 through the development of a distinct academic enquiry related to their interests and practices, within the field of contemporary media practices. Although it is structured around a framework of lectures, seminars and tutorials (individual and small group), the module places emphasis on independent learning and the student's assured 'ownership' and communication of subject knowledge, critical ideas and theoretical approaches related to a negotiated, self-defined topic. Crucially, the module encourages students to recognise the value of applied scholarship in enhancing creative practice, professional confidence and employability. During the module, a variety of formative assessment tasks are completed in order to support learning towards the submission of summatively-assessed outcomes.
Professional Practices	30 Credits	Compulsory
Professional practices provide students with the appropriate tools and methodologies for preparing for and finding employment as well as deals with legal, ethical and economic frameworks of professional practice and employment. The module is delivered through a combination of collective enquiry activities and individual studies. In the collective enquiry students work together to investigate the broad fields of the different media industries, their role in the digital economy, their distribution in the local, national and international contexts, typical earnings and patters of employment. In their individual studies they engage with job searching strategies, CV preparations, job applications, interview skills training, online portfolios and presence and networking strategies.
Employment Experience (Creative Arts)	0 Credits	Optional
Optional Employment Experience may be undertaken between the levels 5 and 6. Students undertake the placement within a commercial, public or not for profit setting that is able to provide an appropriate learning experience related to the creative and cultural industries. A placement could take a variety of forms, including: * working in an external organisation; * working with a University company or professional team within the University; * self-employment within defined context and externally refereed. The placement duration would typically be sustained for at least 12 weeks (from a maximum of two separate placements, neither of which should normally be less than 4 weeks in duration), full-time or equivalent. While the School actively supports the placement process, ultimately it is the placement provider that will agree to manage and select students, normally through an interview process. During the placement a member of the academic staff will be assigned to the student as a tutor and will monitor the student's progress during the placement period.

Study abroad

An opportunity for an amazing experience, which will help make you stand out from the crowd. With more and more companies working internationally, experience of living in another country can make a great impression on future employers.

This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a sandwich year abroad. The University has partnerships with over 150 universities around the world, including the USA, Canada, Asia, Africa, Australia, South America and closer to home in Europe.

If you study abroad between your second and third year of study, you’ll pay no tuition fee to the partner university and no tuition fee to us either. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.

Find out more about Study abroad opportunities

Please note Erasmus+ funding is only available until May 2023. For students starting their course in September 2022 and wishing to study abroad in 2023-24 or 2024-25, please refer to the Turing Scheme.
Work placement

Graduate with invaluable work experience alongside your degree and stand out from the crowd.

This course offers you the opportunity to enhance your study and CV with a work placement sandwich year. It’s a chance to explore career possibilities, make valuable contacts and gain sought after professional skills.

Our dedicated Careers and Employment team are here to help guide you through the process. This has seen students working right across the creative industries sector: in graphic, product and interior design consultancies, working as artist in residence in galleries, producing props and sets for the film & TV industry, shadowing teachers in education, working with commercial photographers through to students working right across the Music industry.

If you take up a work placement between your second and third year of study, at the University of Hertfordshire you’ll pay no tuition fee for this year. We’ll ask you to make your decision in your second year, so there is plenty of time to think about it.

Find out more about work placements

Check out our student blogs

Alumni Stories

Sam Sampson

Meet Sam Sampson who utilised the flexibility of his degree to discover his passion. Since graduating in 2017, he has been working as a Junior Creative at Wasserman Experience.

Read more stories Find out more about this course

Current job role	Junior Creative
Year of graduation	2017
Course of study	BA (Hons) Digital Media Design

Flexible studying opportunities

When Sam came to study at the University, he was a Philosophy student but ended up changing his major to Digital Media Design. 'Luckily, the humanities department provided a major/minor split in my studies. This meant whilst I was studying philosophy, I could pick from a range of other courses that I had not considered. I chose "New Media Publishing" and found that it was much more aligned to my personality, so I changed to a full creative degree. If it had not been for that system, I would not be in my current role.'

Flexibility is a key way in which the University supports students to tailor their studies to fit their lives and best suit their skills and career aspirations. This is part of our commitment to recognise potential and nurture talent, providing students with fantastic opportunities and experiences. Sam says, 'the University of Hertfordshire truly shaped me personally as well as my career. I can guarantee that no other University would have provided me with the same opportunities they did and I can confidently say that if I had not studied here, I wouldn’t be as happy in my career as I am today.'

Supporting athletes

Sam is also an athlete and was fortunate enough to qualify for the sport scholarship programme due to his involvement in judo. Extracurricular activities such as these enhance the student experience, giving students multiple ways to develop and uncover their potential. Sam says, 'The performance gym (Performance Hertfordshire) is a truly spectacular facility for all athletes. The staff are very highly qualified and provided me with ongoing support via specialised training regimes, nutritional advice and physiotherapy that was imperative to my performance as an athlete. I could not recommend Performance Hertfordshire enough.'

Sam began his studies uncertain of what he wanted to do or how his future career would unfold. However, through the support and ingenuity of the University’s degree programmes, Sam has been able to discover potential he hadn’t previously recognised and enter an industry that suits his skills and interests.

Alumni Stories

Elise Robinson

Meet Elise Robinson who has used her degree and creativity to propel her career. Elise currently works as a Marketing Project Senior at Marshall Amplification plc.

Read more stories Find out more about this course

Current job role	Marketing Project Senior
Year of graduation	2014
Course of study	BA (Hons) Graphic Design

Currently, it’s Elise’s job to ensure smooth communication between the design and communications teams and other parts of the business. 'It's a bit like being an account manager for a design agency but in-house, where the other departments are your clients. I've taken a slight sideways step from a creative role to a management role, but it's my creative background and experience that helps me make informed decisions for the business.'

Embracing a different path

Having studied Graphic Design at Herts, graduating in 2014, and originally intending on leading a creative career in a commercial area, Elise soon embraced the opportunity of changing course and pursuing a more meaningful pathway.

Her degree provided her with a very broad understanding of cross platform campaigns and what it takes to deliver them. While she may not be in a creative role now, that broad understanding means she can confidently represent the creative teams and make strategic decisions.

Elise says she chose to study at Herts as the Graphic Design course reflected her career ambitions. She thinks choosing a Graphic Design course is a very personal choice because they vary so much. Some are very fine art focused, and some are much more commercial/business orientated. She wanted the latter, and Herts offers a very practical, business-orientated course that suited her and reflected the type of career she wanted to go in to.

Commercial experience

The commercial elements of the course alongside the industry exposure Elise received during her studies enabled her to develop an impressive wealth of experience and contacts which she could take with her into the professional world. 'The contacts I made whilst at university (printers, artists, clients and more) have been invaluable in my career so far. As the course was mostly practical design projects you had to go out and find suppliers and people to collaborate with.'

A wide set of skills is always attractive to an employer, especially when entering a creative role. Possessing a comprehensive skill base will make you even more employable. Elise encourages students hoping to follow a similar career path to diversify their skillset by exploring related disciplines. 'If you can do graphic design, why not also brush up on your photography, web design or illustration?'

What's next for my career?
This degree will prepare students for employment through professional development planning, sector analysis, portfolio development, networking and careers advice.
Potential employment prospects include:
- Media Production houses
- Content Creation
- Mobile and web applications
- Web design
- User experience expert in industries such as games, mobile, TV, and web
- Interactive designer / developer
- Digital branding / advertising
- Digital artist / creative programmer / coder
- Video blogger
- Indie game developer
The programme welcomes students from a wide range of backgrounds and precursor experiences. The programme also welcomes the broadening perspectives brought by International students.

This course will prepare you for careers in fields such as advertising, marketing, digital creativity, entrepreneurship, web consultancy, journalism and art.

Potential employment prospects include:
- Media Production houses
- Content Creation
- Mobile and web applications
- Web design
- User experience expert in industries such as games, mobile, TV, and web
- Interactive designer / developer
- Digital branding / advertising
- Digital artist / creative programmer / coder
- Video blogger
- Indie game developer
The programme welcomes students from a wide range of backgrounds and precursor experiences. The programme also welcomes the broadening perspectives brought by International students.
View our Alumni profiles

Sam Sampson Elise Robinson
Key staff

Dr Ivan Phillips
Associate Dean (Learning & Teaching): Ivan's research interests span to Romanticism, Gothic Culture, Modernism into Postmodernism, 20th Century poetry and experimental fictions from Laurence Sterne to the web.
Senior Lecturer Michael Davidson
Michael is an illustrator and designer with work published in the UK and internationally. He is experienced in many formats of creative work: graphics, illustration, web and animation.
Programme leader Stephen Littman
Steve has been involved with time-based arts (interactivity, multi-screen and projections Installations and video art artefacts) and has curated shows across the UK for more than twenty years.

Course fact sheets
BA (Hons) Digital Media Design	Download

Programme specifications
BA (Hons) Digital Media Design	Download
BA (Hons) Digital Media Design	Download

Additional information
Sandwich placement or study abroad year	Optional
Applications open to international and EU students	Yes
Course length	Full Time, 3 Years Sandwich, 4 Years
Location	University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Apply through our international/EU application portal

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

Apply using the links below:

2023

Start Date	End Date	Link
23/09/2023	31/05/2024	Apply online (Full Time)
25/09/2023	31/05/2024	Apply online (Full Time/Sandwich)
24/09/2023	31/05/2024	Apply online (Full Time/Sandwich)

2024

Start Date	End Date	Link
23/09/2024	31/05/2025	Apply online (Full Time)

Fees and funding
Fees 2023
UK Students

Full time
- £9250 for the 2023/2024 academic year
EU Students

Full time
- £14750 for the 2023/2024 academic year
International Students

Full time
- £14750 for the 2023/2024 academic year
There may be some additional costs or charges associated with studying on this course. These costs or charges may be compulsory (i.e. you have to pay them if you are studying this course) or they may be optional (ie you don’t have to pay them, but they may help you get the most out of your course).

Any such costs or charges will be outlined in the About your course factsheet that can be found on the course Overview page.

*Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University’s Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed “When tuition fees change”), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.

View detailed information about tuition fees

Read more about additional fees in the course fact sheet

Other financial support

Find out more about other financial support available to UK and EU students

Living costs / accommodation

The University of Hertfordshire offers a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget.

View detailed information about our accommodation

BA (Hons) Digital Media Design

Key information

Typical offer:

Fees:

UCAS code: W212

Institute code: H36

Study abroad option

Work placement option

Additional requirements

Why choose this course?

What's the course about?

Your main campus is College Lane

What will I study?

First year

Second year

Third year

Check out our student blogs

Student Blogs

My week at a glance.

Student Blogs

What I love most about my course.

Student Blogs

Why I chose Herts.

Alumni Stories

Meet Sam Sampson who utilised the flexibility of his degree to discover his passion. Since graduating in 2017, he has been working as a Junior Creative at Wasserman Experience.

Flexible studying opportunities

Supporting athletes

Alumni Stories

Meet Elise Robinson who has used her degree and creativity to propel her career. Elise currently works as a Marketing Project Senior at Marshall Amplification plc.

Embracing a different path

Commercial experience

International/EU applicants without pre-settled status in the UK

Home and EU applicants with pre-settled/settled status in the UK

2023

2024

Fees 2023

UK Students

Full time

EU Students

Full time

International Students

Full time

Other financial support

Living costs / accommodation

Your main campus is College Lane 