COURSE CURRICULUM

The BA Art and Design course at Leeds provides a structured, progressive pathway for students to develop creative, technical, and critical skills over three years. In the first year, students build foundational skills through compulsory modules such as Process, Making and Meaning, Design Studies: Foundation, and Creative Challenges and Communication, which introduce design thinking, research methods, visual communication, and interdisciplinary making processes across 2D, 3D, 4D, craft, industrial, and digital media. Students also select specialist modules in areas such as drawing or materiality in design, alongside optional modules like creative thinking or photography, allowing for early exploration of personal interests. In the second year, the focus shifts to more advanced practice with modules including Ideation, Materials and Technologies, Design Studies: Exploration, and Design for Interaction and Experience, which emphasize critical appraisal, application of research to complex societal challenges, and designing for physical and digital interaction. Specialist and optional modules offer further opportunities to refine skills in areas such as brand strategy, digital photography, or illustration. In the final year, students undertake a Major Research Project and a Self-Directed Project, enabling in-depth exploration of personal interests and contemporary design practice. The Art and Design Innovation module teaches strategies for presenting work to diverse audiences, while optional modules like social design or fashion styling allow students to tailor their learning to specific career pathways, consolidating technical, conceptual, and professional skills for future creative practice.