The BA in Graphic Communication Design is a three-year Level 7 degree that equips you with the creative, technical, and strategic skills needed to thrive in a fast-paced design world. You’ll explore everything from branding and digital media to consumer culture and visual communication, all while building a future-ready portfolio.

The BA (Hons) in Graphic Communication Design is a dynamic three-year degree that combines creative exploration with industry insight. You'll develop your own design voice while gaining the skills and strategy needed for today’s visual communication landscape.

Graphic Design is an internationally recognised programme that demonstrates how communication design is socially, culturally and economically engaged across a broad spectrum of media platforms and technologies.

This innovative programme, with a unique focus on complex and diverse real-world problems, combines the best principles of traditional, new, and emergent graphic design practices to produce highly employable and entrepreneurial graduates with transferable skills that are much sought after by industry.

This programme has been developed to provide students with a range of skills and qualities required by graphic designers within the industry.

The programme introduces students to design thinking and idea generation. Through practical studio based projects an understanding of the design process is cemented. 

This is not a CAO entry course - course fees required - apply directly to the college.

This foundation course in graphic design is one year, and students will learn a wide range of visual communication skills with an emphasis on creative problem solving for graphic design. The course has been designed to offer students an opportunity to develop core skills required for continued study in the areas of graphic design, visual communications, digital media, photography, and illustration. Students use graphic design software such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects.

Graphic Design Level 5 (5M1995) is a practical 1 year course that will enable learners to engage with key Graphic Design, Art and Design and ICT components. Key practical components are delivered in a highly resourced Art, Craft and Design room and Apple Mac Lab.

Learners also have the opportunity to develop a high quality portfolio of work for use in accessing higher education courses and will have access to Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator licences.

Graphic design is a vehicle for communication as well as self-expression. It is about communicating visually in order to inform, educate, entertain or persuade. Graphic designers provide creative, visual solutions for anything from magazine layout to packaging design.

Students will produce a portfolio of design work, including posters, magazine layouts, logo design, book illustration, drawing and more.

You will be encouraged to explore and express your ideas through a variety of media while developing your own unique and individual approach to visual problem solving.

This course is ideal for learners with an interest in art and design, a love of drawing and sketching (although this is not necessary) and an interest in learning how to use digital design software.

The BA in Graphic Design course will provide you with a unique and exciting educational experience while learning to become a designer. Your creative talents will be nurtured by a team of lecturers who are passionate about their field. You’ll be encouraged to follow your passion and to develop your style. At the same time, you will be exposed to a host of new exciting disciplines and skills that will enhance and inform your work.

This course prepares learners for a rewarding career in the creative industries. All learners have access to computer design facilities using industry standard software from Adobe Creative Cloud- Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, After Effects and Dreamweaver. Learners study a range of project-based modules, learn design principles and develop creative problem solving skills. Final year learners will exhibit their work at our end-of-year exhibition in the Institute.

This course aims to build on graphic design skills that students would have previously gained experience in art and design disciplines such as graphic design, photography, digital media and other related courses or previous work. The course will enable students to enhance their approach to design thinking, conceptual development, and graphic design technical skills with a special focus on drawing, illustration, and typography. Students are introduced to motion graphics and web development. The course content provides a progressive approach to learning which includes working with real clients, delivering professional design pitches & presentations, industry workshops, regular trips to galleries, museums and design conferences.

The course concludes with a negotiated major project and group exhibition in a professional gallery space. Students will have developed the skills necessary to work in the graphic design industry or continued study and will have the opportunity to build a professional portfolio.

Studying graphic design unleashes your creativity and equips you with the power to visually captivate audiences and shape unforgettable brand experiences in today’s dynamic digital world. This Graphic Design programme includes four key strands:

• Graphic Design covers typography, layout, visual identity, and publication design, establishing classic design principles.
• Illustration & Motion Design fosters creativity in illustration, editorial illustration, photography, and motion design for visual storytelling.
• UX Design focuses on UX/UI and interaction design for user-centric digital experiences.
• Design Theory provides a theoretical foundation in design principles, practices, and critical thinking for effective design.

The BA (Hons) in Graphic Design & Illustration is a 4-year course. It has a common first semester, after which students also have the opportunity to switch to another design programme if they wish (subject to available places).

Topics on the programme include Photography, Digital Media, Design History & Theory, Creative Problem Solving, Business & Entrepreneurial skills and an Ethical and Sustainable Design ethos. Graphic Design & Illustration students will learn about visual communications, illustration, typography, visual communications - major project, advanced digital design, and book arts for design.

This course is founded on strong design principles of research, content-generation and development, problem-identification and problem-solving. We value experimentation and thinking over ready-made and easily identifiable solutions, and we encourage processes that will develop our students' individual style and voice.

Students have the opportunity to explore a range of media and approaches, including various methods of animation, motion graphics, special FX, interaction, live action, dramatic and short-form documentary filmmaking.

This is a teacher education programme which aims to provide you with the opportunity to become a successful teacher of technology subjects at second level. These subjects include; Junior Certificate (Wood Technology, Graphics) and Leaving Certificate (Construction Studies, Design & Communication Graphics).

The programme is four years in duration and includes a number of school based teaching practice placements. These include a six week placement in the spring semester of year two and a further ten week placement in autumn semester of year four. These placements are designed to provide you, the student teacher, with a genuine opportunity for professional development under the supervision of faculty members of the University.

This degree with specialism in the teaching of Metalwork and Technology, is designed to produce graduates with technological and engineering skills to satisfy the needs of the Irish second level school system in relation to teaching Metalwork, Technical Graphics and Technology at Junior Cycle, and the subjects Technology, Engineering and Design & Communication Graphics at Leaving Certificate