The Professional Certificate in AI for Design helps creative practitioners integrate AI into their design process and shape the future of their field. Through a critical, practical, and future-facing lens, the programme explores the power and potential of designing for and with AI. Learners will develop technical, ethical, and conceptual fluency in AI tools while anticipating what’s next in design innovation.

First Year Studies at NCAD gives you the solid foundation that you require for entry into the variety of creative paths of study offered by the college. First Year Studies is a common entry course that leads our students to studying any one of the fourteen different studio specialisms available in NCAD

The School of Fine Art, Paint, Print, Sculpture , Media, Textile Art & Artefact and Ceramics & Glass ( Applied Hard Materials) ; and in the School of Design, Graphics, Illustration, Moving Image Design, Fashion Design, Textile Surface Design, Jewellery & Objects, Product Design and Interaction Design.

All these specialisms can also be studied as a Joint Honours Degree with Education or as a Studio specialism with Visual Culture.

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.

Design outcomes are realised through the production of design samples, fabric collections, visualisations and/or products and prototypes. The college offers an excellent range of facilities for realising design work including digital print, screen print, transfer print and weaving while external manufacturing services such as laser-cutting, computer-aided weaving, multi-head embroidery, and finishing are also utilised. 

All departments in the School of Fine Art - Media, Painting, Fine Print , Sculpture and Applied Materials - help students to develop a highly individual way of seeing and interpreting, and of expressing themselves visually.  Emphasis is placed on visual awareness and artistic analysis, on acquiring skills in the use of both traditional and new materials and media.

Do you like to solve problems and to think ‘outside the box’? If so, a career as an art teacher might be just the right choice for you.

The BA in Education and Design or Education and Fine Art is a Joint Honours award. That means you follow the full degree course in Fine Art or Design as well as taking a dedicated teacher education programme as a professional qualification. This Joint Honours course takes four years to complete, as compared to the three-year single discipline Fine Art or Design degree.

Fashion Design aims to educate students to become professional practitioners in the field of fashion and related industries. Students are encouraged to have an awareness of fashion in its social and cultural context and to bring that understanding to their work.

The department places great value on its industry and professional links that gives students an insight into real-world commercial requirements. Emphasis is placed on developing informed, creative designers, who are prepared for the needs of industry.

Product Design is about shaping the world around us. Most objects, from toys to medical devices and from furniture to consumer electronics are subject to product design.

This is possible because product design is a versatile process that can be applied to many different contexts. At its core, product design is about understanding people and how they experience and interact with their surroundings. This kind of training enables graduates to help make the world a fairer, more inclusive and sustainable place.

The BA in Visual Culture offers a unique opportunity to study the history, theory and analysis of art, design, architecture, fashion and screen culture in the setting of a leading art and design college. The programme is suitable for anyone with a broad interest in history, culture and society.

You will be educated to become visually literate, expressive and articulate. On graduation you will have gained a broad range of critical and research skills associated with an arts degree. Our graduates work in arts and heritage management, in exhibition curation and education, in festivals and events organisation, and in the media. 

In a culturally-rich and dynamic environment, students will be encouraged to develop their image-making skills and problem-solving abilities throughout the programme; whilst constantly being challenged to create original work that is strong in content and aesthetically engaging. Thorough research is an on-going necessity so that students will be able to respond to diverse and demanding project briefs, guided by enthusiastic and experienced staff.

From apps and websites to connected products and wearable technologies, Interaction Design is about designing the way people communicate and interact at home, work or play. Interaction designers explore the relationship between people and technology to design digital products, apps, user experiences and services. Interaction designers create the future, and shape the digital products of tomorrow. 

The programme seeks to empower students from fields such as design, business, sociology, systems thinking, education, banking, technology and the public sector to shape the services of the future through design thinking and doing.

Do you want to develop your creative making and critical thinking skills in a meaningful and tangible way? If so, this Professional Certificate in Art and Ecology may be just what you’re looking for.

This module introduces learners to fundamental principles, working methods, skills and theories relating to intersections of contemporary art with ecology. A special emphasis will be placed on ‘learning through doing’ in a series of workshops and situated environmental learning.

The programme works directly with an urban embedded novel ecology of the NCAD FIELD site. This taskscape acts as an outdoor classroom, a site for nature connection, commoning and a testing site for multi-species futures.

The programme supports a range of creative approaches and interdisciplinary art and design practitioners that wish to connect and work in the space of critical ecologies and expanded environments.

Learners aiming to evolve as artists, curators, activists, designers and cultural producers will be supported, giving them the tools, networks and knowledge to confidently work in this interdisciplinary field.

This 8-week (sessions from March to November) blended course offers you grounding in art and health context and connects you with leading figures of practice.

There is a growing evidence base for the role of arts improving health and wellbeing. Healthcare systems around the world are struggling and new approaches to healthcare challenges are needed. Arts and health are key contributors to these changes.

The AFA major in musical theatre offers a conservatory and holistic approach to musical theatre training, one that not only concentrates on a participatory performance perspective, but also prepares the student for a wide and exciting range of careers available in the performing arts industry.

While performance remains an integral component of the programme, students are also prepared for the vast array of work that supports and produces performance, such as directing and staging, creating written material for performance, production, management, marketing and funding of the performing arts. The programme is based around live theatrical performance, whilst also preparing the graduate for further study in all cognate specialisms in musical theatre, as well as the required preparation skills for the professional industry.

Our partnered BA in Animation is available on a full-time basis over a three-year period and is taught on campus at Pulse College. The course will introduce you to valuable professional workflows and teach you everything from the basics of animation, 2D animation techniques, through to full 3D modelling.

• Students will gain experience in all the fundamentals of animation from 2D animation techniques to 3D modelling to storyboarding to Comic Books and Sequential Art.
• You will receive hands-on training from professionals vastly experienced within the animation industry.
• The practical nature of the course, including the development of an industry standard portfolio will prepare learners for work in the Animation sector
• Small class sizes ensure that you get the one-on-one attention needed to perfect your technical and creative skills.
• Pulse College will set you on the right track to achieving your professional and academic goals whether you want to be an animator, character designer for games, concept artist, or VFX animator.

• Students will gain experience in all the fundamentals of animation from 2D animation techniques to 3D modelling to storyboarding to Comic Books and Sequential Art.
• You will receive hands-on training from professionals vastly experienced within the animation industry.
• The practical nature of the course, including the development of a polished and exciting portfolio, will prepare learners for work in the sector
• You will be introduced to valuable professional workflows and teach you everything from the basics of animation through to full 3D modelling
• Small class sizes ensure that you get the one-on-one attention needed to perfect your technical and creative skills

As part of this programme, Apprentices will engage in on-the-job training with a SOLAS approved employer. Off-the-job training will take place in the classroom.