Art and Design

Art and design is a broad and practice-based discipline that encompasses the creation of visual and material work across a wide range of forms, from painting, printmaking, sculpture, and photography to graphic communication, product design, textiles, and digital media. Studying art and design at degree level develops not just technical skills but a rigorous way of thinking visually, generating ideas through making, responding to briefs with creativity and critical judgement, and situating your own work in relation to art history, contemporary practice, and the social and cultural contexts in which art is produced and received.

At the University of Stirling you will study this four-year full-time programme, which includes a year abroad. The international year gives you the opportunity to engage with art and design education in a different cultural context, encountering different artistic traditions, communities, and ways of working that can reshape your practice and broaden your visual vocabulary. Stirling's scenic campus and its connections to Scottish and international arts organisations provide a rich environment for creative study.

Across the programme you will develop your practical skills in chosen areas of art and design alongside critical and historical study, working in studios and workshops and building a body of work that demonstrates your creative development. The typical entry tariff is 184 points.

Graduates from art and design programmes work as practising artists, illustrators, graphic designers, product designers, art directors, educators, curators, and arts administrators. Many establish independent practices, often combining their own creative work with teaching, commercial commissions, or residencies. Others move into roles in design agencies, publishing, advertising, the games industry, film and television production design, and fashion.

Further study in fine art, design, curating, or art education is a path taken by many graduates, and postgraduate exhibitions and residency programmes are important routes into professional practice.