3D Design Innovation BA (Hons)

Why choose this course?

On this course you will explore digital making through scalable projects and be introduced to a wide set of technological skills, while being empowered with entrepreneurial and enterprise ambition.

As a designer you will develop problem-solving skills that can help shape the society, human environment, and design for the planet for a better and sustainable future. How you decide to respond to a real community or business problem is open, defined as ‘Adventure Learning', we see the designer as a critical social detective who develops new sustainable solutions through objects, systems, UX (user experience), UI (user interface), environments, or services by using the appropriate tools of innovation.

The course sits within the industry-facing 3D Design Department that allows for interdisciplinary activities with Product, Furniture, and Interior Design colleagues.

Please note: this course is still subject to validation. Some course information may not be available at this time.

Attendance	UCAS code	Year of entry
3 years full time		2025

Please note: this course is still subject to validation.

Please note: Teaching on this course may take place on more than one KU campus.

Main location

Kingston School of Art, Knights Park

Reasons to choose Kingston

The course sits within a department that has unique industry partnerships with leading British design agencies meaning you can work closely with designers and directors in their studios.
You will have access to all workshops to test and prototype using any process from VR to ceramics, arc welding to laser cutting, and 3D printing to Arduino.

The Art School Experience

As part of Kingston School of Art, students on this course benefit from joining a creative community where collaborative working and critical practice are encouraged.

Our workshops and studios are open to all disciplines, enabling students and staff to work together, share ideas and explore multi-disciplinary making.

Explore our world-class facilities

Two students collaborate on a design project.

What you will study

The 3D Design Innovation BA (Hons) at Kingston School of Art explores digital craft making through scalable projects from objects to UI/UX and spatial, product, and service design. On this course you will investigate the role of design within society and culture and equip students with a wide set of innovation tools (2D & 3D CAD to CAM manufacturing, XR, VR, AR, and AI) which will enable you to thrive in a rapidly changing cultural and technological work place.

You will undertake projects aligned with real-world objectives, allowing you to chart your own creative journey: from small craft projects to impactful community initiatives. There is an emphasis on global social, environmental, political, and economic concerns of the discipline providing you with global context and real industry understanding. Critical and Historical Studies will underpin the theoretical approach to practical work, where you will learn from the past to inform the present and the future.

Working directly with, lecturers, the local community, industry and businesses, you will get the opportunity to develop your skills through live projects woven into the structure of the curriculum, providing an authentic professional practice experience.

Future Skills

Knowledge to give you the edge

Embedded within every course curriculum and throughout the whole Kingston experience, Future Skills will play a role in shaping you to become a future-proof graduate, providing you with the skills most valued by employers such as problem-solving, digital competency, and adaptability.

As you progress through your degree, you'll learn to navigate, explore and apply these graduate skills, learning to demonstrate and articulate to employers how future skills give you the edge.

At Kingston University, we're not just keeping up with change, we're creating it.

Learn employability enhancing Future Skills

A female engineering student, in the engineering lab.

Entry requirements

Typical offer 2025

UCAS tariff points: 120-136

Level 3 qualifications, including Art and Design subjects (i.e. A-levels, BTEC Diploma, Access Diploma, IB Diploma, etc.). The preferred entry route is to first take a Foundation Diploma in Art and Design or recognised equivalent course.

Additional requirements

Entry onto this course will require submission of a digital portfolio as part of the application process. Further details about the portfolio will also be sent via email after submission of application.

See portfolio guidance below for more information about how to prepare your portfolio.

International

All non-UK applicants must meet our English Language requirements. For this course it is Academic IELTS of 6.0 overall, with no element below 5.5.

Make sure you read our full guidance about English language requirements, which includes details of other qualifications we consider.

Applicants who do not meet the English language requirements could be eligible to join our pre-sessional English language course.

Applicants from a recognised majority English speaking countries (MESCs) do not need to meet these requirements.

Country-specific information

You will find more information on country-specific entry requirements in the International section of our website.

Find your country:

Portfolio guidance

Applicants are required to send alongside the UCAS application and personal statement, a portfolio of 20 to 25 pages with an additional ten pages outlined below.

Digital portfolio format

Your portfolio will need to be in landscape orientation and saved/uploaded as a PDF file. Include a title for the project or image for each page of the PDF. A short description of project will help explain your intentions and response to a brief.

You may want to answer the following questions to structure your descriptions:

What was successful about your approach to the project?
What might you do differently next time?

You may have an animation or moving image/film which can be uploaded to Vimeo, Flickr or YouTube – please supply these links in your portfolio and make sure they are active and work on all platforms.

Even if you have expressed an interest in animation, it's not a requirement to include moving image to be offered a place.

Digital portfolio content

Please include the following in your digital portfolio:

Evidence of thinking about and testing ideas
E.g. pages from sketchbooks, development pages, worksheets, notebooks.
Evidence of researching
E.g. pages from sketchbooks, development pages, worksheets, notebooks. Whilst we want to see research and development work, make sure that the majority of the portfolio is your own work rather than the work of artists/designers that have inspired you.
Developmental work demonstrating how a project has progressed from brief through to outcome
E.g. pages from sketchbooks, development pages, worksheets, notebooks.
Drawing from life
E.g. observational drawing, life drawing or drawing on location.
Narrative, storytelling, or sequential work
E.g. a series of images that are sequential, comic/graphic novel works, a story told in a single image, animation, moving image.
Experimentation with a range of different materials process and techniques
E.g. drawing, printmaking, collage, 3D, digital works, photography, moving image.

Additional 10 pages to include in your portfolio

Please include five pages or images which show a project that has somehow been transformational in your development as a creative. This should be presented from the beginning (brief) to end (outcome), showing the process of how you got there. You may consider selecting a project where you tried out a new way of working and it was successful or you got great feedback from your peers and tutor or perhaps it was a real failure but you learnt a great deal in the process.

Use the last five pages or images to show us visually who you are, what you are interested in or what inspires you. Choose one thing that we should know about you. To make, take or find images that visually communicates this to us. E.g. drawings of a location you find inspiring, paintings of a hobby you enjoy, photos event or moment you find interesting, or make a model of a favourite possession.

How will your portfolio be reviewed?

Due to the possibility of travel restrictions relating to Covid-19 the Kingston School of Art (KSA) courses will not be able to undertake interviews. The Course staff team and student panel will undertake the selection process, considering the quality of your creative practice presented in your portfolio, your personal statement and your UCAS application with your supporting references.

Typical offer and UCAS points explained

Like most universities, we use the UCAS Tariff point system for our course entry requirements.

Find out more about UCAS Tariff points and see how A-level, AS level, BTEC Diploma and T-level qualifications translate to the points system.

Fees and funding

2025/26 fees for this course

The tuition fee you pay depends on whether you are assessed as a 'Home' (UK), 'Islands' or 'International' student. In 2025/26 the fees for this course are:

Fee category	Amount
Home (UK students)	£9,250*
International	Year 1 (2025/26): £19,500 Year 2 (2026/27): £20,300 Year 3 (2027/28): £21,100

For courses with a sandwich year, the fee for the placement year can be viewed on the undergraduate fees table. The placement fee published is for the relevant academic year stated in the table. This fee is subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body.

* For full time programmes of a duration of more than one academic year, the published fee is an annual fee, payable each year, for the duration of the programme. Your annual tuition fees cover your first attempt at all of the modules necessary to complete that academic year. A re-study of any modules will incur additional charges calculated by the number of credits. Home tuition fees may be subject to annual increases but will not increase by more than the fee caps as prescribed by the Office for Students or such other replacing body. Full time taught International fees are subject to an annual increase and are published in advance for the full duration of the programme.

Eligible UK students can apply to the Government for a tuition loan, which is paid direct to the University. This has a low interest rate which is charged from the time the first part of the loan is paid to the University until you have repaid it.

Need to know more?

Our undergraduate fees and funding section provides information and advice on money matters.

Course changes and regulations

The information on this page reflects the currently intended course structure and module details. To improve your student experience and the quality of your degree, we may review and change the material information of this course. Course changes explained.

Programme Specifications for the course are published ahead of each academic year.

Regulations governing this course can be found on our website.