Great Degrees for UX Designers: How to Get Started

UX design is a booming job market with many lucrative opportunities – but it is also highly competitive. While some professionals can become UX designers through self-learning, completing a degree program can be the best route to standing out.

At LIS, we offer an interdisciplinary program to help students gain a wide range of core skills and problem-solving abilities. Whether they stick to UX design or want to make a career switch, we provide them with all the knowledge and expertise they need to succeed.

This guide explores why you should get a UX design degree and deep-dives into some excellent degree options.

Table of Contents

• Do You Need a Degree To Become a UX Designer?
• What Do UX Designers Do?
• Great UX Design Degree Programs to Jumpstart Your Career 
• Can You Gain a Certification in UX Design?
• Planning Your Career in UX Design
• How to Choose the Right UX Program

While you can self-teach, many UX design job openings require a strong portfolio, industry experience and practical skills. Aspiring UX designers can gain all these requirements and more by completing a bachelor’s degree.

Achieving a bachelor’s degree also helps you stand out in the job market. It shows employers that you are passionate about learning about the industry and have all the requirements for professionals in this field.

These are the concepts a typical UX design degree pathway covers:

• Human-Computer Interaction
• User Research
• Graphic Design
• Usability Testing
• Design Tools
• Visual Design
• Visual Communication

A degree will help you gain all these fundamental skills and the practical experience to implement them.

UX designers optimise the interaction between humans and products or services to make them more accessible and enjoyable. These products can be physical or digital and include everything from websites and mobile apps to coffee machines. 

Here are the typical day-to-day responsibilities of UX designers:

• Stay ahead of industry trends to maintain a competitive edge in products and services.
• Identify target users and conduct research through interviews or surveys to broaden this understanding. 
• Produce solutions like flow diagrams, site maps, storyboards and graphic designs.
• Perform A/B testing on specific product or service elements.
• Guide UX implementation and techniques. 

While these are typical responsibilities for UX designers, your exact job specifications will vary depending on where you work and what the project entails. 

To start your career as a successful UX designer, we have outlined excellent degree pathways to get you on the right track. 

Arts and Sciences: Interdisciplinary Problems and Methods (BASc) – The London Interdisciplinary School 

The London Interdisciplinary School (LIS) offers a BASc degree covering many core skills. In contrast to most UX design degree programs, this pathway doesn’t specialise in one field. Instead, students can develop valuable interdisciplinary skills that they can apply across various careers. This approach to learning equips students with the knowledge to excel in UX design or progress to a different design field in the future.

The BASc degree gives students a toolset that provides ultimate flexibility. In addition, LIS brokers summer internships, allowing eligible students to apply their knowledge to real-world use cases. They can also establish industry connections, making it easier to find a job after graduation.

Key Curriculum:

• Qualitative Methods: Close reading, participant observation, and visual analysis are foundational for UX research and interface design.
• Design Thinking: Human-centred design processes align with UX principles of prototyping and empathy mapping.
• Quantitative Methods: Data science and machine learning can be applied to user behaviour analysis.
• Capstone Project: Focus on a project in an area you’re passionate about. This is a chance to create or refine digital products using interdisciplinary approaches.

Fees:

• £9,000 / a year for home students
• £15,000 / a year for international students

Financial Aid:

• Hardship grants: Awarded on a case-by-case basis, LIS helps students who experience unexpected financial hardship through these grants. 
• Financial support bursary: Eligible students can apply for bursaries between £1,000 and £7,000 annually. These bursaries are awarded based on household income or similar circumstances, preventing students from self-funding their tuition.
• Income from internships: Qualifying students who have joined an internship and earn at least the London Living Wage can apply for this financial support. 

Key Takeaways:

• Eligible students can apply for summer internships to develop real-world skills and industry networks.
• The tuition costs for home and international students are more affordable than other UX design degree programs.
• There are various financial aid options available.
• LIS provides career support and wellbeing programs to students well-equipped to break into the UX design industry.
• The comprehensive course content covers critical skills that learners can transfer to a wide range of careers in the future. 

BA (Hons) User Experience Design – University of the Arts London

The University of the Arts London (UAL) provides the BA (Hons) User Experience Design degree pathway to help students gain a deep knowledge of this field. Many UX designers have opted for this program. It explores UX and user interaction design (UID) for emerging technologies, and students will learn to specialise in various methods, techniques and tools. 

This degree also covers hands-on UX skills. Learners will build interfaces and create sensor-driven interactive environments. UAL also delivers lectures from industry experts, and students will regularly contact businesses to complete real-world UX design projects. 

Curriculum:

• Design Thinking
• Communicating the Creative Process
• Design Cultures
• Creative Proposal

Fees:

• £9,250 / a year for home students
• £28,570 / a year for international students

Financial Aid:

• The University Hardship Fund: Eligible students with household incomes lower than £55,000 can apply for this scholarship. 
• UAL Bursaries: UAL offers bursaries worth £1,300 to all eligible home-fee-paying students.
• Summer Hardship Fund: Eligible students with household incomes lower than £50,000 or who have a disability can apply for financial assistance. 

Key Takeaways:

• There are many financial aid solutions available to help students afford this degree.
• This program focuses on competitive UX design skills so students can learn current methods and tools.
• Students can develop industry connections and a portfolio through hands-on projects. 

User Experience Design BSc (Hons) – Norwich University of the Arts

Aspiring UX designers can study the User Experience Design BSc (Hons) degree at the Norwich University of the Arts. This program emphasises the importance of practical skills and enables students to interpret project briefs, conduct discovery research, develop prototypes and test and refine them into successful concepts.

Students will connect with industry experts and enter national and international design competitions. They will also be able to leave with an outstanding CV and portfolio that design professionals have reviewed. 

Curriculum:

• Visual Communication
• Graphic Design
• Mobil UX
• Wireframing

Fees:

• £9,250 / a year for home students
• £18,000 / a year for international students

Financial Aid:

• Student Loans: There aren’t many scholarships available for home-fee-paying students, but they can apply for government student loans to fund their studies. 
• Vice-Chancellor’s UG Scholarship: This merit-based scholarship is worth £15,000 for eligible international students. 
• International UG Awards: Qualifying international students can apply for £2,000 toward their studies based on academic achievement. 

Key Takeaways:

• Limited scholarships are available for home-fee-paying students, so they must consider student loans.
• There is a wide variety of opportunities available to gain real-world expertise.
• Students will leave this degree program with a portfolio and CV to showcase to potential employers. 

BA (Hons) User-Experience and User-Interface Design – Ravensbourne University London

Ravensbourne University London offers a BA (Hons) in User-Experience and User-Interface Design for three years of full-time study. This program equips students with the skills to create innovative digital products and mobile apps. You can better understand user behaviour and the factors influencing how users experience digital products and services. 

This pathway also prompts students to develop portfolios based on user research and design experimentation. They also learn core skills from industry experts, helping them build professional connections. 

Curriculum:

• User research
• Experience design
• Interaction design
• Visual design

Fees:

• £9,250 / a year for home students
• £17,000 / a year for international students

Financial Aid:

• The Ravensbourne Aspire Scheme: This bursary scheme rewards new full-time undergraduate students with £100 and discounts for Mac and PC laptops. 
• The Ravensbourne bursary: Eligible students with household incomes lower than £25,000 can receive an automatic cash award of £500. 
• Undergraduate international scholarships: International fee-paying students will receive a scholarship of £3,500 for their first year of study. 

Key Takeaways:

• Students can benefit from various funding solutions.
• This university offers competitive tuition costs for international students. 
• Students will gain hands-on expertise, build portfolios, and learn core skills to become UX designers. 

Web and User Experience Design BSc (Hons) – Manchester Metropolitan University

Students wanting a career in UX design can study the Web and User Experience Design BSc (Hons) degree at Manchester Metropolitan University. They can complete this degree in three years, studying full-time. Or, they can opt for the four-year option and complete an integrated foundation or placement year.

This program will teach professionals critical coding, design, and research skills. They will also gain real-world experience by completing an independent project that showcases their talents. 

Curriculum:

• Introduction to Design
• User Experience Theories
• User Experience Design Process
• Working in a Digital World

Fees:

• £9,250 / a year for home students
• £18,500 – £20,000 / a year for international students

Financial Aid:

• International Student Scholarships: Eligible undergraduate students who are international fee-paying can apply for £2,000 for each year of their degree.
• Vice-Chancellor’s  International Regional Scholarships: Self-funding international students from eligible regions with excellent academic performance can apply for a 50% tuition cost reduction in their first year of study. 

Key Takeaways:

• This program offers a placement year and opportunities to study abroad. 
• There are limited scholarships and bursaries for home-fee-paying students.
• The tuition costs for international students are higher than for most degree programs. 

Yes, you can gain a certification in UX design. While UX design professionals don’t require a certification to enter the job market, it will give your application a competitive advantage. 

You can expand your skills and gain certifications in a UX-related field like computer science – or complete short courses like ours at LIS to further your interdisciplinary skills.

Here are the courses we offer to help UX designers stand out:

• Cross-Functional Leadership: UX design students will gain interdisciplinary skills to lead teams across various departments. 
• Systems Thinking for Sustainability: Students will explore how systems thinking works and how it addresses interconnected environmental and social challenges.
• Risk and Reputation: Students will understand critical leadership skills. This course covers interdisciplinary knowledge and skills necessary to understand and leverage the power of online communities in today's media-driven world. 

At LIS, we make it easier for students to launch UX design careers through comprehensive courses that cover critical skills for these jobs. Like our bachelor’s degree, students can transfer these leadership, critical thinking, and communication skills to various careers in the future.

Planning your career as a UX designer takes careful consideration.

To help you, here are the top skills employers look for, the average salary for professionals and job outlook.

What UX Design Skills Do Employers Look For

To make your job applications stand out, it’s imperative to have the technical and soft skills that employers seek. Here are the top skills to include in your resume:

• Communication: This skill is imperative for UX designers as they must be able to convey their product ideas and design plans to team members.
• Prototyping: In the UX world, you must be able to create prototypes. This allows designers to carry out usability tests on new features, validate new ideas, and try various design options. 
• Coding: Knowing how to code is imperative in development and design. Professionals must stay current with the latest programming languages and tools. 
• Visual Design: UX designers must know how to use graphic design software, such as Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop and Stigma. 
• Interaction Design: UX professionals must know and have skills in interaction design to boost a product or service’s user experience and usability.

What is the Average Salary for UX Designers

To become a UX designer in the UK, you can expect an average salary of £56,284 annually. 

Entry-level professionals earn £48,619, while experts in this field earn £91,416 per year. This is a very high salary potential, highlighting how important it is for aspiring designers to gain formal qualifications and stand out from other applicants. 

Will The UX Design Job Market Grow? 

UX design-related jobs will grow by 8%, faster than the average career growth. So, professionals who want to become a UX designer can expect increased job opportunities. However, this makes it imperative for professionals to stay competitive and keep ahead of industry trends and the latest tools and solutions. 

Select the right UX design degree for you through these factors: 

• Project-based Learning: Students must have a complete portfolio after graduation. So, choose a program that requires you to work on projects and develop hands-on expertise. In addition to a portfolio, employers will prioritise candidates with practical skills. 
• Expert Lecturers: Ensure the degree program you choose must be taught by industry experts. Your lecturers must have extensive industry experience to help you learn valuable skills and the latest technology. 
• Schedule: Choose a degree program that works for your schedule. Some pathways offer full-time and part-time study options. Check the class times and dates and ensure you can attend. 
• Tuition Costs: Tuition costs vary between degree programs, whether you are an international or home-based student. This includes your classes, learning materials, accommodation, and other similar expenses. 
• Financial Aid: Prioritise degree pathways that have various financial support options available. You may not want to opt for student loans, so having access to bursaries and scholarships is helpful. 

Study with LIS and Become a UX Designer Today

UX design is a competitive career path with a high potential for growth in the future. While many professionals in this field opt for the self-learning route, a degree in UX design will equip you with all the skills, resources and experience you need for a successful career.

To remain competitive, aspiring UX designers must focus on the skills employers seek and stay ahead of the latest tools, technologies, and methods. 

At LIS, we deliver a comprehensive degree program that covers interdisciplinary skills. Our graduates can progress into a wide range of career paths and have the flexibility to transfer their knowledge to different fields.

Want to become a UX designer? Contact us today. 

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