Design combines independent thinking and creativity with practical and technical skills to shape useful and aesthetic solutions to people’s needs. When grounded in a deep reflection on diverse historical, social, and cultural values, design can change society.
Discover how to create the change you seek with our globally accomplished practitioners, makers, and thinkers. Learn real-world skills alongside like-minded people within a supportive and inclusive culture.
Explore a diverse array of design disciplines at UNSW. Our comprehensive suite of design disciplines empowers students to unleash their creativity, foster innovation, and develop the skills necessary to shape the world through impactful and visionary design solutions.
When studying computational design, you will gain unique and in-demand skills across architecture, design, computer science and engineering. You will learn to think critically and creatively as you bring your design solutions to life in our studio-based classes.
Integrated design is a unique specialisation that takes an interdisciplinary approach to solving design challenges. It equips students with valuable knowledge and skills across multiple design disciplines. Disciplines in Integrated design include:
Impact and influence the way we live by designing the products, systems and services we use daily. Gain the experience and confidence to turn your innovative thinking into strategic solutions that are functional, emotionally engaging and fulfill a genuine demand or societal need.
Our educators at UNSW are distinguished practitioners, researchers, and visionaries in contemporary visual arts, creativity, culture, design, and innovation, representing both Australian expertise and global perspectives. Through their guidance, you'll not only gain invaluable insights but also forge connections within our industry partnerships, ensuring our rigorous design courses meet real-world industry demands.
Our design degrees foster essential proficiencies in digital and physical production, critical thinking, emerging technologies, design research, management, and entrepreneurship. Engage in professional practice within design studio-based environments, complemented by theoretical studies and captivating elective coursework, cultivating your design thinking, innovation, and contextual awareness. Empowered to challenge norms, you'll seek inventive solutions, transforming the use of materials, systems, processes, and technologies.
Located amidst Sydney's vibrant cultural and creative industry hub, UNSW's dedicated Art & Design campus in Paddington provides exceptional facilities such as museum-standard galleries, a state-of-the-art making centre, open studios, private workspaces, a cutting-edge 3Dx lab, student lounges, and collaborative spaces, fostering an environment conducive to exploration and creativity.
Design your future career
Study design with UNSW Arts, Design & Architecture and become part of the most diverse faculty at UNSW, a global top 20 university (QS World University Rankings, 2025). Our graduates are highly sought after across a broad range of professional design disciplines in global institutions, major corporations, bespoke agencies, and studios.
Here are some examples of jobs in design across a range of industries:
Graphic Designer
Illustrator
User Experience (UX) Designer
Object Designer
Textile Designer
Jewellery Designer
Animator
Industrial and Product Designer
Service Designer
Lighting Designer
Exhibition and Event Designer
Design Critic or Theorist
Colour, Materials and Finishes (CMF) designer
Product branding, product development, and marketing strategist
Packaging design technologist
User experience and interaction (UX/UI) designer
Ergonomist or human factors engineering specialist
Service designer
Systems designer
Industrial design manager
Technical product manager
Chief design officer
Digital Marketer
Digital Media Producer
Social Media Creator
Advertising Creative
Visual Communicator
Software solutions developer
Gaming environment developer
Design technology manager
3D product modeler, renderer, or visualiser
Web Designer
System Designer
Digital Fabrication Designer
User Interface Designer
Game Development Specialist
App Designer
Virtual Reality Designer
3D Visualisation Specialist
Computer-Aided Design (CAD) draftsperson
Architectural and urban design specialist
Smart cities consultant
Urban data analyst
Digital fabrication and smart-manufacturing specialist
Building information model implementer
UNSW Design Alumni
School of Art & Design alumni secure careers in the cultural and creative industries across Australia and internationally. You can view find out more about our UNSW Art & Design graduates here.
For me, the most valuable gift from my time at UNSW are the relationships I built with mentors, friends and now industry peers.
In addition to the above courses, we offer the below undergraduate single degrees with a minor in integrated design, industrial design and computational design:
Honours is an extra year of study that offers you a chance to develop your research and professional skills guided by staff who are passionate about research and the development of new researchers.
You can develop further expertise in design through the following postgraduate programs
Postgraduate research through a PhD or Master of Philosophy (MPhil) will deepen your expertise and help you develop a broad intellectual sophistication, research, and professional skills that are prized by employers. You’ll have access to first-rate facilities and world-class supervisors at the forefront of their fields in fine arts. Find out more.
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