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Undergraduate

UAL Creative Computing Institute Diploma

Students working in the studio surrounded by computing equipment
Students in the studio, 2021, UAL Creative Computing Institute, ©Ana Escobar
College
UAL Creative Computing Institute
Start date
September 2023
Course length
1 year

The UAL Diploma in Creative Computing (year in creative computing) enhances your UAL degree with the computational skills shaping the future of the digital creative industries. On successful completion of the diploma and the final year of your undergraduate degree you will graduate with an enhanced degree title, for example BA Hons, Design (with Creative Computing).

About this course

The UAL diploma in Creative Computing will give you a material understanding of the computational technologies that underpin much innovation in both the creative industries and arts and design practice. The diploma is also an opportunity to study with other undergraduates from across the university.

Creative graduates with advanced computing skills are in high demand and you will learn to code using industry standard languages and frameworks, how to develop apps and be introduced to emerging areas such as machine learning. You will also develop creative projects informed by these tools and techniques and gain an inside look at London’s digital creative economy.

The Institute provides dedicated technical resources and access to an Institute-wide lecture programme and further opportunities to engage with Institute researchers and practitioners through additional events, seminars and workshops. By studying at the UAL Creative Computing Institute, you will join at network of creatives excited by the potential of computational technologies.

Great reasons to apply:

  • Interdisciplinary Teaching: Offering the study of computing alongside creative practice, you will be exposed to different modes of learning that will help you develop a strong technical fluency with computational technologies with discovery-based learning rooted in creative practice.
  • A material understanding of computational technologies: You will develop an appreciation of what computation is in both a technical and cultural sense. This understanding will enable you to explore dominant ways of deploying technology at the level of code.
  • Research informed teaching: By design, the course is significantly informed by the research agenda of the Institute within which it sits. The course explores domains such as machine intelligence and how the contemporary world is being defined through human computer interaction and social platforms.
  • UAL Institute environment: This course represents the core undergraduate provision of the UAL Creative Computing Institute meaning that you will have access to a purpose-built physical environment and technical support, a public programme that explores the creative computing subject and exposure to creative computing research.
  • Critical engagement with technology: Through critical studies and creative practice, the course will provide you with the opportunities to question the trajectory of technology development and understand their role in producing the future.

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Course overview

The UAL Diploma in Creative Computing will give you a material understanding of the computational technologies that underpin much innovation in both the creative industries and arts and design practice. The Diploma also gives you the opportunity to study with other undergraduates from across the university in a specialist UAL Institute environment and augment your creative practice giving you new opportunities as a creative practitioner. On successful completion of the diploma and the final year of your undergraduate degree you will graduate with an enhanced degree title e.g. BA Hons, Design (with Creative Computing).

Creative graduates with advanced computing skills are in high demand and you will lean to code using industry standard languages and frameworks, how to develop apps and be introduced to emerging areas such as machine learning. You will also develop creative projects informed by these tools and techniques and gain an inside look at London’s digital creative economy, exploring both its working practices and the emerging opportunities for technology engaged creative graduates.

As a student at the UAL Creative Computing Institute you will study in a specialist and research rich environment. The Institute provides dedicated technical resources and access to an Institute wide lecture programme and further opportunities to engage with Institute researchers and practitioners through additional events, seminars and workshops. By studying at the UAL Creative Computing Institute, you will join at network of creatives excited by the potential of computational technologies.

Contact us

Register your interest to receive information and updates about studying at UAL.

Contact us to make an enquiry.

Course units

The unit statements below explain what you will study and how these fit together to provide you with a deep dive into creative computing outside your core creative specialism. The course maintains creative practice alongside the study of creative computing and an introduction to the digital creative industries of London in order that students are exposed to new opportunities and the professional contexts in a world hub of digital creative industries.

The first half of the course sees you study three units in parallel and aims to give an intense grounding in creative coding, computational concepts and creative computing practice.

Unit 1 Creative Coding and Creative Computing Frameworks (20 Credits)

This unit gives you a solid grounding in key coding languages for creative computing and key computational concepts and is designed to be accessible to different skill levels. This will be delivered in up to six hours a week of coding classes that cover languages and frameworks such as JavaScript, P5 and Python and workshops exploring tools and frameworks such as VVVV, Open Frameworks and Max MSP.

Unit 2 Introducing Computational Futures and Artificial Intelligence (20 Credits)

This unit explores the emerging area of Machine Learning and is mix of practical tasks introducing ML frameworks such as TensorFlow and seminars that look at emerging practice across the arts and creative industries that employ some level of artificial intelligence.

Unit 3 Creative Practice: Visual Coding and Physical Computing (20 Credits)

This unit is the creative application of the skills gained in this part of the course and you will produce creative visualisations that are controlled by sensors and actuators. This application of coding skills for visual output will include an introduction to physical computing and electronics prototyping with platforms such as Arduino and Micro:bit.

The second half of the course sees you study three units in parallel and aims to give students an expertise of the process of developing apps in teams it also introduces students to the digital creative industries of London and further develops their creative practice.

Unit 4 Creative Coding: Critical Infrastructures (20 Credits)

This unit builds on the computational futures and creative practice units and programming skills learned in these units. The aim of this unit is to further develop hands-on computing skills and your ability to think creatively and critically about the development of contemporary computing technology infrastructures and their wider social impact.

Unit 5 Work and the Digital Creative Industries (20 Credits)

The aim of this unit is to provide and in depth understanding of both the structure of the creative industries in London and the varied opportunities that exist in what is a diverse sector for people engaged with creative computing.

Unit 6 Creative Practice: Computational Environments (20 Credits)

This unit builds on the creative practice developed earlier in the course and explores scaling that practice by developing spatial interventions. You will explore projection mapping, computer vision and sound tools to explore computational environments.

Learning and teaching methods

The course is delivered through a series of seminars introducing core topics, providing context and explaining the purpose of tasks. In labs, you will work both individually and in groups to develop knowledge through a series of practical and creative exercises, undertaken throughout the course. You will work in a programming environment suitable for the creation of real-time, interactive software. In creative making units’ you will be introduced through a range of studio-based workshops and assignments supported where appropriate by lectures, seminars, critiques and visits. Independent creative practice is also required and the course aims to augment your creative practice giving you new opportunities as a creative practitioner.

Fees and funding

Home fee

£9,250 per year

This fee is correct for 2023/24 entry and is subject to change for 2024/25 entry.

Tuition fees may increase in future years for new and continuing students.

Home fees are currently charged to UK nationals and UK residents who meet the rules. However, the rules are complex. Find out more about our tuition fees and determining your fee status.

International fee

£24,550

This fee is correct for 2023/24 entry and is subject to change for 2024/25 entry.

Tuition fees for international students may increase by up to 5% in each future year of your course.

Students from countries outside of the UK will generally be charged international fees. The rules are complex so read more about tuition fees and determining your fee status.

Scholarship search

Entry requirements

To see the University’s Regulations on Admissions, please go to the following link:

http://www.arts.ac.uk/course-regulations/admissions/

The selection procedures for the course adhere to the Equal Opportunities policy of the University of the Arts London.

Admission to the Diploma in Creative Computing adheres to progression regulations where students are expected to have completed 2 years’ previous study up to Level 5 (or equivalent) in the subject area of their course. Should students fail any credits, during that period, progression regulations would apply whether they could undertake the DCC year.

Selection criteria

Your performance on the first year and second of study on your current BA course will be taken into consideration with reference to your Course Leader. This will include consideration of your past studentship, attendance, commitment and performance. The overriding concern will be to ensure that, you will have the skills, motivation and commitment to undertake computational practice and to develop self-initiated projects.

It is vital that you demonstrate that you are an independent learner able to manage your academic studies learning experience and deadlines, initiate projects and steer the quality of your experience. It is also vital you demonstrate that you will be able to thrive in a computationally oriented environment which requires full attendance across a coding intensive curriculum.

Your application will be reviewed in the light of below listed criteria:

  • A good level of general creative ability;
  • A sufficient level of technical and craft skill in your disciplinary area and evidence of creative computing practice;
  • An ability to articulate and express your creative ideas;
  • A clear and feasible proposal of intent and ambition;
  • An ability to work as part of a collaborative team;
  • Evidence of motivation and commitment through past performance;

Apply now

Applications for 2023/24 entry are now open.

Please apply here using our online form.

You will need to be logged in to your UAL email account to complete your application

Key Dates:

  • The first round of applications for the Diploma are open until Friday 24 March 2023. Please note that due to limited places and following your completion of this application, we will inform students who we’re able to make offers to by Friday 21 April 2023.
  • The second round of applications will be open until Sunday 28 May 2023. We will inform applicants who we’re able to make offers to by Friday 23 June 2023.
  • Funding: Students in receipt of UK student loans will normally be eligible for funding in this additional year of study within your degree programme in the usual way, however we will check your individual eligibility with you during the admission process.

Please apply here using our online form.



You will need to be logged in to your UAL email account to complete your application

Key Dates:

  • The first round of applications for the Diploma are open until Friday 24 March 2023. Please note that due to limited places and following your completion of this application, we will inform students who we’re able to make offers to by Friday 21 April 2023.
  • The second round of applications will be open until Sunday 28 May 2023. We will inform applicants who we’re able to make offers to by Thursday 23 June 2023.
  • Funding: This is an extra year of study within your degree programme so will need to be funded by you.
  • Study visas: On confirmation of offer we will work with you to check if any extension to your study visa is required and cannot confirm your place in the diploma until these are satisfied.

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After you apply

Communicating with you

After you have registered your interest with us we will invite you to information sessions.

What happens next?

Following the review of applications we select a number of applicants to undertake the diploma and will work with you to confirm your place on the diploma.

How we notify you of the outcome of your application

You will receive communication via email once your offer of a diploma place is secured.

Careers

Developing your skills

Adding the UAL Creative Computing to your current UAL degree means you will possess a material understanding of computational technologies and a set of computing and coding skills much in demand across the digital sector.

Career paths

Diploma students will be well paced to work in the following roles:

  • Creative Technologist
  • Creative Developer
  • Web Developer
  • UX Developer
  • Software Developer
  • IoT / Smart Products Developer
  • Front – End Developer
  • Digital Strategist
  • Live Events Technologist
  • Technology Researcher
  • Machine Intelligence Developer
  • Broadcast Technologist
  • IT Specialist
  • Digital Project Manager
  • Digital Entrepreneur
  • Digital Creative
  • Interactive Designer