BA Honours in Design

An NQF level 7 qualification in an appropriate design discipline with an average of 60% for the final year of study.

A letter of motivation where you outline your initial proposal and intention for a final project, for instance, exploring how illustration can be used in health awareness poster design, or how decolonisation has influenced fashion design, of proximately 1500 words.

Inscape subscribes to the National Policy for the Implementation of the Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) developed by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) in co-operation with the policies of RPL, CAT and Assessment in Higher Education developed by the Council on Higher Education (CHE). RPL permits you to gain access to formal programs offered by INSCAPE based on the level and extent of your knowledge. Your prior learning will be measured against our specified and prescribed learning outcomes.

International students

For admissions to the BA Honours in Design programme, any foreign qualification at an equivalent level to the NQF level 7 must be submitted to South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) for evaluation of equivalence. Once this has been confirmed and Inscape has received the documentation the application will be considered.

In this course students complete all core subjects and two elective subjects.

Core subjects

• Research methodology
• Design innovation
• Service design
• Applied writing
• Research dissertation
• Practical portfolio

In the core subjects Research Methodology, Design Innovation and Applied Writing you will learn more about where design has come from and where it may be going in the future.

You will learn how to apply sound research skills to innovative projects, plus how to communicate their concepts, ideas, strategies and plans on a variety of platforms for both academic and industry audiences.

The other core subjects include Service Design where all students participate in a group project aimed to solve a real-world problem in an industry or community context.

In the Research Dissertation and Practical Portfolio, you will complete an in-depth investigation in an aspect of their design discipline.

Elective subjects

In the first semester of the course you may select two of the following elective subjects:

Sustainable design 

Considers design as an approach that can be used to positively influence society and the environment. It includes theories and strategies that consider the environment, communities and ethics in defining and generating design solutions. Students develop the knowledge and skills that will assist with research, collaboration and facilitation during this type of design process.

Commercial design 

Addresses the business and entrepreneurial context that design practitioners function in. Setting up and running a business as well as funding and leadership will be covered. Design business and the field of specialisation are positioned within commercial, legal and ethical contexts.

User experience design 

Contextualises design for the user and students learn to identify how design can be used to communicate, interact and collaborate with users, in order to positively enhance their experience.

Project management 

Aims to take students through the process of project management and how these principles are applied in the different design disciplines. Students will be exposed to a number of approaches to Project Management and will apply the principles and processes to a project within their field of design specialisation.

Design for instruction 

Guides students through the digital world of learning, teaching them to design, develop, and deliver instructional products and experiences. Through the design of the learning journey students will be exposed to theoretical models and digital tools to better the learning experience and support deep and meaningful learning.

Projects completed at this level will ultimately assist you to refine your techniques, knowledge and understanding of the design discipline as well as equip you to continue with studies at a master’s level.

The Pre-Verification Fee will not be charged to current Inscape students.

Tuition Fees are payable in full upfront or as an enrolment fee and 10 monthly instalments (for Full Time students) and 18 monthly instalments (for Part Time students) by debit order, credit card or EFT. The full Tuition or Enrollment fee is payable before commencement of the academic year.

• Full Time Students will attend day classes during the week.
• Part Time students will attend evening classes during the week and/or on saturdays

As part of the Total Annual Fee you will receive:

Tuition including:

• Industry relevant and suitably qualified faculty members
• Positive teaching and learning experience
• Continuous based assessment
• Custom designed curriculum and courseware
• Enabling learning environments
• Modern, design sensitive, well located, easily accessible and secure campus locations
• Online Learner Management System with live data
• Industry collaborative engagements
• Extended campus hours and Onsite wifi connectivity
• Onsite library and resources

 And compulsory study packs include*:

• Textbooks
• E-books
• Adobe creative cloud
• ProQuest
• Grammarly
• Autodesk
• LinkedIn Learning
• Hardware support including 3 x support tickets (onsite & helpdesk tickets)
• Student card                                                                                                                                                              

 * Contents of the Study Pack may be subject to change of materials or cost based on exchange rates.

There are currently no student galleries available for this course. Please check back soon as content is updated regularly.

Graduates can pursue careers in design-related fields as per their unique specialisations. These include but are not limited to interior design, graphic design, audiovisual design, interaction design, ideation design, fashion design, jewellery design, web design, environmental design etc.

Apply for your course using the corresponding links below.