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Background |
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The School of Design of Northumbria University is one of the biggest design school in the UK. The School is currently offering Bachelor, Master and Doctorate level programmes. At undergraduate level, the School offers three and four year honours degree programmes. The four year degree programmes are fashion design, fashion marketing, transportation design and design for industry, whereas the three year programmes are graphic design, interior design, multimedia design and three dimensional design. All undergraduate programmes include a six-month placement which takes place in the second and third year. Master programmes are delivered in full-time, part-time and distance learning modes. |
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| A: | How big is the School of Design at Northumbria University? How many undergraduate and postgraduate students does the School have in the last academic year? |
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| D: | The School of design has a total of 1,200 students, including undergraduate, postgraduate, PhD students and 200 international students. There are also 60 staff in the school of design, which is the figure for a typical large size design school in UK. |
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| A: | We notice that the Northumbria School of Design is famous in a number of design areas, which are they and how good are they? |
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| D: | The Northumbria School of Design is famous in the UK and has received many awards and recognitions both locally and internationally. The four most outstanding areas are design for industry , fashion design , graphic design and three dimensional design. Some of them have been established since 1950, with over 50 years’ history. Our students have also participated in international competitions and won a lot of prizes. Recently, our fashion design students won the Gold Cup in the fashion design competition in Shanghai. |
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| A: | What is the strength of the Northumbria School of Design over other schools of design in the UK and those in other parts of the world? |
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| D: | There are three main strengths of the Northumbria School of Design. Our courses are closely related to the industry. Many of our lecturers and tutors are previously renowned professionals from the industry and they have strong linkages with the contemporary market. This enables the School of Design to provide a long period of placement for our students. So our programmes are sensitive to the new developments in the industry. The School of Design has a good employment record. 90% of our graduates are employed within the design industry or design related industry, which is a high percentage compared to other schools of design in the UK. The School of Design provides various kinds of research through the Centre for Design Research (CfDR). Postgraduate and PhD students may be given the opportunity to participate in part of the research and consultancy activities. The Centre can offer the most updated information of the latest changes in the industry for the design programmes. |
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| A: | Apart from placement, is there any other opportunities for students to apply what they learn into practice? |
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| D: | Students have many chances for practical work during the study period. Some of them can participate in the ¡§live work¡¨, which is a temporary job that allows students to work as designers for companies in the industry and team up to put their design ideas into real products. Some of these consulting or design works are paid. These rewards let students gain more confidence for their future career. |
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| A: | What is the proportion of local students and international students in the school of design? Is it difficult for international students to study in design or find jobs in the design industry? |
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| D: | International students and local students have the equal chances for studying in design programmes. Around 10% to 20% of the total students are from overseas. Our School has a long history of recruiting applications from Asian countries. Asian students usually have good performance in our School, especially in fashion design, industrial design and transportation design. Many of them have been recruited by famous international companies or pursued a successful career after they have gone back to their home countries. |
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| A: | What is the future working prospect for design graduates? |
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| D: | Most of our graduates can find a job within the industry. There were 90% of our graduates being employed by the companies in their own industries, which is the highest percentage among all schools in the Northumbria University. Our graduates are especially outstanding in fashion design and transportation design. They are usually working in the senior positions of noted design companies. For example, Peter Horbury, a famous car designer, is responsible for famous brand like Ford, Volvo, Jonathan Ive, the Vice-President of Industrial Design at Apple Computer Inc, is the designer of iMac computer and ipod digital player. |
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| A: | What are the advantages of studying in Northumbria's Master of Arts in Design distance learning programmes ? |
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| D: | These programmes cater for students who have already obtained a relevant degree or equivalent and are currently working in the industry. There are totally three semesters in the programme but it only takes one year to obtain the Master degree. Students can learn through e-mail and online video conferences. Distance learning students can have a more flexible learning timetable and can at the same time obtain the same qualification as students who study on-campus. |
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