Course Summary
Course Category: PLC (Further Education - FET) - Apply directly to College
This one-year course will aim to offer participants an introduction to the world of graphic design which is one of the fastest growing areas in the industry. Graphic design is a way for communication as well as self-expression. It is about communicating visually in order to inform, educate, entertain or persuade. Project work allows students to combine these essential skills with professional standard multimedia to explore logo design, concept development, image and much more. This course will provide the introduction to careers in the graphic design industry but will also provide an important stepping stone to third level courses leading to exciting careers in the computer design area.
Course Details
This course prepares you for working in the following Career Sectors:
What will you study?
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Digital Photography
Graphic Design Skills
Image Processing
Design Skills
Computer Illustration Graphics
Word Processing
Communications
Work Experience
Drawing
Digital Marketing
Important
- Colleges may add/remove modules to keep the course updated and to meet demands.
- Almost all PLC courses have a Work Experience module, which requires students to find their own placement in an area directly related to their course.
Progression to CAO Courses
Higher Education Links Scheme (HELS)
This course leads to a QQI Major Award, and provides progression opportunities to a number of Higher Education courses, including those in the CAO.
To view CAO courses to which this award provides a possible progression route, click below:
| QQI Code |
| 5M1995 |
To calculate Points based on your QQI award results, use the PLC Points Calculator.
The Student - Career Interests
This course is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests:
Creative
Creative people are drawn to careers and activities that enable them to take responsibility for the design, layout or sensory impact of something (visual, auditory etc). They may be atrracted to the traditional artistic pursuits such as painting, sculpture, singing, or music. Or they may show more interest in design activities, such as architecture, animation, or craft areas, such as pottery and ceramics.
Creative people use their personal understanding of people and the world they live in to guide their work. Creative people like to work in unstructured workplaces, enjoy taking risks and prefer a minimum of routine.
Further Research
National Statistics for this Award (All Ireland)
The following data provides general information about this Award from colleges across Ireland.
Disclaimer: These links are to web sites outside of CareersPortal and we accept no responsibility for the information on them.
Career Progression
There is now a large number of places in computer courses in universities and in many local IT colleges for students who hold a QQI qualification in Graphic Design. There are also places in DCU, TU Dublin, Athlone IT, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Sligo IT, Dun Laoghaire IADT, Cork IT, Letterkenny IT, Tralee IT.
There are many opportunities for employment in areas like graphic designer, illustrator, visual merchandiser, freelance designer, web designer and so on. There are also many further study opportunities in QQI Level 6 or HND courses.