School of Design
User Experience Design Bachelor of Design
- 4 years
- On campus · studio-based (18 hrs/week in studio)
- September intake
- Studio cohort of 36, and everyone gets wall space
You can't learn design from slides. Caldwell's BDes runs on the studio model: small cohorts, permanent desk space, and critique every week. It also treats research as half the discipline. By second year you're testing your work with real users in the observation lab, not guessing.
Why this program is built this way
- Permanent studio desk from day one, and critique culture from week two
- User research lab with an observation suite, and real participants from year 2
- Civic and accessibility briefs with real constraints and real stakeholders
- Graduating portfolio show attended by 40+ hiring studios and product teams
The four years, year by year
Year 1
Design fundamentals in the studio
- DSGN 101: Studio I (Form, Type & Composition)
- DSGN 110: Design Histories & Futures
- DSGN 120: Drawing & Visual Thinking
- COMP 105: Web Foundations (HTML/CSS)
Year 2
Interaction and research
- DSGN 210: Studio II (Interaction Design)
- UXRS 220: User Research Methods (lab-based)
- DSGN 230: Information Architecture
- DSGN 240: Prototyping, Paper to Code
Year 3
Systems and real briefs
- DSGN 310: Studio III (Design Systems)
- UXRS 320: Usability Evaluation & Accessibility
- DSGN 330: Service & Civic Design (external brief)
- Elective: motion, data visualization, or game UX
Year 4
Thesis and the portfolio show
- DSGN 410: Studio IV (Thesis Project)
- DSGN 420: Professional Practice & Portfolio
- UXRS 430: Research-Led Capstone Study
- DSGN 440: Graduating Exhibition
What it takes to get in
- High-school diploma (example minimum: 70% average)
- Portfolio: 8 to 12 pieces showing how you think, not just what you can render (process pages encouraged)
- Short written statement: one problem you'd redesign and why
- Portfolio review happens in February; interviews for the shortlist in March
Straight talk: The portfolio outweighs grades in our review. Applicants without formal art training are admitted every year. We look for observation and iteration, not polish.
Full requirements by applicant type (transfer, mature, international) are on the admissions page.
Where graduates actually land
- UX or product designer
- UX researcher
- Service designer (public sector and health)
- Design-systems designer
Reported starting salary (example) $50,000 to $60,000 Middle half of reported full-time starting salaries, Class of 2024.
Class of 2024 survey, 65% response rate. Straight talk: the junior design market is competitive. Grads with research skills and accessibility depth landed roles fastest, which is why both are required here. Illustrative.
Outcomes are what graduates reported, not a promise of a job or a salary. See how we survey graduates on the student outcomes page.
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