Interaction Design

Mature Students
NCAD welcomes applications from mature students to all our programmes. A mature student is any EU/EEA student who will be 23 years of age on the 1st of January of the proposed year of entry to NCAD.

Mature Applications: Studio Programmes
As a mature student you should apply in the same way and at the same time as any other applicant. You will be informed of the outcome of your portfolio submission at the same time as other applicants. Mature students who do not meet the minimum academic entry requirements should include with their CAO application information on previous learning and/or any relevant work or other experience that might support your application. Please send any supporting documentation such as transcripts or CVs to the CAO marked clearly with your CAO number. Mature students who achieve a sufficient portfolio score to warrant an offer but who do not otherwise meet minimum academic entry requirements will have an opportunity to matriculate on the basis of mature years. These applications will be reviewed based on information and documentation submitted to the CAO and you may be invited to attend for interview.

https://www.qualifax.ie/resources/student-supports

https://www.qualifax.ie/resources/student-supports

https://www.qualifax.ie/resources/recognition-of-prior-learning

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Undergraduate Fees

For further details please go to: ncad.ie/study-at-ncad

Entry 2024

Early online application (discounted): Fee €30 Closing Date: 20 January 2024 at 5pm

Normal online application: Fee €45 Closing Date: 1 February 2024 at 5pm

Late online application - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: €60 Closing Date: 1 May 2024 at 5pm

Change of Mind - restrictions apply (see page 3 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee: Nil Closing Date: 1 July 2024 at 5pm

Exceptional online late application (see page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook): Fee €60 Closing Date: 22 July 2024 at 5pm

Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid making an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all application fees are non-refundable.

LATE APPLICATIONS
Late Applications are those which are received after 5pm on 1 February 2024. The closing date for late applications is 5pm on 1 May 2024, subject to the restrictions listed on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook. The online facility for late applications opens on the 5 March 2024 at 12:00 noon - a fee of €60 applies.

Exceptional Late Applications (Exception to the timetable)
The exceptional closing date of 22 July at 5pm applies only to applicants who are registered as an undergraduate student on 1 May 2024 in any year in any one of the participating HEIs (subject to the exclusions listed below). In order to avail of the Exceptional Late Application facility you must have entered the HEI through the CAO system. This is an exceptional late closing date and all steps must be completed by 5pm on 22 July. No changes may be made after this date.

If you did not enter your current course through the CAO system, you must first contact the Admissions Office of the HEI to which you wish to apply and they will inform you if you may submit an application direct to the institution.

Exclusions:
You may submit a late application only for entry to courses other than your existing course. If you wish to repeat the year in the same course you must arrange this within your HEI.

Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Marino Institute of Education, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick and Maynooth University have special procedures in place in the case of current or previous students who wish to apply for entry to another course in the same HEI. Such applicants must contact their Admissions Office to determine the application procedure. However, if you are a student in another HEI and you wish to apply to any of these five HEIs, you should apply through CAO.

Refer to page 34 of the 2024 CAO Handbook on how to make an Exceptional Late Application.

Restrictions
As a CAO applicant you may experience one or more of the following restrictions based on your course choices, your category of application, or restrictions imposed by the HEIs that you wish to apply to. Please read the section on 'Restrictions' on page 3 of the 2024 CAO Handbook carefully. This section includes information on:

General Restrictions
1. Making a late application
2. Making changes to your course choices

Restricted Courses
3. Applying for a restricted course

Mature Applicants
4. Mature applicants

Supplementary Admissions Routes
5. Applying for DARE and/or HEAR

From apps and websites to connected products and wearable technologies, Interaction Design is about designing the way people communicate and interact at home, work or play. Interaction designers explore the relationship between people and technology to design digital products, apps, user experiences and services. Interaction designers create the future, and shape the digital products of tomorrow.

What will I study?
Studying Interaction Design at NCAD will enable you to develop your skills within a creative art and design school environment, underpinned by technical expertise and extensive links with industry. The small size of each year-group, coupled with close and frequent contact with the tutors, creates an informal yet highly effective learning environment. The curriculum exposes students to a wide range of topics, ranging from user experience (UX) design, to app and web design, to service design, to interactive digital products, experiences and installations. It is built around a core belief in human-centred design, with students developing the research and innovation skills that will allow them to design meaningful and desirable digital products.

The key areas of study in First Year are:

Observation : Descriptive, explanatory, analytical and inventive skills through drawing, making and recording.

Materials : Development of the physical and aesthetic behaviour of a wide range of materials.

Research : The process of gathering visual information in relation to topics of inquiry.

Processes : The use of innovative and traditional techniques and equipment in the stimulation and development of ideas.

Peer Learning: Development of collaborative, discursive and evaluative practices with peers.

Applying Concepts and topics: Developing bodies of work from the beginning point of thematic and conceptual frames.

Investigating fields of practice from interdisciplinary through to specialisation: Honing and evolving your individual practice toward a disciplinary orientation.

Professional Practice : Library and research skills, digital skills relevant to all aspects of your coursework, organising and presenting work, peer learning, development of an individual body of work.

Critical Cultures
In this part of the course you will study the connections between history, theory and practice in modern and contemporary contexts, in order to become critically engaged, reflective and an effective practitioner. See page 92. At the end of First Year, for students with a strong interest in the history and theory of visual culture, there is an opportunity to take a Degree in Design or Fine Art with Visual Culture. For this option, students will swap a portion of their studio time to do additional Visual Culture study and assignments.

Year 2
The focus in second year is on further developing key skills and knowledge within the field of Interaction Design. Projects focus on human centred design, app and web design, user experience (UX) design, service design, creative coding, physical computing and virtual reality. Coding and technology skills are taught from a beginner level to enable students realise compelling creative products and services during their studies.

Year 3: Studio+ & International
The Studio+ year is open to undergraduate students in Design, Fine Art and Visual Culture (Visual Culture+). It is an exciting opportunity to combine accredited work and/or study placements to build a bespoke learning experience in line with your particular skills and ambitions. Immersed in real-world work environments you will learn the skills and expertise to engage creatively with community and civic society and develop your practice across a range of commercial, cultural and social settings

Accredited work and study programmes can be undertaken locally, including within NCAD design labs and micro studios, or with industry and educational partners internationally. Your tutors will guide you through the range of modules and options available and will help you in your decision.

How it works
During the course of your second year you will be asked to choose from a selection of modules over the course of two semesters to make up 60 credits in total for the Studio+ year.

Final Year
In the final year, students are ready to develop their own programme of study, which reflects each individual’s skills and interests within Interaction Design. This will culminate in a substantial body of work for assessment and display at the Graduate Showcase, exhibitions and events.. Each year is supported by a series of lectures by leading creative practitioners and theorists, collaborative interdisciplinary opportunities, live industry projects, field trips, and study visits.

Critical Cultures
A key component of your curriculum in every year is the study of Critical Cultures. This is where you study the connections between history, theory and practice in modern and contemporary contexts in order to become a critically engaged, reflective and effective practitioner.

How will I be assessed?
Coursework, essays, practical design projects and assessments take place at key points throughout the year. Formal assessment results are issued at the end of each academic year.

Degree awarded
BA Interaction Design/ BA Interaction Design and Visual Culture/ BA Interaction Design (International)

Admissions Office,
National College of Art & Design
100 Thomas Street
Dublin D08 K521
Ireland
Tel: 353 (0)1 636 4200
admissions@ncad.ie

https://www.ncad.ie/study-at-ncad/international/