Key Info
Bachelor of Science in Interaction Design
Interaction Design could be for you if you want to combine both your creative and technical sides. It will provide you with the skills to think critically about technology and to understand how design impacts people.
Why Study Interaction Design at UL?
The future of design is digital. Whether it’s a watch that tracks every step you take or sensors embedded in our clothing: every part of our lives is shaped by technology. The degree in Interaction Design provides you with the skills and knowledge to think creatively about how we interact with the technologies that surround us and to develop designs that are people-centred in innovative ways.
The field of Interaction and User Experience Design is constantly evolving. The degree in Interaction Design will provide you with the skills to design engaging interactive experiences for users building on new technologies. You will work with real-world design cases and gain insight into the industry from our design partners, as well as cultural and civic organisations.
Working as an Interaction Designer means continuously evolving with the needs of users and developments in emerging technologies - this requires critical and creative thinking.
We help you develop essential skills to identify and respond to people’s needs, using a number of people-centred design methods. We help our students to understand what people want and how to design suitable interfaces and interactions working with technologies. We encourage creativity and reflective design by teaching research skills and supporting students in active research projects. We develop designers who can explore existing and emerging technologies in a meaningful way. Our students have access to cutting-edge hardware, software and the support of expert lecturers and technicians, for multiple purposes, including:
- Prototyping apps on mobile platforms (e.g. Android)
- Producing screen-based content with creative software (e.g. Adobe, Processing, Figma, Sketch, Final Cut Pro)
- Building interactive objects with physical computing (e.g. Arduino, Raspberry Pi)
- Exploring interactive programming (e.g. Processing, HTML, CSS, Javascript).
Learn more about our courses and upcoming events
What you will study
The BSc in Interaction Design is a unique course that provides its students with a combination of essential skills for thinking, understanding and designing FOR people WITH technology. Graduates emerge with the critical and creative expertise to design meaningful interactions for people. The course includes an industry placement and focuses on how to design through an iterative practice of experimentation and reflection
Topics include:
- User-Centred Design
- Participatory Design
- Product Design
- Mobile App Design
- Physical Computing
- Coding
- Sociology of People and Media
- Prototyping and User Research
By the end of this course you will have skills and insight to design meaningful experiences and interactions with technologies, tools that centre around people.
| Year 1 - Semester 1 | Year 1 - Semester 2 |
| Introduction to Digital Media | Perceptual Systems and Multimedia |
| Media Programming 1 | Media Programming 2 |
| Graphic Design | Foundations of Interaction Design |
| Technological Mathematics 1 | Introduction to Web Development |
| Sociology of Media | Design Studio |
| Year 2 - Semester 3 | Year 2 - Semester 4 |
| Digital Audio Fundamentals | Directed Study |
| Digital Video Fundamentals | Mobile Application Design |
| Digital Modelling and Animation | Performance Technology |
| Design for Professional Practice | Human Computer Interaction |
| User Research Methods | Design Visualisation |
| Year 3 - Semester 5 | Year 3 Semester 6 |
| Cooperative Education | Applied Interaction Design |
| Computer Supported Cooperative Work | |
| 3D Modelling and Digital Fabrication | |
| Project Management and Practice | |
| Interactive Multimedia |
| Year 4 - Semester 7 | Year 4 - Semester 8 |
| Information Society | Multimedia Industry Perspectives |
| Digital Marketing | UX in Practice |
| Virtual and Augmented Reality Design | Digital Media Design Project 2 |
| Digital Media Design Project 1 |
Entry requirements
| CAO points history |
368
|
|---|---|
| Minimum grades |
Applicants are required to hold at the time of enrolment the established Leaving Certificate (or an approved equivalent) with a minimum of six subjects which must include: Two H5 (Higher Level) grades and Four O6 (Ordinary Level) grades or four H7 (Higher Level) grades. Subjects must include Mathematics, Irish or another language, and English. |
| Subject requirements |
In addition, applicants must hold a minimum grade O3/H7 in Mathematics. |
| Additional considerations |
A Special Mathematics Examination will be offered at UL following the Leaving Certificate results for those students who did not achieve the Mathematics requirement. Mature Students We welcome applications from mature students. Mature applicants must apply through the Central Applications Office (CAO) by 1 February. |
| Non-EU Entry Requirements |
|
How to apply
| Where are you applying from? | How to Apply |
|---|---|
| Ireland | Irish students must apply to UL via the CAO. |
| The UK | Students who have completed their A-Levels can apply to UL via the CAO. More information can be found on the Academic Registry website. |
| The EU | EU Students can apply to UL via the CAO. More information can be found on the Academic Registry website. |
| Non-EU country | If you are outside of the EU, you can apply for this degree here. |
Fees and funding
Student course fees are broken into three components - Student contribution, Student Levy and Tuition Fees.
A number of illustrative examples of fees for this course based on the current fee levels have been set out in the tables below.
An explanation of the components, how to determine status and the criteria involved is provided below the examples as is a list of possible scholarships and funding available.
EU Students with Free fees status in receipt of a SUSI grant
| HEA pays | Tuition Fees | €4,262 |
| SUSI pays | Student contribution | €3,000 |
| Student pays | Student Levy | €100 |
| €7,362 |
EU Students with Free fees status not in receipt of a grant
| HEA pays | Tuition Fees | €4,262 |
| Student pays | Student contribution | €3,000 |
| Student pays | Student Levy | €100 |
| €7,362 |
Students with EU fee status not in receipt of a grant
| Student pays | Tuition Fees | €4,262 |
| Student pays | Student contribution | €3,000 |
| Student pays | Student Levy | €100 |
| €7,362 |
Non-EU Students
| Student pays | Tuition Fees | €20,900 |
| Student pays | Student Levy | €100 |
| €21,000 |
Student course fees are comprised of the following components:
Student Contribution
Annual charge set by the government for all full-time third level students. All students are liable unless they have been approved for a grant by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). Please refer to https://www.studentfinance.ie to determine your eligibility for a grant and for instructions on how to apply. The current student contribution is set at €3000.
Student Levy
All students are liable to pay the Student Levy of €100. Please note the Student Levy is not covered by the SUSI Grant.
Tuition Fees
These are based on Residency, Citizenship, Course requirements.
Review the three groups of criteria to determine your fee status as follows
-
Residency
- You must have been living in an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland for at least 3 of the 5 years before starting your course
-
Citizenship
- You must be a citizen of an EU/EEA member state or Switzerland or have official refugee status
-
Course Requirements
(all must be met)
- You must be a first time full-time undergraduate (Exceptions are provided for students who hold a Level 6 or Level 7 qualification and are progressing to a Level 8 course in the same general area of study).
- You must be undertaking a full-time undergraduate course of at least 2 year’s duration
- You cannot be undertaking a repeat year of study at the same level unless evidence of exceptional circumstances eg serious illness is provided (in which case this condition may be waived)
Depending on how you meet these criteria your status will be one of the following -
- Free Fee Status: You satisfy all three categories (1, 2 and 3) and therefore are eligible for the Higher Education Authority’s Free Fees scheme.
- EU Fee Status: You satisfy both the citizenship and residency criteria but fail to satisfy the course requirements and are liable to EU fees.
- Non EU Fee Status: You do not meet either the citizenship or residency criteria and are therefore liable to Non EU fees.
More information about fees can be found on the Finance website
These scholarships are available for this course
| Title | Award | Scholarships Available |
|---|---|---|
| BD Bursaries for Women in STEM | €5,000 for one year | 4 |
| BD Science and Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship | €2,000 for one year | 6 |
| BD Science and Engineering Undergraduate Scholarship | €2,000 for one year | 6 |
| Johnson and Johnson WiSTEM2D Programme |
These scholarships are available for all courses
| Title | Award | Scholarships Available |
|---|---|---|
| All Ireland Scholarships - sponsored by J.P. McManus | €6,750 | 125 |
| Brad Duffy Access Scholarship | €5,000 for one year | 1 |
| Bursary for my Future Scholarship | €2,750 one off payment | 4 |
| Cooperative Education Award | 1 medal per faculty | |
| Elaine Fagan Scholarship | €1,500 | |
| Financial Aid Fund | ||
| Hegarty Family Access Scholarships | €5,000 for one year | 2 |
| Higher Education Grants & VEC Grants | ||
| Paddy Dooley Rowing Scholarship | €2,500 | |
| Plassey Campus Centre Scholarship Programme | ||
| Provincial GAA Bursaries Scheme | €750 | |
| Stuart Mangan Scholarship | ||
| The Michael Hillery and Jacinta O’Brien Athletics Scholarship | Various benefits equating to over €7,000 in value | |
| UL Sports Scholarships | Varies depending on level of Scholarship | Multiple |
Your future career
Employability skills from this degree
- Wireframing
- Designing websites
- Designing for usability
- Understanding the human and social issues surrounding the use of digital media
- Conducting User research
- Conducting User analysis
- Learning design methods relevant for designing interactions with technology
- Working in teams
- Graphic design
- Physical prototyping
- Concept and ideation skills
- Time management and organisation
- Expertise in the use of audio, video and interactive digital media
Further Study Options
- MA in Business Management
- MSc in Marketing, Consumption and Society
- Research Masters or PhD
Job titles for graduates with this degree
Graduates progressing directly into employment take up a wide variety of roles. The following provides a sample of initial roles listed on the Graduate Outcomes Survey by graduates approximately one year after graduation:
- Communication Designer
- Digital Content Producer
- Digital Marketing Executive and Content Creator
- Freelance Designer
- Freelance Digital Designer
- Freelance Media Production
- Front-end Designer
- Interaction Designer
- Motion Graphics Designer
- Product Designer
- Social Media Strategist
- UI Designer
- User Researcher
- UX Designer
- Video Editor
- Visual Designer
Student Profile
Adam Clapper
I chose to study Digital Media Design as it offered a wide range of modules to allow me to identify my best career path. The first few semesters provided me with a wide range of modules, including Graphic Design, Video Editing and Web Coding. The broad offering at the start of the course helped me determine that I wanted to focus on User Experience Research and Design, which is one of the main focuses of the course. During my studies, I learned to work through the entire design process, which includes user research, ideation, prototyping, user testing and iteration of ideas to create a final design.
Most of the assignments were project-based, which was great as I got to apply the skills I learned throughout the course. Many of the projects included group work, which was beneficial as it gave me a close-to real-world experience of working with a team on a project. Working in a team helped me improve my teamwork and communication skills. One of the highlights of the course was getting to work with a group of classmates on a project with an actual client. We worked with the client to design a new product based on their requirements for use in the real world.
I undertook a UX Internship at Apple during my studies. I applied what I learned in Digital Media Design during the interview to secure the position. During the internship, I was given the opportunity to find a problem users were facing and design a solution to fix the issue. I worked through the design process using what I had learned in Digital Media Design. I interviewed users, ideated solutions, prototyped designs and created a final design solution that was user-friendly and solved the user's problem I had identified. After completing the internship, I was offered a position in Apple's graduate program, where I will work with different teams on multiple projects over two years.
Studying Digital Media Design helped me find my career path and prepared me for that path with the skills to be a User Experience Researcher and Designer.
