DEGREE GUIDE

Web Design & Development

What do Web Design & Development degrees involve?

Web Design & Development degrees teach you how to create visually engaging, user-friendly, and high-performing websites and applications. You will explore key areas such as front-end and back-end development, user experience (UX) design, coding languages, content management systems, and web security. These courses help you develop both creative and technical skills while understanding how to optimise functionality, accessibility, and performance across different devices. You will also learn how to work with industry-standard tools and frameworks to build responsive and interactive digital experiences. Through hands-on projects, industry collaborations, and portfolio development, you’ll gain practical experience that prepares you for careers in web development, UX/UI design, and digital technology.

Example
Modules

Web Programming (HTML, CSS, JavaScript): Learn to structure, style and add interactivity to websites using the core web languages. Build web pages that respond to user input and look great across devices.

Mobile and Responsive Design: Use flexible layouts and media queries to ensure websites work on desktops, tablets and phones. Learn how to adapt designs for all screen sizes.

Web Graphics and Multimedia: Add videos, images and animations to enhance the user experience. Optimise media for speed and accessibility.

Common Degree Names

💼 Placement years are widely available in digital agencies, software companies, or freelance tech roles.
🌍 Study abroad is offered at some institutions.

BSc (Hons) Web Design and Development
BSc (Hons) Web Technologies
BSc (Hons) Web and Mobile Development
BSc (Hons) Internet Computing
BSc (Hons) Web Applications Development

Level 3 (A-level / IB Diploma (HL) / Scottish Highers)

Web Design & Development combines creative design skills with technical programming ability. Different courses emphasise different aspects – some focus more on visual design, others on coding – so universities welcome students from both creative and technical backgrounds.

Subjects that could strengthen your application:

Computer Science or Computing – directly relevant for programming and technical skills
Art and Design or Graphics – useful for visual design and user interface work
Media Studies – relevant for understanding digital media
Maths – helpful for logical thinking and problem-solving
Business Studies – useful for understanding commercial web development
Design and Technology – develops practical problem-solving skills

✨ No specific subjects are required – courses welcome both creative and technical backgrounds. Design-focused programmes value Art and Design or Graphics; coding-focused programmes prefer Computer Science or Maths. Some courses may ask for a portfolio – see Other Requirements.

Universities may also accept:

BTEC Extended Diplomas in Computing (being phased out), IT (being phased out), Creative Media Production, or Art and Design
BTEC National Extended Certificates or National Diplomas alongside A-levels that meet the subject requirements above
T-Levels in Digital Software Development
UAL Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (for design-focused courses)
IB Career-related Programme (IBCP) with at least two IB Higher Level subjects (ideally three - see relevant subjects above) alongside your Career-Related Study; an IT pathway would be directly relevant

Always check specific course requirements – design-focused and coding-focused programmes have different expectations.

Level 2 Qualifications (GCSE or equivalent)

Most courses ask for:

GCSE English Language and Maths (or equivalent) – Maths often required at grade 4/C or above. Equivalents include Scottish National 5s, BTEC Level 2, or IB MYP certificates

📋 Logical thinking is important for coding, so comfortable numeracy helps even on design-focused courses.

🎨 Portfolio

Design-focused programmes (often BA degrees at creative institutions) typically require a portfolio of creative or digital work. This could include websites you've built, graphic design work, digital art, or coding projects. Technical/computing-focused programmes (often BSc degrees) usually do not require a portfolio.

💬 Interviews

Interviews Some universities interview candidates, particularly for design-focused programmes. Be prepared to discuss your interest in web design, any projects you've worked on, and your awareness of current web trends.

🔍 Work Experience

You don't need work experience to apply for Web Design & Development. If you have a school placement to fill, a web agency, digital marketing company, or any organisation with an in-house web team gives you a sense of how websites are built for real clients. But building your own projects — websites, apps, or anything that combines design and code — is more valuable than any placement.

✨ Personal Statement Tips

What draws you to building for the web — is it the visual design, the coding, the user experience, or how all these come together? Web design and development courses vary widely: some lean more toward creative design, others toward front-end or full-stack development, so thinking about which side interests you most helps you choose the right course and write a stronger statement. If you've built websites, experimented with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, or other technologies, created designs in Figma or similar tools, or analysed what makes some websites effective while others fall flat, reflect on what you learned and what you'd want to explore further. You don't need a polished portfolio of professional sites — showing how you've taught yourself, solved problems, or iterated on your own projects demonstrates exactly the kind of initiative admissions tutors value. Following web design trends, reading about responsive design or accessibility, or exploring how good UX thinking shapes the web can show you're engaging critically with the field, not just following tutorials.

If your qualifications don't match the usual entry requirements, there are some other possibilities.

🌱 Foundation Year in Computing, Digital Media or Art & Design

Some universities offer a foundation year if you don't have the required subjects or grades. This adds an extra year but leads directly into the full degree.

🎓 Access to HE Diploma (Computing, IT or Art & Design)

Accepted by many universities offering Web Design & Development. Choose a pathway that matches your focus — technical development or visual design — and aim for Merits and Distinctions in your graded units.

💼 Level 3 Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships such as Software Development Technician or Digital Support Technician carry UCAS tariff points from 2026 and can support a university application. Web Design & Development degrees are typically offered by universities with flexible admissions policies.

Is this degree right for you?

Members can explore whether this degree fits who they are:

Skills you'd develop and whether they match your strengths
How this aligns with your interests, motivators and values
Career paths and where graduates end up

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Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Use the tabs to explore the kind of person that this would be a good fit for. Do you share the Interests, Motivations, Values, Work identity and skills that people who thrive in this course tend to have?

Not sure what these things are? Explore your Identity Tree with us first.

Interests that connect well with a Web Design & Development degree

Students who enjoy this degree often share these interests. You don't need to feel strongly about all of them, and interests develop over time. If one or two catch your curiosity, or sound like something you'd like to know more about, that's a good sign.

Games, Apps & Interactive Design: Web Design & Development is the craft of building interactive digital products that look good, work fast and feel right to use. You'll design interfaces, build front-end experiences with HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and bring together usability, accessibility and interactive design across responsive projects.

Technology, Computing & Digital Systems: The technical foundations run deep. You'll work with server-side languages, build and connect databases, handle web security and authentication, and learn how the systems behind the browser actually operate, from HTTP requests through to deployment on a live server.

Students who thrive in a Web Design & Development degree are often motivated by

Precision and Thoroughness

You feel satisfied when work is done accurately and completely. Whether it's getting calculations exactly right, spotting errors others miss, or making sure every detail is correct, the pursuit of precision gives you a sense of accomplishment. Sloppy or "good enough" work frustrates you, and you take pride in getting things right first time.

Sharing Your Work with Others

You take pride in showing what you've created to others, whether that's exhibiting artwork, demonstrating an invention, publishing writing, or presenting project results. The moment when someone else experiences or responds to your work gives you a buzz. You create with an audience in mind, even if that audience is small.

Practical Problem-Solving

You're energised by finding fixes to real-life issues, whether they're mechanical, technological, or social. You're motivated by problems you can see, touch, or experience directly, and you get satisfaction from solutions that work in practice, not just in theory. You'd rather build a prototype than write a report about one.

Creativity and Innovation

You're energised by the act of creating something new or finding a fresh way to approach a problem. Whether it's designing, writing, building, or experimenting, you feel most alive when you're generating original ideas rather than following established methods. The possibility that something has never been done before excites rather than intimidates you.

Curiosity and Learning

You're energised by the activity of learning itself: diving into a subject you've never explored, watching documentaries, taking apart how something works, or constantly asking "why?" The process of learning gives you energy, not just the outcome. You don't just want the answer; you want to understand how things connect, why they matter, and what's underneath the surface explanation.

What makes Web Design & Development click for the students who love it?

What they love is sitting between the creative and the technical: making something that looks good and works smoothly at the same time. They enjoy getting a stubborn layout to behave, and they find satisfaction, not frustration, in getting it right across every screen size and browser. There is always a new framework or technique appearing, and keeping up with the latest technology suits them. Best of all is building something from nothing, watching it go live, and knowing people out there are using it every day.

These are the skills that students who love this degree tend to enjoy using. You don't need to be great at them already, but if they sound like you, that's a good sign.

Skill Name

Skills that suit this degree

You don't need to be great at these already — but if you enjoy using them or want to get better at them, that's a good sign.

Do you notice when websites are badly designed — and find yourself thinking about how they could work better?
Are you drawn to the visual side of things — like how a page is laid out, or how colours and fonts work together?
Would you enjoy learning to build something you can actually use — like a website or app — with code?
Do you enjoy testing things, catching problems, and making sure everything works exactly right before sharing it?

Careers a We Design & Development degree could lead you to

Web Design & Development

What do Web Design & Development degrees involve?

Example Modules

Common Degree Names

Is this degree right for you?

Skills you would develop in X degree

Skill Name

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Is this a good fit for you?

Careers a We Design & Development degree could lead you to

Example
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