Hub for current students

Design

A woman stands at a whiteboard covered with colorful sticky notes, pointing at them as she speaks to four colleagues seated around a table in the sunlit office. Engaged in a design meeting, they all have laptops and notebooks ready to capture the creative flow.

Design

Integrating the arts and sciences, Design challenges students to think about global problems such as climate change, inequality, environmental degradation, etc. and equip them with the skills to help create solutions to such challenges. At Churchill, we are committed to driving sustainability from the ground up through science communication, public engagement, student-led projects, and College infrastructural redevelopments. The College has dedicated sustainability fellows who oversee the College’s sustainability strategies and ensure that policies are democratically designed to benefit everyone.

Design thinking is resurfacing as a critical skill needed to solve society’s present challenges, and our Design course will help develop this soft skill along with core engineering and architectural design skills.

Entry Requirements

Churchill College’s standard A Level offer in Design is A*A*A. For IB, our standard offer is 43 points overall with 777 at Higher Level.

To apply to this course, you need A Level/IB Higher Level (or an equivalent qualification) in Mathematics and achieve the following:

  • Grade A* if you are taking A Level
  • Grade 7 at Higher Level if you are taking IB

For IB, you should take Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches. If you are taking Applications and Interpretations, you can email us for advice via [email protected]

For more information on this course, see the University course page: Design, BA (Hons) and MDes | Undergraduate Study

If you are taking other qualifications, please see the following University webpage for equivalent entry requirements: Check which qualifications we accept | Undergraduate Study

Admissions Assessment

All Design applicants are required to take an admissions assessment if they are invited to interview.

You can find more information about this assessment on the University webpage: College admission assessments | Undergraduate Study

Portfolio Submission

You will need to submit your own artwork prior to interview. The images you choose should, at least in some way, reflect material you might bring to interview as part of your portfolio.

You can find further details about what we want to see in your portfolio on the University Course Page under the ‘Entry Requirements’ tab.

For more information on submitting your portfolio, see the University webpage: Written work and portfolios | Undergraduate Study

Director of Studies
A person wearing glasses and a black sweater is smiling, embodying effortless design. They stand outside in front of a brick building with large windows, as sunlight casts intricate shadows in the background.

Dr Ramit Debnath

Learn More

Studying Design Churchill College

Cambridge’s Design course has a strong emphasis on teaching design thinking from the ground up. The structure places a strong emphasis on experiential learning, which enables students to test their theories in practical studio sessions. This translational element makes this course exciting as it prepares the students to be job market-ready, which demands holistic thinking and analytical skills. A Design student will have the skillset to design a new generation of sustainable products or innovative climate action strategies by leveraging data science and AI that are becoming highly attractive to recruiters. Students will learn how small and large-scale designs such as physical objects, apps, artificial intelligence, electronics or architecture and planning systems can influence people, cultures, economies and the natural world.

Full course details are provided on the Department’s Undergraduate webpage and the University’s Undergraduate Study webpage.

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