BSc (Hons) Creative Computing

at Norwich University of the Arts

Our BSc (Hons) Creative Computing degree course has been developed in response to the digital and creative industries’ need for creative graduates with advanced technical skills.

Build skills in coding and software design that are in high demand both nationally and internationally, all while developing your understanding of creative design principles.

The creative industries are changing. The lines are blurring between making and creating in the physical and digital worlds. Whilst many creative people know how to use digital platforms that others have designed, relatively few are able to design and make using coding as their medium.

Imagine a world where creative practitioners can build the software they need to use for their creative practice.

On this course you will learn about creativity — What do we mean by this? How can computers support creativity? Can computers be creative? — and the coding necessary to build future applications. 

You don’t need to know how to code at the beginning: starting with the computational thinking that underpins all computer programming, you will develop practical coding skills by completing a series of carefully constructed projects. For example, applying coding and creative skills to creative web and app work, while thinking about interaction, image, and text.

You will also explore data from both open and closed networks: finding patterns in data, learning to use data ethically, and exploring why data can exclude rather than explain.

You will develop algorithmic thinking and more advanced forms of algorithmic programming. For example, being inspired by shapes and forms found in the natural world.

You will also be introduced to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), to support more advanced project development (such as using AI to construct complex visuals and ML to train a computer to recognise facial expressions). Your final year research report and major projects will present significant opportunities for you to develop your very own creative computing specialism, supported by tutors, technicians, and specialist physical resources. These final projects will likely form the centrepiece of your graduate portfolio.

As with all courses at Norwich University of the Arts, your learning experience will be hands-on. You will develop projects to industry briefs and gain an understanding of the potential for — and theory of — computer-based technology in a wide range of digital creative and design sectors.

Your tutors will be experienced industry professionals, grounding you in the technical skills you need whilst supporting the development of your creative and design flair.

Employability and entrepreneurship sessions integrated into your programme will allow you to develop excellent transferrable skills in teamwork, project management, communication, and problem-solving; and you will have opportunities to work with digital creative businesses in the university’s network.

As a graduate of the course, you will be a creative professional with both strong software development skills and the creative and design skills that have been the bedrock of specialist teaching at Norwich University of the Arts since 1845. Cutting-edge coding skills will unlock a wide range of opportunities for high-quality graduate roles; from creative development, design engineering, mobile app development, and web development, to design projects linked to artificial intelligence and machine learning.