The Cambridge Design course brings together architecture, engineering and materials science in a single degree. Blending technical content with design freedom, this course offers opportunities for creativity and a new approach to tackling societal and environmental issues, including poverty and climate action.
- Course content and structure
- How to apply
- Helpful resources
- Come to an open day or online event
- Need more information?
Course content and structure
Please see the Design page on the Cambridge Admissions website, which has tabs for the overview and course outline.
Students can graduate with a BA (Honours) degree after three years, but most will continue to the fourth year (Part IIB) to graduate with a BA and a Master of Design (MDes).
Teaching
The Christ's Directors of Studies for Design are Dr Felipe Hernandez and Dr Irit Katz, and the College level of teaching is small group supervisions, which will complement the work you do in the Department (a 15 minute walk from Christ's, on Trumpington Street), where you'll have studios and workshops, as well as lectures, and seminars.
Outside of formal studies, students can join Christ's Art Society and we have an annual college-wide Art Competition.
How to apply
Visit How to Apply for full details and a timeline of the application process. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and school types, all over the world. If you're applying from outside the UK, please read our international students section.
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Subjects: what do you need?
To apply for Design at Christ's, you must be taking or have taken three A levels including Mathematics or an equivalent such as the International Baccalaureate with Higher Level Mathematics Analysis and Approaches or three Advanced Highers in the Scottish system including Mathematics. Please see the international requirements for a range of further qualifications that we accept.
Please be aware that a high standard in your maths will be expected. We require an A* in A-level Mathematics, a Grade 7 in IB Higher Level Mathematics AA, an A1 in Scottish Advanced Higher Maths, or an equivalent performance in other Mathematics qualifications.
For your other subjects, useful options include Physics, Art and Design, and/or it may be helpful to take an essay subject. These are not required, however. We encourage students to attend one of our regular Subject Matters webinars for help with choosing Post-16 subjects for competitive university applications. This webinar is pitched for students aged 14-16 though it is also possible to attend when you have started sixth form.
What else are we looking for?
Sending a 6-page artwork pdf
When we receive your application, we will ask you to send a pdf of examples of your own original artwork that you feel accurately reflects your abilities and interests. You will need to create an A4 pdf of exactly 6 pages, and no more than 15MB.
The selection of images for your artwork pdf should, in some part, reflect material you might plan to show if you are invited for interview. As it will be submitted as a pdf (not in hard copy), if you’d like to show us any 3D work or a painting, you will need to take photos of it to include. Details for sending your pdf will be included in the current applicants section (in the subject information for Design) once you have applied.
Note that this requirement to send us artwork at this stage in the process is in addition to the request for you to show a portfolio if you are selected for interview.
Your portfolio
Applicants who are selected for interview will be asked to show a portfolio of recent work. We don’t expect your portfolio to be architectural in nature (such as plans or sections) but rather to be work that shows your interests, experience and ability in the visual and material arts.
The basis of your portfolio should be drawing and painting work, but you can also include other media such as sculpture, installation, photography or video art. We would like to see ongoing drawings in any media (pencil, charcoal, crayon) showing a variety of subject matter. This can be material you’ve prepared for exams or creative work you’ve done outside of school.
REMEMBER: your portfolio isn’t just a compilation of work, it’s a creative piece that showcases your ability to communicate your ideas. Once the instructions for sending your portfolio are available, please think carefully about the best possible way you can present it to us.
Interviews
If we select you for interviews, these usually take place in early December or possibly the very last days of November. At Christ's we do all of our interviews online. You can have your interviews either at home (most applicants do this) or at school (if easier). The interviews normally last 35-50 minutes in total. At Christ’s, we split the time into two interviews with academics. You will need to have your portfolio available in both interviews. You will be allowed to screenshare (we'll send you information about how to do this) or hold your portfolio work for the interviewers to see - whichever works best for you.
Further, more general information about interviews (including two useful films) is available in the Cambridge interviews section, and it's worth also having a look at supervisions (short film here), as interviews are similar to what you do every week as a Cambridge student.
Admissions Assessment (college registered)
If you are selected for interview, we will also set you a drawing task to complete on a set date in the second half of November (Thursday 21 November 2024 for this year's applicants). We arrange your drawing assessment automatically so you don’t need to register. You complete the drawing task remotely (you can complete it at home or at school) and upload your work - you will not need to travel for it. Details of how the drawing assessment will work are given to students selected for interview by email.
The Assessment is the same as the one taken by applicants for Architecture. Information about the format and content of the Admissions Assessment is available on the College admissions assessments page. There are sometimes changes to assessments from year to year - any changes are confirmed by the July before you apply.
Offers
We define each offer individually, but for Design our typical conditional offer is
- A*AA at A-level (including A* in Mathematics)
- 42 points overall in the International Baccalaureate with 7,7,6 in Higher Level subjects (including 7 in Higher Level Mathematics Analysis and Approaches)
- A1, A2, A2 in three Scottish Advanced Highers including A1 in Mathematics
You need to be academically ambitious: note that the majority of students arrive with higher grades than the requirements.
If you’re taking another qualification, we expect you to be working at or close to the top of the mark range i.e.
- Baccalauréat français international (BFI): 17 (mention très bien) out of 20 overall, with a minimum of 17 in relevant subjects including Mathematics
- European Baccalaureate: at least 85% overall, with 9/10 in relevant subjects including Mathematics
You can look up other qualifications in the offer levels for other exam systems and international entry requirements, and if you are applying from outside the UK please read the Christ's international students section for further information and check the country pages.
If you will have finished school when you apply, please also read about post-qualification applications, taking a gap year, and, if relevant, mature students or applying from a university.
Helpful Resources
| Reading suggestions | These books are suggested for prospective students in both Architecture and Design. Note that you don't need to buy them - you may be able ti find some of them in local libraries or any local Architecture Schools / RIBA Library (London). If you are looking for second hand books, good sources for cheaper copies are abebooks or wob. |
| Preparing for the Admissions Assessment | To find sample questions, go to the College admissions assessments page. |
| Designing Buildings | Industry-wide, cross-discipline forum for finding and sharing knowledge about the planning, design, construction and operation of buildings. |
| The Funambulist Magazine | Website on the politics of space and bodies |
| Urbanista | Webzine of critical perspectives on contemporary urban design and its responses to social, cultural, political and economic patterns globally. |
| What do Buildings do all day? | An architecture and design podcast made in Ireland |
| CamGuides | Introducing the academic and information skills that you will need during your studies, as well as how and where you be working. |
Come to an open day or online event
Our open days and events page advertises online and in-person opportunities to find out more about the College and studying Design here.
If you can, sign up for a College Open Day (our October, February and September events normally include a meeting with a subject specialist). Between February and August we run regular webinars:
- Subject Matters: The importance of post-16 subject choices (this one is also run Sept - Nov)
- Cambridge for Beginners
- Christ's College: A look at the Grounds and Facilities
- Personal Statements and preparing for an application
Further subject-specific opportunities you might wish to consider include Subject Masterclasses organised by Cambridge Admissions Office, and subject-specific talks in the July Cambridge Open Days. If you are a UK student from a background where there is little tradition of entry to Higher Education, you can apply to attend a Sutton Trust Summer School in Design or to shadow a current undergraduate via the Cambridge SU Shadowing Scheme (do be aware that there's a high proportion of applicants to places for both of these last two opportunities so please don't be discouraged if you don't get a place).
Want more information?
For more detail about what the course involves, please read Undergraduate Design admissions on the University website.
You might also be interested to read the following news article:
If you have any queries at all, please contact us at admissions@christs.cam.ac.uk and we’ll be happy to advise.
Undergraduate Admissions main page / Back to the subject list / How to apply / Why choose Christ's?
