Start your AOD Design Foundation after O/L’s and get direct entry to Northumbria University UK BA Hons Programmes
The Academy of Design (AOD) is now ready to welcome O/L graduates into its Design Foundation Program for March 2021; an all-encompassing course that sets the stage for every aspiring designer’s entry into the limelight of design, creativity, and innovation.
With the Design Foundation Program, O/L graduates who have already set their eyes on a future in fashion, interior design, animation, or graphic design, can equip them for their dream career. Here, students get to sample the different design disciplines and become more well-versed in how the industry operates, so that on completion, they are able to make an informed decision before embarking on the BA Hons degree of their choice; be it the BA (Hons) Fashion & Textile Design Program, a BA (Hons) in Fashion Design & Marketing, the BA (Hons) Interior Design Program, a BA (Hons) in Visual Communication Design, or even a BA (Hons) in Motion Graphics and Animation Design.
By enrolling in AOD’s Design Foundation Program right after their O/Ls, students will have also signed up for the advantage of finishing up their BA Hons Degree after just 3 plus years of study; paving the way even further for graduates looking to get a head start on their MA Degrees as well.
Since its founding in 2001, AOD worked on getting the first UK internal degree porgrammes in design to Sri Lank and still remains the first & only campus in Sri Lanka to award completely internal design degrees from a British university for all years; and that too from one of the most highly ranked design schools in Europe: the Northumbria University UK. Through this collaboration, an international faculty of well-established creative professionals and design experts from all over the world deliver Northumbria UK’s very same programmes and teaching excellence to AOD students, also extending to its Sri Lankan students an opportunity to graduate with a UK design degree that is recognized all over the world.
The uniqueness of Northumbria University’s presence in Sri Lanka is in its offering of a 100% internal UK degree that can be completed in Colombo. This presents not just a financial advantage in saving up to almost 1/3 of the cost to receive the identical degree certification to studying in the UK, but also the equally-appealing alternative option of its one-of-a-kind hybrid study model; a transfer program which gives students the option of completing the final year of their BA Hons Degree at Northumbria University in Newcastle following two years of study in AOD’s campus in Colombo.
From its enviable address at the Colombo Innovation Tower (CIT), AOD is strategically placed at the very heart of a hive buzzing with -as the name suggests- innovation; affording students an entire ecosystem of ingenuity comparable to none. With the goal being to create a new league of professionals with extraordinary minds and unique skill-mixes, from the very onset of their learning journey at AOD, students earn their place among an eclectic and influential community of well-established designers, innovators, and industry titans; with many an opportunity to be inspired, and even rub shoulders with their future employers.
In essence a dedicated design school, AOD is also fully-equipped with the infrastructure to deliver a world-class design education with industry-standard training. Complete with design studios, digital laboratories, fashion making and styling facilities, a screen-printing studio, and even Sri Lanka’s largest dedicated design library, one would think there couldn’t possibly be more the academy can offer.
Enter CIT Labs, a creative talent and innovation incubator offering a pioneering, design-centric creative residency programme for the next generation of disruptors. This is a one-of-a-kind multi-disciplinary design and innovation studio with expertise spanning visual communications, motion graphics, fashion design and marketing, and interior design. Here, working at the intersection of design and technology to drive innovation for businesses and society in diverse fields, the gap between academics and industry is bridged; producing not just talented creatives, but impactful changemakers of tomorrow. CIT Labs is housed at the Colombo Innovation Tower alongside AOD and other ecosystem members, and exclusively serves to expose undergraduate design students, alumni, and soon its masters’ students, to real world projects and experiences refining them to be better, timely and future-proof designers.
This hub offers students the opportunity to get a hands-on experience during the course of their three-year degree with the close mentorship of seasoned industry professionals from around the world; enhancing their soft skills alongside their academic knowledge, and making them independent designers by the time they graduate. International collaboration partners and local industry clients include MAS, Four Seasons Hotels & Resorts, Port City Colombo, and Sunshine Enterprises, among others.
Students at AOD have access to a remarkable mix of global educators, regional industry connections, and international exposure in the form of world-renowned design personalities as guest lecturers, international design conferences, exhibitions and showcases, as well as award-winning industry collaborative projects. Additionally, owing to its extensive pool of connections across a wide range of design industries -both locally and internationally- the university is also uniquely positioned to help graduates with rewarding placements and careers. It comes as no surprise then that AOD graduates are the most sought-after amongst industry professionals, with a 99% employability rate as testament.
AOD invites all O/L graduates with a passion for all things design to enrol for the March 2021 intake of the Design Foundation Programme. For more information on how to stake claim to a successful future in a burgeoning industry, please reach AOD Colombo on 0775727772, email info@aod.lk or walk in between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday – Colombo Innovation Tower, No 477, R A De Mel mawatha, Colombo 4
www.aod.lk