Design for Film
The only course of its kind in Ireland, this innovative and collaborative hands-on programme creates professional designers and creative practitioners for the thriving film, entertainment and associated Creative Industries. Students learn highly specialised skills in a collaborative context.
| Award Name | Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) |
|---|---|
| NFQ Classification | Major |
| Awarding Body | Institute of Art Design and Technology |
| NFQ Level | Level 8 NFQ |
| Award Name | NFQ Classification | Awarding Body | NFQ Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Degree - Honours Bachelor (Level 8 NFQ) | Major | Institute of Art Design and Technology | Level 8 NFQ |
Duration
4 years full-time.
Specific Subjects or course requirements
Min Entry Requirements
2 H5 + 4 O6 / H7
English: O6/H7
Portfolio required. Combination of CAO and Portfolio Assessment Points.
For information on portfolio submission see https://iadt.ie/study/portfolio-guidelines/
Leaving Certificate Vocational Progamme LCVP
QQI FET Applicants General Information
Applicants with QQI/FETAC Level 5 or Level 6 Awards require distinctions in 3 (of 8) modules.
Portfolio: Yes
For information on portfolio submission see https://iadt.ie/study/portfolio-guidelines/
Careers / Further progression
Future Careers
Our graduates work across a wide variety of roles in film, television and theatre. Graduates are successfully employed in the larger cultural and creative sectors including, Live Performance, Games design, and Spectacle Arts. Graduates are found successfully working across the creative industries in roles that range from the design and construction of props, sets, costumes, and characters both in Ireland and abroad. Alumni are found worldwide, working in diverse and collaborative multi-disciplinary roles such as: digital fabrication specialists, and design strategists in large multinationals; as medical prosthetic specialists in research labs; and as 3D art directors in immersive studios and spaces.
Further Studies
Our recent graduates have gone on to pursue postgraduate study at MA and doctoral level across a range of areas including; MA in Design History and Material Culture, MA in Education (Art & Design), MA in Modelmaking and Visual Effects, MA in Material Futures, Professional Masters in Education, MA Exhibition Design, MA UX Design, MA Anthropology, MA Speculative Design, MSc Materials Design, MA Interior Architecture, PHD in Anthropology, PHD Ethical design of Sensory Augmentation technology.
Further information
September 2026
Mature Students
We welcome applications from mature students, who must apply to the CAO.
More info for Mature https://iadt.ie/services/institute-student-services/access-social-inclusion/mature-students/
50
Entry 2026 - Restricted Course
Early online application (discounted): Fee €35 Closing Date: 20 January 2026 at 5pm
Normal online application: Fee €50 Closing Date: 1 February 2026 at 5pm
Be sure to complete any action well in advance of closing dates. You should avoid submitting an application close to a closing date. No extensions to closing dates will be allowed and all fees are non-refundable.
Restricted Courses
Applying for a restricted course – you must have applied to CAO by 1 February 2026 at 5pm if you wish to apply for a restricted course. The restricted course must be included on your course choices list by that date, or added to your application using the facility to amend course choices (for a fee of €10) before 1 March at 5pm.
Restricted courses normally require additional assessment procedures, for example, the submission of a portfolio, an oral assessment or interview, or a written assessment. Restricted courses are identified in the handbook by the words “(Restricted - see page 3 of the 2026 CAO Handbook)" on the same line as the restricted course’s title. Please make sure to acquaint yourself with the additional requirements, if any, of the restricted course(s) that you have applied for and go to page 24 of the 2026 CAO Handbook for more information about interviews and assessments.
Exception: If a restricted course shares the exact same assessment procedures with a course you had applied for by 1 February 2026, you may be permitted to introduce it on a Change of Mind. You should consult with the relevant HEI before introducing such a course.
Mature Applicants
Mature applicants – most HEIs will require mature applicants, who wish to be assessed on mature grounds, to have applied to CAO by 1st February 2026 at 5pm, and include course choices by that date or add them using the facility to amend course choices (for a fee of €10) before 1 March at 5pm. (This restriction does not apply if the applicant wishes to be considered on the basis of school leaving qualifications only.) For more information about applying to CAO on the basis of mature years go to www.cao.ie/mature
Supplementary Admission Routes
Applying for DARE and/or HEAR – to be considered for DARE and/or HEAR, applicants must have registered on the CAO system by 1 February 2026 at 5pm. To apply to DARE, you must answer YES to Question 1 ('Do you wish to be considered for DARE?) on Section A of the fully completed Supplementary Information Form (SIF) by 5pm on 1 March 2026.
To apply to HEAR, you must indicate on your CAO application that you wish to apply for HEAR and fully and correctly complete all elements of the online HEAR form by 5pm on 1 March 2026.
Supporting documents for DARE and/or HEAR applicants must be sent to CAO offices before 10 March 2026 at 5pm
What is this course about?
With a focus on collaboration and creativity, students discover how to create new worlds, objects and characters for the film, theatre and entertainment industries.
In year two of Design for Film, students specialise in one of four pathways, each with a strong emphasis on practical, hands-on learning.
Design for Film Pathways:
Costume Design
Character Make-Up Design
Model Making
Production Design
All four years are focused on responding to briefs in the studio, either via a personal response or collaboratively. Dedicated technical spaces, ambitious multi-disciplinary briefs, and the extensive facilities of the National Film School offer enormous real-world benefits to students, who gain an invaluable creative education in a professional working context.
Students will learn to imagine new worlds, objects and characters through the use of specialist skills and creative research at Ireland’s Campus for the Creative Industries.
What modules will I study?
Year 1
Design Spectacle | Design Core | Design Text | Design Frame.
Study core design principles in modules relating to film and performance design (core, spectacle, text, frame) exploring design process. Research and materials, the history and theory of visual culture, practical masterclasses and an introduction to the faculty.
Year 2
Design Dramatic Histories | Design Irish Drama & Film | Faculty Elective | Design Storytelling | Design Generations.
Experience various aspects of design creation and how design principles are used to create films, plays, games and events.
This year is an opportunity to make your own responses to other sources with different historical and cultural influences.
Study the history and theory of visual culture, film history, and an elective of your choosing from across the faculty.
Year 3
Design Research | Design Collaboration | Design Praxis | Professional Placement.
Make work in one of the specialist pathways.
Gain opportunities to be part of creative teams as a collaborative partner with other students and professionals.
There is an opportunity to take on professional placements and live projects.
Year 4
Minor Project | Major Project | Thesis.
Your opportunity to bring together all of the skills, creative understanding, and design knowledge gained on the course to make a self-directed Minor Project and a Major Project within one of the specialist pathways.
Complete an independently-researched dissertation, and further develop business skills to help you prepare for life after graduation.
Erasmus
Erasmus partners include: Nottingham Trent University (UK); Osijek Academy of Arts, (Croatia); Aalto University, (Finland); Hungarian University of Fine Arts, Budapest (Hungary) and a new partnership in Norway.
Liam Doona
Programme co-chair
Email: liam.doona@iadt.ie
Julian King
Programme co-chair
Email: julian.king@iadt.ie