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Art & Design: HND - Year 2

Person leaning over a table, drawing on paper in an art studio, with various sketches and art materials spread out
Qualification Qualifications Explained
HND
Study Mode
Full Time
Duration

1 Year
Start date
Aug 2026
Campus
East End
Apply now

Course overview

Develop your independent creative voice and prepare for degree-level study in Scotland’s vibrant arts sector.

Here at Kelvin, we believe that studying Art and Design leads to creative, critical and connected communities who are vital to the future of our world. HND Art & Design Year 2 builds on the skills you gained in the HNC, supporting you to become a confident, independent artist or designer with a strong personal practice. You’ll work within a supportive community of students, lecturers, artists, and makers while being part of Glasgow’s wider cultural scene — with opportunities to showcase work, collaborate, and engage with external partners.

This year has a strong interdisciplinary focus. You’ll explore multiple creative processes across our studios, printmaking workshops, sculpture facilities, digital labs, and gallery spaces. You’ll complete three major projects, allowing you to experiment broadly or specialise deeply depending on your pathway. Throughout the course, you’ll refine your conceptual thinking, develop professional presentation skills, and create a portfolio ready for university applications or work in the creative industries.

By the end of the programme, you’ll have the practical, creative, analytical, and professional skills required to progress confidently onto degree-level study or into entry-level creative roles.

This course is a great match if you:

  • Have successfully completed HNC Art & Design Year 1
  • Want to develop an independent creative practice
  • Enjoy exploring multiple disciplines and approaches
  • Are preparing for degree-level study in art, design, or a related field
  • Want to strengthen your portfolio for university interviews or industry opportunities

What you will learn

You’ll build on your HNC foundation through advanced creative, technical, and conceptual development. Key areas include:

  • Creative Development – taking ideas from initial research to resolved outcomes
  • Critical & Reflective Practice – critiques, tutorials, and professional feedback to strengthen your thinking
  • Professional Presentation – preparing work for internal and external exhibitions
  • Collaborative Practice – working with peers, community groups, and partners
  • Portfolio Building – developing a coherent body of work ready for degree applications or creative industry progression

You’ll gain experience across painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, installation, digital practices, and mixed-media work depending on your chosen project pathways.

Joshua, HND Art & Design student, speaking into a microphone during a street interview in Glasgow.

Art in Action on Duke Street

Students from our HND Art & Design course took part in a walking workshop exploring Glasgow’s vibrant creative community.

Led by course staff, the visit included a talk from Glasgow Kelvin College Artist in Residence, Gabrielle Lockwood Estrin, followed by a stop at Studio Pylon, run by former Kelvin student Cat Downing. The group then visited The Pipe Factory in the Barras where they participated in a poetry workshop led by Coral Brooks from Strange Field.

The experience gave students valuable insight into professional creative practice, collaboration and the wider artistic networks that exist beyond the classroom.

View on YouTube

Entry requirements

To apply for the HND Art and Design Year 2, you should have:

✅ An HNC Art & Design Year 1 pass (minimum 15 credit passes) AND

✅ An A/B grade pass in Level 7 Graded Unit 1 AND

✅ Portfolio

ℹ️ Due to Health & Safety, Awarding Bodies stipulations or Legislation set by Governing Bodies - you must be 16 years old at the start of this course.

ℹ️ For this course, if English is not your first language

  • If you do not have a formal ESOL qualification but your language skills meet this level, you should apply for your course and then contact our Admissions team to organise an internal language assessment  here at the College.

Career Opportunities

The HND prepares you for a wide range of creative roles within Scotland’s growing arts sector. Potential pathways include:

🎨 Artist / Illustrator (freelance or commissioned)

🖌 Graphic Designer (studio, agency, or freelance)

🏫 Art & Design Technician in schools, colleges, or studios

🎭 Community Arts Worker delivering workshops and creative projects

🖼 Gallery or Museum Assistant supporting exhibitions and curation

📚 Art Teacher or Lecturer (with further study)

📱 Creative roles in marketing, media, or content creation

👩‍💼 Arts administration / project coordination

🚀 Independent creative business or studio founder

Future prospects

Graduates regularly progress to competitive degree programmes across Scotland and the UK, including:

  • Glasgow School of Art
  • Edinburgh College of Art
  • DJCAD – University of Dundee
  • Gray’s School of Art
  • University of West Scotland
  • Glasgow Caledonian University
  • Forth Valley College & UHI

Depending on your specialism, entry may be at year 1, 2 or 3.

You may also choose to enter the creative industries directly, supported by your expanded portfolio, professional skills, and exhibition experience.

 

Real Industry Connections

We are proud to partner with Strange Field and The Pipe Factory  where our students have the unique opportunity to build relationships and gain experience within a working arts organisation in the heart of Glasgow’s East End.

Our students undertake workshops with professional artists and designers off site, learn the process of creating art and design work for public audiences, produce public exhibitions of their work in historic buildings and learn to teach their practice in community settings supported by working artists at Strange Field and course Lecturers.

Students benefit from a programme of Visiting Talks and Workshops with artists and designers on campus which have included our current Artist in Residence Gabrielle Lockwood Estrin (generously funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund), Artist and Educator Coral Brookes, Graphic Designer and Curator Eden Bo Dower, Illustrator Fionnuala Doran and Artist and Stone Carver James Winnett.

Colourful painted artwork featuring stylised pink flowers and green leaves set against a bright green background.
Hanging mixed-media artwork featuring colourful star-shaped forms suspended above a small painted box on a white plinth.
Brightly coloured illustration of a fish-headed figure shopping in a fish market, holding a receipt while surrounded by fish displays.
Detailed mixed-media model of a multi-storey building with patterned surfaces and a textured roof, displayed on a white base.
Framed artwork showing an illustrated orange butterfly on a neutral background with the word “Suffocation” beneath.
Textured textile artwork combining layered fabrics and mixed materials in deep red, black and neutral tones.
Repeating abstract print pattern in black, white and red, arranged in horizontal rows across the surface.
Monochrome mixed-media artwork featuring a dark central form surrounded by a frame made of repeated fork shapes.

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Find out about our Art & Design Department

Read What Our Students Said

Video Transcript – Joshua: HND Art and Design

Hello, this is Joshua Durant speaking with the beautiful HND class from Glasgow Kelvin College. Doing illustration by the way.

Currently heading down Duke Street so that we can visit... Studio Plylon, owned by a previous GKC student. Okay, that's it, we're going in now.

We just had a lovely chat with Cat. She basically just gave us a rundown. What she did in college, she did illustration. After she left, she saved up some money and opened her little print shop.

Now we're heading over to the Pipe Factory, the studio that we shall be doing a little workshop in. She even told us that even though she was making more money off of commission work, it was just more fulfilling to run a print studio.

We are now in what is technically part of the Barras.

Heading into the Pipe  Factory to have a little look around at the studio. Have a nice wee afternoon, making some stuff.

We are going to be writing down some words and we're going to jumble it all up and see what we can put together.

What we've just done is cut up all of our little words. I just picked at random. I'm gonna go back to my table and see what I can give her.

Our little activity has wrapped up. I'm gonna give some lovely dramatic readings.

Thankful to the creation of strange dopamine chaos. Beautiful. How detachable, sentimental, and imagine your life as a fairy tale.

That's us all wrapped up here. A lovely wee spot to come and relax, make some stuff, enjoy art, and yeah, that's about it.

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