What are the career opportunities for a Bachelor of Design graduate?

It can be hard to picture how a specific degree can translate into a career for your teen. In this article we look at the wide range of employment options and careers AUT Bachelor of Design students are prepared for once they graduate. Design is a rapidly growing multibillion-dollar sector worldwide, and AUT graduates have launched successful design careers across the world.

Where do design graduates work?

Communication design grads often find employment with design and advertising agencies, print production and publishing companies, film and multimedia companies, web design companies and sign-making companies. There is also an increasing demand for designers to work inhouse for non-design-related sectors, including marketing or media departments for radio stations, accounting firms, government departments and manufacturers.

Freelancing is another option for graduates, working on a range of one-off contracts to build up their networks and clientele. Often, they team up with other graduates from their course or networks to form small companies or collectives.

Fashion design graduates can follow either a design or a commercial pathway in the fashion sector. Graduates entering the design arm of industry will often work part-time or full-time in roles such as workroom assistants, pattern makers, design assistants or production assistants, while establishing their own labels through collective showroom retail options.

The commercial arm includes roles like buyer administrator, merchandiser assistant or production co-ordinator. They could be working for fashion design companies, large fashion retailers, fabric wholesalers or suppliers of fabrics or accessories. A number also work part-time in fashion retail while developing their own fashion label.

With spatial and interior design incorporating aspects of several professions and industries, graduates from this major find themselves working in a wide range of settings, either in established firms and institutions or in an enterprise they have developed themselves.

As well as work opportunities in urban design, interior design and architecture firms, spatial and interior designers also often pursue work in film and theatre design, performance design, the creation of exhibitions and events, furniture design, urban design, or the crafting of virtual environments. Graduates may start with a role as a design assistant or junior designer and progress to senior design or management roles, freelance work or running their own business. There are also opportunities to pursue academic, secondary and tertiary teaching or research pathways.

For more information on career opportunities in design view our art and design career sheets.

Opening up more career opportunities by adding other subjects

Our design degree offers extra flexibility so you could encourage your teen to include a subject from a related area to help their broaden their career opportunities in the future. Marketing, management, public relations or event management all offer great combinations with design subjects. If your teen is interested in interaction design, software development could also be a subject they could also consider.

Try our online degree builder to see what this could look like for your teen.