UX and UI design courses, online and NCFE approved

User experience and user interface design: how a product is researched and understood from the user's side, and how that understanding turns into an interface somebody can actually use. Studied online and assessed by the work you produce.

The school currently holds NCFE approval for 1 qualification in this subject, at Level 3. 1 is open for enrolment now, at £495. 1 of them can be completed entirely at your own pace. All of them are studied online from anywhere in the UK, and every one is awarded by NCFE and regulated by Ofqual.

Every qualification below is awarded by NCFE and regulated by Ofqual

The qualifications

NCFE Level 3 Certificate in User Experience/User Interface (UX/UI)

Enrolling now NCFE Approved Self-paced

A regulated NCFE qualification in UX and UI design, studied fully online at your own pace. Six units, 180 guided learning hours, and a portfolio you build as you go. No fixed class times and no travel. The fee is £495 and you can start any day.

Duration: 180 guided learning hours, 312 total qualification time; self-paced online study

£495 View details →

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Not sure which of these fits you? Tell us where you are now and what you want the qualification for, and we will say which one suits and which does not. Ask us a question, or call +44 207 0990 956, Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm.

UX and UI are two jobs, and most UK adverts want both

UX design is the research half. Who is this for, what are they trying to do, where does the current thing get in their way, and what does testing say about the answer. It is interviews, journey maps and evidence, and much of it is written rather than drawn.

UI design is the surface. Type, colour, spacing, states, components and the design system that keeps them consistent. It is the part people picture when they hear "design", and on its own it is not enough to get hired.

Most UK job adverts ask for both, which is why this qualification covers both rather than making you choose at the point when you know least about the difference.

What employers look at first, and it is not the certificate

A hiring manager opens the portfolio before anything else. What they are reading for is process: the problem, the research, the options you rejected and why, and what changed after testing. A portfolio of finished screens with no reasoning behind them reads as decoration.

This qualification is assessed by portfolio for that reason. The work you produce to pass it is work you can show, rather than an exam result that proves nothing to an employer who cannot see it.

We would rather say this plainly than let you find it out afterwards: the certificate opens a conversation. The portfolio is what carries it.

Studying UX and UI in London, and everywhere else

The school is registered in Chancery Lane and every qualification is delivered entirely online, so a learner in London studies exactly what a learner in Leeds, Lagos or Lahore studies. There is no campus to travel to and no evening class to miss.

If you are searching for a UX design course in London because you work there, that suits this format rather than arguing against it. You keep the job, you study around it, and the certificate is awarded by NCFE, not by us, so it means the same thing wherever you sat it.

What you actually need before you start

No design degree and no prior design job. Level 3 sits at A level standard, so comfort with written English and the self-direction to work without a timetable matter more than any previous qualification.

You will need a computer that runs Figma, which has a free tier, and enough time each week to produce work rather than only read about it. People in full-time jobs typically find several hours a week is the realistic shape of it.

What the work itself looks like

You will plan and run small pieces of research, write up what you found, turn it into information architecture and wireframes, and build the interface from there. Most of it is produced in Figma and written up alongside.

Accessibility runs through all of it rather than sitting at the end. WCAG 2.2 is the standard UK organisations work to, and designing for it from the first sketch is both easier and the thing an employer notices.

The output is a portfolio you keep. Nothing you produce is thrown away when the assessment is over, which is the practical argument for portfolio assessment over an exam.

How this compares with a bootcamp or a degree

A bootcamp gives you a cohort, deadlines and portfolio support, and the sector is unregulated, so quality varies enormously and nothing external verifies what you learned.

A degree gives breadth, networks and three years of your life at considerable cost. It is the right answer for some people and an expensive one for a career changer already in work.

A regulated qualification sits between them: externally assessed, on the Regulated Qualifications Framework, and verifiable by any employer who cares to check. What it asks in return is that you organise your own time, which is the part people underestimate.

The full comparison: UX bootcamp or regulated qualification, and when each one is the right buy

Common questions

Do I need a design degree to work in UX or UI in the UK?

No. UK hiring managers weigh the portfolio first, and a degree is one route in rather than a requirement. What you do need is evidence of process, not just finished screens.

Is this qualification recognised by employers?

It is awarded by NCFE and regulated by Ofqual, and it carries a qualification number anyone can search on the Ofqual register. How a particular employer weighs it is their decision, as it would be with any qualification.

Can I study it while working full time?

Yes. It is self-paced with no fixed intake, so you can start on any working day and fit study around your hours.

Do I need to buy design software?

Figma has a free tier that is sufficient for the whole qualification.

Is there an exam?

No. It is assessed by a portfolio of evidence, which is also the thing you show an employer afterwards.

Other ways people search for this

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