Do you need a degree to become a web designer in the UK? My personal experience

By Luke Angelo

May 11, 2025

Where it all began

Hi, my name’s Luke and I’m the founder of Angelo Web Design – a professional web design agency in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. I founded the business in 2021, after previously working for another local web agency.

My website building journey started long before that though, I built my first ever website back in 2010, aged just 13. My first websites were centred around online gaming, and the FIFA franchise. I created websites for gaming tournaments and leagues, where people could compete against each other. One of my websites amassed over 3,000 members, and generated revenue from Google Ads.

Self-Taught Skills

I was hooked on website design and development right away, and spent countless hours studying it online. Some of my most valuable learning experiences were from YouTube videos. One YouTube channel in particular taught me a lot of skills – DevelopPHP by Adam Khoury [1]. He had comprehensive courses on how to build a membership website using PHP, all completely free on YouTube! I used this valuable resource to learn how to build my own membership website, for my gaming community.

College

I continued to study IT and web design as part of my college courses. I knew I wanted to make a career out of building websites, and I dedicated myself to strengthening my skills. In my spare time I kept creating different websites, and learning coding techniques. I taught myself all the fundamentals of the key coding languages – HTML, CSS, JavaScript, PHP and SQL. I achieved excellent grades at college, and received several offers from universities.

University

I was accepted onto my dream course at the University of Huddersfield, to study Web Technologies. This degree taught the fundamentals of both front-end and back-end website development. It was during this course that I first started using WordPress. Prior to that, I had coded all sites completely from scratch or used the Joomla CMS.

Overall the course was a great experience, I further developed my skills in an academic environment. I also met tons of great people and made friends for life. My favourite module on the course was Web Programming. As part of that module we worked with lots of different JavaScript libraries, and learnt how to build Progressive Web Apps. The course also had team projects where you could work alongside other designers and developers. It was clear that some people excelled in front-end, and some more in back-end development. All the top web design agencies employ separate people for designing and developing, and learning how to split these tasks was a valuable experience.

My first job

Straight after my course finished, I started applying for web design jobs in the local area. I received several job offers straight away, and chose to work for a local web design agency in Huddersfield. It was a fantastic place to work, and I developed my skills to a high standard. I got the chance to work with businesses from a vast range of industries, and strengthened my communication skills.

Do you need a degree to become a web designer?

If I was to go back and do it all again, I would definitely go to university and get the degree. My advice to aspiring web designers and developers would be to study as much as you can, using online resources. Websites like YouTube have thousands of hours of free content, where you can learn all of the key skills. But alongside this, you need to be getting a formal education and working towards an undergraduate degree.

According to a 2024 report by Tripepad [2], there are 48.7 applicants per job and there’s been a 24% decrease in jobs advertised. Entry level web design jobs in the UK often have hundreds of applicants, and it can be a struggle to get your foot in the door. Having a degree gives you a massive advantage over other applicants, and gives you the best chance possible of starting a career in Web Design.

A study by Universities UK [3] revealed that 73% of UK graduates say going to university got them the job they wanted. Having a degree in web design or a related field will really make you stand out, and shows how dedicated you are to the career path.

The apprenticeship route

If University isn’t for you, the apprenticeship route is a fantastic way to establish yourself in the industry. This gives you a chance to get a formal qualification, whilst getting hands-on experience in the industry. These apprenticeships will tend to have less applications from university graduates, so that gives you a better chance. Indeed is a good place to start your search, use search terms like “Web Design Apprentice” to find opportunities [4]. Related apprenticeships like software development and digital marketing often have a web design element as part of the job, so sometimes you can take an alternative route.

Can’t you go self-employed straight away?

Without working for another agency, I would not have developed the skills I have today. Building websites as a hobby is completely different to working with real businesses, and meeting their expectations. Even if you are incredibly talented at building websites, communicating with clients is a huge part of the job. Working for an established agency helps you develop these skills, and see how businesses in the industry operate.

Web design is a highly competitive field, and as a freelancer you must deliver an excellent level of service to stand out from competitors. Shape reported that there are 2,041 professional web design agencies operating as of 2024 [5]. Businesses expect a highly professional service, and if you’re clueless about project management or how to manage a large website build, then you will really struggle.

Conclusion

From my personal experience, yes you do need a degree to become a web designer in the UK. We have a highly competitive job market, and there has been a fall in the number of jobs being advertised. The ONS [6] found UK job vacancies fell by 26,000 in the first quarter of 2025 .

Going to university and getting a degree gives you a stable foundation for your career, and gives you the best chance possible when applying for jobs. It also gives you the chance to meet new people and expand your social circle, so you really do get the best of both worlds. Alongside academic education, you should be building websites as much as possible in your free time, and watching online courses. Web design is a fun and rewarding career path, and I hope this article helps you forge your own career in the industry!