Career Track Program: UX Academy Foundations
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This article covers frequently asked questions about our UX Academy Foundations course. Questions covered in this article: |
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What does UX Academy Foundations cost?
Tuition for UX Academy Foundations is $499 and is charged on the start date of your course. If you enroll in UX Academy after completing UX Academy Foundations, the full price of Foundations will be credited toward your UX Academy tuition, meaning you’ll essentially be getting Foundations for free!
Do you offer payment plans for UX Academy Foundations?
Yes! We offer a 2-part payment plan for UX Academy Foundations.
The first 50% of the tuition is charged on the course launch day, and the remaining 50% will be charged 4 weeks later.
To set up a 2-part payment plan, please do the following:
- Enroll in UX Academy Foundations.
- Reply to your enrollment confirmation email and ask for a payment plan.
- If you have any further questions, please reach out to admissions@designlab.com and we'll be happy to help!
Notes:
- At this time it's not possible to set up a custom payment plan or to combine discounts and payment plans.
- You must make both payments on time during your short course. Failure to pay on time when using a 2-part payment plan in UX Academy Foundations will make you ineligible to use a Designlab monthly payment plan for UX Academy.
Will taking UX Academy Foundations guarantee me entry into UX Academy?
Automatic acceptance to UX Academy
Students who successfully complete UX Academy Foundations by fulfilling all of the following criteria are automatically accepted to UX Academy:
- Complete all required units of Foundations coursework
- Have the Final Design Challenge approved by your mentor
- Hold at least 5 sessions with your mentor with no more than 1 forfeited session
- Complete the course by the scheduled end date
- Demonstrate professional and respectful communication with all members of the Designlab community
UX Academy Foundations students who meet all of the criteria for automatic acceptance will be invited to enroll in UX Academy.
UX Academy Foundations students who don’t meet all of the criteria above can still apply to UX Academy via the application process outlined below and be admitted to the program following a review of their performance in the course.
Applying to UX Academy
Students who don’t fulfill all of the criteria for automatic acceptance to UX Academy are welcome — and encouraged! — to submit an application once they’ve completed UX Academy Foundations. The Admissions Team will review the student’s performance in the course to ensure we’re confident that the student is set up for success in UX Academy.
How to apply
- Submit the UX Academy application form.
- When filling out the application form, make sure to select “I have completed UX Academy Foundations.” Copy and paste the link to your Final Design Challenge in the space that appears.
- The Admissions Team will review your application and respond within 4 business days.
Evaluation criteria
The Admissions Team will review your application to ensure:
- Your design skills are at the necessary level for entry into UX Academy
- You have a clear understanding of the expectations and requirements of UX Academy
The Admissions Team might reach to ask for additional context as to why you didn’t complete the course on time, didn’t utilize at least 5 mentor sessions, and/or forfeited more than 1 session.
Please note: any level of unprofessionalism or disrespect in your communication with other students, mentors, or the Designlab Team will result in non-admission to UX Academy.
Application restrictions
You can only apply to a given cohort once. If your application meets all of our entry criteria, you'll be invited to enroll in UX Academy to save your spot in the cohort. If our design reviewers think your project work is capable of reaching our entry requirements through a single round of iteration, you'll be offered the opportunity to iterate and resubmit your application for the same cohort. If you're still not admitted after iterating, you can apply again to any future cohort, and the Admissions Team will be happy to provide guidance on the best next steps to be prepared for UX Academy.
Tuition credit
Here’s more information about the UX Academy Foundations tuition credit.
Questions?
Reach out to the Admissions Team at admissions@designlab.com or book a call, and we'll be happy to help!
How is UX Academy Foundations different from Design 101?
UX Academy Foundations is the introductory, prerequisite course for the UX Academy bootcamp program. The course covers fundamental UI topics, such as color theory, typography, alignment, hierarchy, and more, and is appropriate for career switchers looking to begin their UX/UI design learning journey.
Design 101 also teaches fundamental visual and UI design principles; however this short course is for anyone who’s simply interested in learning some basic design concepts but not planning to pursue a career in design.
Not sure if you should enroll in UX Academy Foundations or Design 101?
Reach out to the Admissions Team at admissions@designlab.com or book a call, and we'll be happy to help!
How does mentorship work in UX Academy Foundations?
Mentor pairing
Before you begin your UX Academy Foundations course, you’ll be asked about your scheduling and availability, to ensure you’re paired with a mentor whose schedule is compatible with yours. We’ll make sure to match you with someone that is available in the times you denote; however, we do not match based on timezone/location. We’ve found that being in the same location as your mentor has no effect on student success, outcomes, or course completion.
Working with your mentor
Feedback from your mentor will be twofold! Every time you submit a version of a project to the Designlab platform, your mentor will get back to you with specific written commentary within 24–48 hours. Additionally, you’ll have video call sessions with your mentor as you move through the coursework, to have the opportunity to talk more thoroughly about questions, projects, and feedback.
Scheduling mentor sessions
You’ll have 8 mentorship sessions overall, with each session approximately one hour in length. These meetings will take place over an app such as Zoom or Google Hangouts.
You can plan your mentor sessions out in advance — remember to schedule one per unit regardless of your track — to keep yourself accountable! Once your final project has been completed and approved by your mentor, you'll no longer have the ability to book sessions from your dashboard. However, you can still continue to meet with your mentor after you've finished the coursework, as long as the sessions have been scheduled beforehand.
You're also able to schedule sessions with your mentor after the course has technically ended. However, this can only be done on your mentor's end. They'll be able to schedule sessions through their dashboard. Please keep in mind that your mentor is not obligated to continue working with you once your course has concluded, and the choice to do so is completely at their discretion.
Important notes
Please keep in mind that if you do not hand in assignments, work through iterations, or engage with your mentor for more than one week during your course, you may be considered inactive within UX Academy Foundations. If you're inactive for the majority of the first 4 weeks of UX Academy Foundations, you'll be unpaired from your mentor automatically. We also reserve the right to unpair you from your mentor if we deem that you've become inactive at any stage of your enrollment. If you're unpaired from your mentor during the 8-week timeframe of your course and wish to continue, please email admissions@designlab.com. We can assist you in getting re-paired with a mentor so you can continue to have support.
One final good thing to note is that if you have to reschedule a mentorship session, you must do so more than 24 ahead of time, otherwise your session will be forfeited. Forfeiting 2 or more mentorship sessions will be taken into consideration when reviewing your application for UX Academy as per the prerequisites.