Description
Program Overview
This course responds to the needs of diverse contemporary creative industries. You will develop a personal and professional understanding of visual communication within various contexts. These include studio-based practice, live projects, cross-sector collaboration, and work-related learning.
Through a carefully structured three-year process, students learn to become practitioners in visual communication. These skills have practical applications across a broad range of fields. Teaching is based on design problem-solving methods, drawing on our staff’s vast academic and industry experience. Ideas and terms are brought to life using film, television, graphic design, photography, illustration, and event design.
Our successful alumni working in various industries including illustration, television, photography, graphic design, film, animation, visual merchandising, and teaching. Graduate employers include leaders in all areas of the creative sector. In addition, many former students have now established freelance practitioners working for clients across the UK and overseas.
Employability through work-related learning is central to our approach. All students can work on live projects and regularly engage with the local community, business clients, and external partners to produce solutions for real commercial enterprises.
What You'll Study
Year One – Core principles of design and communication are introduced within graphic design, photography and film, printmaking, and illustration. Through practical briefs, you will unpick communication processes including persuasion, narrative, documentary, and reportage, where your own interests will inform the content of your work. You may have the opportunity to collaborate with other students across disciplines at the University. You may also work with businesses and communities in the city and exhibit your work.
Year Two – You will develop your creative practice and apply your skills to real life-projects (whether self-directed, client-based, or competitions). During the year, you will start to investigate the professional world related to your emerging practice. This specialism could be in any number of applications or subject areas, as directed by your own interests. You will develop an impressive portfolio of work to help secure vital work experience.
Year Three – In the last year you consolidate the focus of your creative practice. You will develop your professional and entrepreneurial skills through engagement with visiting professionals, external events, and exhibitions. Work culminates in the realization of a graduate folio that reflects your individual philosophy and career aspirations as a creative thinker and visual communicator.
Work Experience
Work experience covers a broad range of activities and students are encouraged to undertake work placements during their time at the university. As well as guidance from the course team our Careers, Employability, and Enterprise teams offer support that enhances employability skills and underpins engagement with the industry.
Destination Careers
Our alumni work in a huge variety of fields. Graduate employers include Aardman Animations, BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Topshop, VICE Magazine (New York), Wallpaper Magazine, Saatchi & Saatchi, Tate Modern, Design Museum, The White Company, We Are Fallon, Liberal Democratic Party, Marks & Spencers, Ilkley Literature Festival, David Oldham Photography, Bloomsbury Publishing, Sonar Festival, LBi London, Glastonbury Festival, I-am Associates, ASDA Marketing, Dubit Ltd, Red Star 3D, East Africa Playgrounds, Omobono, Kontra Oslo, Rapha Racing Ltd, Opera North, Left Bank Leeds, TNR Communications, OMD UK, 10 Associates, Haaretz, and New Era Cap. Graduates may also continue to postgraduate study.
Requirement
- 112 UCAS points from any combination of A Levels/T Level/Extended Diploma/Foundation Diploma. One qualification should be in a relevant subject; or
- BBC from three A Levels; or
- A minimum of one Distinction and two Merits (DMM) from an Extended Diploma or a Merit from a UAL Extended Diploma or T Level in a relevant subject; or
- 112 UCAS points from a recognized Access to Higher Education course specializing in art and design with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3; or
- An international equivalent to 112 UCAS points in a subject related to your proposed course of study. Please see our Information by Country pages for more information.
All home applicants aged under 21 must have GCSE English at Grade 4/Grade C or above, or English Functional Skills Level 2 at Pass. International applicants must have a minimum IELTS overall score of 5.5, with no individual component below 5.5 (or recognized equivalent).
Examples of work
For all BA (Hons) degree courses (with the exception of BMus (Hons) Popular Music Performance) you will need:
- To set up your portal
- You will then be asked to submit a maximum of six examples of work from your portfolio for consideration. The files should be no larger than 30MB in total and it is essential that no more than six examples of work are uploaded.
- Guidance on what to include in your examples of work can be found here.
For BMus (Hons) Popular Music Performance you will need:
- 112 UCAS points from any combination of A Levels/Diploma/Extended Diploma. One qualification should be in a relevant subject, this may be a Rockschool Level 3 Music Practitioner qualification.
- A Level of performing ability equivalent to ABRSM/Rockschool/Trinity Grade 8
- Music theory understanding to Grade 5 level
Performing ability and theoretical understanding will be assessed through a practical performance of (1) a set piece relative to a specific instrument or voice and (2) an original song, instrumental composition, or arrangement of an existing song that has been uploaded to a suitable video sharing platform (YouTube, Vimeo or Weibo) for remote review.
For BA (Hons) Creative Writing and BA (Hons) Creative Advertising:
- For these courses, an interview forms part of the Admissions process. Providing that you meet our entry requirements for these courses, and submit your examples of work within the required deadline, you will be offered an in-person or remote interview.
For BA (Hons) Creative Writing you will need:
- Evidence of your writing interests in the form of samples of your work. Your work should demonstrate your developing, imaginative, and creative skills.