Photography/Art History
Entry requirements
A level
To include a satisfactory portfolio.
The University welcomes undergraduate applications from students studying the Access to Higher Education Diploma, provided that relevant subject content and learning outcomes are met. We are not able to accept Access to Higher Education Diplomas as a general qualification for every undergraduate degree course.
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
To include a satisfactory portfolio.
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
To include a satisfactory portfolio.
UCAS Tariff
To include a satisfactory portfolio.
Aberystwyth University welcomes the Welsh Baccalaureate as a valuable qualification in its own right and considers completion of the Welsh Baccalaureate Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate to be equivalent to an A level grade.
You may also need to…
Present a portfolio
About this course
In studying Photography and Art History at Aberystwyth University you will not simply be studying the history of great art and artists, but will create, curate and exhibit your own photographic artwork. Our School of Art is one of the highest-ranking art departments in the UK, situated in a magnificent Edwardian Grade II listed building overlooking Cardigan Bay, where history meets practice and the traditional meets the contemporary. You will have access to an internationally-renowned collection of art and artefacts, comprising some 20,000 prints, photographs, drawings, paintings and ceramics, all housed within our very own government-accredited art museum with its own galleries. Photography and Art History at Aberystwyth University promotes critical thinking and an expansive approach to the study of art history, while furnishing you with an applied knowledge and practical experience of the techniques of photographic image capture and reproduction, ensuring that you graduate with the skills and attributes you will need to flourish in your chosen field.
**Why study Photography and Art History at Aberystwyth University?**
You will have access to the extensive art and artifact collections belonging to the School of Art at Aberystwyth University which will instill in you a practical hands-on knowledge and appreciation of art history. The School of Art offers the opportunity for primary-source analysis through its fine collection of rare and original photographic prints which you will be able to explore and study at close hand. You will be taught by staff, photographers and curators who are very experienced in their respective fields.
You will learn the techniques and contemporary practice for the curation of exhibitions to museum standard and will present an exhibition of your photographic work in the School of Art galleries as part of your degree scheme.
The School of Art at Aberystwyth University is an Accredited Museum. Its collections have benefited greatly from the financial support of MALD (Museum, Archives and Libraries Division, Wales), the V&A Purchase Grant Fund, purchase grants from the Art Fund, the support of the Arts Council of Wales and both the Arts Council and Heritage Lottery Fund who have provided for proper storage and maintenance of the collections in safe and environmentally controlled conditions. You will also benefit from access to the National Library of Wales (one of the UK’s five copyright libraries), which is adjacent to Penglais campus, and which holds a copy of all works published in the UK and the largest collections of portraits, maps and photographic images in Wales.
The study of Art History has many practical applications. It promotes critical thinking and provides a sound foundation for careers in heritage, education, publishing, journalism, as well as curating and art administration. In studying Photography and Art History at Aberystwyth University you will acquire a range of skills applicable to numerous career pathways, including: Museum or Gallery assistant, Librarian, Teacher, Information officer, Magazine journalist, Newspaper journalist, Press photographer, Magazine features editor, Media researcher, Film/video editor and Web designer.
Tuition fees
Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:
Extra funding
Aberystwyth University offers a valuable package of scholarships and bursaries to support students. Our long-established Entrance Examination competition means you could get up to £2,000 a year towards your living and study costs. You can combine that with any or all of our other awards, to make your financial package more valuable. Our awards include Sport and Music Scholarships, Bursaries for Care Leavers/Young Carers/Estranged Students and a range of department specific awards. Please visit our website for full details.
What students say
We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.
How do students rate their degree experience?
The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Cinematics and photography
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
Media studies
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.
Cinematics and photography
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
Media studies
What are graduates doing after six months?
This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.
Top job areas of graduates
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
Cinematics and photography
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£12k
£16k
£19k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
Media studies
The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
£14k
£17k
£20k
Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.
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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):
We've received this information from the Department for Education, via Ucas. This is how the university as a whole has been rated for its quality of teaching: gold silver or bronze. Note, not all universities have taken part in the TEF.
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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).
This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.
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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.
You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.
It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.
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Graduate field commentary:
The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show
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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.
While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?
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