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Photography/Art History

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B-C,C,C

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

26-30

To include a satisfactory portfolio.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)

DDM-MMM

To include a satisfactory portfolio.

UCAS Tariff

96-120

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


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subjects

Photography

Media production

Cinematography

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:

Channel Islands
£9,000
per year
England
£9,000
per year
EU
£16,520
per year
International
£16,520
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,000
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,000
per year
Scotland
£9,000
per year
Wales
£9,000
per year

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.

The Uni


Course location:

Main Site (Aberystwyth)

Department:

School of Art

Read full university profile

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.

78%
Photography
82%
Media production
78%
Cinematography

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

85%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
83%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
87%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

80%
Library resources
84%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
71%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

82%
UK students
18%
International students
62%
Male students
38%
Female students
74%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
B
D

Media studies

Teaching and learning

88%
Staff make the subject interesting
91%
Staff are good at explaining things
84%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
72%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

80%
Library resources
87%
IT resources
79%
Course specific equipment and facilities
81%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

82%
UK students
18%
International students
64%
Male students
36%
Female students
73%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

C
B
B

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.

£16,000
low
Average annual salary
92%
med
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

23%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
15%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
10%
Teaching and educational professionals

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.

94%
med
Employed or in further education
59%
high
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

23%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
13%
Teaching and educational professionals
12%
Sales, marketing and related associate professionals

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

£12k

£16k

£16k

£19k

£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

£14k

£17k

£17k

£20k

£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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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

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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?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here