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Commercial Photography

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,C-B,B,B

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

DMM

Scottish Higher

C,C,C,C,C,D

Scottish Highers – five passes at Grade C or above

T Level

M

UCAS Tariff

112-120

You may also need to…

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Photography

**The Commercial world relies on powerful imagery to give news stories and brand messages impact.**
Whether it’s socially concerned documentary or dramatic contemporary fashion imagery, commercial photography has the ability to communicate its message. On this course we aim to develop a visually expressive generation of fashion, documentary, editorial, portrait and advertising photographers. We’re looking for people who want to push creative boundaries, challenge industry perceptions and set the agenda for future generations of commercial photographers.

Our students go on to create images for international magazines and newspapers, picture desks, ad agencies, fashion houses, and more. You’ll gain a broad understanding of photographic practice and theory as we guide you towards a career in the creative industries. You’ll graduate confident in the creative and critical visual language needed to work with teams in your chosen field.

**What you will study**
The course aims to provide a wide range of undergraduate students with the opportunity to develop a specialist career in photography, by nurturing technically proficient and professionally astute photography students as they mature into critically aware creative decision makers. You’ll gain a broad understanding of photographic practice and theory as we guide you towards a career in photography and the creative industries.

The course will enhance your understanding of the creative industries and the roles within them by expanding your professional knowledge and identifying your individual career potential. It will also promote your personal development by undertaking academic and creative research which could lead to further study at postgraduate level. You'll develop your abilities in visual communication and photographic presentation. You’ll enter the industry confidently, invested in the creative and critical visual language needed to effectively collaborate within your field of practice.

Approximately 55% of your time will be contact hours, including scheduled teaching sessions, but also supervised time in the workshop or studio, and the remainder will be independent study. 100% of assessment for this course is coursework based.

**You can choose to complete your degree in one of the following named awards:**
- BA (Hons) Commercial Photography (Advertising)

- BA (Hons) Commercial Photography (Fashion)

- BA (Hons) Commercial Photography (Documentary/Editorial)

**By the end of the course you will be able to...**
- Apply creative photographic ability, evidencing professional levels of ability, independent thought and understanding during the production of work.

- Apply professional understanding when identifying career opportunities, and placing own work within the creative/photographic industries.

- Apply a critical and theoretical understanding of photography within historical and contemporary contexts, offering opportunities to study at Masters Level.

- Show evidence of effective problem solving, research, communication and presentation skills through applying creative and conceptually considered solutions to professionally focused briefs.

**Studios and resources**
The photography facilities at AUB recently underwent a multi-million-pound development and refurbishment, which saw the creation of brand new digital suites, a collaborative specialist photography hub and brand new colour printing facilities. You’ll have access to seven dedicated photographic studios and specialist photographic equipment.

Modules

Level 4
Principles and Practice;
Digital Imaging and Production;
Creative Photographic Practice;
Level 5
Creativity & Context;
Critical Analyses;
Photographic Futures;
Professional Futures;
Level 6
Specialist Practice;
Research Paper;
Major Project

Assessment methods

Coursework and practical work

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£17,950
per year
International
£17,950
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Main Site - Arts University Bournemouth

Department:

Art, Design and Architecture

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.

65%
Photography

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

77%
Staff make the subject interesting
78%
Staff are good at explaining things
79%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
84%
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

82%
Library resources
91%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
47%
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?

93%
UK students
7%
International students
35%
Male students
65%
Female students
75%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A*
B
C

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.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
96%
med
Employed or in further education
42%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

54%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
17%
Design occupations
7%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers

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.

£16k

£16k

£22k

£22k

£24k

£24k

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.

Explore these similar courses...

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Lower entry requirements
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
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UCAS Points: 96-120
Nearby University
University of Portsmouth | Portsmouth
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Same University
Arts University Bournemouth | Poole
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UCAS Points: 112-120

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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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