Durham University
UCAS Code: VA01 | Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Entry requirements
A level
Specific subjects excluded for entry: General Studies and Critical Thinking.
Access to HE Diploma
We require 60 credits with a minimum of 45 credits at level 3 (or equivalent).
Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Seventeen points (6, 6, 5) in Higher Level subjects
Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
OCR Cambridge Technical Extended Diploma
Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
Scottish Advanced Higher
Scottish Higher
Departments will normally make offers based on Advanced Highers. In the absence of 3 Advanced Highers, where these are not offered by the applicant’s school, offers comprising of Advanced Highers and Highers or a number of Highers may be made on a case by case basis.
At Durham we welcome applications from students of outstanding achievement and potential from all educational backgrounds. We will consider applicants studying T level qualifications for entry to many of our courses. Where a course requires subject specific knowledge and this is not covered within the T level being studied, you may need to supplement your T level studies with a suitable qualification to meet this requirement, for example at A level. Where this is needed this will be clearly stated in our entry requirements. Detailed entry requirements can be found on individual course entries on our courses database.
UCAS Tariff
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About this course
Combining still and moving images, advanced academic study and practical skills development, this BA is a degree like no other. It draws on staff research spanning historical periods from classical Rome to the present, and is global in its geographical reach. There is an emphasis not only on Western art, film and visual culture, but also those of the Middle East, Russophone Eurasia and East Asia.
The concepts of the ‘visual’ and the ‘image’ you will explore on this course are fundamentally shaped by this transnational perspective. With this scope in mind, the degree offers extensive language-learning opportunities, as part of the School of Modern Languages and Cultures. You will have the opportunity to draw on the outstanding collections of the University’s internationally renowned Oriental Museum, its distinguished Western Art collections, and the curatorial expertise of its staff. No previous study of art is required, just a desire to explore the exciting world of visual art and film.
You will have the opportunity to study the art, film and visual culture of Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, East Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean. As such, alongside the language-learning opportunities, you can also apply to add a placement year or a year abroad to your degree, increasing the course from three years to four.
There is a practical and professional focus too. Depending on your own module choices, field trips, placement opportunities and skills-based modules will give you insights into how art is made, exhibited, bought and sold.
For more information on this course, please see our website.
Modules
Year 1
Core modules:
Introduction to Visual Culture Studies examines the central issues in visual culture, film studies and the history of art, paying particular attention to the relationship between these three linked areas. Central to the philosophy of the module is an emphasis on global visual cultures and the role translation plays in the study of transnational phenomena.
The Art of the Moving Image (1): Key Concepts explores the moving image in a range of formats, genres, histories, media, national contexts, and styles. It will help to develop your ability to analyse and critique moving image texts. You will be familiarised with the complexity and specificity of the moving image by focusing on aspects such as audiences, auteurs, cinematography, editing, industries, performance, sound and staging. You will also be introduced to key theories in the fields of film and visual studies in the wider context of cultural studies. You will develop your research skills and methodologies in the field of visual cultures and the moving image. This may include animation, documentary film, narrative and short film, streaming platforms, television, video and video art.
Art- and Film-Writing in Context covers the numerous forms and venues in which people write about art and film. It will equip you with the understanding and skills required to be an effective communicator, able to write in a knowledgeable and medium-appropriate way for a variety of audiences.
Optional modules have included:
People and Cultures
Introduction to Middle Eastern Cultures
Cities in Antiquity
Medieval to Modern: An Introduction to the Archaeology of the Medieval to the Post Medieval World
Lives of Objects – Greek and Roman Antiquity
Introduction to Chinese Culture
Monuments and Memory in the Age of Augustus
Introduction to Japanese Culture: From Antiquity to the Present
Gallery 101: Designing an Art Exhibition.
Assessment methods
Modules are varied in their assessment methods, and include essays, commentaries, portfolios, fieldwork reviews, projects, film production, examinations, and a dissertation.
Tuition fees
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Extra funding
We're committed to supporting the best students irrespective of financial circumstances. https://www.durham.ac.uk/study/scholarships/
What students say
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How do students rate their degree experience?
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Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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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
This is a broad subject for a variety of European languages. No matter which you take, the general theme is that some graduates go to that country to work, often as English language teachers, some go into further study, often to train as teachers or translators, but most get jobs in the UK in education - most often as language tutors, unsurprisingly, or translators. Modern language grads can also be in demand in business roles where communication and language skills are particularly useful, such as marketing and PR, and in finance or law. But remember — whilst employers say they rate graduates who have graduates who have more than one language, you need to have them as part of a whole package of good skills.
What about your long term prospects?
Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.
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The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.
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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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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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