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Photography (including foundation year)

Entry requirements


GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language at grade C/4 or above or will need to take the University English test.

UCAS Tariff

32

You may also need to…

Attend an interview

Present a portfolio

About this course


This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.

Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Other options

8 years | Part-time | 2024

Subject

Photography

**Why study this course**

Our Photography (including foundation year) BA (Hons) is a four-year degree that includes an intensive foundation year (Year 0), which will give you the chance to explore a range of creative approaches and build a substantial portfolio of work before you progress to your subsequent years of studying photography.

This is a great route into a photography degree, particularly if you don’t hold the necessary requirements to begin a three-year undergraduate photography degree.

Our Photography (including foundation year) BA degree is one of a number of art and photography courses at our School of Art, Architecture and Design with an excellent reputation. The Guardian’s university league tables 2020 rank our art and photography courses seventh in the UK and third in London.

**More about this course**

During your foundation year you’ll have the opportunity to explore a number of different artistic directions and gain a broad spectrum of creative skills before going on to specialise more specifically in photography at the end of your first year of study.

You'll begin your foundation year by undertaking a range of short and intensive studio workshops that will allow you to develop key photography skills and techniques, which will stand you in good stead for the rest of your degree. You’ll also develop a strong work ethic, which is essential when studying an art-related degree.

You will follow these intensive workshops with longer projects that will allow you to delve deeper into your own creative style and approach, strengthening your independence as an artist and photographer.

You will also look at creative practice from a contemporary, conceptual, cultural and historical context through lectures and seminars.

Feedback is essential to your development as a creative practitioner, so throughout the course there will be plenty of opportunities for your peers and tutors to critique your work. This will not only allow you to improve your artistic practice, but will also help you prepare for the exhibition at the end of the year, when your work will be on show to the general public.

After completing your foundation year, you will study the same modules and content as students enrolled on our Photography BA (Hons).

However, if you decide during your foundation year that you’d prefer to specialise in another art-related subject, there will be flexibility to do this.

Modules

Example Year 0 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies: Foundation
Formats
Project
Techniques

Example Year 1 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies 1 (Art)
Project Work 1
Techniques: Photography
Visual Intelligence

Example Year 2 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies 2 (Art)
Methods and Enquiry 1
Professional Practice 1: Photography
Project Work 2

Example Year 3 modules include:

Critical & Contextual Studies 3: Dissertation (Art)
Major Project
Methods and Enquiry 2
Professional Practice 2: Photography

Assessment methods

You will be assessed via project work, essays and an individual portfolio.

Tuition fees

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

Channel Islands
£19,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
EU
£19,250
per year
International
£19,250
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£19,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Aldgate

Department:

School of Art, Architecture and Design

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.

82%
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

88%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
86%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
80%
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

75%
Library resources
77%
IT resources
80%
Course specific equipment and facilities
78%
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?

90%
UK students
10%
International students
36%
Male students
64%
Female students
72%
2:1 or above
22%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A
C
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.

£20,000
high
Average annual salary
100%
high
Employed or in further education

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.

£13k

£13k

£19k

£19k

£22k

£22k

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...

Higher entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 104-123
Same University
London Metropolitan University | Islington
Photography
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112-114

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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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