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Illustration (including Year 0)

Entry requirements


A level

C,C

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

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

DM

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

MMP

UCAS Tariff

64

You may also need to…

Present a portfolio

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Illustration

**OVERVIEW**

Illustration at Norwich University of the Arts is a forward-facing contemporary degree that values and nurtures individuality and has a reputation for challenging conventional thinking. At the heart of our highly regarded course is the power of illustration to communicate, be it through telling stories with different media from the page to the screen, or in a diverse range of creative applications including those which value sustainable, ethical practices and champion inclusivity.
You will have the opportunity to engage directly with an exciting mix of real work experiences and collaborative projects throughout your time on the course. You will be encouraged to push experimental approaches to image making and make work that has grounding in research and issue-based content.
Our aim is to inspire you to consider the power of your own illustration voice and to develop an illustrative language that has conviction and confidence, enabling you to progress into a wide range of employment including freelance, publishing, design, education and further study.

**YEAR 0**

This course includes a Year 0, which promotes developing practical, technical and creative skills and confidence. Building on your prior experience, you will be introduced to some of our workshops to assist your skill development, with an increasing emphasis on professional standards and independent study. The course places emphasis on your personal commitment to study, while supporting you in your progression.

**KEY FEATURES**

- Learn core skills and techniques through digital and analogue workshops including printmaking, laser cutting, photography and bookbinding along with essential training in industry standard digital software

- Become a creative problem-solver, using key illustration approaches to experiment with a range of techniques, materials and processes

- Learn to communicate and present ideas to different audiences clearly and persuasively

- Consider your work and how it is situated within a global context, develop your critical evaluation skills, encouraging reflection on your creative practice

- Explore storytelling and how your own understanding of the changing world we live in can be represented and visualised across an exciting range of creative contexts

- Engage with drawing as fundamental practice, for observation and research, interpretation of subject matter and responding to industry requirements

- Develop awareness of sustainable and responsible ways of thinking and working

- Understand the importance of research and how evidence can give weight to your ideas and opinions

- Consolidate the development of a professional standard portfolio in line with your own career directions alongside the production of a contextual research report

**YOUR FUTURE**

The course has an established track record of student and course successes including the RSA Student Design Award, D&AD New Blood, Penguin Design Awards, Carmelite Prize for Children’s Picture Books, YCN Awards and New Designers Best in Show.
Competition success is another way students can gain direct access to the illustration and creative industries; many students have secured graduate placements and full-time employment as a direct result of entering and winning competitions.
Our industry visitors include agents and industry organisations such as Arena, The Artworks, Jelly London, the House of Illustration and the Association of Illustrators (AOI) as the main organisation for the national and international illustration industry. As College members we are up to date with developments in the industry while our students have access to their lectures and advice, campaigns and entry to awards.

**OUR STUDENTS’ WORK**

Explore our online Graduate Showcase – celebrating the very best Norwich University of the Arts graduate work at **nuagradshowcase.com**

Modules

You can find more information about the content of the BA (Hons) Illustration (including Year 0) course at www.nua.ac.uk/4-year-degrees/

Assessment methods

The University assesses you through the coursework you produce as you complete each unit. Each unit will require you to present a portfolio of work which may include finished pieces of work, written work, your research, and a reflective journal which allows you to evaluate your learning and highlight your strengths and areas for further development. You can find out more information about our assessment methods at www.nua.ac.uk/assessment/

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
£18,000
per year
International
£18,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Norwich University of the Arts

Department:

Communication 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.

75%
Illustration

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.

Design studies

Teaching and learning

79%
Staff make the subject interesting
82%
Staff are good at explaining things
82%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
81%
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

77%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
80%
Course specific equipment and facilities
64%
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
15%
Male students
85%
Female students
80%
2:1 or above
7%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
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.

Design 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.

£17,000
med
Average annual salary
92%
med
Employed or in further education
46%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

33%
Design occupations
14%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
9%
Information technology and telecommunications professionals

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Design 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

£18k

£18k

£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 criteria they expect applicants to satisfy; some may be compulsory, others may be preferable.

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This is the percentage of applicants to this course who received an offer last year, through Ucas.

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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:

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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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