Get degree ideas using our A level explorer tool

Illustration with Foundation

Entry requirements


32-48 points , minimum of 2 A Levels

Access to HE Diploma

P:45

From any subject

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

24

From any subjects

32-48 points from any subjects

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

MM

From any subject

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

P,P,P

From any subject

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

PPP

From any subject

32-48 points, minimum of 2 A Levels

T Level

P

Pass overall with D or E on the core. Any subject may be considered.

UCAS Tariff

32-48

From a minimum of 2 A Levels

About this course


Course option

4years

Full-time including foundation year | 2024

Subjects

Illustration

Creative arts and design

The foundation pathway provides students with non-standard entry points to progress onto the BA (Hons) Illustration programme. The foundation year allows you to develop skills across a range of media and introduces creative best practice in preparation for the first year of the undergraduate programme. During the foundation year you will have the opportunity to explore creative processes relevant to visual design, animation, illustration, print-making, fine art, and photography.

The course is designed to encourage visual exploration and creative discovery within an engaging and vibrant studio setting. Upon successful completion of the foundation course, you will join the undergraduate BA (Hons) Illustration programme equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to successfully complete an undergraduate degree.

Your foundation year will:
- **Welcome you** to an engaging, experiential learning environment with a focus on active exploration, experimentation and discovery across a wide range of material, methods and media.

- **Help develop** your practical, technical and creative skills through studio and workshop based projects.

- **Provide training** in key learning skills for further undergraduate study and build an awareness of practise, context and theory.

- **Introduce you** to the accessible community of experienced academics, practitioners and technical staff that will support you on your studies.

- **Give you access** to a wide range of enviable specialist workshops, laboratories and facilities across the campus and become part of our vibrant student community through the various opportunities available within the School of Art, Design and Architecture.

- **Enable you to explore and develop** your personal interests and strengths as a creative practitioner.

In subsequent years you will:

- ** Learn the skills and tools.** Develop your Photoshop, Premiere, InDesign and Flash skills in digital workshops, and explore typography basics, bookbinding, creative writing and more.

- **Work in industry**, from simple studio visits to longer-term placements and collaboration.

- **Get noticed.** Develop your visual voice and get noticed in the professional world by taking part in external commissions and competitions.

- **Define your direction**. Explore specific routes such as comic/graphic novels, children’s markets, printmaking, and design for animation/screen – or continue within a broad range of practice.

- **Go global.** Set your work in a global context through inspiring overseas study trips to places such as London, New York and Barcelona.

- **Learn from experts.** Benefit from a varied visiting speaker programme of illustrators, commissioning editors, publishers and ex-graduates ready to share advice and insight to help shape your future career.

Assessment methods

For up to date details, please refer to our website or contact the institution directly

The Uni


Course location:

University of Plymouth

Department:

School of 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.

83%
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

85%
Staff make the subject interesting
88%
Staff are good at explaining things
95%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
83%
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

88%
Library resources
87%
IT resources
88%
Course specific equipment and facilities
55%
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
22%
Male students
78%
Female students
69%
2:1 or above
3%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
A
B

Creative arts and design (non-specific)

Sorry, no information to show

This is usually because there were too few respondents in the data we receive to be able to provide results about the subject at this university.


Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

94%
UK students
6%
International students
47%
Male students
53%
Female students
75%
2:1 or above
11%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
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.

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
94%
med
Employed or in further education
53%
med
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

25%
Design occupations
15%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
15%
Artistic, literary and media occupations

Creative arts and design (non-specific)

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
93%
low
Employed or in further education

Top job areas of graduates

18%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
15%
Sales assistants and retail cashiers
12%
Design occupations

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

£19k

£19k

£21k

£21k

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.

Creative arts and design (non-specific)

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

£19k

£19k

£21k

£21k

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
University of Portsmouth | Portsmouth
Fashion Marketing
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 112-120
Lower entry requirements
University of Portsmouth | Portsmouth
Illustration
BA (Hons) 1 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 24
Same University
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
Graphic Design with Typography with Foundation
BA (Hons) 4 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: 32-48
Nearby University
Petroc | Barnstaple
Professional Development (Creative Industries)
BA (Hons) 2 Years Full-time including foundation year 2024
UCAS Points: -

Share this page

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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.

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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

Have a question about this info? Learn more here

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