Comics and Graphic Novels
Entry requirements
UCAS Tariff
Including level 3 qualifications in art and design or another creative subject.
You may also need to…
Present a portfolio
About this course
This course has alternative study modes. Contact the university to find out how the information below might vary.
**Available for September or January intakes.**
To apply for January 2024 intake, amend the cycle filter to 2023-2024, select the option for January and remember to use point of entry 1. If you experience any issues adding your course choice, please contact UCAS Customer Services on 0371 468 0 468.
**Course overview**: Through this degree, we aim to produce a new breed of storytellers, each with their own individual, formidable voice. The course covers and caters to all styles of cartooning, from manga to journalism, adventure to Amerimanga, superhero to memoir.
'Words and pictures are yin and yang. Married, they produce a progeny more interesting than either parent.' Dr Seuss.
Creating comics is more than a job - it's a vocation. We live in a golden age for the comic book, in which Far Eastern manga is now part of the popular culture of the West. We have seen a graphic novel awarded the Pulitzer Prize, 50c funny books of the 1960s turned into iconic, billion dollar franchises and the internet change the way we make and read comics forever. The combination of words and pictures can produce something more powerful, more exciting and more personal than either alone.
The mastery of communication through words and pictures is at the heart of this course. We aim to produce a new breed of storytellers, each with their own individual, formidable voice. You emerge as experts at communicating through cartooning, understanding how the medium works from the technical aspects of perspective, composition and figure drawing to the founding theories of modern literature.
Comics are also entering into more mainstream areas of advertising, marketing and public relations - anywhere where a message needs to be communicated in as unforgettable and universal a manner as possible.
**Top reasons to study this course**
1. Creative expertise: we're proud to be recognised as an Apple Distinguished School for 2021-2024 for our pioneering commitment to digital teaching and learning, and we're Europe's first Adobe Creative Campus.
2. Industry-standard facilities: develop your own personal cartooning style using the latest technology including iMacs and Wacom digital drawing tablets.
3. Professional membership: we’re a member of the Association of Illustrators, giving you access to interactive talks, guidance on contracts and licensing, and your own discounted membership, equipping you with the tools to forge a successful career in industry or as a freelancer.
4. Industry experience: work on live briefs for a variety of organisations such as Streetwise Opera and the NHS, helping you build your portfolio of work.
5. Get published: have your work published in Viz comics including editing and typesetting the work of other writers.
**After the course**: Expected career routes include self publishing, graphic novel publishing, advertising, marketing, public relations, journalism, brand management, publishing and graphic design.
Modules
Access course information through Teesside University’s website using the course page link provided (or visit www.tees.ac.uk).
Assessment methods
Access assessment information through Teesside University’s website using the course page link provided (or visit www.tees.ac.uk).
Tuition fees
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What students say
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How do students rate their degree experience?
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Design studies
Teaching and learning
Assessment and feedback
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Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
After graduation
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Design studies
What are graduates doing after six months?
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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.
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.
£13k
£18k
£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.
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Post-six month graduation stats:
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Graduate field commentary:
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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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