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Entry requirements
Here's what you will need to get a place on the Illustration course at Teesside University.
We're still busy gathering entry requirements for Illustration at Teesside University. Look out for more info soon.
Most popular A-levels studied
See who's studying at Teesside University. These students are taking Illustration or another course from the same subject area.
| Subject | Grade |
|---|---|
| Photography | B |
| Art and Design | B |
| Psychology | C |
| Graphics | A* |
| English Literature | B |
Course summary
What this course is about
UCAS code: W221
Here's what Teesside University says about its Illustration course.
Available for September or January intakes.
Course overview: Are you passionate about telling stories through captivating visuals? Do you love to experiment with drawing, digital painting, or even crafting entire worlds through illustration? Whether you're drawn to book cover illustration, children’s book illustration, editorial illustration, comics and graphic novels, printmaking, or vibrant poster design, this course at Teesside University is designed to bring your creative ideas to life.
Guided by industry professionals with experience in book illustration, comics, motion design, and editorial work, you gain the practical skills needed to succeed in today’s competitive creative industries. With career-focused modules, you explore the diverse fields of illustration, learning how they operate, who drives them, and how to thrive in them.
Throughout the course, you work on live briefs that mirror industry challenges, whether that’s creating illustrations for online or printed publication briefs, designing striking posters, developing characters for comics or games, and much more.
Students are encouraged to experiment, innovate, and define their own unique identity as a visual storyteller, setting the stage for a fulfilling career as a contemporary illustrator.
You develop your portfolio through live briefs and international competitions, helping you become adaptable by responding to editorial, fashion, children’s books, social media, advertising, packaging, exhibition and corporate commissions. You receive feedback from clients, ensuring you know how to amend and flex in professional environments.
Top reasons to study this course:
- Unique facilities: spend time in our very own international contemporary museum and gallery, MIMA (Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art). You gain a full artistic experience, learning in a social space that inspires dynamic ideas, fuels collaboration and allows you to build local, national and international networks with industry professionals.
- Work-ready: the course includes short, career-focused modules helping you understand working in the arts and creative industries. You look at how the illustration industry works, how to access it, who shapes it and how to grow within it. From industry leaders’ professional wisdom and insight, to accessing professional opportunities and creative coaching, you become an industry insider and leave with a working understanding of the professional community.
- Digital toolkit: our courses and campus are powered by Adobe and Apple. We’re Europe’s first Adobe Creative Campus and the only Apple-accredited university, equipping you with the digital tools and resources to transform the creative world. Our courses have a built in Creative Week - a workshop based, festival style, off-timetable week each semester where you can experiment with new materials, make visits and upgrade your tech skills.
- Professional connections: 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. This gives you the tools you need for a successful career in industry.
Take advantage of our Creative UK membership and help futureproof your career, with networking events, a resource hub to support professional development, and bespoke workshops in partnership with industry leaders and mentors. Sign up for free student membership to get opportunities, events and newsletters sent directly to your inbox.
After the course: You have a wide range of career opportunities including illustrator, designer, artist, creative producer, propmaker, or working in heritage, public engagement, marketing, advertising, packaging design, publishing, workshop facilitator, teaching and motion design.
Source: Teesside University
Course details
There are a few options in how you might study Illustration at Teesside University.
Check the
2 course options available.
Qualification
Bachelor of Arts (with Honours) - BA (Hons)
Department
Art and Design
Location
Teesside University Middlesbrough Campus | Middlesbrough
Duration
4 Years
Study mode
Sandwich
Subjects
• Illustration
Start date
21 September 2026
Application deadline
14 January 2026
The modules you will study
Access course information through Teesside University’s website using the course page link provided (or visit www.tees.ac.uk).
How you will be assessed
Access assessment information through Teesside University’s website using the course page link provided (or visit www.tees.ac.uk).
Teesside University student reviews
Showing 15 reviews
Graduate
7 months ago
What is student union?
Graduate
7 months ago
What uni life? I got some messages but they lack structure and were about collecting trash on streets
Graduate
7 months ago
I had other opportunities in the USA and Australia, but tried the UK and now I'm suffering.
Graduate
7 months ago
Too busy covering their flaws.
Graduate
7 months ago
What facilities? 1 building in Darlington
Graduate
7 months ago
The quality of education is not existent. Lectures - slides with superficial information, level of primary school, not applicable level, poor, unpracticable and not useful. There is no depth, no engagement, and no real knowledge—just surface-level .ppt that only touches the basics. Basically you wil...
National Student Survey (NSS) scores at Teesside University
The NSS is an annual survey where final-year students are asked to rate different aspects of their course and university experience.
Here you can see ratings from Teesside University students who took the Illustration course - or another course in the same subject area.
Select an option to see a detailed breakdown
Teaching on my course
90%
med
Teaching on my course
90%
med
How often does your course challenge you to achieve your best work?
94%
high
How good are teaching staff at explaining things?
94%
high
How often do teaching staff make the subject engaging?
87%
med
How often is the course intellectually stimulating?
85%
high
Learning opportunities
85%
med
Learning opportunities
85%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to bring together information and ideas from different topics?
87%
med
How well does your course introduce subjects and skills in a way that builds on what you have already learned?
87%
med
How well has your course developed your knowledge and skills that you think you will need for your future?
81%
med
To what extent have you had the chance to explore ideas and concepts in depth?
89%
med
To what extent does your course have the right balance of directed and independent study?
80%
med
Assessment and feedback
91%
high
Assessment and feedback
91%
high
How well have assessments allowed you to demonstrate what you have learned?
90%
med
How fair has the marking and assessment been on your course?
91%
high
How often does feedback help you to improve your work?
93%
high
How often have you received assessment feedback on time?
91%
med
How clear were the marking criteria used to assess your work?
89%
high
Academic support
92%
med
Academic support
92%
med
How easy was it to contact teaching staff when you needed to?
94%
high
How well have teaching staff supported your learning?
89%
med
Organisation and management
79%
med
Organisation and management
79%
med
How well were any changes to teaching on your course communicated?
77%
med
How well organised is your course?
80%
high
Learning resources
85%
med
Learning resources
85%
med
How well have the IT resources and facilities supported your learning?
83%
med
How well have the library resources (e.g., books, online services and learning spaces) supported your learning?
90%
med
How easy is it to access subject specific resources (e.g., equipment, facilities, software) when you need them?
83%
med
Student voice
84%
high
Student voice
84%
high
How clear is it that students' feedback on the course is acted on?
72%
med
To what extent do you get the right opportunities to give feedback on your course?
87%
med
To what extent are students' opinions about the course valued by staff?
93%
high
How well does the students' union (association or guild) represent students' academic interests?
80%
med
Other NSS questions
Other NSS questions
During your studies, how free did you feel to express your ideas, opinions, and beliefs?
89%
med
How well communicated was information about your university/college's mental wellbeing support services?
78%
med
Student information
See who's studying at Teesside University. These students are taking Illustration or another course from the same subject area.
Graduate prospects
What graduates do next
The Illustration course includes content from more than one subject area. Choose an option below for information about Teesside University graduates across each of those subject areas.
Graduate statistics
65%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
85%
In work, study or other activity
60%
Say it fits with future plans
70%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
15%
Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
10%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
10%
Business and public service associate professionals
10%
Design occupations
Graduate statistics
60%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
81%
In work, study or other activity
50%
Say it fits with future plans
60%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
15%
Sales occupations
15%
Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
10%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
10%
Business and public service associate professionals
Graduate statistics
60%
In a job where degree was essential or beneficial
82%
In work, study or other activity
50%
Say it fits with future plans
55%
Are utilising studies
Top job areas
15%
Sales occupations
15%
Science, engineering and technology associate professionals
10%
Artistic, literary and media occupations
10%
Design occupations
Graduate statistics percentages are determined 15 months after a student graduates
Earnings after graduation
Earnings from Teesside University graduates who took Illustration - or another course in the same subject area.
Earnings
£19.3k
First year after graduation
£20.1k
Third year after graduation
£23.7k
Fifth year after graduation
Shown here are the median earnings of graduates at one, three and five years after they completed a course related to Illustration.
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
Discussions
Discussions
Students are talking about Teesside University on The Student Room.
Chat with Teesside University
Hello!
Welcome to Teesside University's official rep account. Visit the forum, send us a message or give the Teesside account a follow to ask questions, keep up to date or just have a chat.
Teesside University is in North East England - we love it here...our campus is based in the heart of Middlesbrough, a bustling town in the Tees Valley. We're super close to quirky cafes, chilled out micro pubs, vintage clothes shops and lovely outdoor spaces. We're really proud of our industry and our industrial heritage, but Teesside also has a lot of other things to offer. The Tees Valley is an amazing place to be if you love the outdoors, if you love sport, fitness, culture and the arts. It's a great, friendly place to live and study and our town-centre campus means you're always in the heart of what's happening. Of course you'd expect us to say that - so come and visit us and make your own mind up (check out the open days calendar in our university guide or head to our website for visit info).
You might already know what kind of course you're looking for... if you don't, just visit the Teesside University website and use the course search option to see what's on offer. Teesside University has a broad portfolio of programmes with specialisms in science, technology and engineering, as well as creativity, enterprise and digital innovation. The University also excels in health science and computing.
As you’ll see from our university guide, Teesside Uni has just completed a massive phase of campus investment (with lots more to come) – we love our campus and we’re really proud of our high-spec equipment and resources. Teaching and learning facilities include broadcast studios and computing suites, dedicated health laboratories, customised design workshops, 3D printers, an environmental chamber, a flight simulator, a crime scene house, a full-size ambulance, green screens, and even a replica court room. And our students love our campus heart – this open, outdoor space is used all year round for events and celebrations and it houses our ultra-modern teaching building, The Curve, and the brilliant Student Life building - your first point of call for anything you need help with. Have a look through our guide and galleries to check it all out.
Visit our website, say hello in the forum, give us a follow and feel free to ask questions!
Teesside University open days
Thinking about studying at the University of the Year (Times Higher Education 2025)? Come to an open day to explore our campus, accommodation and facilities. Meet tutors and students who’ll shape your journey and get advice on support and services. Our friendly team will guide you on the day – friends and family welcome!
Source: Teesside University
