Art

UCAS code: W215

Here's what University Centre Leeds, Leeds City College says about its Art course.

Bring your artistic vision to life with our BA (Hons) Degree – where your future unfolds in full colour.

Based in the heart of Leeds, the BA (Hons) Art degree places you in a dynamic studio environment that reflects industry practice and supports the development of your own creative voice. You’ll be part of a collaborative artistic community where you can refine your style, test ideas, and push your creativity further.

Throughout the course, you’ll develop new techniques, strengthen your studio practice, and build an understanding of how art and commerce intersect to create sustainable career pathways. Teaching and assessment are practice-led, preparing you with the skills and experience needed to succeed in a constantly evolving industry.

You’ll have opportunities to exhibit and sell your work, collaborate with artists, engage with the public, visit exhibitions, and explore the changing art landscape. The course also emphasises the role of art within communities, encouraging you to explore how creative practice can connect people and ideas.

You’ll benefit from strong industry links, showcasing your work in exhibitions and venues across Leeds, including access to studio space at our Mabgate Campus in the city’s Cultural Quarter. Working on both self-directed projects and collaborations with external partners, you’ll gain real-world experience and develop the confidence to progress into professional practice.

Modules may include:

Level 4 (Year 1)

Drawing Techniques (20 Credits) You will be introduced to a range of drawing techniques, both practically and theoretically, from traditional methods to expanded forms. This module will help you develop your skills and understanding of drawing in multiple contexts.

3D Techniques (20 Credits) You’ll explore 3D art using materials such as clay, wood, and plastics, and develop practical skills in casting, sculpting, and digital processes like 3D printing. The module also examines the history and meaning of materials and how they shape the communication of artwork.

Digital Techniques (20 Credits) Complete short projects that introduce digital art practices and help you to develop both practical and conceptual skills.

Commercial Practice (20 Credits) This module explores freelance practice in the creative industries, developing entrepreneurial skills and learning to create commercially viable work. This includes engaging audiences, adapting your practice, and exploring ways to monetise your creativity through products, workshops, and other outlets.

Creative Professional (20 Credits) This module introduces you to the breadth of roles and career opportunities in the creative arts. You will research your chosen pathway through case studies of established practitioners.

Art in Context (20 Credits) Explore key theories and principles to develop a critical understanding of your creative practice. Through lectures, seminars, and workshops, you will examine how art and design evolve within social, political, and cultural contexts.

Level 5 (Year 2)

Collaboration (20 Credits) You will work on interdisciplinary projects with practitioners from other creative fields. This will help you build professional networks, explore new approaches, and reflect on the value of collaborative practice.

Contemporary Issues in Art (20 Credits) Through lectures, seminars, and discussions, you will examine the evolving role of the artist, market dynamics, and social engagement. You will investigate debates and issues in contemporary art, developing a critical perspective on your own practice in relation to the wider industry.

Critical Practice (20 Credits) You will explore the relationship between theory, research, and practice. This module will help you create artworks informed by contemporary culture, politics, and art history while developing your critical voice.

Extended Project (40 Credits) Develop a well-resolved body of work for exhibition, experimenting with ideas, concepts, and techniques. You will also produce an artist talk and engage with galleries, curators, and arts professionals to contextualise your work and develop audience engagement.

Art and Community (20 Credits) You will gain practical experience engaging with audiences and working within communities. Through workshops or public projects, you will learn to collaborate with organisations and networks to support your practice.

Level 6 (Year 3)

Ideas and Concepts (30 Credits) Experiment with techniques and concepts to build a foundation for your Major Project. Practical exploration and critical reflection will help you develop informed, engaging, and meaningful creative work.

Contextualising Creative Practice (30 Credits) Through independent study and a dissertation, you will contextualise your practice and apply research to strengthen your creative work, developing your ability to research and analyse your work critically.

Collaborative Project (20 Credits) You will collaborate across creative disciplines, applying your practice to multi-disciplinary projects and gaining experience in teamwork and project development.

Major Creative Project (40 Credits) You’ll create a sustained, self-devised body of work for public exhibition, informed by extensive research. This project will allow you to communicate meaning, narrative, or other creative value to engage audiences and clients.

Our assessments draw on a range of skills to reflect the activities typical of a practising artist in the industry.

Ideas and research are assessed through a presentation as well as written and practical outcomes. Reflection and evaluation are important in self-directed learning, feature in the collaboration module and inform the Portfolio Review.

Creative practice and practical outcomes are the chief component of assessment on the BA (Hons) Art course. The Major Project and Ideas and Concepts both require practical bodies of work that demand creative stamina.

There is an expectation of presenting the creative work through exhibition opportunities both during the course and at its culmination; as well as having the chance to present work in an interview scenario to external professionals.

Assessment methods may include:

• Portfolio
• Log
• Project
• Interview
• Academic Poster Presentations
• Dissertation
• Exhibition