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Documentary Photography

Entry requirements


A level

B,C,C

To include an Art & Design related subject.

Pass Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 104 UCAS Tariff points to include an Art & Design related subject

GCSE/National 4/National 5

The University normally requires Mathematics/Numeracy and English at Grade C/4 or above, or their equivalent, but consideration is given to individual circumstances.

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

DMM

To include an Art & Design related subject.

T Level

Pass (C and above)


Passing the T Level with Pass (C or above in the Core) to include an Art & Design related subject

UCAS Tariff

104

To include an Art & Design related subject.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)

D-A*

We accept the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma in lieu of a third subject.

About this course


Course option

3years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Photography

Since it was established by Magnum photographer David Hurn in 1973, BA (Hons) Documentary Photography has established itself internationally as one of the premier courses at which to study documentary photography. USW has a history of 100 years of photography, and over 40 years of teaching Documentary Photography behind us.

Our definition of ‘documentary’ is broad. It blends the traditions of documentary storytelling with the most exciting innovations in contemporary photography. On this Documentary Photography degree, you’ll learn how to think critically and independently, and you’ll gain the technical skills to communicate your ideas in the most effective way.

Our Documentary Photography students regularly win the industry’s most prestigious awards. These include Lua Ribeira and Sam Laughlin, who were joint winners in the 2017 Jerwood/Photoworks Award. Lua Ribeira was also runner up in the prestigious 2016 Bar Tur Photobook Award. Daragh Soden made the Irish Times ’50 People To Watch In 2017’ list. Other winners included Sam Ivin, (Student Work Category of PDN’s Photo Annual 2015); Yasmin Balai, (2nd in IAFOR Documentary Photography Award) 2015 and Mira Andres (winner of the ESPY Award 2015).

Assessment methods

Throughout the Documentary Photography course you will be assessed on practice-based modules, supplemented by self-reflective and context-based analysis. You will receive clear and detailed feedback that will help you reflect on, and develop your strengths.

This is supported by individual tutorials, seminars and workshops around business practice and professional skills.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

England
£9,000
per year
EU
£9,000
per year
International
£12,600
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,000
per year
Scotland
£9,000
per year
Wales
£9,000
per year

The Uni


Course location:

Cardiff

Department:

Art and 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.

70%
Photography

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.

Cinematics and photography

Teaching and learning

97%
Staff make the subject interesting
82%
Staff are good at explaining things
87%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
87%
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

70%
Library resources
85%
IT resources
86%
Course specific equipment and facilities
77%
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?

95%
UK students
5%
International students
40%
Male students
60%
Female students
79%
2:1 or above
10%
First year drop out rate

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

B
B
B

After graduation


We don't have more detailed stats to show you in relation to this subject area at this university but read about typical employment outcomes and prospects for graduates of this subject below.

What about your long term prospects?

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

Cinematics and photography

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£16k

£16k

£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
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Commercial Photography
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 112
Lower entry requirements
University of Plymouth | Plymouth
Photography
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96-120
Same University
University of South Wales | Pontypridd
Photography
BA (Hons) 3 Years Full-time 2024
UCAS Points: 96

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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