Photography
Entry requirements
A level
To include an Art & Design related subject
Pass Access to HE Diploma with a minimum of 96 UCAS Tariff points to include an Art and 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)
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 and Design related subject
UCAS Tariff
To include an Art & Design related subject
Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
We accept the Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate Diploma in lieu of a third subject.
About this course
The BA Photography course is a gateway to a variety of creative careers.
Our course recognizes and embraces the dynamic nature of the field, where new tools and techniques lead the way and trends emerge with lightning speed. We aim to ensure that our students not only master the fundamentals but also become agile and adaptable photographers capable of thriving in any work environment. This includes advertising, fashion and art photography as well as a whole range of related career paths. It’s a broad course capable of sustaining the journey and transformative growth of each and every one of you.
We do this from our enviable purpose-built Creative Industries campus right in the heart of Cardiff, comprising state-of-the-art studios and equipment; and a community of passionate people fully engaged in shaping the future of visual culture. In short, we genuinely couldn’t be better located!
USW has a long and notable history of delivering innovative photography courses that prepare graduates for the real world. Graduates will be employed in a variety of roles as highly skilled photographers, independent artists, photographic assistants, art directors, producers, photography managers, stylists, retouchers, printers, medical and forensic photographers, curators, writers, publishers, agents, educators, marketeers, and media consultants.
Each year, modules build on the skills you have already gained with the intention of fast kick-starting your creativity and applying this to the real world.
Year 1
The first year of the photography degree introduces and explores key ideas that are relevant to contemporary photography industry through engaging and challenging practical projects. All modules will develop your technical and conceptual skills and provide stimulating assignments to develop your creativity and overall control and understanding of the medium.
Year 2
Taking the knowledge learnt in the first year of this course, you will now learn to understand and experience how this knowledge relates to and can be applied to the contemporary photographic industry and various potential job roles that exist within it, at all times further developing your skills, knowledge and confidence.
Year 3
The final year of the course places you in the driving seat, allowing you to make decisions about the kind of work you want to make, subject matter you wish to explore, and where you and your work exist in the world. The year also focuses heavily on further building your confidence as an individual as well as preparing you for employment in the industry following the completion of your degree, so that you’re ready for your next chapter post degree.
Modules
The first year of the photography degree introduces and explores key concepts that are relevant to contemporary photographic practice through challenging practical projects. All practical modules, whether based in fashion, advertising or fine-art photography, will develop your technical skills and provide stimulating assignments to develop your creativity.
As you move through the photography course, you will reinforce your emerging photographic practice through a sound knowledge of the history of photography and an awareness of contemporary developments in the medium. The contextual elements of the course will encourage you to think critically about photography and its impact on culture and society.
Year One
•Photography and the Real
•Photography and Illusion
•Photography as Narrative
•Photography and Responsibility
•Critical Practice: Histories
•Critical Practice: Languages
Year Two
•Defining Practice
•Negotiated Project
•Critical Practice: Paradigms
•Critical Practice: Research
Year Three
•Refining Practice
•Professional Resolution
•Critical Paper
•Professional Practice
Assessment methods
Assessment is through regular coursework submissions, in addition to examinations in some areas.
Tuition fees
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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.
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
Assessment and feedback
Resources and organisation
Student voice
Who studies this subject and how do they get on?
Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)
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
£19k
£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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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?
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