Course summary

In the Foundation year you will study three days per week. The focus will be on academic writing skills and numeracy, plus subject-specific content to fully prepare you for entry to an Undergraduate degree. The course has been designed to develop your skills and to prepare you for entry onto the first year of your chosen course. It provides a balance between content related to your chosen subject and the range of wider skills required for undergraduate study. This is an integrated four-year degree, with the foundation year as a key part of the course. You will be required to pass the foundation year in order to progress to the first year of your BA (Hons) degree. This course is ideal for those who do not meet our standard entry requirements or those with a non-standard educational background. It will allow you to graduate with a full undergraduate degree in your chosen subject in four years. This broad-based course will develop your skills in the latest video and digital-media techniques as well as in more traditional disciplines, allowing you to discover the career path that best matches your creativity. Offering a balance of theory and practice, our Art and Design BA (Hons) ensures you develop a range of visual and creative skills while you gain insights into critical theory, the importance of context and contemporary professional practice. It is ideal if you would like a career in community arts, public projects or art and design education. If you are unsure of your specialist field, it gives you the opportunity to experience a number of creative pathways. Why choose this course?

• You study both traditional disciplines such as drawing, painting and printmaking along with the latest techniques in photography, video and digital media

• You learn through practical workshop sessions, sustained practice in the studio and one-to-one tutorials as well as work-related opportunities

• You work independently, developing your ideas through to outcomes, showing you can select and use materials, processes and environments; research and analyse those ideas and outcomes; and make connections to wider contexts

• Learning is linked to ‘real world’ experience to prepare you for a career across a number of fields

• You are able to consider issues arising from the creative practitioner's relationship with audiences, clients, markets, environments, users, consumers, and/or participants

• Develop personal and practice-based skills such as management, communication and multi-agency working

• You gain a qualification that will enhance your prospects of a fulfilling and exciting career in a wide range of creative industries