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Illustration FT at Nottingham Trent University - UCAS

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2024 - 20252025 - 2026
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Nottingham Trent University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

Course summary

Enter the world of illustrative practice, embarking on a transformative journey to unearth your unique artistic voice as an illustrator. Graduating from this course means emerging as a highly refined visual communicator, adept at seamlessly blending craftsmanship and aesthetic prowess across various digital and analogue platforms, mediums, and projects. Your work will balance creativity with commercial acumen, incorporate sustainability, and be informed by a rich understanding of illustration's historical and cultural context. In an ever-evolving industry, our mission is to equip you with the skills for a lifelong learning journey, ensuring you remain adaptable and prepared for the dynamic landscape of professional illustrative practice. NTU is in the UK’s Top 15 for Art & Design in the Complete University Guide 2023 (Ranked 15th). Employability Our BA (Hons) Illustration course was created in consultation with leading industry bodies such as the Association of Illustrators (AOI), whose knowledge and expertise informs our approach and ensures that the course is aligned with the most current industry needs and expectations. Some of our other industry connections, clients or partners include: Hachette Harper Collins Penguin Random House Usbourne Scholastic Folio Society Carmelite Nobrow Press Your space to create at NTU We’re committed to helping you explore, expand and refine your craft, as you discover new creative horizons with some truly great tools, equipment and workspaces. Visit our facilities hub at www.ntu.ac.uk/artfacilities to find out more. We are also proud to be launching the new Design & Digital Arts building to prepare our graduates for success in professional, technical and commercial careers in the growing cultural and creative industries. This landmark building will place Nottingham as a UK hub for film, television, animation, UX design, games design, graphic design and more. Facilities include: Collaborative studio spaces for each discipline Digital Innovation Lab and VR/Mixed Reality Studio Exhibition spaces TV and Film Studio Black Box studio Film Production editing suites Screen printing room Sound studios Stop Motion Studio Café Our students’ work – ‘We Are Creatives’ Explore our online showcase ‘We Are Creatives’ - celebrating the work of the School of Art & Design students. You will find a sneak peak of some of our students’ work and gain a real insight into what it’s like to be part of the NTU creative community at wearecreativesntu.art

Modules

[Year One]

  • Exploring Illustration (100 credit points)
  • Illustration in Context (20 credit points)
[Year Two]
  • Professional Context and Personal Direction (60 credit points, full year)
  • Contemporary Issues in Illustration (20 credit points, full year)
  • Co Lab: Research, Exploration and Risk-taking (20 credit points, second half of the year)
  • Optional module. You will also choose one optional 20-credit module from:
Telling Stories Storyboarding Experimental Animation Publishing: Experimental Formats Typography: Use and Expression Motion Graphics Exploring Creative Coding [Final year]
  • Developing a Distinct Professional Portfolio (100 credit points)
- Independent Journal (20 credit points)

Assessment method

Year 1 coursework (100%). Year 2 coursework (100%). Year 3 coursework (100%). People excel in different ways, and we want everybody to have the best possible chance of success. On this course you will be assessed on a range of individual and group presentations, and your final year project. Your work in Year Two accounts for 20% of your final degree mark, and your work in your final year accounts for the other 80%.

How to apply

29Jan

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
W220
Institution code:
N91
Campus name:
City Campus
Campus code:
1

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

A lower offer may be made based on a range of factors, including your background (such as where you live and the school or college you attended), your experiences and individual circumstances (you may have been in care, for example). This is called a contextual offer and we get data from UCAS to make these decisions. NTU offers a student experience like no other, and this approach helps us to find students who have the potential to succeed here, but may have faced barriers that can make it more difficult to access university. We also consider equivalent qualifications and combinations. Please contact Nottingham Trent University Admissions team for further information.

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students
85%
Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)
92%
Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .

Additional fee information

Tuition fees for 2025 entry are yet to be confirmed. As a guide and to enable you to plan your finances, the fees for Home undergraduate students for 2024 are £9250. The current expectation is that the University may increase this for future and subsequent years of study in line with inflation and as specified by the Government.
Illustration FT at Nottingham Trent University - UCAS