Program Overview

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BA(Hons) Photography (with Foundation Year)

The BA(Hons) Photography course is designed to help students develop their skills and knowledge in photography, preparing them for a successful career in the creative industries.

About

This course is open for applications and is based in the city of Bristol, a vibrant arts and media community. The course offers a vibrant, collaborative environment, modern facilities, supportive workshop instruction, and expert input, all underpinned by theory and critique.

Why study photography?

Studying photography enables students to understand the language of images and develop their 'visual voice' to communicate effectively and with confidence. It helps students understand the contexts in which images exist and circulate, and locate opportunities to get their images published, exhibited, and commissioned.

Why UWE Bristol?

The BA(Hons) Photography course at UWE Bristol is based in the city of Bristol, which provides a unique and inspiring environment for students to develop their skills and knowledge. The course offers exceptional facilities and resources, including industry-standard digital media studios, production and fabrication workshops, and access to traditional tools and the latest technology.

Accreditations and partnerships

The course has partnerships with Bristol Photography Festival and IC Visual Lab, two highly reputable Bristol-based photography organisations with national and international influence. These partnerships provide students with a wide range of work experience placements and live briefs to work on.

Entry

Typical offers

To be eligible for the course, students need to meet the following requirements:

• GCSE: Grade C/4 in English, or equivalent
• Tariff points: 72
• Contextual tariff: See the university's contextual offers page
• English Language Requirement: International and EU applicants are required to have a minimum overall IELTS (Academic) score of 5.5 with 5.5 in each component

Selection process

Following the review of the application, students may be requested to provide a digital portfolio. If invited, students may also be required to attend an online interview. A decision will then be made based on both the application and the review of the portfolio.

Entry requirements

If students exceed the entry requirements, they may be eligible for the BA(Hons) Photography course. International applicants should check the country-specific entry requirements.

Structure

Content

The course is divided into four years, with the following modules:

• Year 0: Core Studies in Art, Media and Design, Building Creative Skills, Foundation Project, and Disciplinary Projects
• Year 1: Arts Contexts, Exploring Practice in Photography 1, Exploring Practice in Photography 2, and Creative Collaboration in Photography
• Year 2: Developing Practice in Photography 1, Professional Contexts in Photography, and optional modules
• Year 3: Arts Research Project, Independent Practice in Photography, and Career Strategies for Photography

Learning and Teaching

The course uses a balance of active teaching and learning methods, including lectures, seminars, tutorials, presentations, peer critiques, technical workshops, and practical studio time. Students will also have access to tutorial support and independent study.

Study time

In a typical week, students can expect to be timetabled with academic staff for an average of 12 hours, with the expectation that they will also work on practice and assessment tasks through independent self-study for an additional 12-18 hours.

Assessment

There are no formal exams on this course. Instead, assessments will be based on creative practice work, presentations, reports, and written or film essays.

Fees

Full-time course

The fees for the course are as follows:

• Home Annual (Per Year) Fee: ｣9,535
• Home Module Fee (15 Credit): ｣1,192
• International Annual (Per Year) Fee: ｣17,000
• International Module Fee (15 Credit): ｣2,125

Indicative Additional Costs

The additional costs for the course are as follows:

• Additional Course Costs Indicative Maximum Cost Per year: ｣520
• Optional Field Trip - (Maximum Cost): ｣1,080

Features

Placements

Students who gain work experience tend to graduate with better degrees. The course offers opportunities for work experience and placements, including assisting photographers, set designers, and curators, or helping with picture desk, agency, and gallery work.

Fieldwork

Where possible, students will visit photographers' studios, agencies, and picture libraries throughout the course. Photography is an international business, and students may have the opportunity to visit cities like New York, Paris, Marseilles, Barcelona, and Vienna for photography festivals.

Study facilities

The facilities at Bower Ashton Studios offer the latest photography technology, including a fleet of full-frame DSLR cameras, 10x8, 5x4, and medium format analogue cameras, medium format digital equipment, lighting kits, fully equipped analogue and digital darkrooms, and seven separate studio spaces.

Careers

Careers / Further study

Photography is largely a freelance practice, and students with experience of live briefs are best placed to make a smooth transition to industry. Graduates can pursue careers in fields such as editorial, fashion, fine art, advertising, movie stills, and medical photography.

Award-winning careers service

The university's award-winning careers service helps students develop their employment potential through career coaching, a vacancy service for internships, placements, jobs, global opportunities, volunteering, and community activity, plus support for entrepreneurial activity and access to employer events.

Life

Accommodation

The university offers an excellent range of accommodation options for all Bristol campuses and the city centre.

Bristol

Bristol is a stunning city for student living, with all the qualities to make students want to stay.

Sports, societies, and activities

There are many opportunities for students to get involved in sports, societies, and activities outside of their studies.

Health and Wellbeing

The university provides support for students' health and wellbeing, including access to counselling services, fitness classes, and healthy eating options.

Campus and facilities

The university's campuses and facilities are designed to provide students with an excellent learning environment, including state-of-the-art teaching facilities, libraries, and student union buildings.