Photography with Integrated Foundation Year

Develop your skills by entering the creative industries on an Integrated Foundation Year degree.

If you’re interested in taking on a new subject that you’ve not had the opportunity to study in depth before, or have been out of education for a while, then our Integrated Foundation Year courses might be for you. These four-year courses include an introductory year to help you build the core skills needed for specialist degree-level study.

This is a chance for you to let your imagination run wild and explore your creativity, expand your professional skills and develop enhanced subject knowledge in the domain you want to study. We’ll help nurture your expertise in problem solving, risk-taking, designing and making as you develop your abilities through five core modules.

After your foundation year, you’ll have a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, a developed practical and technical skill set and the confidence to excel in your chosen degree subject when you join other students for the rest of your course.

Ready to define a new era of contemporary photography? We’ll support you to craft a unique artistic voice as you experiment with techniques and processes, utilising our specialist studios, equipment and digital and analogue post-production spaces. As you develop a portfolio of original work, your technical know-how will be matched by a deep understanding of the critical and societal impact of your practice. With industry masterclasses, guest lectures and collaboration opportunities, you’ll gain the professional experiences to establish a sustainable career.

You will:
Develop technical, design thinking and production skills in your chosen specialism.
Learn teamwork, leadership and project management skills through a variety of learning environments.
Develop critical thinking and creative problem-solving skills through the development of unique and innovative projects.
Complete your chosen degree over a four-year period.
Explore and develop your ideas through workshop-based teaching, with sessions in our Learning Hub, around the campus and beyond
Have access to professional-standard photography facilities, including studios and darkrooms, and a range of digital and analogue cameras
Experiment with and question the role photography plays in our society and culture
Develop valuable skills in creative problem solving, critical thinking, negotiation and collaboration, alongside project management
Engage in creative collaborations and work experience with industry professionals and organisations, building your professionalism and expertise in creative enterprise
Shape your practice by working with tutors who are practising artists, photographers, curators, writers and thinkers
Exhibit your work throughout the Photography degree, gaining feedback along the way and testing new ways to engage audiences

Across the duration of the course, you’ll build a self-directed practice that defines your unique way of representing the world. You’ll gain a wide range of technical skills utilising specialist equipment and processes from analogue to digital, studio to location, camera to print. Underpinning your practice will be a grounding in the history, theory, professional contexts and working practices of photography.

Foundation Year:
In your foundation year, you'll study five core modules: three short modules in the first study block and two in the second (one short, one long). These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of both creative practice and your chosen specialism. You'll gain relevant technical skills, learn to experiment and take risks, develop an understanding of professional practice, have opportunities to work across disciplines and collaborate with other students on live project briefs.

After your foundation year, you'll have a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, a developed practical and technical skillset and the confidence to excel in your chosen degree subject when you join other students for the rest of your course.

Modules:
Explore
Technique
Apply
Industry
Launch

Year one
Year one will give you a firm foundation in photographic processes and techniques as well as the critical and cultural contexts of the discipline. From day one, you’ll be encouraged to take ownership of your learning journey and engage with opportunities to embed yourself in our supportive creative community.

Modules:
Foundation
Process
Agency
Progress
Approaches
Action

Year two
You’ll engage with a wide range of genres and possible applications of your work, exploring the critical and professional constraints of audience engagement and perception. You’ll also develop a deeper critical understanding of how photography operates in the world.

Modules:
Commitment
Engagement
Situation
Collaboration
Experimentation
Context

Year three
In the final year, you’ll focus on your future aspirations and ambitions and how you can work towards achieving them. At the end of the year, you’ll have a complete body of work that represents your unique perspective as a creative practitioner along with the professional tools to launch yourself into the creative industries.

Modules:
Investigation
Development
Fulfilment
Ambition

As part of our process of continuous improvement, we routinely review course content to ensure that all our students benefit from a high-quality and rewarding academic experience. As such, there may be some changes made to your course which are not immediately reflected in the content displayed on our website. Any students affected will be informed of any changes made directly.

Foundation Year assessments are 100% coursework based.

Assessment will take place at the end of each module, and you'll get feedback and evaluation throughout the year. You'll be assessed through visual, verbal and written assignments, including your portfolio and a reflective journal. In your foundation year all assessments are pass/fail to encourage students to take risks and engage with the feedback provided.

Progressing in your specialism:
Students studying on courses with an Integrated Foundation Year must successfully complete and pass all foundation modules before they can progress to the next stage of their course.

Your specialism:
100% of your assessment will be coursework, with no formal examinations.

Assessment methods:
Portfolios
Projects
Exhibitions
Journals
Presentations
Essays