Got a passion for creative design? Not quite ready to undertake a full honours degree? Solent University’s Design Foundation Programme is perfectly suited to students who may not be from an art- design- or fashion-related background or whose qualifications do not meet the admissions requirements of their chosen course.
To help get you up to speed, this one-year foundation course provides all the creative, technical and study skills needed for entry onto a degree-level art, design or fashion course. Upon completion, you will be able to progress onto a range of art-, design- and fashion- related courses here at Solent.
The course begins with a five-week group project. This enables students to mix with like-minded peers and helps them to settle in quickly. This project also helps students to decide which area they might like to follow at a later stage.
The following ten weeks are spent introducing students to the world of art, design and fashion. This includes design history, vocabulary, methods and academic foundation. This ten-week block will also give students the opportunity to learn and apply two-dimensional and three-dimensional visualisation techniques, giving them the tools required to conduct their final project.
This final project takes place in the last fifteen weeks of the course and is based around the specific discipline that the student will go on to study. The project will be supported by tuition in visual presentation techniques, enabling students to communicate their concepts, development processes and final proposals. Students will also receive instruction in verbal communication and presentation techniques, increasing their confidence in pitching design ideas.
FOUNDATION MODULES
Creative Applications
Contextual Practice
Materials and Methods
Research and Ideas Development
Personal Development Planning
Degree-related Project
If you successfully pass the foundation year, you will automatically progress to the 3 year BA (Hons) Fine Art degree (please note that these modules may change)
YEAR 1 - CORE MODULES
Introduction to Contemporary Art
Expanded Drawing
Spatial Experiments
Unlearning and Unknowing
Exploring Mediums
Inscription and Traces
YEAR 2 - CORE MODULES
Discursive Spaces
Navigation
Professional Futures
Production
Engagement
Collaboration
YEAR 3 - CORE MODULES
Practice and Research
Practice and Exhibition
Professional Practice
Thinking Through Writing
Making a Statement
You will learn by:
Directed Learning
Collaborative Learning
Guided Learning
You may be assessed by a combination of:
Practical activities
Essays
Solent’s curriculum framework builds on our unique, creative and applied approach to teaching. The transformation of students’ lives is at the heart of our mission as a university, and our curriculum – informed by the latest theory – reflects this shared educational vision.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
Southampton, Solent University has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
For information about applying to Solent as an International applicant, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/how-to-apply/entry-requirements/help-for-international-students
From A-levels, a BTEC Extended Diploma at PPP or BTEC Diploma at MP or equivalent.
We welcome applicants from a diverse range of backgrounds. Applicants who are not in possession of the minimum entry requirements but are able to demonstrate aptitude, enthusiasm and motivation will be considered on an individual basis and may be admitted subject to satisfactory interview and/or portfolio. Please contact us for further details.
From a minimum of two A levels
In combination with other qualifications
In combination with other qualifications.
In combination with other qualifications
In combination with other qualifications.
In combination with other qualifications.
Pass grade (D or E)
IELTS a minimum score of 5.5 overall with a minimum of 5.0 in each component.
TOEFL (IBT) a minimum score of 71 overall with a minimum of 19 in each component.
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | with a minimum of 5.5 in each of the four components |
We understand that each student is unique. At Solent we encourage individuality and have adopted a balanced approach to Admissions, by considering exam results alongside portfolios / interviews or auditions.
Our contextual offer scheme allows offers below our standard academic entry criteria to those who have faced challenges which has impacted their performance and predicted higher grades, by taking into account additional selection criteria such as a strong portfolio, interview or audition.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|
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.
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Solent University offers a number of bursaries, grants and scholarships. For more information, please visit https://www.solent.ac.uk/finance/grants-bursaries-scholarships/bursaries
Email:admissions@solent.ac.uk
Phone:+44 (0) 23 8201 5066
Email:student.funding@solent.ac.uk
East Park Terrace
Southampton
SO14 0YN
At Southampton, Solent University
