Arts University Bournemouth – Undergraduate and Foundation Open Day
4 Jul 2026, 08:00
Poole
The creative economy is one of the world’s fastest growing sectors, growing more than five times faster than other industries in the UK and employing over 2 million people. This course is designed to develop your conceptual thinking, creative problem-solving skills, and strategic vision. It will provide you with the skills and experience necessary to occupy a role that is the beating heart of this success, the Creative Director.
Creative Directors are employed across all sectors of the creative economy whether that be advertising, the arts, design, fashion, gaming, music, publishing or TV and film. They develop an intimate knowledge of their brand’s customers and direct all communication, controlling every point that their brand encounters their audiences, customers, and users. They do this by developing a team of creatives from a range of disciplines to assist in the design, development and delivery of their organisation’s products or services. You will work with a team of designers and content creators of illustration, photography, video and many more mediums and environments to deliver creative solutions to defined problems.
On this course you will be introduced to design thinking, and problem solving by learning about the freedom of ideas. You will learn innovative brainstorm techniques, capturing even the smallest of ideas that you will nurture and grow into solutions that have impact. You will learn to listen, placing people at the very heart of your design projects, being empathetic and responding to their needs and aspirations. You will discover insights that lead you to develop innovate solutions to their problems. You will gain confidence in the idea generation process, learning to trust yourself, your design team and your customers and users.
It is the blend of real-world experience, project management and design skill that makes studying at Arts University Bournemouth unique. At AUB we are a microcosm of the creative industries, a university wide creative team. This course will place you at the very heart of a creative team as you learn to express yourself, to design, develop and deliver as a Creative Director.
The BA (Hons) Creative Direction course aims to nurture innovative and forward-thinking individuals who can shape and influence the creative landscape. It provides a platform for you to explore your creativity, develop your leadership qualities, and become an industry-ready professional capable of making a significant impact in the evolving creative industries.
Foundation Year
If you feel you need some extra preparation before the full undergraduate degree experience, this Integrated Foundation Year (IFY) might be for you. IFY is for those who may not have the academic qualifications needed for admission onto the degree course or perhaps want the time and space to develop a foundation in creative and conceptual skills. It is intended to be a bridge between pre-university study and the academic rigour of an undergraduate degree. After IFY, you will hit the ground running – ready to take on your chosen undergraduate degree course and lean into the learning opportunities.
Students enrolled on the IFY will be a part of a cohort with other students in IFY courses across the School of Arts, Media and Creative Industries Management. Incorporating opportunities for you to work alongside your classmates, integrating opportunities for collaboration and fostering professional relationships to carry you throughout your degree and into your professional practice.
The School of Arts, Media and Creative Industries currently encompasses degrees in the following fields:
• BA (Hons) Communication Design and Strategy
• BA (Hons) Content Creation with Marketing
• BA (Hons) Creative Direction
• BA (Hons) Events Management
• BSc (Hons) Fashion Management and Strategy
• BA (Hons) Media, Marketing and Advertising
Coursework and practical work
The following entry points are available for this course:
AUB considers the whole of the application when making admissions decision. While we'll make an offer based on the qualifications declared on your application, we also factor in your personal statement, your reference and – where appropriate – your portfolio or audition. Therefore, applicants who may not achieve the academic results listed here are still encouraged to apply.
We are happy to accept a wide range of qualifications, including combinations of qualifications. Please see our website for a full list of our entry requirements, including tariff points where applicable. Email Admissions (admissions@aub.ac.uk) with any queries about entry requirements. https://aub.ac.uk/apply/undergraduate
| Test | Grade | Additional details |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS (Academic) | 6 | 6.0 overall with a minimum of 5.5 in each component (reading, writing, speaking and listening). IELTS Online is accepted. |
| TOEFL (iBT) | 80 | With 80 overall and a minimum score of 18 in writing, listening, and reading and 19 in speaking. Please note the home version of this test is not accepted. NEW scoring scale from January 2026 overall 4.5 with a minimum of 4 in each section. Home edition of TOEFL is not accepted. |
| Cambridge English Advanced | C | Minimum grade C |
| PTE Academic | 64 | With 64 overall and a minimum of 59 in each component |
| Cambridge English Proficiency | C | Minimum grade of C. |
| Trinity ISE | Pass | An overall score of 90 with at least 80 in each skill |
| Institution's Own Test | OIDI ELLT overall score of 6 | Oxford International Digital Institute's English Language Level Test with a score of 5 or above in each section. If you wish to take this test at a discounted rate, please contact international@aub.ac.uk for a bespoke link. |
See our website for more information on other accepted English qualifications including national curricula and required scores.https://aub.ac.uk/elp
Caution should be given to our grades on entry data, with over half of our undergraduate applicants each year undertaking qualifications that are not included in this data. This includes the Foundation Diploma in Art & Design, which represents a sizeable number of our applicants. We encourage applications from a wide range of educational backgrounds and for more information please view our website: www.aub.ac.uk.
We welcome applications from all different educational profiles and experiences as talented creatives can develop in many environments.
AUB considers the whole of the application when making admissions decision. While we'll make an offer based on the qualifications declared on your application, we also factor in your personal statement, your reference and – where appropriate – your portfolio or audition. Therefore, applicants who may not achieve the academic results listed below are still encouraged to apply.
If your country isn’t listed on our website, please reach out to our Admissions Team (admissions@aub.ac.uk) with details about your education and we would be happy to provide detailed admissions advice specific to your case. https://aub.ac.uk/apply/undergraduate#tab-1503931-qualifications-by-country
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.
| Location | Fee | Year |
|---|---|---|
| England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands & Republic of Ireland | £10050* | |
| EU & International | £19950* |
* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.
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.
Please see our website for more information https://aub.ac.uk/fees/undergraduate.
All undergraduate courses at AUB offer an optional placement year, to be taken between your second and third years of study. If you're unsure about this optional placement, you don't need to decide now. Once you're here and studying with us, the course team will discuss the placement options with you, so when the time comes, you can make a decision that's right for you.
Email:admissions@aub.ac.uk
Phone:01202 363228
Wallisdown
Poole
BH12 5HH
At Arts University Bournemouth