Illustration

Why choose this course?

The BA Illustration at the University of Northampton puts the power of storytelling and visual communication at the heart of what we do.

The course emphasises the importance of supporting students to develop their own visual language through a range of media and approaches from page to screen, 3D, installation and interaction. Through this holistic programme you can experiment and innovate using idea generation and real-world application to create work with meaning and purpose. Other highlights include:

• Strong links with industry plus lots of opportunities to work with ‘live’ projects, competition briefs and collaboration with other subjects.

• Access to specialist resources with technical instruction and support such as; printmaking, photography, sculpture, 3D printing, lasercutting, VR and digital media.

• Opportunities to exhibit your work publicly.

• Mac computer design and reprographics suite.

UON’s Design Studies subject area was ranked 16th based on overall student positivity out of all universities in England, according to the latest 2025 National Student Survey (NSS)*

Our Illustration course has been successful in the 2026 Guardian University Guide as part of the Graphic Design subject grouping:

Ranked 10th for Satisfied with Teaching for Graphic Design**

By studying at the University of Northampton, you can be sure that:

• You will experience student life at the University’s £330 million Waterside Campus. Come along to an Open Day and find out more.

• Students enrolling on this course at Northampton will be provided with their own brand new laptop*** to keep at no additional cost. All sports clubs and societies are free to join at Northampton and every essential course text book is available via the library, meaning you won’t have to purchase copies. For more information on this visit our website (northampton.ac.uk/benefits).

• At UON we guarantee a room in our Halls of Residence for all new full-time, first year students who apply and accept their room offer by June 2025 - and we won't ask for a deposit for September 2025****.

• Our expert academics teach in small groups supported with one to one assistance. Our academics and students form a tight bond, providing individualised support and guidance whilst challenging students academically.

• Whatever your ambitions, we’re here to help you to achieve them. We’ll support you to identify the skills you’re learning during your course, find your strengths and secure practical experience so that when it comes to applying for jobs or further study you’ll feel confident in standing out from the crowd.

The Northampton Employment Promise

• In fact, we’re so confident in our careers and employability support that if you achieve at least a 2:2 degree and complete either our Employability Plus Gold programme or achieve a Changemaker Gold Certificate during your time studying with us, but still haven’t secured full-time employment 12 months after graduating, we will secure a three – six month paid internship for you or support you into postgraduate study.

✱ Calculations are based on Office for Students (OfS) data from the average positivity score across all NSS questions for this subject area across all modes and levels at UK Universities.
✱✱ Data taken from the 2026 Guardian University Guide Graphic Design Subject table, filtered by Satisfied with Teaching.
✱✱✱ eligibility criteria and terms and conditions apply. See northampton.ac.uk/benefits for more information
✱✱✱✱ eligibility criteria apply. See northampton.ac.uk/student-life/accommodation/ for more information

STAGE 1:
• Exploring Creative Practice (Compulsory)
• Roles and Contexts (Compulsory)
• Creative Projects (Compulsory)
• Critical and Cultural Perspectives (Compulsory)

STAGE 2:
• Becoming Illustrators (Compulsory)
• Creative Collaborations (Compulsory)
• Visual and Material Culture (Compulsory)
• Illustration Practice (Compulsory)

STAGE 3:
• Professional Portfolio (Compulsory)
• Careers for Illustrators (Compulsory)
• Illustration Insights (Compulsory)

Module information is quoted for 25/26 entry. Please note that modules run subject to student numbers and staff availability, any changes will be communicated to applicants accordingly. 26/27 entry modules will be released in June 2026.

The course is assessed in a number of ways:

• Illustration projects

• Competitions

• External assignments

• Presentations

• Portfolio and exhibition displays

• Reports

• Essays

• Dissertation.